By Everett Potter

Thanks to its deep snow, remarkable mountain scenery and venerable ski traditions, Alta is one of my favorite places to ski anywhere in the world. The legendary resort in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah is the ultimate playground for any skier keen to experience the state’s legendary champagne powder. Just 40 minutes from downtown Salt Lake, the former mining town in Little Cottonwood Canyon is treasured for its simplicity, its loyal skiers who return every year and for powder that can easily exceed 500 inches of snowfall in a good year. Linked to neighboring Snowbird, it provides some of the best and most challenging terrain in the U.S. The fact that it still bans snowboarders is a major attraction for many skiers (though neighboring Snowbird does indeed welcome snowboarders).

What Alta is not known for is change.

“New” has always been a pejorative term at Alta, as has the word “luxury,” but those notions will be tested in January 2019 with the opening of the Snowpine Lodge … continue