Best uncrowded US ski locations
 

We're looking for a ski location that is not too crowded - & has moderate terrain (nothing all expert). I've been to all the big ones - Vail, Breck, Telluride, Steamboat, etc. & am looking for a place where there aren't many lines & no big crowds. Thanks!!

You might want to check out Bridger Bowl and Big Sky located near Bozeman, Montana. You'd fly into the Belgrade airport.

Definately Montana. In additon to Bridger Bowl and Big Sky, check out Moonlight Basin which shares a mountain with Big Sky.

Also look at Big Mountain in Whitefish. You'd fly into Kalispell, MT.

There are many smaller areas the state that offer great skiing and you can always ski right onto the lifts.

possibly crested butte. or if you want really small try ski cooper near leadville. also in montana showdown ski area near great falls.

It seems MT is the place to go; I've been to Big Sky before, so I'd rather go somewhere besides there.. What about Snowbird also??

We liked Powder Mountain, Utah. VERY uncrowded, great terrain & snow. Snowbasin is nearby as well.

Also what about Sun Valley? Has anyone been there??

Avoid Holiday weekends like MLK's Birthday and President's Week.

Did you see this article on MSN this morning: 10 Undiscovered Ski Spots

http://tinyurl.com/yeurn9

skibum - yes i saw it - that's what started me thinking...I need to head out west again!! =)

MT would be great, and I also really like Solitude in Utah. It's up the canyon from the bigger resorts like Snowbird, but more of a local mountain. I also love Alta. It can be crowded, but it never feels like it because of all the trees and also because snowboarders aren't allowed. I've found the Jackson Hole isn't too bad for crowds either, but may be more of an advancedm mountain.

I wasn't aware snowboarders weren't allowed at Alta - I guess that puts me out!!

We went to Jackson Hole last year; the skiing was great as they had a lot of snow and the town of Jackson is really fun. But the lines drove me crazy. We waited 20 minutes or more every time to get on the chairlift.

There really aren't lift lines in Montana. On the other hand, there really isn't a resort atmosphere at many of the ski areas in Montana either. You're not going to find restuarants like you would in Colorado or at Jackson Hole or Sun Valley or Park City.

If you just want to ski, Montana's a good place to do it.

Thanks for the tips - I'll definitely be looking into either MT or UT.. i don't really care about the apres ski (been there, done that) - looking more for relaxation & good snowboarding conditions.

You will find lines at Sun Valley and Snowbird. Both are major ski destinations. The MT recommendations should fit your requirements, as well as Powder Mtn in UT.

Alta, Deer Valley, Taos and one area ack east do not allow snowboarding.

I have skied many of the places mentioned here, with my kids who ride boards. The two that probably best fit your desire for moderate terrain and minimal crowding would be Solitude/Brighton in Utah and Big Mountain in Montana. You can get to Big Mountain on the train if you have the time and the inclination; otherwise you fly into Kalispell. It has a very different feel than Big Sky.

Sun Valley has the terrain, but to be honest, I've never had a good day there---the snow and weather have always been marginal, and I wouldn't go back.

There are also some new places in British Canada that are highly rated by my skier friends---Big White and Sun Peaks, but we haven't tried them yet.

You might want to take a look at Schweitzer in Sandpoint, ID. Schweitzer and Big Mountain remind me a lot of each other (similar terrain, scenery). You could fly into Spokane and drive the couple hours to Schweitzer.

Lake Tahoe during the week (Mon-Fri) is not crowded unless it's spring break for the Calif. schools.

You could say the same thing about Mammoth Mtn on the east side of the CA Sierras. A HUGE mountain with tons of lifts and intermed runs and no crowds during the week. If you fly into Reno, it would be about a 3 -4 hour drive south.

Oh wait - I've skied many, many days at Mammoth and all over the west for over 30 years. Mammoth has the nastiest weather of anywhere! Don't go.

FOr what you're looking for, I agree with the Snowbasin, Powder and Solitude choices above for Utah and the Bridger/Big Sky choices from Montana. All excellent ski mountains for intermediates and all are reletiely uncrowded compared to the more popular resorts.

Big Mountain in Whitefish, Montana is the place. Fly into kalispell on Northwest or Delta and the mountain is approx. 15 miles.
www.bigmtn.com The Big opens tommorow Dec.1

We went to Big Mtn last Jan for a week. Hardly anyone there. People are great, super slopes, convenient, etc. We stayed away from the resort and never even rented a car; our lodging had airport and ski shuttles!

Mt Bachelor in Oregon has lots of moderate terrain, and lots of high-speed quad chairs. No lines, and because it spreads out so much, there don't tend to be overcrowded slopes either. Ski'd there on Presidents day a couple of times, and even then the lines were no more than 3 or 4 minutes. No on-slope lodging, though, you have to go down to Bend or Sunriver.

in ca i've been to mammoth west warming hut, mt high and big bear but found june mt to be my favorite, great for families. and unless there's other recs, heavenly tahoe is also a fave with me.

AngelaS--have you tried looking outside of the norm, and attempting to ride on some Northwoods snow? I hear that the Northwoods are a great place for "boarders".

Kaross - thanks for the tips; I have always heard these great stories about the 'northwoods' - I will have to look into that. As long as they have hot tubs - it's all good!! ;)

Agree with Brighton/Solitude in UT but it is somewhat isolated. Also, the Canyons resort, even though it is in Park City, isn't crowded and you have the perks of staying in the Park City area - close supermarkets if you are cooking in a condo, lots of restaurant choices, town shuttle bus and only 45 min from Salt Lake airport.

I second Mt. Bachelor in Oregon. There is varied terrain, beautiful dry powder, and few lines, especially during the week.

What about Mt. Brighton near Salt Lake City. My last trips there (admittedly about 10 years ago) found the mountain wide open. I recall beautiful views from the very peak!

Mt. Shasta, Ca.
http://www.skipark.com/
Mt. ashland, Or.
http://mtashland.com/

Angela - if you want to think outside the box, look at Lutsen Mt., MN (which I consider to be in the Northwoods) - it's about 2 hrs north of Duluth. They claim it's the largest ski area east of the Mississippi (don't know if that's true and don't care). We've always found it uncrowded, really nice runs, and at 3000' el has some great views of Lake Superior. Also understand the area has some nice snowboarding (but can't verify since we only downhill).

Accommodations and tickets are very reasonable (about half of what we find in CO). Lots of nice area towns as well (eg, Grand Marais).

Read they got 20" of snow last weekend and the last time we were there had about 40" during the week.

Really nice place.

I'm partial to:

Grand Targhee, WY
Bridger Bowl, MT
Steamboat Springs (popular but tends to not have the crowds), CO

Article on how to beat the crowds at ski resorts:

http://www.familyskiresorts.net/Deal...ak_Crowds.html

I ski in Utah several times a year and love skiing there. My favorites are Deer Valley, Brighton, and Snow Basin. One great way to get the ski slopes to yourself is to go there in mid to late January during the Sundance film festival. Rent a private home outside Park City. The slopes are empty during this time because all the hotel rooms are booked with movie people who are there working the festival or attending it. It is a fabulous time and place for skiing!

Snowmass Colorado, hands down the best for what you are looking for. They seem to make it better every year.

Rockies little "secret"... Jackson Hole, WY. Winter is considered "low season" (high season is summer with everyone visiting yellowstone) and you can find really nice accommodations for half the price of other resorts. Did I mention the really great snowmobiling if you need a day off from skiing?

We used to go to Aspen, Vail, Whistler, etc. but once we found Jackson, that was our favorite destination.

Sugarbowl is the closest resort to the San Francisco Bay Area in the Sierras. It has excellent intermediate trails, a lovely lodge, and is not usually crowded during the week. It's 2.5 hours from SF or the East Bay.

http://www.saddlebackmaine.com/
Get there fast, fantastic snow season so far this year, another foot tonight.

Grand Targhee in Alta Wyoming. Really it seems like it is in Idaho but is actually on the border of Idaho & Wyoming. I have skied there many times and return time again because there is never a crowd. I can't recall ever waiting an excessive lenght of time in the lift line. The last time I was there I stayed at a hotel called Teton Springs Lodge & Spa which is about 20 minutes from Targhee and 45 minutes to Jackson Hole. The snow is fantastic at Targhee and if you change your mind and want to ski in a crowd, you can go to Jackson Hole!