Alta Upgrading Sunnyside to Six-Pack, Removing Albion Lift for 2022-23
The loading area for the Sunnyside triple in December 2020. The neighboring Albion lift is visible on the top left.
Alta’s Sunnyside lift will be replaced for the upcoming 2022-23 season, sources within the resort have confirmed to PeakRankings. A new high-speed six-pack will replace the existing detachable triple, with construction set to begin this summer. The outgoing Sunnyside lift has been in place since 1999 and chiefly serves Alta’s beginner terrain.
Alta is also removing the neighboring 46-year-old Albion lift, which essentially follows a redundant lift line to Sunnyside. The decision to retire Albion has been made in part due to the chair’s age and the new six-pack’s higher capacity. While the resort had considered a replacement for this center-pole double, management ultimately decided against it in part due to tree clearing required to put in a more modern chair.
Construction and removal efforts will commence this summer, and the new Sunnyside lift should be open by the end of 2022. The new lift will not only be the first six-pack at Alta, but within all of the Cottonwoods resorts.
Our Take
Alta’s existing Sunnyside chair is one of only two detachable triples in the United States, and while the existing setup is satisfactory, there are a few issues. The Sunnyside lift is faster than a typical fixed-grip chair, but it’s not quite as speedy as Alta’s detachable quads. Additionally, the triple-chair layout does not offer the capacity needed on busy days, and the chairs are spaced together a bit closer than ideal for loading beginners.
On paper, it seems like the new Sunnyside six-pack should address most of these qualms. However, the Albion lift’s removal means that despite the upgrade, the new Sunnyside lift will not have any lift redundancies—save the transfer rope tow, which can be taken across the resort to the more intermediate/expert-oriented Collins base but doesn’t extend up the mountain. This means that if Sunnyside goes down for any reason, there won’t be direct backup access to its terrain. Lifts can have teething problems in their first year, so Alta will need to make sure to get any kinks ironed out as quickly as possible.
We’re not sure how many people per hour (pph) the Sunnyside six-pack will be able to carry, but the resort will likely see a similar carrying capacity in the area without Albion. For context, most new six-packs have a capacity anywhere between 2,400 and 3,600 pph, while the current Albion/Sunnyside combination has a carrying capacity of 2,800 pph. That being said, Albion is a slow, less-than-enjoyable ride, and even a slightly lower carrying capacity with 100% high-speed service would almost certainly be a better customer experience than the existing setup.
We look forward to returning to Alta for the 2022-23 season to assess the new experience for ourselves.
Considering a trip to Alta next season? Check out our comprehensive mountain review. Additionally, check out our full Utah rankings. Keep in mind that Alta is a skiers-only resort and that snowboarding is prohibited.
