Top 10 Emerging Ski Towns

Reno, Nevada

Photograph by Grant Gunderson, Tandem

Best For: Mixed groups of hard chargers, beginners, and nonskiers who’d rather do their gambling off the slopes

This historic gold-mining town at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains became one of America’s 20th-century gambling meccas before its current reinvention as a hip, outdoorsy city of university students, artists, and, yes, skiers. We know what you’re thinking, but Reno actually is a ski town. Not only is the better-than-you-think Mount Rose 25 miles from downtown, but Reno sits at the northern tip of Lake Tahoe’s constellation of ski areas as well—the densest concentration of ski resorts in North America. There are 18 resorts within a hundred miles of Reno’s international airport.

Sure, Reno, population 225,221, still has plenty of casinos and nightclubs that party all night, but think of it as a smaller, more family-oriented Vegas. Set on the banks of the Truckee River, the pedestrian-friendly downtown has seen a much needed revamp worth hundreds of millions of dollars. It’s now filled with cafes, galleries, and artist’s lofts overlooking the river walk. A-list musicians routinely play at various venues, while those seeking a more classical experience can check out the nearby Reno Philharmonic or Nevada Shakespeare Company.

Mount Rose, a 20-minute drive from downtown, isn’t the biggest or flashiest ski area in the region, but it’s less expensive than most, has an excellent beginner program, and its expert area, the Chutes, opened in 2004, serves up a buffet of 1,200-plus-feet, 45-degree, north-facing pitches. It also features the highest base elevation in the Tahoe region at 8,260 feet, helping it escape the rains that can despoil the region’s snowpack.

Ask a Local

Luke Jacobson is vice president and an engineer at Reno-based Moment Skis. He has lived in Reno for nine years and praises the “young entrepreneurial spirit in the area.” Here are his recommendations.

Best Digs

Budget: Sands Regency Casino

Swank: Grand Sierra Resort

Best Eats

Cheap: Noble Pie Parlor

Gourmet: Campo

Best Aprés Spot

Lincoln Lounge

Best Rest-Day Activity

Lake Tahoe and Donner Lake are always must-sees.

Favorite Ski Run at Mount Rose

When the Chutes is open on a powder day it can't be beat.

Revelstoke, British Columbia

Photograph by Grant Gunderson, Tandem

Best For: Vertical-devouring powder hounds with movie-star ambitions

Consider 5,620 feet of vertical—that’s pretty much all you need to know to understand why Revelstoke Mountain Resort has burst onto the North American ski scene with more fanfare than any ski area in recent memory. The average 350 to 550 inches of snow per year doesn’t hurt either. But it’s more than just obscene amounts of snow and vertical—the town of Revelstoke, only three miles from the mountain’s base, is an old mining hamlet cum ski town in the grand tradition of Colorado’s finest (Crested Butte, Telluride, etc.). Carved out of the central British Columbia wilderness and sitting at the foot of the storm-slathered Monashee Mountains, getting here isn’t easy (the nearest airports are Kelowna, 2.5 hours away, or Calgary, 4.5 hours away, both of which feature shuttles), but the payoff is a small, friendly mountain town with a vibrant ski culture, a surprising number of quality ethnic restaurants, and more powder-choked ski terrain than you can shake a fat ski at.

Revelstoke is the only ski area in North America where skiers and boarders can get to the goods via lifts, snowcats, and helicopters from the same base area. For the in-bounds powder seeker, a little hiking goes a long way here. Head for the dizzyingly deep and steep North Bowl, where your dreams of living out ski magazine cover shots can be fulfilled. The entire region is the epicenter of B.C. heli-skiing, with countless opportunities to blow your life savings getting whisked to mountaintops. For a quieter but no less thrilling experience, Roger’s Pass, 35 miles up highway, is widely known as one of North America’s premier backcountry skin-and-grin zones.

Ask a Local

Lisa Longinotto came to Revelstoke from Lake Louise in 1990, lured by the seductive thrill of heli-skiing. She’s been a ski instructor for 35 years, a volunteer ski patroller for 20, and a backup guide for “almost all of the heli-ski and cat skiing operations in Revelstoke.” Here are her recommendations.

Best Digs

Budget: SamesSun Revelstoke

Swank: The Hillcrest Hotel

Best Eats

Cheap: "Lots: Village Idiot, Last Drop, Isabella's, Frisby Ridge Diner. My favorite? All of them," says Longinotto.

Gourmet: The 112 has a classic, exceptional menu.

Best Aprés Spot

Village Idiot

Best Rest-Day Activity

Halcyon Hot Springs is a very scenic 45-minute drive on Highway 23 South, crossing the Arrow Lake on a free ferry, and a ten-minute drive past that to natural hot spring pools that have a lovely atmosphere in a commercial setting. There are a few other ones farther down the road that are noncommercial.

Favorite Ski Run at Revelstoke

“The top-to-bottom vertical of Snow Rodeo, or Pitch Black, is the classic. This is a straight-line-down-the-mountain run, wide enough that the one part is groomed and the sides are 'chowder'—that's chopped powder in Revelstoke language. The almost 6,000 feet is doable nonstop, though it may take a while to build the thighs up for it. My favorite run is Separate Reality—a lovely open bowl with big round bumps that fill in every night thanks to a little wind … or more snow,” says Longinotto.

Nelson, British Columbia

Photograph by Douglas Noblet, Getty Images

Best For: Those seeking an off-the-trodden path, powder-smothered destination that’s more about relaxed authenticity than thread count

Resting on the shores of Kootenay Lake and tucked into the steep, wooded folds of the Selkirk Mountains, the funky hamlet of Nelson has long harbored artists, adventure seekers, and copious, car-concealing amounts of snow. It’s been said there are more artists per capita here than in any other city in Canada, but the visiting skier or boarder might think the same is true of its restaurants—its colorful downtown of meticulously restored historic buildings is packed with them. Stroll down central Baker Street and you’re likely to encounter writers, organic farmers, pot growers, and grinning bands of skiers and boarders. The seeds of Nelson’s counterculture character were planted in the Vietnam era by an influx of long-haired American draft dodgers. Deep in southern British Columbia, about 150 miles north of Spokane, it’s still a place where you can escape from the world.

Ten miles from town sits the quietly epic Whitewater Ski Resort, a hidden gem of British Columbia skiing. Situated in a mountain bowl that grabs snow like a giant catcher’s mitt, you don’t come here for glitz and high-speed chairs (none and none), you come for the expert skiing, the bounteous backcountry, and the powder—almost 500 inches a year. The Glory Ridge triple chair, new in 2010, doubled the mountain’s skiable terrain to 1,317 acres and opened up 2,000 vertical feet of expert glade skiing. Befitting its rustic vibe, there is no lodging on the mountain, but the base lodge’s Fresh Tracks Cafe is one of the finest around.

Ask a Local

Professional skier and lifelong Nelson resident Peter Velisek grew up racing at Whitewater. Though he’s traveled the world to ski, he keeps coming back to Whitewater for “the snow quality and varied terrain.” Here are his recommendations.

Best Digs

Budget: Alpine Motel is basic and clean, with kitchenettes.

Swank: The Hume Hotel has it all—pub, nightclub, lounge, and restaurant—with a rich heritage surrounding it all.

Best Eats

Cheap: Mike's Pub for quality, filling food at a great price

Gourmet: BiBO or All Season's Cafe

Best Aprés Spot

Jackson's Hole & Grill

Best Rest-Day Activity

Soak in Ainsworth Hot Springs. Or go fishing with Captain Happy at Kootenay Sport Fishing.

Favorite Ski Run at Whitewater

The Blast

Sandpoint, Idaho

Photograph by Woods Wheatcroft, Aurora

Best For: Non-extreme skiers and boarders seeking the famed tree skiing of the Selkirks without the trip to Canada

Deep in the Idaho panhandle, 60 miles shy of the Canadian border, the backwoods logging town of Sandpoint has been transformed into a ski town and a bohemian artists' haven of wineries and sushi bars. Sitting on the shore of the Tahoe-like Lake Pend Oreille and backed by the Selkirk Mountains, this eclectic town of 7,365 enjoys one of the most beautiful settings in the American West. It may be remote, but it’s also only 90 minutes from Spokane’s international airport, and Amtrak runs right through town. Though the last 15 years have seen golf courses and condos sprout up like mushrooms after a Pacific Northwest rain, the town (and its ski slopes) never feel crowded. It may no longer be undiscovered, but it’s still undervisited.

Eleven miles north of town, Schweitzer Mountain Resort sprawls across 2,900 acres and offers some of the best lift-accessed backcountry in the Rockies. The ski area itself is a non-extreme skier's dream, with wide ribbons of corduroy and unending glades draped across its three peaks. Known for some of the country’s best tree skiing, Schweitzer is on private land—unlike most ski areas, which lease their slopes from the U.S. Forest Service—and can thin trees to optimize the terrain. On clear days, spectacular mountaintop views reach into three states and British Columbia, though it can be hard to take your eyes off the radiant blue of Pend Oreille.

The resort’s high point of 6,389 feet is lower than most western mountains (though it still averages 300 inches of snow per year), which means visitors will find plenty of oxygen to gulp down along with their vertical. If you’re still hungry for more, Selkirk Powder Company has its lodge at the top of the Great Escape Quad and offers cat skiing runs through the glades and old-growth forests on the resort’s backside.

Ask a Local

A lifelong Sandpoint native, Dan Nylund started skiing at Schweitzer when he was five and started working there when he was 13. He now manages the mountain’s freestyle terrain—three terrain parks and a rider-x course—in the winter and saws ski runs in the summer. Here are his recommendations.

Best Digs

Budget: The Best Western is on the water and very affordable.

Swank: The Selkirk Lodge is hotel-style lodging located right in Schweitzer Village.

Best Eats

Cheap: Joel's serves authentic Mexican taco-stand-style food. It’s run by a friendly family making great food—which is obvious from the line out the door every day during lunch.

Gourmet: Ivano's serves great Italian food in a friendly, family-run restaurant.

Best Aprés Spot

Eichardt's Pub has good food and a large selection of beer. MickDuff's Brewing Company has good food, good beer, and good prices with big-screen TVs. And if you want to get rowdy, head to the 219. It's crowded, smoky, and cheap.

Best Rest-Day Activity

There are numerous art galleries and quirky shops downtown. There are some nice hiking trails and walking paths such as the Pend Oreille Bay Trail and the Mickinnick Trail.

Favorite Ski Run at Schweitzer

Big Timber off the top of the Snowghost chair (chair 6) in the North Bowl when the snow is fresh. If it is tracked up, head farther north down to X, Y, and Z. These runs provide fun steep shots, cliffs, trees, and usually powder.

Driggs, Idaho

Photograph by Gabe Rogel, Aurora

Best For: Families seeking virtually guaranteed powder in a salt-of-the-earth ski town

In Idaho’s rural Teton Valley at the skirts of the vaulting Teton Mountains, the small ranching town of Driggs (population 1,660, up from 1,100 in 2000) is slowly filling with skiers and snowboarders there to dive into some of North America’s best and most consistent powder snorkling. The lower-gloss sibling to Jackson, Wyoming, Driggs is 42 miles and one mountain pass—famed backcountry hotspot Teton Pass—from its flashier relative. While recent years have seen its Western-style storefronts occupied by artisan bakeries, coffee shops, Thai restaurants, and organic grocers, it’s still sleepy—you don’t come to Driggs for the nightlife. But if you like your ski towns rustic and scenic, it’s a perfect spot.

Which is good because 12 miles outside of town, Grand Targhee catches an average of 500 inches of snow each year on its 2,602 acres, the most of any ski area in the North American Rockies. Targhee’s worst snow years are better than many mountains' best. The vast majority of the wide-open, playful runs are rated for intermediates—this is ski-forever terrain—with a scattering of expert steeps and a cluster of beginners-only greens at the base. The mellow, 2.8-mile Teton Vista Traverse means that even beginners can ride to the 9,862-foot summit to ogle the mighty Tetons, which rise like spears just beyond the mountain’s slopes. With its nonlethal terrain, consistently uncrowded slopes, and plentiful precipitation, it might be the ultimate place to learn powder skiing. Its top-notch ski school even offers specialized powder instruction.

Targhee sets aside over 600 acres of its terrain for snowcat skiing on powder days only (guaranteeing the goods). Driggs also makes a perfect base for exploring the world-renowned backcountry in the Tetons, with the backside of Targhee beckoning cliff-hucking experts. Two services in Driggs offer guided day and multiday trips, as well as yurt accommodations in nearby Grand Teton National Park.

Ask a Local

Mark Hanson and his wife came to Driggs to be ski bums for one year. Twenty-one years later they’re still there. He’s the director of Grand Targhee’s ski school. Here are his recommendations.

Best Digs

Budget: The Pine Motel is clean, comfortable, and affordable, with nice big rooms, and you can walk to restaurants. Groups can rent a house in town through the resort or Grand Valley Lodging.

Swank: The Tower at Grand Targhee is slope side and exclusive (there’s only one of these, so book early).

Best Eats

Cheap: The Royal Wolf has a varied menu and lots of locals.

Gourmet: Teton Thai is a sweet, authentic Thai restaurant in a very cool building in downtown Driggs.

Best Aprés Spot

Aprés ski is always happening at the Trap Bar on the mountain. It’s the only true après in the valley.

Best Rest-Day Activity

Snow coach tours in Yellowstone (West Yellowstone is just 1.5 hours north); winter fly-fishing; free local Nordic trail for cross-country skiing, skating, or fat-tire biking

Favorite Ski Run at Grand Targhee

For the most consistent snow and mix of trees, head for the north-facing Good, Bad, and Ugly.

Mammoth, California

Photograph by Lee Donahoe, Tandem

Best For: Cliff huckers and park rats looking for California sunshine on one of America’s best big mountains

High in California’s Sierra Nevada, in the shadow of Yosemite, the volcano of Mammoth Mountain rises above the tree line to 11,053 feet and delivers the highest lift-served skiing west of the Rockies. This means two things: wide-open alpine terrain and lighter snow than anywhere else in the region. The diffuse town of Mammoth Lakes didn’t use to sing “ski town,” but the recent development of the Village at Mammoth has given it a lively pedestrian center. It’s hive of condos, restaurants, and bars are linked via gondola and ski trail to the mountain’s base. An expanded airport now hosts direct flights from San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego, making it easier than ever to reach this remote mountain playground.

The mountain itself lives up to its name with 150 runs, 28 lifts (half of which are high-speed), three base lodges, and a plethora of pitches for every level across its 3,500 acres. Terrain diversity is the key here. Double-black chutes and bowls drop from its summit ridge, plunging groomers and mellow green runs drape its lower reaches, and one of the country’s best ski schools teaches first-timers on the gentle beginner runs surrounding each base lodge. No fewer than nine terrain parks, including monster 18- and 22-foot half pipes, attract the baggy-pants crowd in droves.

Combining 400 inches of annual snow with 300 days of sunshine, Mammoth delivers springlike mountain conditions well into, uh, spring. And even summer. Typically open through June, it has one of the longest ski seasons on the continent. Skiing here may not be cheap and it can get crowded on weekends—it’s the closest big mountain skiing to Los Angeles, five hours away—but midweek skiers and boarders are virtually guaranteed uncrowded slopes. Worth noting: The backcountry opportunities in the surrounding Sierras are some of the finest in America.

Ask a Local

Former National Junior Downhill Champion Clifford Mann grew up in Mammoth Lakes and has been working on the mountain since he was 12 years old. Here are his recommendations.

Best Digs

Budget: Alpenhof Lodge is a family-owned place with a great locals bar called the Clocktowers, with something like a hundred beers on the menu.

Swank: The 8050 or anywhere in the Village

Best Eats

Cheap: Roberto’s

Gourmet: Lakefront Restaurant at Tamarac Lodge

Best Aprés Spot

Grizzly's or anywhere in the Village. Gomez’s is good aprés.

Best Rest-Day Activity

“Go explore the high desert. Drive 40 minutes toward Bishop and play tennis, golf, ride horses, whatever you usually do in the summer. My son and I like to ski in the morning and golf in the afternoon,” says Mann.

Favorite Ski Run at Mammoth

Wipeout Run to the bottom of the gondola

Red Lodge, Montana

Photograph by Paul Otsu, Red Lodge Mountain Resort

Best For: Families looking for an inexpensive Rocky Mountain ski vacation in the wilds of Montana

With its family-friendly mountain, glorious spring skiing, and laid-back character recalling the Aspen of 40 years ago, the little western town of Red Lodge (population 2,125) has quietly become one of the best under-the-radar ski towns in the Rockies. This was the stomping ground of Buffalo Bill and Calamity Jane, and the historic downtown hasn’t changed much since. The same three-story, redbrick Pollard Hotel still stands watch on the corner, except now you’ll find coffee shops, art galleries, and organic restaurants serving local food. Unpretentious is the ethos here—don’t be surprised to see kids and friendly Labradors underfoot at the Red Lodge Ales taproom.

Six miles out of town, Red Lodge Mountain Resort rises 2,400 feet up Grizzly Peak. At 1,600 acres and 65 runs, it’s not a huge ski area, but it has the whole family covered, from gentle beginner runs to 2.5-mile-long groomers to double-black tree skiing in the mountain’s upper reaches. The cozy Midway Chalet partway up the mountain offers views of five different mountain ranges. Crowds are nonexistent and lift tickets cost half as much as at higher-profile resorts—first-timers can even get a lift ticket, lesson, and gear rental for $49. There’s no lodging at the low-key base area, which is just fine as you’ll want to spend your off-slope time in Red Lodge anyway, where most accommodations are downtown and an easy walking distance from pubs and eateries.

Just west of town rises the Absoroka-Beartooth Wilderness and one of the largest sustained alpine zones in North America. It’s here, a few miles up the Beartooth National Scenic Byway, that the Red Lodge International Summer Ski and Snowboard Camp runs its single lift through July. World-class backcountry touring and ski mountaineering opportunities exist in the region for at least that long. The National Ski-Joring Finals—horse-pulled ski racing—are held here every March, which is also frequently the mountain’s best snow month.

Ask a Local

Steve “Augie” Aga has skied at least once every month for 220 consecutive months (almost 19 years). He’s been skiing at Red Lodge since 1984 and moved there in 1995. Here are his recommendations.

Best Digs

Budget: The Yodeler, or for a family unit check out the Chateau Rouge

Swank: Rock Creek Resort

Best Eats

Cheap: Foster and Logan’s for burgers and sandwiches; Bear Creek Saloon and Steakhouse for a steak

Gourmet: Old Piney Dell at Rock Creek Resort

Best Aprés Spot

The Bierstube on Red Lodge Mountain or Sam's Tap Room at Red Lodge Ales in town

Best Rest-Day Activity

Fly-fish the main rivers and streams. Shop at the great little stores on Main Street. Visit Red Lodge Nordic Center to cross-country ski.

Favorite Ski Run at Red Lodge

Lazy M is the signature run on the mountain. It is two miles of pure, groomed cruising.

Waitsfield, Vermont

Photograph by Kurt Budliger

Best For: Eastern skiers and boarders seeking a classic New England skiing experience

Deep in the Green Mountains of northern Vermont sits the Mad River Valley, a woodsy skier’s paradise that is establishing itself as the quietly humming soul of eastern skiing. No frills Mad River Glen is the nation’s only cooperatively owned ski area; ever-improving Sugarbush offers some of the finest under-the-radar expert runs in the East; and backwoods telemarkers here quietly rack up hundred-day seasons without chairlifts.

The steepled village of Waitsfield, population 1,719, is the valley’s focal point. In classic Vermont style, it has the 19th-century architecture, red barns, and covered bridges seemingly plucked from postcards, but this is no museum—the people here have dirt under their fingernails. This is a working town of artisans, bakeries, farmers, and local food. Think Stowe 30 years ago. With its country inns and relaxed taverns, you don’t come here to party, you come here to ski.

Mad River Glen—one of the most unique ski areas in North America and the only one on the National Register of Historic Places—is the definition of old school. Its narrow, plunging trails were cut by hand almost 70 years ago in historic New England style. It can’t be bothered with things like high-speed chairs, condos, and snowboards, which aren’t allowed. But if you’re looking for pure, eastern skiing in a rustic style, this is your spot.

Sugarbush, just down the spine of the Greens, offers a more modern experience. Its two base areas have been extensively renovated in recent years and, in a pioneering move for the East, it offers pre-opening snowcat rides on powder days. With high-speed quads, 111 runs, 2,600 feet of vertical, and extensive snowmaking, there’s skiing here for everyone. Castlerock Peak delivers a warren of some of the finest under-the-radar expert runs in the East, while adjacent Mount Ellen offers terrain parks and sinuous blue runs through the trees. Guided tours are available into the 2,000-acre Slide Brook Basin, which features some of the region’s best lift-accessed backcountry.

Ask a Local

A pioneer of extreme skiing, John Egan is a longtime star of Warren Miller movies who has first ski descents on peaks across the world, including Greenland and Siberia. He has skied at Sugarbush all of his life and currently heads the mountain’s Adventure Learning Center. Here are his recommendations.

Best Digs

Budget: Hostel Tevere right on Route 100 at the base of the Sugarbush Access Road

Swank: Clay Brook at the Lincoln Peak base area has top-notch luxury accommodations, an outdoor hot tub, and ski valet.

Best Eats

Cheap: The Hyde Away Inn & Restaurant is a great little pub and country inn that’s a favorite for the locals.

Gourmet: The Common Man is in an old rebuilt barn with an incredible atmosphere and a New York City chef.

Best Aprés Spot

The Castle Rock Pub is where the party starts. Then head to the Localfolk Smokehouse. They smoke their meats right out front. It’s easy walking distance from town and they’ve got pool tables, great food, and live honkytonk music.

Best Rest-Day Activity

The Ben & Jerry’s ice cream factory is the number one attraction in the state. It’s right across from the Cold Hollow Cider Mill.

Favorite Ski Run at Sugarbush

Castlerock lift line is an old-school New England, unadulterated lift-line run. Never had a groomer on it. It’s narrow, with stumps and bumps.

Durango, Colorado

Photograph by Scott Smith, Durango Mountain Resort

Best For: Budget-minded families with multisport inclinations and a taste for the Southwest

Renowned for its world-class mountain biking and kayaking, Durango also happens to be a vibrant, family-friendly ski town—perhaps the most affordable in Colorado. On the edge of the Four Corners region and surrounded by the mighty San Juan Mountains, this Old West railroad town of 17,069 has blossomed into one of America’s adventure sports capitals. As you stroll past the eateries and craft breweries of downtown, a National Historic District, you’re likely to rub elbows with world-class athletes, but you’d never know it. Unlike some Colorado ski towns (you know who you are) there’s no hype here. Whether you’re here to bike (45 minutes away even in winter), fly-fish, ride the historic and vertiginous Narrow Guage railway, ice climb, or ski, Durango simply delivers the goods.

Twenty-seven miles up Highway 550 is Durango Mountain Resort, née Purgatory, a family and intermediate skier’s dream hill, with 88 runs, ten lifts, five terrain parks, and a seemingly endless supply of groomed rollers for catching flight. Its 260 inches of snow per year may lag behind Colorado’s deepest, but it also translates into more sunny days than almost any mountain in the state. After all, you’re only a gallop away from the desert.

A splash of new expert terrain in 2009 opened up some expert tree skiing, but most big mountain skiers and boarders eager to hurl themselves down ungroomed Alpine slopes will want to head to Silverton, 55 miles up the road. Or check out the San Juan Skiing Co., based at the resort. It has the most acreage of any cat-skiing operator in Colorado.

Ask a Local

Professional skier Sven Brunso has skied in 15 countries and more than 200 resorts and has appeared on the covers of Skiing, Powder, and Men’s Journal. He’s lived in Durango for 21 years. Here are his recommendations.

Best Digs

Budget: Durango Lodge

Swank: Strater Hotel

Best Eats

Cheap: Oscar’s

Gourmet: Season’s

Best Aprés Spot

Steamworks

Best Rest-Day Activity

Ride the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad to Cascade Canyon.

Favorite Ski Run at Durango

Styx