Alta Lodge: The Ultimate Ski Lodge
The coolest ski lodge in the US is a 78 year old building in Utah that resembles a 1940s prep-school dorm with a few added Bauhaus touches. Imagine cement-block walls, mid-century industrial Bertoia chairs, and floor-to-ceiling windows with eye-popping views of the slopes. Then imagine that it’s booked solid for much of the ski season with Park Avenue families and well-heeled West Coasters who’ve been coming for generations.
“For many of our guests, this is their spiritual home,” says general manager Marcus Dippo, who’s married to Cassie Levitt, daughter of longtime owner Bill Levitt. He utters these words in dead earnest, and he’s on the mark. Eighty percent of the guests return each year, and friendships form and last over decades.
Levitt [added] onto the 1940 structure three times, in 1963 and 1964, and most dramatically in 1968, with the addition of the so-called East Wing. Designed by architect John Sugden, who had studied under famed Bauhaus architect Mies van der Rohe, it brought mid-century modernism to Alta. To this day, the simple, dramatic walls of glass in these rooms allow a guest to feel as if they are literally standing on the mountain.
The Alta Lodge has grown from 12 guest rooms to 57, some with private balconies and even fireplaces. The luxury touches are humidifiers and boot dryers in the rooms—and high-speed wifi in a nod to the 21st century. The best feature of the original lodge is the Sitzmark Bar, a locals’ favorite for après ski, with a stone fireplace and mountain views. Ski package rates include breakfast and dinner. Forbes, September 2017
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