Bill Harrison, who has a PhD in engineering, first came to Alta in October 1975 to test an instrument for determining air movement in the snow. Alta was the only accessible place in the US that had snow that early. He returned in January 1976 because of a three-year drought in the Sierra Nevada's. Bill has been at Alta every winter since with the exception of two years as the Resident Engineer at Jackson Hole. Over the years at Alta, he has been an Avalanche Engineering Consultant, professor, bartender, and manager's assistant at Goldminers Daughter Lodge. He teaches a course in "Snow and Avalanche Mechanics" at the University of Utah. His favorite places in the world? Alta; New Castle Upon Tyne, England; The Greenland Ice Cap; and Blue River, British Columbia.

Shirley Hebert, a longtime skier and guide, has lived in Little Cottonwood Canyon for over twenty years. Her hotel experience as office manager for the Goldminers Daughter Lodge at Alta and the Cliff Lodge at neighboring Snowbird enables her to provide the high level of service that the guests of the chalet have come to expect. She knows people, local stashes of powder, and lots of interesting Alta history and tales. Here is her story:

"I came to Alta in 1976. My former husband and I decided that we would like to take a sabbatical and ski every ski area in North America. At the time, we were working for a Media Group called "MRG Productions" which compiled ski conditions from all of the resorts in Eastern Canada and the Northeastern USA. They broadcasted over radio and television in Eastern Canada. I was one of the radio broadcasters. Since I was an authentic member of the ski media, we decided to do a travelogue. We set up a radio program called "Ski Magazine" with CJAD radio of Montreal. We would ski a number of areas each week and then talk about the resorts and what they had to offer. The last ten minutes of the show had a "call-in" feature where listeners could talk directly with me and ask specific questions. We skied at 67 resorts that season."

"Lo and behold at the end of the season, we decided that maybe we could make a living with skiing. The very best combination of snow, terrain and plausible opportunities were in Little Cottonwood Canyon. So, after, having driven to Panama during the summer, we came back to Alta in 1977. We established a company called "Ski the Other Side," a guide service that took good skiers to the best "off-trail" skiing available at Alta, Snowbird, and Park City. We had permits from the US Forest Service, Alta Ski Lifts, Snowbird and Park City. We succeeded in having both a great business and a great deal of fun. I often hear from former clients who want to ski with me and it's something I still love to do."

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