Big Changes at Alta Alta continues to make changes to facilities and the slopes on schedule ahead of this year’s ski season. Canyon Blog met up with Alta Ski Lift General Manager Mike Maughan to see firsthand what the resort was getting up to over the summer. Slopes first because, well, nothing’s more important than the actual skiing. At the bottom of the hill dirt was removed to smooth out the pitch on lower Sunnyside (leading to Albion Grill) so there isn’t a steep ridge for beginners to navigate. At the top of Supreme the slope’s been graded to add a bit of speed coming off the lift as you make your way down Upper Big Dipper. The track is now also wider. Just walking the trail on an August morning, the difference is obvious and will make for a better experience for beginners and experts looking to drop into runs like No9 Express and Upper Sleepy Hollow. The other big change long time skiers will notice are the additions to Alf’s restaurant. There is a significant extension to the west end, adding more seating and a commanding view of the Sugarloaf lift and runs in a stylish and timeless design. Elsewhere inside the ski shop now has a new space and more room to offer memories. You’ll be able to look inside from above as you walk in the new upper entrance on the east side. The former retail space is now additional seating. Given health measures necessary to keep everyone safe the addition will provide additional distancing for all. Finally, there’s a meeting room available for groups near the east end as well. More mundane, but certainly welcome, is the widening of the east end of the Albion parking lot. A lot will change this upcoming season in addition to improvements for obvious reasons. “We’re looking to provide the magic and beauty that people have come to expect from Alta. Food service will be different and we’re still assessing best and safest practices for employees and customers while containing virus exposure,” concludes Mike. Your correspondent has no doubt the safety professionals and modifications on and off slope are going to make for a great year. Opening day announcement is still a bit away but stay tuned, the 2020/21 season is coming, and the promise of a new year is in the name.

Interviews Archives - Canyon Services

An Interview with Miner Dick Fleue
An Interview with Miner Dick Fleue

An Interview with Miner Dick Fleue

Canyon Blog sat down with a Little Cottonwood Canyon icon this month to learn a bit about the canyon’s history. Many don’t understand that for the first century of its occupation by the largely European stock who entered Utah in the 19th century LCC was primarily a mining endeavor. Dick Fleue is the last surviving miner to have actively worked in some legendary workings in the canyon including the Flagstaff, Columbus Rexall, Columbus Consolidated, and Wasatch Drain Tunnel. For a time in the late 1950s and early 60s as a teenager and twenty something he explored many others including some [...]

CanyonBlog2023-11-25T19:04:37+00:00Interviews, Local Flavor|

Heli-skiing with Powderbird’s 50th Year
Heli-skiing with Powderbird’s 50th Year

Heli-skiing with Powderbird’s 50th Year

Followers of Canyon Blog will undoubtedly be aware of the helicopters that often nest just off the bypass road between Snowbird and Alta. And that they support Little Cottonwood Canyon’s heli-skiing. What you will not likely understand though is how heli-skiing works or even how to go about dipping a ski into the aviation facilitated snow pond. Despite 30 years of helicopter work in his military career your correspondent has to sheepishly admit that they’d never considered heli-skiing and assumed (incorrectly) that it was somehow out of his reach. To rectify this terrible oversight, he sat down with VP of [...]

CanyonBlog2023-02-17T18:57:05+00:00Interviews, Local Flavor, Outdoors, Winter|

The Power of Awareness
The Power of Awareness

The Power of Awareness

It’s time again for your faithful correspondent Canyon Blog to reveal his secret identity as New York Times bestselling author Dan Schilling. My new book is in stores now and I hope you’ll take a look. The Power of Awareness is a guide on how to avoid becoming the victim of crime as you travel across town or the globe. So read on and enjoy! A spy is suddenly aware she’s being stalked through the streets of an exotic city. A special ops soldier intuitively recognizes something’s “off” during a high-risk mission. In these life-threatening situations experts know exactly how [...]

Brittany Patraw2021-09-29T16:47:33+00:00Interviews|

Big Changes at Alta
Big Changes at Alta

Big Changes at Alta

Big Changes at Alta Alta continues to make changes to facilities and the slopes on schedule ahead of this year’s ski season. Canyon Blog met up with Alta Ski Lift General Manager Mike Maughan to see firsthand what the resort was getting up to over the summer. Slopes first because, well, nothing’s more important than the actual skiing. At the bottom of the hill dirt was removed to smooth out the pitch on lower Sunnyside (leading to Albion Grill) so there isn’t a steep ridge for beginners to navigate. At the top of Supreme the slope’s been graded to add [...]

Brittany Patraw2021-09-29T16:53:39+00:00Interviews|