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Challenger

Black diamond Alta, UT

Steepest pitch30°
Vertical431 ft
Length1,461 ft
Average pitch17°
FacesSW
Top10,463 ft

Challenger drops 431 vertical feet over 1,461 feet of skiing, with a steepest pitch of 30° about 750 feet below the top. That's steeper than 54% of the 4,740 black diamond runs we've measured in North America, and the 79th steepest of 117 named runs at Alta. It faces southwest.

How well Challenger holds snow

Snow preservationPoor

Facing southwest at an average 17°, Challenger gets about 119% of the winter sun that flat ground at Alta does, December through March. That's sunnier than 86% of the runs we've measured, and the 4th sunniest named run at Alta. Its top sits at 10,460 feet.

Angled toward the low winter sun, it bakes: powder turns heavy soon after a storm, and in spring it softens early in the day and refreezes hard overnight. Shading from ridges and trees isn't counted yet.

Challenger profile

under 25°25–35°35–45°45°+ Hover to follow the line on the map.

Where it is on the mountain

Runs like Challenger elsewhere

Nearby at Alta

Measured by ZRankings from 1-meter USGS lidar. Steepest pitch is the steepest stretch of about 50 vertical feet along the skiable line. Run lines come from OpenStreetMap and can sit a little off the skied path.