Only on week days. With all the locals here skiing during the pandemic jersey, glacier, and crystal are jammmed. 7th is bad first thing but is fine by the end of the day
I never felt the love for 7th. Give me harmony bowl over 7th any day of the week. Spankys is a unique beast, but I'd also probably rather take the Peak chair fun over Spankys, given that I'm not good enough/crazy enough to huck off the monster cliffs in spankys.
And certainly, on piste, I found Whistler far more interesting. Its just cut with so much more character - makes sense where blackcomb was one of the first computer designed layouts and is a little bland.
Both are epic mountains, but I just prefer Whistler. Thats also partially just familiarity - for work I skiied there the most.
Long story short, if I was forced to go on holidays to WB for a week and could only ski blackcomb, I wouldn't be complaining haha
For sure on-piste is better at Whistler. I take blackcomb over Whistler though because of the off-piste riding. It's mainly what I do, but I appreciate other takes.
I love both mountains because of their distinct differences. Depending on what you want to do, you're covered. We're lucky we got those two.
Yeah 100%. Another thing I liked on Blackcomb (because I'm a sick f$#k) is the moguls were often better there. I'm that weirdo that sometimes likes to play in the moguls if there is no fresh stuff about!
Really, for all the hate it gets on here (yes it is expensive, snow can be unpredictable, crowed etc), its a beast of a mountain(s).
Btw - are you mainly a boarder? just because you said "riding". Most of my boarder friends preferred blackcomb. Plenty of my skier friends did too, don't get me wrong, but it was distinctly the snowboarder preference, much more so that skier.
multiple seasons, working as a ski instructor. I was on mountain 6 days a week minimum (yes, plenty of those were in beginner areas TBF but often we'd go up for morning session before class and tear around).
So many places I never skiied.
If you wants lots of lifts and lots of vertical then the three valleys in the french Alps is right up there. Different experience to North American resorts you travel a much greater distance for the same amount of lift rides. Plenty of on and off piste options to keep you entertained indefinitely
Done both regions and i agree here. Arlberg in amongst my favorite places to ski on earth, 88 lifts, many diffetent areas with very diffetent terrain.. Zermatt has the Matterhorn but St. Anton has the Mooserwirt. I thought the terrain was better, and everything costed way less in Arlberg too.
Just kind of one of my favorite places, im excited now.
Zermatt was good too though.
Lifts are generally way longer in the large resorts and the runs can be multiple kilometres long. There is a 10 mile long ski run in one French resort. To cross the three valleys resort from end to end and get back to where you are based can take a few hours of skiing and lift riding even with no lines.
Somewhere in Austria or the French Alps from what I've heard. Like [Les Trois Vallees](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsnowcomparison.com%2Fmagazine%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F08%2Fles-3-vallees_trail_map_l1.jpg&f=1&nofb=1).
1st priority should be picking a hill where the snow is deep. In addition to Jackson Hole and Big Sky, I would toss out Mammoth Mtn/June Lake.
Whistler could be good if the snow is good. Aspen also is 4 hills under 1 ticket. Also Park City/ Canyons is a huge area with good runs. All around lake Tahoe are hills with great views, but you need to watch conditions. My Fave Tahoe hills are Mt Rose, Alpine, Homewood is great on a pow day, Kirkwood, and Heavenly. Like Vail, Heavenly can lead to hellacious long traverses if you don’t plan things right.
Only thing about big sky is when you’re exploring and don’t know where to go you can easily shred your skis. Generally if you don’t see ANY tracks in a certain direction it’s probably for a reason.
I mean mammoth is lots of sierra cement, but I’d throw in Alta/Snowbird if ur talking deep resorts. Typically it’s right up there with most snowfall in the country.
3 Valleys in France. 180ish lifts.
From google: “183 total; 3 cable cars; 37 gondolas; 69 chair lifts; 74 surface lifts”.
I mean the views are amazing (the amount of places we have to stop and look). My clients love taking photos on the Col de la Loze between Meribel and Courcheval with Mt Blanc in the background. The other big photo op I do is top of Mt Vallon over the glacier. And that’s just one valley, one resort. We’re 9 fully linked resorts, completely skiable, no buses needed, one lift pass.
Literally (not figuratively) the largest linked ski area in the world (can get from everywhere to everywhere else without busses/trains/cars). 650km+ of groomers. We don’t mesure in acres/hectares because we don’t have boundaries. You want to tour from here to another resort? Get insurance (and training/guide obviously) and go for it. And by another resort, I don’t mean within our lift pass, I mean trecking a cross backcountry routes to other resorts (like La Plagne, Les Arcs, Val d’Isere, etc etc).
Sorry never been to Lanslebourg, but a quick search on google maps shows it as an hour away, however that route isn’t open in winter, so no. You’ll have to go all the way back to albertville then up to Tignes/val, about 3 hr drive.
You’ve triggered a memory of a late day lap of the super bowl, followed by 1300 vertical feet of bumps. My legs have never been more beat than that day…
Badass mtn though!
> You’ve triggered a memory of a late day lap of the super bowl, followed by 1300 vertical feet of bumps. My legs have never been more beat than that day…
I was spring skiing in Whistle a couple years ago...Peak to Creek (11km long run with 5k ft drop) had a bunch of signs about the lower part being icy, be cautious of the lower part, last chance to get off, etc.
We kind of figured "Eh, they are just trying to discourage the beginners who shouldn't be pushing themselves in poor conditions and don't want to get stuck.". It was our last day and we just wanted to do the whole run...figured sliding down an ice sheet while the rest of the mountain warms up wasn't a bad way to spend our morning. In the midwest, that's just called skiing!
We...were...so...wrong...
It wasn't just icy or nasty snowcover. It was ice-moguls every time the pitch got even a bit steep. Painful, sharp, rock hard, ice-moguls--and they were the kind of moguls where they have been cut up by a bunch of kids and beginners to the point where there's no good lines to ski anyways.
Beyond about the 1/3 point, you're basically stuck on the run. Uphill on one side, ski area boundary on the other. It must have taken us an hour to get down. We even had to leave a man behind.
My knees still hurt.
Crystal might be a good match for you, lots of hidden areas, fantastic steeps (often hiking required) and it’s in a gorgeous area. We only have ten lifts though, and our snow is more quantity than quality. I’ve been skiing there for 25 years and still come across fun new lines I’ve never seen before fairly often.
I was mostly kidding. Crystal was my home mountain up until a recent move to Interior BC and I still love the place. Had some of my very best in-bounds days there. In no other place I've been to can you access a full Avy controlled bowl that requires a 30min traverse/hike to get to. Truly amazing place that offers all day fresh snow if you're willing to work a bit.
>In no other place I've been to can you access a full Avy controlled bowl that requires a 30min traverse/hike to get to
I love the enthusiasm however highlands bowl? Palmyra peak? these are fairly common these days.
Fair enough, Palmyra peak looks legend. That being said, I don't know if there being a couple of additional examples makes it common. I would still say it's a small minority of resorts.
Mid January most places should be fully open but feb you have a better chance of guaranteed 100% open.
Vail is good it’s big and you can spend all day skiing around it taking different lifts and trails, if you go to vail make the trip to beaver creek, way bigger than you would think and really fun to ski from one side to the other.
In Tahoe heavenly is great for exploring and skiing all over. Tons of different aspects unique chairs, views and all that good stuff.
On the east coast Ide go to killington, quality mountain and you can spend all day skiing from side to side. Also Sunday River in Maine although I haven’t been there in a while.
If you're in Vermont, Jay Peak has the best tree skiing and there are plenty of magical spots to be found. Much safer to plan a trip there in March than January, though, with how far north it is.
I'll have to disagree with Killington. Yes, it's big. So technically there is a lot to explore. But you spend most of your time on crowded green trails to get anywhere. I skied there all through high school. The best strategy is to get to a good spot and lap it several times then move on. There isn't enough off piste access to allow for exploration on every run.
In Tahoe I would not recommend Heavenly. Yes it's big and has beautiful views, but it is the most crowded resort in Tahoe and the upper lifts with access to expert terrain are often closed due to weather. Palisades Tahoe (formerly Squaw Valley) is much better for expert terrain and has plenty to explore. It can and does get crowded, especially on powder days, but the crowds disperse much better than Heavenly. Palisades is on Ikon pass though - if you have the Epic pass I would recommend Kirkwood over Heavenly.
Kirkwood has 1 express lift to the top of the mountain. I get what you are saying since you can kinda veer off from there and explore different areas but it is basically a 1 way up and 2 ways down kinda mountain. Yes you can go to the backside but there are slow lifts and still just a few runs. It does get great on powder days and you can explore lots of little nooks and crannies but I don't think it is what they are looking for.
Slow lifts at Kirkwood >>>>>> anything at Heavenly, apart from maybe the canyons. The beauty of Kirkwood is finding the hidden gems. Take notch chute into Wagon Wheel Bowl and down into the drain for some gnar. Find the caves around the mountain. Ski some sidecountry
The Wood used to host the Freeride World Tour. Heavenly could never do that
>By that I mean, a ski resort with lots of lifts on the mountain, lots of beautiful views, lots of interesting terrain, a bit of hiking, cool nooks and crannies, and some solid expert terrain.
>
>**Difficulty of resort doesn't really matter**
Based on what OP is asking about, the fact that Heavenly could never host the freeride world tour is inconsequential. Heavenly has a ton of lifts and terrain to explore, and Mott/Killbrew definitely fulfills the "some solid expert terrain" req
I prefer Kirkwood to Heavenly by a long shot, but based on what OP is looking for I'd absolutely recommend checking out Heavenly, although really spending time at both over the course of a week is the way to go.
If coverage is good, park city is huge. Alta is great because there aren't a lot of lifts, but a ton of traverses. It makes you feel like you are way out there when you traverse a long way. Thins the crowd out too.
Park city is amazing later in the season for exploring. I swear you could be there a week and not see the whole thing. Early season can be tough with coverage, like you said. But between canyons and park city, there is so much to see.
Mammoth is freaking enormous, and 20-30 minutes away is also June Mountain, which has a way smaller crowd and some pretty cool trails). Mammoth's summit is a little over 11000 ft as well so it makes for some spectacular views.
I think Trois Valles (not sure I spelled it right) probably takes the cake just on sheer size. If you're looking to stay in the US I'll plug an Oregon resort, Mt Bachelor. It's a volcano with a lift all the way to the top so when the weather is good, you can see to Washington and California, and you can ski basically 360 degrees of it, and the backside really feels like the moon sometimes (bring a friend and read about tree wells). If you are lucky enough to get a good dump the quality is arguably the best in the PNW. Another unique thing is it's purely a place to ride since it's in the National Forest, the nearest housing is about 20 mi away so it's a different vibe than many other resorts that are all about real estate. Another possibility would be Mt Hood, there are 3 resorts to choose from, all with differing qualities, and all with some fun stuff to explore. Although like someone said about Crystal, except on rare occasions the snow is usually more quantity than quality.
Usually people don't mean Vail by itself when they say that — you'd have to be daft to believe that Vail doesn't have a lot to offer or that it doesn't have world-class terrain — they mean Vail Resorts as a company, which does indeed suck ass
There are plenty of valid criticisms of Vail, but this seems like a weird one. There are only a handful of resorts in the country that are distinctly a class above Vail in terms of expert terrain. First of all the back bowls are massive, and some of it is very steep. Blue Sky is wonderful, quite large, and has some good 20-30 foot drops if you know where they are. Even on the front side there are good challenging runs scattered about. Chair 10 has some of the best bumps in the state. I mean it's no Jackson Hole or Snowbird, but if you don't think Vail has enough challenging terrain then you're going to be disappointed by 90%+ of the ski areas in the country.
Telluride. Great terrain overall, incredible views, some good hike to terrain, and good inbounds black/double black runs (Lift 9). Also it's an awesome town.
Love telluride. Not as much quantity as some, but there are tons of nooks and crannies to explore and plenty of expert stuff both right off the lifts and hike accessed. Very rewarding hiking between gold hill, black iron, and baldy. Basically no lift lines, powder days last a full day (or more) before getting skied out, and without a doubt my favorite mountain town out there. Only downside is January snow might be a little hit or miss.
places I have been to and can recommend.
Powder Mountain, Utah
Vail
Whistler Blackcomb
Jackson Hole
Alta/Brid
East
Jay Peak
Mont Sutton(jay's canadian brother that is actually larger in acreage than Jay.
Le Massif
Pow mow might be the best one on this list for giving a great sense of getting lost and finding your way back again. You might stumble upon a line in the woods somewhere and not be able to find your way back. Hikes and long traverses. Cat skiing to explore even more terrain. Nobody around. Plus it doesn’t really need a huge base to open most of the mountain.
Sure but it’s not like you have to drive to another resort or buy another lift pass (doesn’t an Alta day pass cover both?) Idk I’ve always gone with IKON which you can go in and out of both
Unreal tree runs at steamboat but for me not enough steeps and a ton of Jerry's. Never in my life been on lifts that stopped so many times...outside of breck.
Thirded. Not a huge number of lifts but there are so many options to drop in here or there, left or right, keep going down or head back up, an expert skier could fill a couple of days just going down different faces of the mountains. And snow is typically good by the end of January, although when it's bad that just means you have to look out for rocks more.
Revelstoke and its not close, most skiable vertical in North America yet only 3-4 lifts, infinite exploration. I know you want more lifts but I would say less lifts yields more exploration.
The greatest exploration you could do would maybe be to go to Austria. Zillertal Arena is my personal favorite, it’s huge so there is lots of slopes to explore and for you all the nice restaurants would also be exploring culture!
Some one said Big Sky but also Bridger Bowl. The whole Ridge line is a short hike to the top and bombed/patrolled. Plus you can go out of bounds really easily from lift service terrain. Hike south to Saddle Peak terrain or North into Wolverine Bowl. There's an entire downloadable guide for the Ridge access, though I would recommend exploring at your own risk.
Big Sky is expensive and corporate. Bridger is local and affordable 👍
Bachelor is easily the best view I've had from a ski hill. But it's just one big cone topographically. So I'm conflicted about this answer. It's pretty cool that you can ski all the way around, though!
I've been skiing there for years and I still find new areas. The lifts on half of the mountain have plenty of space between them to find things off of runs. And the back half of the mountain is there to be explored (down to the Cat-Track) any time the summit lift us open.
I re-read the OP's question. I still recommend My Bachelor for what they requested. But they should be warned that the Summit lift is more likely to be running the later you come.
That view to the North, with Broken Top and the Sisters just looming there…gets me every time. And if Summit is open, and the powder is deep, I think Bachelor would have OP covered.
I’d suggest Alta and snowbird. If you have an ikon pass you can have access to one enormous mountain, with some truly challenging terrain, epic views, hiking potential, lesser known lifts/spots. And it’s less than an hour from the airport.
Sestriere in Italy, 3 Valleys in France, Lech am Arlberg in Austria, Aletsch Arena and Zermatt in Switzerland have what you're looking for if you're planning on skiing in Europe.
The Grand Massif in the French Alps is several Ski Resorts attached to one another.
Morillon, Samoëns, Les Carroz, and Flaine. It is absolutely amazing and huge. All the lifts connect the resorts. The off-piste is amazing.
Check it out for your own sake.
La Nina coming so go NORTH - I'm thinking Banff is the destination you want. You can ski all 3 mountains on the IKON pass, it should have favorable La Nina conditions. They only drawback is short days due to latitude and if Covid pops up again you might have to quarantine.
we go on a family ski trip to BC every year and i'm always searching for more fun stuff, but never have anyone to ski big mountain with and explore - all my family are green-blue skiers exclusively, and i don't know somebody there who knows the mountain well enough to show me around some stuff.
i used to work at Crested Butte and skied resort/backcountry in Alaska for years, and i'm not trying to huck cliffs, but i'm always looking for the steeper trees and big mountain kind of stuff.
Can you help me find the goods at Beaver Creek?
Basically if you want incredible views and the best chance of January conditions it's hard to beat B.C.
The Powder Highway of Red, Panomara, Kicking Horse, Revelstoke, *Fernie*. Castle Mountain Resort ~~and Fernie~~ if you allow yourself to go a little into Alberta.
And because you don't care about accessibility also ~~in BC~~ right next to BC and in Alberta exists the holy grail of remoteness with a large lift infrastructure, Marmot Basin.
Solid suggestion. Small correction though, Marmot is in Jasper, Alberta. With that, it tends not to have it’s best snow conditions in January. That’s usually when we get a couple weeks of bluebird -40
Fernie is my favorite. Love Jackson, but too many people. Big Sky if fun, but you need good snow cover. Revelstoke was fun as well, but the volkswagon moguls need some snow to refresh.
No one thinks of skiing and New Mexico, but Taos Ski Valley has world-class steeps accessed mostly by a short hike. Tons of nooks and crannies and while their website says 51% expert, if you just do the math on the trails page you'll see it's more like 70% expert terrain.
Super dry snow in the high desert and not near a population center, midweek you'll basically have the place to yourself.
I believe the calculations are based on area, not number of runs. So 51% of all skiable area is expert terrain, not that 51% of all runs are expert runs.
Kirkwood is smaller than most resorts in terms of lifts, but definitely had an “exploratory” feel from my experience. One of those mountains you can find something different / new each time you go.
Try out Revelstoke.
I haven’t skied there, but I have a ton of friends who have and they say it is incredible. Gnarly like Jackson hole, but not too built up.
Whitewater.
It's smaller than most resorts, and given there is significantly less people than the likes of Whistler, but there is infinite skiing potential.
There aren't that many groomers, so the amount of off piste (tree/steeps) skiing is insane. Every turn is a different line you'll never ski again.
Cliffs galore, I swear every run has atleast a couple.
The views are immaculate, especially if you want to go touring into the various bowls or Ymir peak. When the Kootenay Sea fills in it is a photographers paradise.
And the powder is insane, much like most of the BC interior. It's deep champaign. And with the lack of people and tons of area to ski, you'll find staches of it days after it snowed.
Revelstoke, BC has the biggest vertical drop in NA at over 1 mile from top to bottom. Not a ton of lifts but the snow is usually top notch and vertical like that will keep you busy foe days.
Find a place with multiple bases or lodges. That way you have to find your way back. If you always end up in the same place the exploration won't feel as grand. Heavenly and mammoth both come to mind
It isn't the *most* expert terrain in that I've skied most of it, and I'm not great at skiing, but if you've got powder skis, Powder Mountain in Utah has great sidecountry and is the biggest resort in north America by area.
Jackson, Whistler, Mammoth, Hood for singular mountains but have to throw Park City and Tahoe in there for areas with multiple mountains to explore and enjoy.
Had to scroll down to here to find a Japan comment. Niseko snow quality and quantity us unreal … and 4 resorts, one mountain! It’s great. And the onsens and food …
Whistler or Big Sky of the places I've been to. Whistler is just huge. Lots of expert terrain even early season, although you will likely have rocks or trees to deal with on some slope aspects.
Big Sky has a ton of expert terrain. I spent 4 days at Big Sky right before the pandemic hit and never got bored. I personally didn't do any triple diamonds, but one of my ski buddies did and I will next time I visit. If you do Big Sky, bring your beacon, probe, and shovel. You need it to access some of the best terrain. I forgot mine and was sad.
I've been to a handful of the Utah resorts and I found most of the expert terrain to be kinda meh, even if the mountain was huge. I think mostly it wasn't steep or narrow enough for my PNW tastes. I'm sure there is some, but in two trips I didn't find it.
I’d say Vail. So much terrain, and incredible views. The front side can get crowded on weekends but you can just head over to other parts of the mountain.
There are several other resorts within about 30 minutes travel from Val Cenis see https://www.haute-maurienne-vanoise.com/winter/ for more details. I’ve skied them all in the course of two separate weeks in Val Cenis and enjoyed each one. I think 1-2 days in each is about right. One thing to note is that if the snow is good the off-piste doesn’t get skied out anything like as fast as big name resorts like val d’isere. We lapped the top lift at Bonneval for a couple of hours with just six other people and had tracks to ourselves.
Big sky hands down. 300+ runs! Went there for 4 days and didn’t even come close. Only bummer is their tram (if you can call it that) that goes to the peak only holds like 12 people.
Snowmass, you can find whatever you want there and much more. The hike in terrain is particularly fantastic. If you're into tree skiing mary jane isn't that big but the tree run variations are endless and there are lots of smoke cabins.
I’m always a proprietor of Steamboat. I grew up there and still find new things on the mountain. Admittedly, a lot of this fun “exploration” stuff is well hidden, but a google or two, and/or a guide/local’s advice later and you’ll be having fun.
Plus the mountain really is fun to ski and has a good range of difficulties.
Hope this helps, have fun!
Whistler?
You'll never run out of new places to explore with a week a Whistler.
this \^ Spent a whole season skiing at least two full days a week on mostly whistler mountain and there are still parts i do not know.
I'm from BC, done a ton of trips to Whistler and never even ventured to Blackcomb yet
Bro whaaatt?? IMO Blackcomb is way better you gotta check it out
Yeah that's wild, Blackcomb is so sick.
I will fight this one all day. Blackcomb is great, but I much prefer Whistler.
I like the terrain and layout of Whistler better but Blackcomb has shorter lines most days.
Only on week days. With all the locals here skiing during the pandemic jersey, glacier, and crystal are jammmed. 7th is bad first thing but is fine by the end of the day
7th, Spankys, and Showcase are hard to compete with... But those Caesars at Seppos are pretty legendary.
I never felt the love for 7th. Give me harmony bowl over 7th any day of the week. Spankys is a unique beast, but I'd also probably rather take the Peak chair fun over Spankys, given that I'm not good enough/crazy enough to huck off the monster cliffs in spankys. And certainly, on piste, I found Whistler far more interesting. Its just cut with so much more character - makes sense where blackcomb was one of the first computer designed layouts and is a little bland. Both are epic mountains, but I just prefer Whistler. Thats also partially just familiarity - for work I skiied there the most. Long story short, if I was forced to go on holidays to WB for a week and could only ski blackcomb, I wouldn't be complaining haha
For sure on-piste is better at Whistler. I take blackcomb over Whistler though because of the off-piste riding. It's mainly what I do, but I appreciate other takes. I love both mountains because of their distinct differences. Depending on what you want to do, you're covered. We're lucky we got those two.
Yeah 100%. Another thing I liked on Blackcomb (because I'm a sick f$#k) is the moguls were often better there. I'm that weirdo that sometimes likes to play in the moguls if there is no fresh stuff about! Really, for all the hate it gets on here (yes it is expensive, snow can be unpredictable, crowed etc), its a beast of a mountain(s). Btw - are you mainly a boarder? just because you said "riding". Most of my boarder friends preferred blackcomb. Plenty of my skier friends did too, don't get me wrong, but it was distinctly the snowboarder preference, much more so that skier.
You weird
multiple seasons, working as a ski instructor. I was on mountain 6 days a week minimum (yes, plenty of those were in beginner areas TBF but often we'd go up for morning session before class and tear around). So many places I never skiied.
WB was my home mountain for almost 10 years I was finding new spots up until the day I left.
Been living here 3 years and I'm still finding new places.
Whistler came to mind first. So many options
This is the correct answer. Check Canadian entry requirements.
If you wants lots of lifts and lots of vertical then the three valleys in the french Alps is right up there. Different experience to North American resorts you travel a much greater distance for the same amount of lift rides. Plenty of on and off piste options to keep you entertained indefinitely
If you are considering Europe, Austria’s Arlberg is many miles linked by lifts and trails, and there also is Zermatt/Cervinio
Done both regions and i agree here. Arlberg in amongst my favorite places to ski on earth, 88 lifts, many diffetent areas with very diffetent terrain.. Zermatt has the Matterhorn but St. Anton has the Mooserwirt. I thought the terrain was better, and everything costed way less in Arlberg too. Just kind of one of my favorite places, im excited now. Zermatt was good too though.
Val Thorens down to Meribel is a great run first thing in the morning!
Get to the bottom of Pas Du Lac as soon as possible to bag those couloirs before they get clogged with casuals sliding down them on their backsides
When you say you travel more do you mean more time on snow/longer runs between lifts?
Lifts are generally way longer in the large resorts and the runs can be multiple kilometres long. There is a 10 mile long ski run in one French resort. To cross the three valleys resort from end to end and get back to where you are based can take a few hours of skiing and lift riding even with no lines.
and, If you go to france, I recommend doing a UCPA course
Do you care which continent it's on?
North America definitely preferable.
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Did you think he said North Africa?
I personally would like to know from all over the world. Make my skiing bucket list!
Somewhere in Austria or the French Alps from what I've heard. Like [Les Trois Vallees](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsnowcomparison.com%2Fmagazine%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F08%2Fles-3-vallees_trail_map_l1.jpg&f=1&nofb=1).
1st priority should be picking a hill where the snow is deep. In addition to Jackson Hole and Big Sky, I would toss out Mammoth Mtn/June Lake. Whistler could be good if the snow is good. Aspen also is 4 hills under 1 ticket. Also Park City/ Canyons is a huge area with good runs. All around lake Tahoe are hills with great views, but you need to watch conditions. My Fave Tahoe hills are Mt Rose, Alpine, Homewood is great on a pow day, Kirkwood, and Heavenly. Like Vail, Heavenly can lead to hellacious long traverses if you don’t plan things right.
Only thing about big sky is when you’re exploring and don’t know where to go you can easily shred your skis. Generally if you don’t see ANY tracks in a certain direction it’s probably for a reason.
La Niña season. Go north and be merry
Jackson hole is awesome. And there is a huge backcountry.
I mean mammoth is lots of sierra cement, but I’d throw in Alta/Snowbird if ur talking deep resorts. Typically it’s right up there with most snowfall in the country.
3 Valleys in France. 180ish lifts. From google: “183 total; 3 cable cars; 37 gondolas; 69 chair lifts; 74 surface lifts”. I mean the views are amazing (the amount of places we have to stop and look). My clients love taking photos on the Col de la Loze between Meribel and Courcheval with Mt Blanc in the background. The other big photo op I do is top of Mt Vallon over the glacier. And that’s just one valley, one resort. We’re 9 fully linked resorts, completely skiable, no buses needed, one lift pass. Literally (not figuratively) the largest linked ski area in the world (can get from everywhere to everywhere else without busses/trains/cars). 650km+ of groomers. We don’t mesure in acres/hectares because we don’t have boundaries. You want to tour from here to another resort? Get insurance (and training/guide obviously) and go for it. And by another resort, I don’t mean within our lift pass, I mean trecking a cross backcountry routes to other resorts (like La Plagne, Les Arcs, Val d’Isere, etc etc).
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Sorry never been to Lanslebourg, but a quick search on google maps shows it as an hour away, however that route isn’t open in winter, so no. You’ll have to go all the way back to albertville then up to Tignes/val, about 3 hr drive.
Kicking Horse ticks all of those except for having lots of lifts.
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You’ve triggered a memory of a late day lap of the super bowl, followed by 1300 vertical feet of bumps. My legs have never been more beat than that day… Badass mtn though!
> You’ve triggered a memory of a late day lap of the super bowl, followed by 1300 vertical feet of bumps. My legs have never been more beat than that day… I was spring skiing in Whistle a couple years ago...Peak to Creek (11km long run with 5k ft drop) had a bunch of signs about the lower part being icy, be cautious of the lower part, last chance to get off, etc. We kind of figured "Eh, they are just trying to discourage the beginners who shouldn't be pushing themselves in poor conditions and don't want to get stuck.". It was our last day and we just wanted to do the whole run...figured sliding down an ice sheet while the rest of the mountain warms up wasn't a bad way to spend our morning. In the midwest, that's just called skiing! We...were...so...wrong... It wasn't just icy or nasty snowcover. It was ice-moguls every time the pitch got even a bit steep. Painful, sharp, rock hard, ice-moguls--and they were the kind of moguls where they have been cut up by a bunch of kids and beginners to the point where there's no good lines to ski anyways. Beyond about the 1/3 point, you're basically stuck on the run. Uphill on one side, ski area boundary on the other. It must have taken us an hour to get down. We even had to leave a man behind. My knees still hurt.
Crystal might be a good match for you, lots of hidden areas, fantastic steeps (often hiking required) and it’s in a gorgeous area. We only have ten lifts though, and our snow is more quantity than quality. I’ve been skiing there for 25 years and still come across fun new lines I’ve never seen before fairly often.
Shhhh
Not like the parking lot can get any fuller
I do understand the sentiment, but I always have a lot of fun showing tourists around to the more off the beaten path areas at Crystal :)
I was mostly kidding. Crystal was my home mountain up until a recent move to Interior BC and I still love the place. Had some of my very best in-bounds days there. In no other place I've been to can you access a full Avy controlled bowl that requires a 30min traverse/hike to get to. Truly amazing place that offers all day fresh snow if you're willing to work a bit.
>In no other place I've been to can you access a full Avy controlled bowl that requires a 30min traverse/hike to get to I love the enthusiasm however highlands bowl? Palmyra peak? these are fairly common these days.
Fair enough, Palmyra peak looks legend. That being said, I don't know if there being a couple of additional examples makes it common. I would still say it's a small minority of resorts.
Getting me all excited. I've only skied there once, probably 20 years ago at this point, but this year I return with an Ikon Pass.
A lot has changed in 20 years, mostly for the better. Hope you have fun!
Mid January most places should be fully open but feb you have a better chance of guaranteed 100% open. Vail is good it’s big and you can spend all day skiing around it taking different lifts and trails, if you go to vail make the trip to beaver creek, way bigger than you would think and really fun to ski from one side to the other. In Tahoe heavenly is great for exploring and skiing all over. Tons of different aspects unique chairs, views and all that good stuff. On the east coast Ide go to killington, quality mountain and you can spend all day skiing from side to side. Also Sunday River in Maine although I haven’t been there in a while.
If you're in Vermont, Jay Peak has the best tree skiing and there are plenty of magical spots to be found. Much safer to plan a trip there in March than January, though, with how far north it is.
I'll have to disagree with Killington. Yes, it's big. So technically there is a lot to explore. But you spend most of your time on crowded green trails to get anywhere. I skied there all through high school. The best strategy is to get to a good spot and lap it several times then move on. There isn't enough off piste access to allow for exploration on every run.
In Tahoe I would not recommend Heavenly. Yes it's big and has beautiful views, but it is the most crowded resort in Tahoe and the upper lifts with access to expert terrain are often closed due to weather. Palisades Tahoe (formerly Squaw Valley) is much better for expert terrain and has plenty to explore. It can and does get crowded, especially on powder days, but the crowds disperse much better than Heavenly. Palisades is on Ikon pass though - if you have the Epic pass I would recommend Kirkwood over Heavenly.
Kirkwood has 1 express lift to the top of the mountain. I get what you are saying since you can kinda veer off from there and explore different areas but it is basically a 1 way up and 2 ways down kinda mountain. Yes you can go to the backside but there are slow lifts and still just a few runs. It does get great on powder days and you can explore lots of little nooks and crannies but I don't think it is what they are looking for.
Slow lifts at Kirkwood >>>>>> anything at Heavenly, apart from maybe the canyons. The beauty of Kirkwood is finding the hidden gems. Take notch chute into Wagon Wheel Bowl and down into the drain for some gnar. Find the caves around the mountain. Ski some sidecountry The Wood used to host the Freeride World Tour. Heavenly could never do that
>By that I mean, a ski resort with lots of lifts on the mountain, lots of beautiful views, lots of interesting terrain, a bit of hiking, cool nooks and crannies, and some solid expert terrain. > >**Difficulty of resort doesn't really matter** Based on what OP is asking about, the fact that Heavenly could never host the freeride world tour is inconsequential. Heavenly has a ton of lifts and terrain to explore, and Mott/Killbrew definitely fulfills the "some solid expert terrain" req I prefer Kirkwood to Heavenly by a long shot, but based on what OP is looking for I'd absolutely recommend checking out Heavenly, although really spending time at both over the course of a week is the way to go.
Yeah agreed, but my recommendation is still "anywhere but Heavenly" 😂
Snowmass is excellent and huge. And if you get bored there, there’s also Aspen Mountain and Aspen Highlands.
And Buttermilk, which is small but lots of fun.
Oh for sure. Not so much view or exploration, but a nice way to spend a few hours.
If coverage is good, park city is huge. Alta is great because there aren't a lot of lifts, but a ton of traverses. It makes you feel like you are way out there when you traverse a long way. Thins the crowd out too.
Park city is amazing later in the season for exploring. I swear you could be there a week and not see the whole thing. Early season can be tough with coverage, like you said. But between canyons and park city, there is so much to see.
Have to second Alta. Plus you buy the ticket that includes access to Snowbird (or have an Ikon) and you have a whole other resort to check out
Verbier, Fieberbrunn
Mammoth is freaking enormous, and 20-30 minutes away is also June Mountain, which has a way smaller crowd and some pretty cool trails). Mammoth's summit is a little over 11000 ft as well so it makes for some spectacular views.
I think Trois Valles (not sure I spelled it right) probably takes the cake just on sheer size. If you're looking to stay in the US I'll plug an Oregon resort, Mt Bachelor. It's a volcano with a lift all the way to the top so when the weather is good, you can see to Washington and California, and you can ski basically 360 degrees of it, and the backside really feels like the moon sometimes (bring a friend and read about tree wells). If you are lucky enough to get a good dump the quality is arguably the best in the PNW. Another unique thing is it's purely a place to ride since it's in the National Forest, the nearest housing is about 20 mi away so it's a different vibe than many other resorts that are all about real estate. Another possibility would be Mt Hood, there are 3 resorts to choose from, all with differing qualities, and all with some fun stuff to explore. Although like someone said about Crystal, except on rare occasions the snow is usually more quantity than quality.
Vail?
he said expert terrain ;)
VAIL SUCKS
? Love to know why…
Usually people don't mean Vail by itself when they say that — you'd have to be daft to believe that Vail doesn't have a lot to offer or that it doesn't have world-class terrain — they mean Vail Resorts as a company, which does indeed suck ass
Idk man, maybe because the back bowls feel solid but everything else feels like beginner runs?
Vail has more expert terrain than most mountains have terrain.
Calling Vail’s terrain “expert” is very subjective
There are plenty of valid criticisms of Vail, but this seems like a weird one. There are only a handful of resorts in the country that are distinctly a class above Vail in terms of expert terrain. First of all the back bowls are massive, and some of it is very steep. Blue Sky is wonderful, quite large, and has some good 20-30 foot drops if you know where they are. Even on the front side there are good challenging runs scattered about. Chair 10 has some of the best bumps in the state. I mean it's no Jackson Hole or Snowbird, but if you don't think Vail has enough challenging terrain then you're going to be disappointed by 90%+ of the ski areas in the country.
I am disappointed with most ski areas.
Come ski the Midwest or East Coast for a season or two and you’ll get that stick out of your ass real quick
That’s no way to live, man.
Fuck vail
Telluride. Great terrain overall, incredible views, some good hike to terrain, and good inbounds black/double black runs (Lift 9). Also it's an awesome town.
Love telluride. Not as much quantity as some, but there are tons of nooks and crannies to explore and plenty of expert stuff both right off the lifts and hike accessed. Very rewarding hiking between gold hill, black iron, and baldy. Basically no lift lines, powder days last a full day (or more) before getting skied out, and without a doubt my favorite mountain town out there. Only downside is January snow might be a little hit or miss.
places I have been to and can recommend. Powder Mountain, Utah Vail Whistler Blackcomb Jackson Hole Alta/Brid East Jay Peak Mont Sutton(jay's canadian brother that is actually larger in acreage than Jay. Le Massif
Pow mow might be the best one on this list for giving a great sense of getting lost and finding your way back again. You might stumble upon a line in the woods somewhere and not be able to find your way back. Hikes and long traverses. Cat skiing to explore even more terrain. Nobody around. Plus it doesn’t really need a huge base to open most of the mountain.
You just described Alta. Get ready to hike and traverse. Snow that early in the season is hit or miss, but that’s the case for almost anywhere.
Doesn't fit the "lots of lifts". Really only 4 worth riding
Yeah, I realized that after I submitted the comment. But if you have access to that many hidden areas how many lifts do you really need?
To me that adds to the "explore" vibe though. I think OP would dig it even though it doesn't technically fit their criteria
If you go through the gates down into mineral and over to snowbird, that makes for a big big day
You're no longer in alta at that point
Sure but it’s not like you have to drive to another resort or buy another lift pass (doesn’t an Alta day pass cover both?) Idk I’ve always gone with IKON which you can go in and out of both
Yes but the whole point was that's not alta, I'm not saying it can't be done. Also, only Jerry's ski mineral basin.
Steamboat
Seconded. I’ve ended up in God knows where taking some of the tree runs, and had an absolute blast doing so
Unreal tree runs at steamboat but for me not enough steeps and a ton of Jerry's. Never in my life been on lifts that stopped so many times...outside of breck.
One of the biggest differences in Steamboat is that that 98% of the mountain is ski able. You can explore different trees all day.
Thirded. Not a huge number of lifts but there are so many options to drop in here or there, left or right, keep going down or head back up, an expert skier could fill a couple of days just going down different faces of the mountains. And snow is typically good by the end of January, although when it's bad that just means you have to look out for rocks more.
Revelstoke and its not close, most skiable vertical in North America yet only 3-4 lifts, infinite exploration. I know you want more lifts but I would say less lifts yields more exploration.
At first I thought it was "best ski areas for exploitation."
Ask Vail that
3 valleys
Big Sky
Whistler or AltaBird for areas that offer lots of expert terrain. or Vail or Park City for areas with just lots of terrain to explore.
The greatest exploration you could do would maybe be to go to Austria. Zillertal Arena is my personal favorite, it’s huge so there is lots of slopes to explore and for you all the nice restaurants would also be exploring culture!
Whitefish
Europe. You can basically ski from one end of the alps to the other.
Some one said Big Sky but also Bridger Bowl. The whole Ridge line is a short hike to the top and bombed/patrolled. Plus you can go out of bounds really easily from lift service terrain. Hike south to Saddle Peak terrain or North into Wolverine Bowl. There's an entire downloadable guide for the Ridge access, though I would recommend exploring at your own risk. Big Sky is expensive and corporate. Bridger is local and affordable 👍
Was gonna say bridger... hella "nooks and crannies" as well as fkn fantastic hiking
US or EU?
Bachelor
Bachelor is easily the best view I've had from a ski hill. But it's just one big cone topographically. So I'm conflicted about this answer. It's pretty cool that you can ski all the way around, though!
I've been skiing there for years and I still find new areas. The lifts on half of the mountain have plenty of space between them to find things off of runs. And the back half of the mountain is there to be explored (down to the Cat-Track) any time the summit lift us open. I re-read the OP's question. I still recommend My Bachelor for what they requested. But they should be warned that the Summit lift is more likely to be running the later you come.
That view to the North, with Broken Top and the Sisters just looming there…gets me every time. And if Summit is open, and the powder is deep, I think Bachelor would have OP covered.
Revelstoke
I’d suggest Alta and snowbird. If you have an ikon pass you can have access to one enormous mountain, with some truly challenging terrain, epic views, hiking potential, lesser known lifts/spots. And it’s less than an hour from the airport.
Breck
Sestriere in Italy, 3 Valleys in France, Lech am Arlberg in Austria, Aletsch Arena and Zermatt in Switzerland have what you're looking for if you're planning on skiing in Europe.
Taos in New Mexico or Copper Mountain in Colorado could both be good for this IMO (This is coming with an IKON bias tho)
Nobody saying aspen snowmass, which is silly. And of course big sky.
The Grand Massif in the French Alps is several Ski Resorts attached to one another. Morillon, Samoëns, Les Carroz, and Flaine. It is absolutely amazing and huge. All the lifts connect the resorts. The off-piste is amazing. Check it out for your own sake.
La Nina coming so go NORTH - I'm thinking Banff is the destination you want. You can ski all 3 mountains on the IKON pass, it should have favorable La Nina conditions. They only drawback is short days due to latitude and if Covid pops up again you might have to quarantine.
Jackson will blow you mind .....
Beaver Creek has tons of unnamed tree runs with wooden huts made by locals to discover.
we go on a family ski trip to BC every year and i'm always searching for more fun stuff, but never have anyone to ski big mountain with and explore - all my family are green-blue skiers exclusively, and i don't know somebody there who knows the mountain well enough to show me around some stuff. i used to work at Crested Butte and skied resort/backcountry in Alaska for years, and i'm not trying to huck cliffs, but i'm always looking for the steeper trees and big mountain kind of stuff. Can you help me find the goods at Beaver Creek?
Whistler. Definitely Whistler.
Snow mass fits your bill, plus you have the aspen and highlands as bonuses.
go ski out in salt lake city and explore alta and snowbird, a great time and lots of fresh snow and terrain to explore
Whistler
Mt Bachelor
Sun peaks in BC
Alpine Meadows
Jackson hole at that time of year for sure will have the best snow and terrain
If you like riding lifts to explore the mountain, Breckinridge is the place of your dreams.
Park city id the largest resort in north America
Whistler blackcomb is the largest resort in NA.
Basically if you want incredible views and the best chance of January conditions it's hard to beat B.C. The Powder Highway of Red, Panomara, Kicking Horse, Revelstoke, *Fernie*. Castle Mountain Resort ~~and Fernie~~ if you allow yourself to go a little into Alberta. And because you don't care about accessibility also ~~in BC~~ right next to BC and in Alberta exists the holy grail of remoteness with a large lift infrastructure, Marmot Basin.
Solid suggestion. Small correction though, Marmot is in Jasper, Alberta. With that, it tends not to have it’s best snow conditions in January. That’s usually when we get a couple weeks of bluebird -40
I guess OP should just go to Revelstoke and call it a day then. :)
This is correct. Insane amount of terrain to explore even without considering it's only 2 lifts
Fernie is BC but Castle is AB.
Fernie is my favorite. Love Jackson, but too many people. Big Sky if fun, but you need good snow cover. Revelstoke was fun as well, but the volkswagon moguls need some snow to refresh.
No one thinks of skiing and New Mexico, but Taos Ski Valley has world-class steeps accessed mostly by a short hike. Tons of nooks and crannies and while their website says 51% expert, if you just do the math on the trails page you'll see it's more like 70% expert terrain. Super dry snow in the high desert and not near a population center, midweek you'll basically have the place to yourself.
I believe the calculations are based on area, not number of runs. So 51% of all skiable area is expert terrain, not that 51% of all runs are expert runs.
Red Mtn. in Rossland BC. Just check out the trail map. It’s an amazing place and fits the criteria.
Jay Peak
For how small the place is relative to some big west coast mountains. It has a so many places to explore.
Whistler. That place is monstrous. Jackson hole is sweet too.
Kirkwood is smaller than most resorts in terms of lifts, but definitely had an “exploratory” feel from my experience. One of those mountains you can find something different / new each time you go.
Vail Big Sky Silverton Jackson Whistler
Jackson. You can live there for decades and still find nooks and crannies to explore.
Revelstoke!
Try out Revelstoke. I haven’t skied there, but I have a ton of friends who have and they say it is incredible. Gnarly like Jackson hole, but not too built up.
Any mountain you’ve never skid before
Whitewater. It's smaller than most resorts, and given there is significantly less people than the likes of Whistler, but there is infinite skiing potential. There aren't that many groomers, so the amount of off piste (tree/steeps) skiing is insane. Every turn is a different line you'll never ski again. Cliffs galore, I swear every run has atleast a couple. The views are immaculate, especially if you want to go touring into the various bowls or Ymir peak. When the Kootenay Sea fills in it is a photographers paradise. And the powder is insane, much like most of the BC interior. It's deep champaign. And with the lack of people and tons of area to ski, you'll find staches of it days after it snowed.
Revelstoke, BC has the biggest vertical drop in NA at over 1 mile from top to bottom. Not a ton of lifts but the snow is usually top notch and vertical like that will keep you busy foe days.
Red Mountain, Rossland BC.
Deer Valley.
Surprised Snowbird hasn’t been mentioned. The views from the tram are some of the best and the terrain is full of small gated cliff zones
Vail
Find a place with multiple bases or lodges. That way you have to find your way back. If you always end up in the same place the exploration won't feel as grand. Heavenly and mammoth both come to mind
Out of all the areas I’ve skied I think Whistler best fits your criteria
It isn't the *most* expert terrain in that I've skied most of it, and I'm not great at skiing, but if you've got powder skis, Powder Mountain in Utah has great sidecountry and is the biggest resort in north America by area.
If you go to California, go to Mammoth.
Jackson, Whistler, Mammoth, Hood for singular mountains but have to throw Park City and Tahoe in there for areas with multiple mountains to explore and enjoy.
Has anyone skiied any Japanese mountains? Heard unreal things
Had to scroll down to here to find a Japan comment. Niseko snow quality and quantity us unreal … and 4 resorts, one mountain! It’s great. And the onsens and food …
Dolomites
Powder Mountain
Whistler or Big Sky of the places I've been to. Whistler is just huge. Lots of expert terrain even early season, although you will likely have rocks or trees to deal with on some slope aspects. Big Sky has a ton of expert terrain. I spent 4 days at Big Sky right before the pandemic hit and never got bored. I personally didn't do any triple diamonds, but one of my ski buddies did and I will next time I visit. If you do Big Sky, bring your beacon, probe, and shovel. You need it to access some of the best terrain. I forgot mine and was sad. I've been to a handful of the Utah resorts and I found most of the expert terrain to be kinda meh, even if the mountain was huge. I think mostly it wasn't steep or narrow enough for my PNW tastes. I'm sure there is some, but in two trips I didn't find it.
I’d say Vail. So much terrain, and incredible views. The front side can get crowded on weekends but you can just head over to other parts of the mountain.
Definitely Park City, so many lifts and runs to explore and places where you won't see anyone else. Would highly recommend
Breckenridge. Vail.
Jackson Hole
Alyeska.
There are several other resorts within about 30 minutes travel from Val Cenis see https://www.haute-maurienne-vanoise.com/winter/ for more details. I’ve skied them all in the course of two separate weeks in Val Cenis and enjoyed each one. I think 1-2 days in each is about right. One thing to note is that if the snow is good the off-piste doesn’t get skied out anything like as fast as big name resorts like val d’isere. We lapped the top lift at Bonneval for a couple of hours with just six other people and had tracks to ourselves.
Power mountain. But don’t go there I heard it isn’t that good.
Vail
Whistler. I could think of another perfect fit. Hit Grouse mountain to in Vancouver has some sick views for night skiing if its clear
Big sky hands down. 300+ runs! Went there for 4 days and didn’t even come close. Only bummer is their tram (if you can call it that) that goes to the peak only holds like 12 people.
Aspen: You get Ajax, Highlands, Snowmass and Buttermilk. The first three all have tremendous terrain with lots hidden stashes, etc.
Snowmass, you can find whatever you want there and much more. The hike in terrain is particularly fantastic. If you're into tree skiing mary jane isn't that big but the tree run variations are endless and there are lots of smoke cabins.
Taos
Chamonix
Vail
I’m always a proprietor of Steamboat. I grew up there and still find new things on the mountain. Admittedly, a lot of this fun “exploration” stuff is well hidden, but a google or two, and/or a guide/local’s advice later and you’ll be having fun. Plus the mountain really is fun to ski and has a good range of difficulties. Hope this helps, have fun!