Alta Chalets Blog

Working remotely never skied so good. We can all agree this year–and this winter–looks very different than what we’re used to, and there are many things we miss.  But, there are also many things we can find. Like weekday powder turns under Utah’s clear blue skies, all while holding down a big-city job. Or sending your kids to a half-day of ski school in lieu of recess. Because, thanks to...

Our favorite Salt Lake area breweries and distilleries. After a steady daily diet of powder, sunshine, and joy on the slopes of the Wasatch, Alta Chalets guests may not realize how many excellent options they have for washing it all down. Despite a history of pious teetotaling that once gave Utah a dry reputation, the state is now home to dozens of fantastic microbreweries and distilleries, about 30 of which...

Your ski sanctuary: staying pandemic-safe in a private vacation rental. 2020 may have pressed the pause button on many things, but, with a little strategic decision-making, your ski vacation doesn’t have to be one of them. If you find a way to skip the crowded day-lodges, lunch lines, and hotels, you’ve cracked the code. The solution: staying in a peaceful vacation rental with just your family—and a kitchen, complete with...

The Flagstaff and the Baldy Photohaus have a fantastic location, just across the street from the Alta Ski Area. If you are familiar with Alta, these two units are just across the street from the Alta Lodge. So in the morning, you have two options to get to Alta. You can either jump on the Free Alta Resort Shuttle or ski down. The Resort Shuttle stops right by the house...

What is a caretaker? Alta receives over 500 inches of snow per year and there are from time to time road closures due to avalanche danger. Due to this unique environment, caretakers are an integral part of the town of Alta. The jobs of the caretakers are as follows: Shovel snow to allow for access in and out of the house Work with snow removal to insure that driveways are...

Once you are at Alta and Snowbird, there is no need for a vehicle. During the daytime, both the Free Alta Resort Shuttle and the public bus (UTA) offer service within the ski areas. At night, the on-call shuttle service run by the Snowbird Cliff Lodge Bell Desk will bring you to and from restaurants at Alta and Snowbird. Free Alta Resort Shuttle (Within Alta along Bypass Road during daytime...

Many times I will answer a reservation call and a client will tell me they want to stay at Alta and not at Snowbird. Whenever I receive this question, it is an indication to me that the person has probably never visited our area. So, if you are already familiar with Alta and Snowbird, skip this post otherwise read on for my spiel. 1. Yes, the Alta Ski Area and...

I grew up and learned to ski in the Northeast – New Hampshire, Maine, Canada and Vermont. My earliest memories of skiing are at Stowe VT. I was fearless on the slopes but terrified of the T-Bar…at the time my only option for getting up to the top of the beginner area. For every run I took, I had about 5 unsuccessful tries to load the T-Bar with my dad....

There are many misconceptions about being able to get a drink and purchase alcohol in Utah. Many of the more restrictive laws have changed over the past few years making things much easier than they used to be. Below are some of the things to know: 1. All wine, beer (over 3.2%) and hard liquor must be purchased at a Utah State Liquor Store. The prices are surprisingly reasonable (typically...

Yes, the View is ski in/ski out to Snowbird – arguably the best ski in/ski out there is to Snowbird. You don’t need to be an expert skier but, you do need to be an intermediate skier to be able to take advantage of this access. So, how do you ski to Snowbird? The View is located at the very end of Blackjack Road. The trail to Snowbird starts at...