After A Late Start to Season, Alta Finally Announces Opening Day

After a bit of a delay to start of winter in the Wasatch, Alta Ski Area has announced their new opening date. The beloved Utah ski area will officially open for the 2025/26 ski season on Sunday, December 7, 2025.

A storm is currently forecasted to hit the area starting on Friday afternoon and continuing into Saturday night. As of now, 8-12″ are expected to fall Friday night alone, with another 4-6″ on Saturday. Given the forecast, Alta is currently planning for a limited opening.

The resort plans to open Sunnyside lift and potentially Collins lift, conditions dependent, and recommends that skiers on Sunnyside be at least of an intermediate level. If Collins does open, skiers should be of expert level due to early-season conditions. Alta.com will stay updated closer to Sunday with terrain openings.

Opening day will mark the beginning of Alta’s 88th Anniversary season.

The 2026 POWDER Photo Annual is here! Look for a print copy on a newsstand near you, or click here to have a copy shipped directly to your front door.

On opening day, Alta Ski Shops will be open in the Wildcat and Albion base areas from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m., and Albion Grill and Watson Cafe (condition-dependent) will be open for dining.

Parking reservations will not be required for opening weekend; however, starting on December 12th, online parking reservations will be required from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekends (Friday-Sunday), and Holiday periods until Sunday, April 5, 2026. Early morning reservations will also be required for backcountry users planning to park at the South Flagstaff lot, starting on December 12th.

For those hoping to avoid parking, the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) Ski Bus service to Alta Ski Area and Snowbird is scheduled to begin on Friday, December 5th, and run through April 12, 2026. Additionally, Canyon Service Routes CS1 and CS2 will start on December 7th and also run through April 12th, 2026.

During the resort’s off season, significant improvements and upgrades were made to resort infrastructure. These initiatives included the Supreme lift re-alignment project, upgrades to snowmaking pipes for Alta Ski Area, and upgrading the Alta Lodge tow rope.

Four new Wyssen Tours (RACS) for avalanche mitigation were also installed in the Devil’s Castle and Sugarloaf Peak areas. It was the busiest off-season of improvement projects in the mountain’s recent history.

Happy ski season, Alta! The time has come. Enjoy.

Related: How Much New Snow Counts As a Powder Day? (Poll)