Wasatch Weather Weenies: Limitations of Alta–Zermatt Comparisons – Beragampengetahuan

Zermatt, Switzerland

It is not unusual to hear people make comparisons between Alta and Zermatt when it comes to transportation.  One often hears statements like “Alta should be like Zermatt” or “we should have a train like Zermatt.”  This article is not to argue against transportation upgrades (I am likely supportive of a well designed mountain transportation system for the Wasatch), but to instead discuss some of the limitations of these comparisons and the unique challenges facing Little Cottonwood Canyon.  

Alta is a small town.  The population for the 2010 census was 383.  This dropped to 228 for the 2020 census.  I’m not sure how confident to be in either of these numbers, but we are talking about less than 400 permanent residents.  It has five lodges [Snowpine (58 rooms), Alta (57 rooms), Goldminer’s Daughter (89 rooms), Alta Peruvian (80 rooms), Rustler (85 rooms)], some condos, and some additional rental units.  Down the road, Snowbird reports that they have 882 total rooms.  I’m not sure what the total lodging capacity is in upper Little Cottonwood (perhaps someone has it), but let’s say it is around 2,500 people.  

At the base of Little Cottonwood, Salt Lake County has a population of almost 1.2 million people.  The Wasatch Front has a population of 2 million people.  

Zermatt is often called a village, but it is really a small city.  It has a modest population of 5,733, but also 106 hotels with 7,310 beds ( There are also apartments which add several thousand additional beds.  In 2023, Zermat saw about 2.25 million overnight stays at hotels and rental apartments (https://www.zermatt.ch/en/content/download/73156/3346478/version/3/file/2023_Jahresbericht+ZT+-+Web+klein.pdf).  

At the base of the Matter Valley that leads to Zermatt is Visp, with a population of 6,777.  The entire Valais Canton, which includes Visp and Zermatt and extends from the southeast shore of Lake Geneva to the Furkapass in south central Switzerland has a population of 343,000.

So, consider the difference between big ski days at the two resorts.  At Alta (and Snowbird), most of the skiers have to get to the resort during an intense morning rush hour.  At Zermatt, most of the skiers are already at the resort.  They arrive in a less intense pulse the prior day and evening.  

My point here isn’t to argue against a mountain transportation system, but to highlight important differences between Alta and Zermatt that should be recognized.