Gettin’ Schooled

Ringing school bells and the smell of a college-ruled notebook might seem worlds away from the crisp air and powder-packed slopes of ski season, but don’t worry, Peruvianites — the countdown has officially begun! While some are hitting the books, we’ve been brushing up on the wild science that makes skiing at Alta an A+ affair. So, as we eagerly await that first glorious snowfall, consider this your light reading assignment!

Our powder is quite famous here at Alta. We’ve earned the title “The Greatest Snow on Earth,” and if you’ve ever shredded our basins, you know it’s well-deserved. The weightlessness of our runs is unlike anywhere else on earth, thanks to science! When your skis glide on top of our light, dry snow, you’re cruising on a thin cushion of air. Less friction means more speed, making our snow as smooth as butter.

So, where does this grade-A snow come from? It starts with the Great Salt Lake. Clouds pick up warm moisture from our wet neighbor, which then freezes and falls as it crosses our frigid Wasatch peaks. This “lake effect” dumps gobs of perfect powder across our runs all season long, and our record snowfalls and country club days can definitely attest to that!

Thanks to Alta’s elevated altitude, the snow stays fresh and dry — perfect for those deep powder days. But it’s not just our altitude; we’re sitting in a sweet spot between moisture coming from the Pacific and chilly arctic air rushing down from the north. This collision means one thing: snow, snow, and more snow. The Wasatch Range is literally a powder factory, and we’re right on the conveyor belt.

Now, for a little history lesson — did you know skiing is over 5,000 years old? Ancient Norwegian cave paintings show our ancestors on skis, though they were likely hunting or traveling through the snow instead of shredding gnar or riding the park. Luckily, we’ve come a long way since then. Someday in the far future, researchers will discover we alternatively spent our time hunting for the perfect line and traversing our favorite runs to the bottom… so we can do it all over again!

So, while we wait for those first flurries to fall, rest easy knowing that the Wasatch Mountains and Mother Nature are hard at work prepping for another legendary season. See you on the slopes soon, Peruvianites!