CRISP, cold air, a bluebird bright sky and a fresh dump of powder. There’s only one more thing a skier or snowboarder could ask for – no lift lines.
All you need do is find them. Here’s how: Stop playing in the snow at the usual suspects and blaze a new trail instead at one of these five lesser-known resorts. The slopes are just as challenging, the apres ski beer just as cold, the lift tickets cost less – and the lift lines are nearly nonexistent.
Note: Kids under 6 ski free unless noted.
THE CANYONS
Park City, Utah
Each of Park City’s three ski resorts has its own cachet: Deer Valley is the elegant one (and does not permit snowboarding), Park City Resort is the crowded one, and The Canyons is the one that feels like an escape.
At Canyons, the gondola to mid-mountain connects with a network of chairs to more skiable terrain than that that at Vail. Also, Canyons is one of the few resorts where the learning area is mid-mountain, allowing newcomers to enjoy the breathtaking scenery.
A great warm-up is Boa, a three-mile cruiser that snakes around the resort and invites speeding tickets. Later in the day, once the sun has softened the snow, head to 9990, the peak named for its elevation and, quite possibly, its number of slalom trees and bumps.
The old mining town of Park City is minutes away, with restaurants and nightlife galore. At the Olympic Training Center, take the longest 54 seconds of your life strapped into a bobsled on the iced run built specifically for the 2002 Winter Olympics.
When you’re ready to party, a free shuttle connects all three resorts with downtown Park City, good for a bit of celeb spotting.
Lift tickets: $69/ages 13-64, $41/7-12, $41/65 and over.
Good deal: It’s just $247 for two nights at the base area’s Grand Summit lodge. Included:two lift tickets and breakfast for two.
Info: (866) 604-4171, thecanyons.com.
WINTER PARK
Winter Park, Colo.
This is the only U.S. ski area owned by a city (Denver, which is an hour and a half by car or two hours via an old-fashioned, smoke-belching Ski Train). It’s also the only one with a mountain reputedly named for a legendary local lady of the evening, Mary Jane.
For years, locals laughed about the tourists who rode past Winter Park on their way to crowded Vail and Aspen. But Mary Jane turns 30 this year, and a big birthday promotion means the secret is out.
Straddling the Continental Divide, Winter Park gets slammed with storms from all directions, and thus has more snow than any resort in Colorado.
Play in Parsenn Bowl, one of the few lift-served bowls in the Rockies. It’s the ideal place for intermediates to push their limits and for experts to strut their stuff. Or try Railbender, a mogul-infested black diamond run, where you’ll suck wind at the top of a 1,080-foot vertical drop.
The new base area village has accommodations and restaurants, and Copper Mountain and Steamboat are close enough to do fresh tracks there after breakfast.
Lift tickets (these prices are packaged for two days): $72/ages 14-64, $44/6-13, $58/65 and over, and skiers 70 and over free Mon.-Thurs.
Good deal: The Free 4 All package starts at $259/pp and is explained as a three-day package, including lodging and daily lift tickets, with a fourth day of lodging and lift tickets thrown in. Offer good all season.
Info: (970) 726-1564, winterparkresort.com.
Grand Targhee
Alta, Wyo.
It you want high-speed detachable lifts, a tram, a gondola and luxury hotels, stay in exclusive Jackson Hole on the other side of the Teton Pass.
At Grand Targhee, it’s skiing the way it used to be. The lifts are slow enough to let you rest your legs and scout the terrain, you’ll make fresh tracks on the way down, and there’s no nightlife to speak of. You won’t miss the excitement, though, as you’ll be worn out from thigh-burner laps through snowfall that averages 500 inches annually.
The motto here is “snow from heaven, not from hoses.”You’ll find deep powder, 2,000 acres of lift-served terrain, and another 1,000 acres of turns on untracked snowfields reachable only by snowcat, the poor man’s version of heli-skiing.
On Sunday nights, a local, legendary band (renowned in part for its off-color “cowboy poetry”) plays in Wilson, Idaho – midway between Targhee and Jackson – at the Stagecoach, a ramshackle roadside burger joint.
Lift tickets: $55/ages 15-61, $34/6-14, $35/62 and over.
Good deal: $299 gets you three nights of lodging, lift tickets and one free day of snowcat skiing (separately, snowcat costs $175/day).
Info: (800) 827-4433, grandtarghee.com
Fernie
British Columbia, Canada
It’ll take you three hours by car from either Calgary, Alberta, or Kalispell, Mont. – the nearest airports – to get to Fernie, which has minimal accomodations and a small base area village. All of which means its slopes are virtually empty.
The tallest peak is 7,000 feet, so there’s no gasping for oxygen, and three of the bowls have long blue cruisers for those not up to threading through the expert chutes and glades off the ridgelines. Be wary on Cedar Bowl, though: blues on top lead to double blacks below.
Fernie is also paradise for cross-country skiers. It has a massive trail system accessed from the top of the triple chair lift – making it one of the few places around where XC, skiers and snowboarders can share a chair.
The resort has a twice-a-week torchlight run with guides, ending in a barbecue, brews and camaraderie. It also has free shuttles into the town of Fernie (about 20 minutes away).
Lift tickets: approximately $55/ages 18-64, $38/13-17, $17/6-12, $44/65 and over.
Deal: The First Tracks package, approximately $64, gets you on the slopes at 7:45 a.m., more than an hour before Fernie’s official opening, which means you’ll have the entire toy store to yourself.
Also, through Dec. 21 you can get two nights at a one-bedroom condo and two-day lift ticket for $259/pp.
Info: (877) 333-2399, skifernie.com
Angel Fire
New Mexico
A half-hour farther from the Albuquerque airport than its famous neighbor, Taos – which means it’s usually overlooked by long-distance visitors – Angel Fire is a low-key gem.
With an elevation of 10,677 feet (8,600 feet at the base), snow at this family-oriented resort is reliable and deep.
Here you’ll find a little bit of everything. While snowboarding is not allowed at Taos, riders at Angel Fire can practice 720s at three terrain parks, including the half-pipe at the summit, and there’s a tubing hill for after-hours fun.
In addition to its inexpensive lift tickets, Angel Fire also boasts the longest chair lift in New Mexico.
For a real trip back in time, head another hour to Red River, where creaky old lifts drop you right onto the main street of an old, bustling mining town, which has yet to be gentrified.
Lift tickets: $48/ages 13-69, $33/6-12, and 70 and over free.
Deal: You Keep the Gear ski or snowboard package costs $249 and gets you two half-day lessons and vouchers for half-price lift tickets. Even better, you get to go home with the brand new gear on which you learned.
Stay at the base area hotel for $49.33/pp including breakfast and a lift ticket.
Info: (800) 633-7463, angelfireresort.com
Now that’s a deal!
5 sweet bargains to jump-start the season
JACKSON HOLE Wyoming
What’s the deal: The iconic Jackson Hole tram is being retired next spring, so snap up a Last Tram Package, starting at $589, that includes a one-day private lesson and 5 nights stay, good for the season.Info:jacksonhole.com
KILLINGTON Vermont
What’s the deal: Take the Kids, good for ages 4-18, includes one free lift ticket, equipment and one lesson when parents book a 3-5 day non-weekend lifts and lodging package in January. Info:killington.com
OKEMO Vermont
What’s the deal: Okemo Mountain Resort is celebrating 50 years by rolling back lift ticket prices to $39 on Thursdays in December (excluding Dec. 22 and 29) and March.
Info: okemo.com
PARK CITY Utah
What’s the deal: It’s less than 40 miles from the Salt Lake City airport to Park City, and if you get to a Park City resort the same day you arrive, you ski free. All you need is the Quick Start voucher. Info:Download at parkcityinfo.com
STRATTON Vermont
What’s the deal: $99 a day weekdays, $109 a day weekends gets you lodging, rental equipment, lift ticket and two group lessons.
Info:stratton.com
SKI From Page 69
at the base area’s Grand Summit lodge. Included: two lift tickets and breakfast for two.
Info: (866) 604-4171, thecanyons.com.
WINTER PARK
Winter Park, Colo.
This is the only U.S. ski area owned by a city (Denver, which is an hour and a half by car or two hours via an old-fashioned, smoke-belching Ski Train). It’s also the only one with a mountain reputedly named for a legendary local lady of the evening, Mary Jane.
For years, locals laughed about the tourists who rode past Winter Park on their way to crowded Vail and Aspen. But Mary Jane turns 30 this year, and a big birthday promotion means the secret is out.
Straddling the Continental Divide, Winter Park gets slammed with storms from all directions, and thus has more snow than any resort in Colorado.
Play in Parsenn Bowl, one of the few lift-served bowls in the Rockies. It’s the ideal place for intermediates to push their limits and for experts to strut their stuff. Or try Railbender, a mogul-infested black diamond run, where you’ll suck wind at the top of a 1,080-foot vertical drop.
The new base area village has accommodations and restaurants, and Copper Mountain and Steamboat are close enough to do fresh tracks there after breakfast.
Lift tickets (these prices are packaged for two days): $72/ages 14-64, $44/6-13, $58/65 and over, and skiers 70 and over free Mon.-Thurs.
Good deal: The Free 4 All package starts at $259/pp and is explained as a three-day package, including lodging and daily lift tickets, with a fourth day of lodging and lift tickets thrown in. Offer good all season.
Info: (970) 726-1564, http://www.winterparkresort.com.
GRAND TARGHEE
Alta, Wyo.
It you want high-speed detachable lifts, a tram, a gondola and luxury hotels, stay in exclusive Jackson Hole on the other side of the Teton Pass.
At Grand Targhee, it’s skiing the way it used to be. The lifts are slow enough to let you rest your legs and scout the terrain, you’ll make fresh tracks on the way down, and there’s no nightlife to speak of. You won’t miss the excitement, though, as you’ll be worn out from
thigh-burner laps through snowfall that averages 500 inches annually.
The motto here is “snow from heaven, not from hoses.” You’ll find deep powder, 2,000 acres of lift-served terrain, and another 1,000 acres of turns on untracked snowfields reachable only by snowcat, the poor man’s version of heli-skiing.
On Sunday nights, a local, legendary band (renowned in part for its off-color “cowboy poetry”) plays in Wilson, Idaho – midway between Targhee and Jackson – at the Stagecoach, a ramshackle roadside burger joint.
Lift tickets: $55/ages 15-61, $34/6-14, $35/62 and over.
Good deal: $299 gets you three nights of lodging, lift tickets and one free day of snowcat skiing (separately, snowcat costs $175/day).
Info: (800) 827-4433, grandtarghee.com
FERNIE
British Columbia, Canada
It’ll take you three hours by car from either Calgary, Alberta, or Kalispell, Mont. – the nearest airports – to get to Fernie, which has minimal accomodations and a small base area village. All of which means its slopes are virtually empty.
The tallest peak is 7,000 feet, so there’s no gasping for oxygen, and three of the bowls have long blue cruisers for those not up to threading through the expert chutes and glades off the ridgelines. Be wary on Cedar Bowl, though: blues on top lead to double blacks below.
Fernie is also paradise for cross-country skiers. It has a massive trail system accessed from the top of the triple chair lift -making it one of the few places around where XC, skiers and snowboarders can share a chair.
The resort has a twice-a-week torchlight run with guides, ending in a barbecue, brews and camaraderie. It also has free shuttles into the town of Fernie (about 20 minutes away).
Lift tickets: approximately $55/ages 18-64, $38/13-17, $17/6-12, $44/65 and over.
Deal: The First Tracks package, approximately $64, gets you on the slopes at 7:45 a.m., more than an hour before Fernie’s official opening, which means you’ll have the entire toy store to yourself.
Also, through Dec. 21 you can get two nights at a one-bedroom condo and two-day lift ticket for $259/pp.
Info: (877) 333-2399, skifernie.com
ANGEL FIRE
New Mexico
A half-hour farther from the Albuquerque airport than its famous neighbor, Taos – which means it’s usually overlooked by long-distance visitors -Angel Fire is a low-key gem.
With an elevation of 10,677 feet (8,600 feet at the base), snow at this family-oriented resort is reliable and deep.
Here you’ll find a little bit of everything. While snowboarding is not allowed at Taos, riders at Angel Fire can practice 720s at three terrain parks, including the half-pipe at the summit, and there’s a tubing hill for after-hours fun.
In addition to its inexpensive lift tickets, Angel Fire also boasts the longest chair lift in New Mexico.
For a real trip back in time, head another hour to Red River, where creaky old lifts drop you right onto the main street of an old, bustling mining town, which has yet to be gentrified.
Lift tickets: $48/ages 13-69, $33/6-12, and 70 and over free.
Deal: You Keep the Gear ski or snowboard package costs $249 and gets you two half-day lessons and vouchers for half-price lift tickets. Even better, you get to go home with the brand new gear on which you learned.
Stay at the base area hotel for $49.33/pp including breakfast and a lift ticket.
Info: (800) 633-7463, angelfireresort.com
Now that’s a deal!
5 sweet bargains to jump-start the season
1 JACKSON HOLE Wyoming
What’s the deal: The iconic Jackson Hole tram is being retired next spring, so snap up a Last Tram Package, starting at $589, that includes a one-day private lesson and 5 nights stay, good for the season.
Info: jacksonhole.com
2 KILLINGTON Vermont
What’s the deal: Take the Kids, good for ages 4-18, includes one free lift ticket, equipment and one lesson when parents book a 3-5 day non-weekend lifts and lodging package in January.
Info: killington.com
3 OKEMO Vermont
What’s the deal: Okemo Mountain Resort is celebrating 50 years by rolling back lift ticket prices to $39 on Thursdays in December (excluding Dec. 22 and 29) and March.
Info: okemo.com
4 PARK CITY Utah
What’s the deal: It’s less than 40 miles from the Salt Lake City airport to Park City, and if you get to a Park City resort the same day you arrive, you ski free. All you need is the Quick Start voucher.
Info: Download at parkcityinfo.com
5 STRATTON Vermont
What’s the deal: $99 a day weekdays, $109 a day weekends gets you lodging, rental equipment, lift ticket and two group lessons.
Info: stratton.com
More, more!
Five more places with champagne snow and six-pack prices
Alta, Utah
Old-fashioned Alta – no snowboarding allowed – got its first quad a few seasons back, so there’s less time on line and more time to ski. This legendary Utah resort, most famous for its powder stashes and killer steeps, also has dozens of gentle greens, perfectly groomed blues and a huge beginner’s area.
Better yet: The lift ticket price for adults is $49. If you buy a dual-area ticket, you can ski over the ridge into adjoining Snowbird and do laps in Mineral Basin. Stay at the family-friendly Alta Lodge (altamountain.com).
Big Mountain, Montana
Everything in Montana seems to stretch forever, including the fog off the lake in nearby Whitefish. But even in a whiteout, there are lots of trees to mark the way down the wide trails. There are also some killer bowls on top plus a view of the peaks of Glacier National Park. Night skiing includes unlimited free use of the NASTAR-timed race course and snowcat skiing. Buy a five-day pass for $175, which averages out to less than $40 a day (bigmtn.com).
Mad River Glen, Vermont
This resort’s longtime motto is “Ski it if you can,” but while most of Mad River Glen will get your adrenaline racing – including the frozen waterfall on Paradise you’ll have to jump should you miss the turn – there’s lots of old-fashioned winding trails for the less accomplished. No snowboards allowed, but this is telemark headquarters in the east.
Mad River also has the last operating single chair in the U.S., a wonderfully creaky relic. The high-speed lifts and glitz are at neighboring Stowe and Sugarbush. Buy a Mad Card for $109 before Dec. 15 for three days of skiing anytime this season, plus it gets you discounts of $5 to $l5 on additional daily lift tickets (madriverglen.com).
Sierra-at-Tahoe, California
From the ridge, your view is of glades with wide-spaced pines that double as slalom poles and long, groomed cruisers. Sierra, at South Lake, is a sister resort to Northstar-at-Tahoe at the lake’s north end, and the price to ski both is phenomenal: $309 gets you a Double Whammy season pass.
Stay in South Lake to enjoy the casinos and nightlife, or mellow out in quiet and picturesque historic Truckee at the north end (sierratahoe.com).
Mont St. Anne, Quebec, Canada
The largest of the trio of resorts that are less than 30 minutes from Quebec City, this low-key spot attracts lots of families. All ages enjoy the mid-mountain “sugar shack” for its snow lollipops (made by rolling gobs of maple syrup on the snow). Trails here have no names, just numbers. The longest run is No. 24, a black diamond leg-burner that wraps around the resort for 16 miles.
Stay in historic Quebec and enjoy the city’s restaurants and nightlife, or at a base-area condo. The adventurous might want to stay one night in a sleeping bag atop animal skins in the Ice Hotel, a multi-room igloo in a nearby park (icehotel-canada.com). Lift tickets cost around $40 (mont-sainte-anne.com).