Snowbird also has a back side in its Mineral Basin zone, whereas Alta is entirely front-facing. Alta has more rolling, wide-open slopes, while Snowbird comprises narrower, generally steeper canyons. That being said, the two resorts hold considerable differences in their layout and topography. Snowbird is a bit bigger, with 2,500 skiable acres, but Alta isn’t far behind, measuring in at 2,200 skiable acres. Skiable FootprintĪlta and Snowbird are pretty comparable in size. As a result, Snowbird always offers a few extra weeks of operations compared to Alta, despite similar on-mountain conditions at the two resorts. On the other hand, Alta is much more stringent in this regard, nearly always closing in mid-to-late April. Snowbird stays open as long as feasibly possible, with a season that goes until mid-May and can sometimes extend as late as July. Alta is probably the slightly better pick for an early-season trip if you want to ski the whole mountain due to these circumstances, although both resorts are still excellent choices overall.īut one place where Snowbird beats Alta is in spring skiing. On the other hand, Snowbird’s south-facing Mineral Basin terrain can fall victim to the sun, and sees freeze/thaw cycles throughout the season, as well as a later season opening date than the rest of Alta and Snowbird’s terrain. In addition, Snowbird’s footprint isn’t quite as resilient as Alta’s-the resort’s lower base elevation makes for slightly more variable lower-mountain conditions than at Alta, which doesn’t have any terrain below 8,500 feet.īut most importantly, nearly all of Alta’s terrain faces north, making for one of the most optimal aspect ratios of any northern hemisphere ski resort. If there’s been a storm at Snowbird, chances are that Alta’s received a few extra inches. Despite sitting in neighboring mountains, Alta sees somewhat higher snowfall totals than Snowbird each winter. On top of that, accumulation is supremely dry and light at both resorts, making for a combination that we haven’t found an equal to anywhere else.īut when it comes to choosing between the two resorts, a few key factors give Alta the very slight upper hand on snow quality. Both resorts are nearly unparalleled when it comes to annual average snowfall, seeing the snow totals above 500 inches in a typical season. If you’re looking for top-tier snow conditions, you won’t go wrong with either Alta or Snowbird. In this piece, we’ll go through the differences between these two mountains, what they both do well, what they both fall short in, and who each is for. While Alta and Snowbird might look pretty similar on paper, a few key circumstances distinguish the two mountains from one another. But how do they compare against each other? These mountains aren’t the biggest out there, but they really stand out from the pack thanks to their frequent powder days and reliable conditions. Looking for the best skiable snow conditions on the continent? It’s hard to find better choices than Alta and Snowbird, two neighboring ski resorts in Utah’s Little Cottonwood Canyon just east of Salt Lake City.
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