Alta Just Revived a Legendary Throwback Ski Tradition That Disappeared for 28 Years

This winter, for the first time in 28 years, a unique and wonderfully old-fashioned ski competition returned to the slopes of Alta Ski Area, Utah.

Called Powder 8s, the team event saw pairs of skiers carving their best figure eights through fresh snow. That is, they skied alongside each other, leaving criss-crossing paths.

A panel of five judges determined the winning team, grading them on turn shape, synchronicity, style & energy, and speed. 

It all started last summer when Alta began organizing its archives of historical photos, relics, and film footage. Amid the treasures in a warehouse closet, a Powder 8s trophy appeared. One empty plaque on the trophy remained.

So, in a fitting celebration of its 88th season, Alta decided to host another Powder 8s event. Check out photos and results from the event below.

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Alta Powder 8s Photo Gallery

Alta Powder 8s Results

The tough and often snowless winter that impacted the West this year called it all into question, though. To make figure eights, you need, of course, some fresh flakes. Hopes for hosting Powder 8s didn’t pan out in February or early March. Prospects dimmed. 

But, thankfully, an April weather window provided the conditions organizers needed: nearly 30 inches of snow. On April 3, under a cold and clear sky, the skiers dropped in.

Due to the event's last-minute nature, Alta held it as an invitational, calling on members of each ski area department to compete, from ski patrol to snowmaking.

In the end, the patrollers won out.

Here’s how the field shook out:

• 1st Place: Caroline Dillon x Andrew McCloskey (Ski Patrol)
• 2nd Place: Dan Foxman x Ted Battesh (Building Maint. X Lift Maint.)
• 3rd Place: Gavin Piva x Johhny Gustaitis (Restaurants) 
• 4th Place: Eric Schmidt x Carl Heath (TELEMARK) (Skier Services x Slopes & Surfaces)
• 5th Place: Jakob Shiffman x Tommy Derks (Lift Ops)
• 6th Place: McIan Morrison x Ryan Ruffing (Slopes & Surfaces)
• 7th Place: Kristin Beard x Sarah Kaye (Alf Engen Ski School)
• 8th Place: Cole Shaffer x Jon White (Snowmaking x IT)
• 9th Place: Sylvia Dalton x Van Dudney (Alta Ski Shop x Parking)

The Backstory

The ski area first held the Powder 8s competition in 1991, creating a pipeline for skiers to compete in the Grand Nationals at Jackson Hole, Wyoming (the Jackson Hole showing dates back to the 1970s).

Whoever won at Nationals earned an all-expenses-paid trip with a helicopter skiing operator in British Columbia, dueling again, this time for the World Championship Title. 

But Powder 8s weren’t built to last. With the rise of extreme skiing and new, parabolic ski technology, the fad passed. Skiers no longer had to make quick, short turns to navigate through fresh powder. Higher-speed paths to powder enjoyment became the norm.

“However, this season Alta skiers rediscovered the glee in slowing down and locking in to create artful turns together,” Lexi Dowdall, Alta’s communications manager, wrote. “Poetry in motion. There is something inspiring about leaving a beautiful mark on the mountain together. If you haven’t tried it…pay homage to the past and our skiing community by cutting some Figure 8s together.”