The Baldy Chutes at Alta are a serious commitment, requiring a long hike from the Sugarloaf lift to the mountaintop and some serious skiing to get back down. Main Chute hits 44 degrees, plus there’s often some airtime required off the cornice at the top to get in, and that’s not even the hardest route down. Both Little Chute and Dog Leg are tighter and more technical, making for some difficult but very rewarding terrain.
Skier Tony Korologos captured a near disaster at the top of Little Chute on Sunday, April 6, when a skier almost crashed out above his friends. Fortunately the guy manages to stop his fall pretty quickly but if he had lost control he likely would have taken out all three people below him.
When you’re skiing steeper terrain and gnarly chutes, it’s not a bad idea to have one person go at a time, ensuring that if someone were to crash they wouldn’t take out everyone else along with them. Have the person before you ski for a bit and then move out of the fall line before you go, and do the same if there’s someone going after you.
