Before becoming a skiing mecca, Alta was a robust mining town. This silver boom eventually went bust, leading locals to search for a new business venture. That venture was skiing, which led to some old mining parts being used to create the new ski area.
Alta’s first-ever chairlift was Collins, and the town’s mining past helped make it easier to build. Before chairlifts existed at Alta, an aerial tramway helped move silver ore between Alta and Tanners Flat. The wooden timber lift towers from that silver ore tramway were reused for the Collins lift. The top terminal was around where the angle station of Collins is situated today. You can learn more about the history of the Collins chair here.
The Collins chairlift was upgraded to a double chairlift in 1973. It remained that way until 2004, when Alta replaced it and the Germania chairlifts with a Garaventa detachable high-speed quad. This includes a mid-angle station, which allows skiers (not riders) to load at mid-mountain. This allows skiers to get hot laps on the terrain that used to be serviced by Germania.
Image Credits: Alf Engen Ski History Collection, Alta Ski Area, Alta Peruvian Lodge (Skimap.org)
