Steeped In Tradition Episode 13 – Powder 88s.
In celebration of our 88th season, Alta Ski Area, Sweetgrass Productions, 20 skiers, five judges and two announcers pulled off the first Alta Powder 8 Championship in almost three decades—during the least-snowiest season on record.
Steeped In Tradition Episode 13 – Powder 88s | Video: Sweetgrass Productions
When the calendar turned to November 2025, skiers turned their attention to Alta's 88th winter and the anticipation of returning to their favorite powder stashes. Rewinding the clock a few months earlier to the summer of 2025, a trip to Alta's storage warehouse revealed an impressive yet dusty relic from Alta's past: The Alta Ski Lifts Powder 8 Championship trophy. Engraved with legendary names and spanning the years 1991–98, the trophy's roster of champions was followed by a singular blank plaque with space for one more duo.
We polished the trophy to a gleam and laid plans to host the first Powder 8 Championship in 28 years to commemorate Alta's 88th operating season. We had high hopes for a season filled with powder 8 tracks across the mountain—or so we thought.
Alta Ski Lifts Powder 8 Championship trophy
Alta's 88th—The Best Worst Season.
As we kicked off our 88th season, we encouraged skiers to pay homage to Alta’s rich history by visiting their favorite powder stash with a friend to leave Powder 8s in their wake. Etching Powder 8s in the snow was meant to commemorate the skiers who came before us and shaped the history of skiing. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans and unleashed her dry sense of humor, delivering Alta's Best Worst Season in history.
As the projected Opening Day for Alta's 88th ski season came and went, a pattern of waiting for deeper days and stormy skies entrenched itself. From October through March, storms were scarce and so was the opportunity to indulge in the joy of cutting Powder 8s and 88s with fellow powderhounds. There were scant opportunities to practice Powder 8 formations through the extended periods of sunshine and blue sky.
February 14th: Leo Schor & Eliza Cowie leave some lovely Valentine's Day Powder 8s | Photo: Photo-John
The opportunities to cut Powder 8s were few and far between and the task to host Alta's first Powder 8 Championship in 28 years proved challenging. While it wasn't the season we expected, Alta skiers made memories in the sunshine, harvested the occasional face shot and still managed to enjoy this beautiful place.
Our dreams of hosting the long-awaited return of the Powder 8s Championship were continually postponed. February gave way to March and a 25-day spring break with no hope of hosting the competition tested our fortitude.
After months of waiting, early April delivered the perfect storm to host the long-awaited return of the Alta Powder 8 Championship.
Alta powder 8 championships
After months of waiting, early April delivered the perfect storm to host the return of the Alta Powder 8 Championship. A strong spring storm deposited 28.5 inches of snow on the slopes of Alta, but it was uncertain if the competition could be held. Alta Ski Patrol conducted avalanche mitigation across the resort as anxious teams of Alta employees waited to see if avalanches would mar the perfect canvas of untouched powder snow. It was determined that the competition could move forward under a cobalt blue sky.
April 3rd: Caroline Dillon & Andrew McCloskey lace some Powder 8s | Photo: Rocko Menzyk
Nine teams representing various Alta Ski Area departments gathered on the Backside near the designated start zone. Five judges assembled at the finish line, ready to score the teams on four categories—turn shape, synchronicity, style and speed.
April 3rd: Alta Ski Area's first Powder 8s Championship in 28 years | Photo: Rocko Menzyk
April 3rd: Noah Wetzel calls the shots | Photo: Rocko Menzyk
The quality and depth of snowfall that graced East Greeley made an ideal surface for the skiers to leave their marks and the judging panel awarded points for each category to crown the 2025-26 champions. Spectators riding the Sunnyside lift were treated to an impromptu show as the employee teams vied to lay the most perfect collection of Powder 8s.
April 3rd: Gavin Piva & Johhny Gustaitis III representing Watson Shelter in the Alta Powder 8 Championship | Photo: Photo-John
"If you're not on, you're laying spaghetti."
Andy Baker – Alf Engen Ski School Instructor and 1998 Alta Powder 8 Champion
April 3rd: Nine employee teams cut their best Powder 8s on a picture-perfect bluebird day | Photo: Photo-John
High-fives were shared as the points were tallied. The Watson Shelter crew of Johhny Gustaitis III and Gavin Piva clinched third place. The Building Maintenance team of Dan Foxman and Ted Battesh synced their turns into second position.
April 3rd: Alta Ski Area Powder 8 Championships | Video: Sweetgrass Productions
The Alta Ski Patrol team, represented by Andrew McCloskey and Caroline Dillon, took home the trophy, adding their names to an enduring legacy of Powder 8 Champions hailing from the ranks of Alta Ski Patrol. It was an unforgettable day in a season many hoped to forget—a reminder that patience pays off in the pursuit of perfect powder.
April 3rd: Caroline Dillon and Andrew McCloskey of the Alta Ski Patrol ski home with the trophy | Photo: Rocko Menzyk
With just 321 inches of snowfall, Alta's 88th season wound up being the least-snowiest season on record. But it's years like this that help us appreciate the joy of sliding around on fresh snow with family and friends, which gives us a deeper appreciation for this place we call home.
View our Steeped In Tradition Video Series
Alta's Deep Roots.
In celebrating nearly nine decades of history, there are countless stories that still echo between Little Cottonwood's granite peaks. From halcyon days when silver was king to the avalanches that wreaked havoc on the little mining town, Alta has stood witness to dreams and disaster. By 1920, the Wasatch Mountains had been ravaged by decades of mineral extraction, grazing and environmental degradation. The nearly treeless slopes of Little Cottonwood Canyon presented an avalanche problem and the polluted watershed threatened Salt Lake City's water supply.
Once forged in silver, Alta's fate would shift to snow, thanks to the wisdom and passion of Norwegian ski champion, Alf Engen. To the United States Forest Service, Alf Engen recommended the head of Little Cottonwood Canyon as the prime site for the development and promotion of winter recreation in the Wasatch Mountains. Alf believed the deep snow and hanging glacial basins would suit skiers and jobs would be created by the need to replant and repair the watershed. The din of clanging mines was soon replaced by the reverberation of explosives meant to keep avalanches at bay so skiers could enjoy the superb mountain scenery.
88 Years of Powder Skiing History
From a rip-roaring silver mining outpost at the turn of the century to a single chair assembled from an old mining tramway, the memories here run deeper than our powder snow. For 88 years, Alta skiers have left their ephemeral tracks within the snow, sharing stories about a place that time mostly forgot. To experience Alta is to be steeped in tradition while immersed in the present. Many a visitor has quit their job, left a life behind and moved to Utah to continue their pursuit of that Alta Magic.
Circa 1950: Engen Brothers put down some early Powder 8s on High Rustler | Photos: Sverre Engen
Alta's first skiers explored the slopes on eight-foot-long skis fashioned of the finest hickory. While the equipment, outerwear and chairlifts have certainly evolved, what hasn’t changed is Alta’s mission to provide an authentic skiing experience in a natural environment. To this day, skiers continue to experience that exhilarating exhale before leaving a plume of powder snow in their wake, thanks to Alta's independent ownership and commitment to stewardship.
From leather boots and beartrap bindings to carbon fiber skis and boot heaters, our appreciation for this special mountain remains constant beyond the passage of time.
2025: Alta Ski Patrol and Alta locals lay some powder 88s | Photos: Lee Cohen & Photo-John
February 14th: Powder 8s in Devil's Castle | Photo: Photo-John
March 8th, 2026: Powder 88s in Devil's Castle | Photo: Lee Cohen
The Powder 8s we leave in the snow are a visceral link to the skiers who came before.
88 Years of Powder Skiing Evolution
Since 1938, Alta Ski Area has shaped North American skiing culture.
- Alta was home to the first chairlift in Utah—the fifth in North America
- In 1949 the U.S. Forest Service created the nation's first avalanche center at Alta
- Alta served as the birthplace of snow science and avalanche mitigation in North America
- Early Alta skiers helped create the methodology and curriculum of the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA)
- Alta's bountiful snow inspired the creation of the modern Powder Skiing Technique
- Little Cottonwood Canyon was the first location in North America to utilize Wyseen Towers (RACS) for avalanche mitigation purposes
The Alta Timeline—from Silver to Skis >
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