Where to ski around the world, from winter Olympic terrain to family resorts
“Every mountain town has something different to offer,” said Kiley McKinnon, an Olympic freestyle skier and co-founder of the women’s skiwear company. Half days. A place with incredible powder may not have the kind of off-piste amenities you are looking for.
To narrow down your options, start with a few key questions.
Having traveled the world for his sport – China, Belarus, Norway, etc. – McKinnon recommends asking yourself what kind of skiing you’re looking for and whether the terrain matches your skill level.
Nelson Brown — creative content manager for the performance apparel company Ibex, who travels across North America to photograph his ski gear — says looking at snow trends is key to predicting whether the mountain will have enough snow when you visit. Also, what is there to do after you finish skiing?
1. For small budgets: independent hotels
Your best bet to save money is to avoid the most popular places to ski, as the big name resorts tend to have the highest prices. If you’re a beginner, it might not be worth paying $200 for a day pass to a top destination.
“When you spend that much money, it puts pressure on you to have this amazing time,” Brown said.
Brown recommends first-time skiers find independent local resorts instead. On the east coast, there are places like Waterville Valley Complex in White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire. “They’re aimed at families, but they still have enough terrain to ski all day and have a really good time,” said Brown, who lived near the resort. Adult lift tickets cost around $69 during the week and top out at $98 on weekends. The resort offers discounts for the military, college students, teens, children 6 and older, and adults over 65. Children 5 and under and adults 80 and over ski for free.
On the west coast you could try Badger pass in Yosemite National Park, California’s oldest ski resort. Adult lift tickets are $62 and seniors can get a midweek day pass for a discount of $30. The Badger Pass ski area has 10 ski runs of varying levels, five chair lifts and is open from mid-December to mid-March (conditions permitting).
2. For beginners and families: Keystone, Colo.
McKinnon’s pick for kid-friendly trails is Colorado Keystone, where you will find it at the start of the season. “Keystone is pretty low-key,” she said. “It’s just outside of Silverthorne which has lots of Airbnb’s and rentals.”
Compared to other area resorts like Vail, Keystone “is easier, so it’s a better beginner mountain,” McKinnon said. And unlike the others, Keystone has free parking and huge grounds, which makes your day of skiing a little easier.
big sky in Montana is another of McKinnon’s favorite spots. With 870 acres of beginner-friendly terrain, it’s another great (albeit pricey) resort for families.
Perhaps more important than where you’re going, McKinnon says it’s essential for newcomers or people who haven’t skied in a while to take a lesson, regardless of your age. If you get a lesson, don’t forget to tip your instructor. Industry insiders say $20 is the bare minimum, group class students should shoot for $30 to $40, and $100 is a standard tip for a private lesson.
3. For the classic American ski trip: Park City, Utah
Park City, Utah is a postcard-worthy location for an epic ski excursion. Many of the major skiing and snowboarding events of the 2002 Winter Olympics were held in Park City Mountain Resort, and McKinnon says he still hosts a lot of U.S. Ski Team athletes. Don’t be intimidated if you’re not an expert; Park City also has plenty of beginner’s land.
Once you’re done skiing, McKinnon said, you should explore “the long stretch of Main Street that runs through town right next to the mountain with shops, bars and restaurants.”
His other choice for an iconic American ski town? Jackson, Wyoming. “It’s super fun, like classic cowboy vibes,” she said. “And besides, their mountain is amazing.” Although Jackson Hole Mountain Resort has beginner-friendly trails, McKinnon said “the terrain is quite challenging” overall.
4. For the backcountry skier: Thompson Pass, Alaska
These days, Brown tends to skip traditional downhill skiing at resorts for the backcountry: the undeveloped, uncontrolled terrain where skiers are responsible for their own safety. The best place he has skied is Thompson Pass in Valdez, Alaska. the snowiest observation station in the United States which receives about 700 inches of snow annually. Not only is everything in the backcountry and easily accessible, “there were like five other people I saw and I was there for a week,” Brown said.
5. For the world traveler: Japan
If you can go overseas, “Japan is known for having some of the best ski areas in the world,” McKinnon said. You start your day on the slopes and end it in a hot spring spa – what more could you ask for?
Jeffrey M. Krevitt, vice president of marketing for Inside Travel Group, owner Tours inside Japanusually sends customers to two destinations: Niseko and Hakuba.
Niseko, located on Hokkaido, Japan’s second-largest island, offers four main ski resorts and “some of the best and most reliable powder” in the world, Krevitt said. “It’s very international, very cosmopolitan, with lots of good hotels, international restaurants.”
On Honshu, Japan’s largest island, Hakuba is a valley of 11 resorts (connected by the same ski pass) in the Japanese Alps that hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics Compared to Niseko, Hakuba has “a little more rustic, local charm to that,” Krevitt said. It’s also where you can see the famous snow monkeys.
For something off the beaten path, there’s Zao Onsen in the Tohoku region of Honshu. The skiing in the Zao region is world class, but another major draw is its “snow monsters” — trees covered in snow and encrusted with a layer of rime ice.
6. For skiing on the East Coast: Vermont
While the West Mountain is considered the best part of the country for skiing, the East Coast has its moments. “They have great mountains,” said McKinnon, who is originally from Connecticut and grew up skiing in Vermont. “sugar bush, Stratton, Stowe, Bromley. These four are pretty good.
Brown warns that because Stowe is New England’s premier resort town, you can expect to pay dearly for a lift ticket and face “an insane amount of traffic.”
Instead, you can continue past Stowe to Brown’s favorite resort, Jay’s Woodpecker, known for its huge hinterland called Big Jay. Because it’s a bit farther than Vermont’s most popular spots, “it’s a bit quieter,” Brown said. Even better, “they just seem to have the most snow,” he said. “It’s usually quite dry and fluffy.”
7. For après-ski lovers: the Alps
You don’t have to ski to enjoy a ski holiday – a good après-ski scene alone can justify the trip. Merriam Webster loosely defines après-ski as “a social activity (like in a ski lodge) after a day of skiing”, but most people think of it as eating, drinking and partying on or around a ski mountain.
McKinnon says Europe has the best afternoon on earth, which makes sense, because Europeans invented the concept. “Austria, Norway, Switzerland…I don’t think you can honestly go wrong with any of those places,” she said. If she had to choose, “I would say Switzerland has the best food.”
Then there is the iconic Italian Alps ski resort Cortina d’Ampezzowho will welcome the 2026 Winter Olympics. Simone Amorico, CEO of the private tour operator Go to Italy, goes every year. “You won’t find crowds on the slopes, and the restaurants in the mountains are amazing too,” he said.
Beyond the skiing and world-class dining, “a lot of people go there just to shop,” Amorico said. You can do Cortina on a budget by staying in a modest bed-and-breakfast, and lift tickets are cheaper than at big-name resorts in the US, at around $70 for an adult day pass in high season. But it’s a place full of luxury hotels that attract customer base As George Clooney. A man Rosa Alpinesomebody?
8. For skiers who want to pop some champagne: Aspen, Colo.
Even in the luxurious world of ski resorts, “Aspen is known for being a little hipper,” McKinnon said. Here you will find good powder as well as one of the craziest displays of opulence in the world of skiing: Cloud Champagne showers twice a day from the Alpine Bistro.
Accessible only by ski or snowboard — or by taking a ride in a snowcat, an enclosed tracked vehicle that resembles a tank — the Swiss-inspired cabin on Aspen’s Highlands mountain sells bottles of champagne (the cheapest is Veuve Clicquot over $100) to spray into the air for show. Not only is it an expensive affair, but it’s highly sought after, “it’s also something you have to book months in advance because it’s really, really hard to get into,” McKinnon said. .
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