The recent winter storm that pounded the Colorado Mountains has many skiers heading for the hills. That’s the problem. Every down-hiller and his brother will be clogging up the lift lines at popular ski resorts from now until the snow melts.
If the thought of dealing with huge holiday crowds at ski resorts is making you reconsider gearing up to shoosh into the new year you’re in luck. Ski experts just released a list of 10 mountains in the United States where the trails are first-class and the wait times are minimal. The only catch: reaching them requires effort and time.
Take a look:
Grand Targhee, Wyoming. This relatively small (it features 2,500 skiable acres) is located on the western side of the Teton Mountain range and lies due west of its more famous neighbor, Jackson Hole. Targhee hosts just 150,000 skiers each year compared with Jackson Hole’s 350,000 annual visitors. Which means you will be doing a lot more skiing than waiting in lift lines. The only problem is that getting to Targhee is a challenge. From Jackson Hole, it takes about 90 minutes to drive the 42 miles, across the Tetons on the often-treacherous Teton Pass. What’s more, the final part of the drive is often covered with snow eight or ten feet high.
Big Sky, Montana. If you are looking for elbow room on the hills then head to Big Sky. Resort owners say you can ski more in a morning here than you can ski all day at another resort where you have to wait in line for 20 minutes after every run. Typically, Big Sky, which boasts 3,800 acres, sees no more than 2,000 skiers on any given day.
If you are planning a trip to Utah and want to avoid the hordes of skiers at places such as Park City and the Canyons, consider visiting Snowbasin. The owner of the mountain also owns Sun Valley, so you can be assured that the amenities are first-class (albeit limited). The one factor that keeps numbers low here—the nearest lodging is more than 20 miles away.
In California, resorts like Squaw Valley and Heavenly host hundreds of thousands of visitors each season and the wait time to get up the mountain only drives home that statistic. For those of you who don’t mind skiing on less challenging trails, there’s always Kirkwood. The resort is located about four hours from San Francisco. But, with its 2,300 acres covered by some of the nation’s deepest snow it may be worth the trip. The resort also boasts cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, tubing, ice-skating, and bars and restaurants all within steps of condominiums nestled in the Mountain Village.
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