Alta , United States

This cult resort makes keen powder skiers almost freak out when you mention it. To borrow from Brigham Young, who founded nearby Salt Lake City: “This is the place!” (Not if you're a snowboarder, they're banned). Funkier, cheaper, less pretentious and nowhere near as well-known as neighbouring Snowbird; Alta gets more than its share of Utah's celebrated 'greatest snow on earth'. It attracts hard-core skiers, who typically take pride in hiking to secret stashes of powder.

Alta is also part of a unique (in America) resort-to-resort back-country tour, the 'Interconnect'. It has quite decent beginner slopes, too and is less than an hour from the airport at Salt Lake City. Skiers at Snowbird shouldn't miss it…

Our Ratings

Overall
Atmosphere
Pistes
Aprés-Ski