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Tony Korologos Skied All 116 named runs at Alta Ski Area

Quest For
116

By Adam Fehr 05-18-2020

Tony Korologos and his Quest to ski all 116 Named Runs at Alta.

Two seasons ago, Tony Korologos started a quest to ski all 116 named runs on the Alta Ski Area trail map.

At the end of a ski day at Alta, Tony would go to his desk and use a yellow highlighter to mark each new run he had skied. Some days, he would post a photo on social media, a helmet cam video to his YouTube channel or even an update to his blog, Hike.Ski . In doing so, he was actually carrying on a family tradition, documenting ski adventures around Alta.

Tony is a descendant of the Korologos Brothers, Tom and Mike, who both started skiing Alta in the early days. They were some of the earliest powder skiers at Alta, skiing alongside Alf Engen while helping develop the powder skiing technique that put Alta on the map of all powder hounds. Both Korologos brothers also worked as ski journalists for the Salt Lake Tribune. They were named honorary members of the Alf Engen Ski School in 1992.

The Valley of the Great Salt Lake | Mike Korologos

Mike Korologos went on to a successful career as a freelance ski journalist, writing for Ski Magazine, Skiing Magazine and other publications. In 1992, Ski Utah named him Ski Journalist of the Year. Three years later, Mike received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Ski History Association. Mike was instrumental in bringing the Winter Olympics to Salt Lake City in 2002. He is a member of Alta’s Wild Old Bunch, and can still tear it up on the slopes.

It is safe to say no single human being has written the words "Utah" and "skiing" together more times and in more publications than Mike Korologos.

- Deseret News | April 15, 2001

After his own stint at the Salt Lake Tribune, Tom Korologos went into advertising. He is known as the creator of The Greatest Snow on Earth slogan that can be found on over a million Utah license plates today. Tom eventually left Utah and pursued a career as a politician and lobbyist. He also served as the US Ambassador to Belgium under President George W. Bush.

Long story short: a love of skiing Alta is in Tony Korologos’s blood.

Tony started skiing Alta when he was five years old, taking lessons from Alf Engen, Alta Ski Area's founding father. His dad gave him simple ski instructions before his lessons with Alf: “Follow Alf and stay in his tracks. He’s a legend.”

Nearly fifty years later, Tony is trying to summon Alf Engen's training while attempting to ski all 116 named runs at Alta.

Tony started his quest at the beginning of the 2018-19 season. Unfortunately, his season was cut short on Valentine’s Day, when he underwent season-ending shoulder surgery.

Last summer, Tony invested in ski touring gear and started skinning up Alta after the lifts stopped spinning. The gear and the training would come in handy in his quest.

Alta issued a new trail map for the 2019-20 ski season and Tony started marking his runs with a pink highlighter. With many of the more accessible groomed runs already completed, Tony needed a little help from Mother Nature and the Alta Ski Patrol if he was going to ski every run on the map. Some of the named runs at Alta Ski Area require a good snow year, the right weather patterns and good snow stability. Following each storm this season, Tony would pay close attention to Alta's Lift and Terrain Status page, hoping to catch rope drops on new terrain.

A few highlights from Tony's 2019-20 ski season:

East Castle

Castle Wall

Left: A left leg workout on the East Castle sidestep | Right: A right leg workout on the Devil's Castle sidestep

Tony had just checked off run #115 of 116 when Alta Ski Area suspended operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. One run short of completing his two-season-long goal.

As days and weeks passed the prospects of Alta reopening for the season faded, Fortunately, Alta Ski Area had opened terrain to those willing to hike or skin up the mountain. Tony knew he was going to have to do this one on his own. To make this feat all the more daunting, Tony had intentionally left the Baldy Chutes until the very end of his quest.

Tony skied all 116 runs on the Alta trail map

Tony was stuck on Run 115 when Alta Ski Area closed due to COVID-19

The only other time he had attempted to ski the amazing Baldy Chutes, was 30 years ago. In 1990, Tony fell at the top of Main Chute and slid 800 vertical feet to the bottom of the chute, dislocating his shoulder while trying to self-arrest. Alta Ski Patrol helped him make it down that day. If he wanted to complete his Quest For 116, Tony would have to hike or skin to the top of the 11,068 foot Mount Baldy without the help of chairlifts. Then he would have to safely descend Main Chute without any potential aid from Alta Ski Patrol.

It took three decades for Tony to work up the courage to ski the Baldy Chutes again.

On April 26th, 2020, All of Tony’s training paid off. Now 45 pounds lighter than he was at the start of his quest, Tony was able to summit Mount Baldy. Most days. that's the hardest part of hiking and skiing some of the lines at Alta. April 26th was not like most days.

In addition to being in great physical shape from his Quest For 116, Tony was skiing with newfound confidence on steep terrain and variable snow. Throw in some of the tips he learned from Alf Engen and Tony was ready to write his own Main Chute redemption story.


Tony skiing down Main Chute 30 years after his slide-for-life

Main Chute of the Baldy Chutes as seen through the lens of Tony's helmet cam | April 26th, 2020

Tony's shared what he was thinking as he dropped into Main Chute in a blog post recapping Run #116:

"I’ve skied some shorter patches of terrain that steep, but this is a sustained steepness with rocks on both sides. It is truly stunning and terrifying, especially for someone who has had 30 years to think about falling down it.

I skied conservatively, and stopped often to catch my breath and composure. There are no style points here. Just get down in one piece."

- Tony Korologos

Six minutes after dropping into the top of Main Chute, Tony was still standing, looking up at a line he had waited for 30 years to ski. He pulled out his pink highlighter and finally marked the last run on the trail map. Run #116, Baldy Chutes: check. 30-Year Redemption Story: double-check.

Main Chute line

We recently caught up with Tony Korologos to ask about his story and what was next.

When he wasn't seeking out new runs this season, Tony was introducing skiing to his son, Seve. At seven years old, Seve took his first lessons at Alta with the Alf Engen Ski School. If you can't learn to ski from Alf Engen himself, the Alta Ski School is the next best thing.

Since Tony completed his Quest For 116, he's been playing a lot of golf and running a popular golf blog, Hooked On Golf. He's also been racing drones across the street from Alta, and, as you may have guessed, has a great blog about drones as well.

What else would you expect? Sharing a passion for skiing, Alta and the outdoors runs in the Korologos genes.

Although he's already skied every run at Alta, Tony hasn't hung up his skis for the season. Even with Alta now officially closed for the season, he's still hiking uphill and skiing back down, training for whatever quest comes next.

Tony paused when we suggested he ski every run on the Alta Patrol Map—complete with over 300 unofficial lines or zones. At 54 years young, he said he doesn't know if he has that in him. But he hopes someone will see his Quest For 116 and follow in his tracks on a Quest For 300+.

Further reading:

The Origin of the Phrase "Greatest Snow on Earth" | Wasatch Weather Weenies >

Greatest Boosters on Earth | Deseret News >

The Hike.Ski Blog | Tony Korologos >

Hooked On Golf Blog | Tony Korologos >

Ambient Flight Blog | Tony Korologos >

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