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Spruces

Black diamond Alta, UT

Steepest pitch42°
Vertical576 ft
Length1,138 ft
Average pitch31°
FacesNW
Top10,299 ft

Spruces drops 576 vertical feet over 1,138 feet of skiing, with a steepest pitch of 42° about 470 feet below the top. That's steeper than 97% of the 4,740 black diamond runs we've measured in North America, and the 27th steepest of 117 named runs at Alta. It faces northwest.

How well Spruces holds snow

Snow preservationGood

Facing northwest at an average 31°, Spruces gets about 71% of the winter sun that flat ground at Alta does, December through March. That's shadier than 69% of the runs we've measured, and the 37th shadiest named run at Alta. Its top sits at 10,300 feet.

Shaded snow stays colder and drier, so it holds powder longer after a storm and is slower to crust over or turn to slush in spring. Shading from ridges and trees isn't counted yet.

Spruces profile

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

Where it is on the mountain

Runs like Spruces 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.