Powder can be addictive, we all know that. But perhaps nobody knows it better than legendary ski photographer Lee Cohen, who formed Altaholics Anonymous in 1983 when Alta, Utah, received 244 inches in one month. T-shirts and other merchandise quickly followed so that Alta ski bums could show their fellowship anywhere. Altaholics Anonymous just opened an online store so you don’t have to travel all the way to Utah to get your gear. We caught up with Lee Cohen to get the backstory on his version of AA.

How has Alta changed since you first skied there in 1978?

Not as much as you’d think. Traffic moves a lot quicker since they got the new Collins lift—that’s a big plus. On a stormy day, it’s still pretty much the same as it was 25 years ago. You can still have the same experience—that’s why it’s so good. It seems like Alta makes little concessions to progress slowly even though it’s changing all the time. (Click to the next slide for the next question.)