Alta, Utah — Times have certainly changed at the historic Alta Ski Area.
While Alta still has its historical quirks, it has a modern lift network with RFID gates. Some of the hotels have stayed the same, while others were torn down and replaced with modern buildings. This 1988 Alta documentary gives you an idea of how much the ski area has changed.
Released in 1988, this Alta 50th Anniversary video is part infomercial, part history lesson on the lore of Alta. Narrated by a guy who cranked the yee-haw up to eleven, it covers Alta’s mining days, how the ski area started, catching up with skiing legend Alf Engen, and more.
Probably the most ironic part of the movie comes around the 11-minute mark, which is when they discuss the rise of quad chairlifts and Alta’s lift fleet. Chic Morton, who was Alta’s General Manager at the time, said the following about these pesky quad chairlifts in the film:
“I don’t think we’ve got any place on our mountain that would take a quad without destroying the quality of the skiing on those runs.”
Well times have changed. Utah was definitely a hidden skiing destination back then, but it’s a lot different now. It’s also ironic that the skiing experience at Alta has held up so well with all these high-speed lifts.
Alta is for skiers!
Image/Video Credits: Alta Ski Area, Greg Droubay/Nick Droubay
