Ski resorts with smaller crowds, lower prices and better snow

If you ski or snowboard in the United States, a few destinations dominate itineraries and bucket lists: Vail, Park City, Aspen, Deer Valley, Jackson Hole. The growing popularity of the multi-mountain passes that include them on their rosters has only reinforced their status and popularity, often for good reason.

“The places on the Epic and Ikon passes do tend to offer more sophisticated lift infrastructure, more on-mountain lodging options, more of the true resort experience,” said Stuart Winchester, who runs the Storm Skiing journal and podcast. But those benefits can also come with long lines and sticker shock.

Lurking near these marquee ski resorts are places that are well worth either a side trip or an entire stay of their own. They don’t all have ski-in/ski-out lodging, and you won’t find much Michelin-level dining. What you will find are superior snow and few crowds, along with that most intangible of qualities: a vibe.

“Skiing has evolved into offering world-class amenities and gastronomical experiences, but when it comes down to it, skiers just need a chair lift, a hotel and a bar,” said Dan Sherman, chief marketing officer for the trip-planning site Ski.com.

Reconnect with snow sports’ simpler pleasures and find some space at these ski-resort alternatives.

Sugar Bowl

Lake Tahoe is surrounded by a necklace of high-profile resorts that include Palisades Tahoe, Heavenly and Northstar. But two lower-profile gems sit in plain sight right next to the lake.

On the California side, Sugar Bowl Resort is the first major ski area you encounter coming from the Bay Area on I-80, and its location means it often gets first dibs on incoming snowstorms. Founded in 1939, Sugar Bowl is one of the oldest ski resorts in the country, but it has a modern lift fleet that includes five high-speed quads. It also strikes a great balance between excellent grooming and an abundance of untouched pockets of snow. Check out conditions before heading there, since the road can be tricky.

Mt. Rose

On the Nevada side of the lake, Mt. Rose, just 30 minutes from the Reno airport, trades frills for top-notch skiing. As a Reno resident, Phil Pugliese, owner and editor of the online reviews and forum resource SkiTalk, could go anywhere in the Tahoe area, but he picked Mt. Rose as his home mountain. “It’s that mom-and-pop feel as opposed to a corporate feel,” he said. “It’s kind of a throwback in the modern age.”

At 8,260 feet, Mt. Rose has the highest base elevation in the Tahoe area and boasts snow quality of a kind that tends to be a bit more forgiving than the dense “Sierra concrete” found around the lake. One of the best perks: It’s easy to find parking right outside the main lodge.

Grand Targhee

Jackson Hole is a worthy magnet for American skiers. But it’s also expensive, locals there can get aggressive in their quest for powder, and don’t get us started on its tram lines.

Grand Targhee, a 45-mile day trip over the steep Teton Pass from the town of Jackson, is a very different proposition. Unlike its more famous neighbor, Targhee does not have an extensive lift network or 4,000 feet of vertical. What it does have is a lot of snow, small crowds, a wild-game chili special at Snorkels Café and slightly more skiable terrain (2,600 acres) than Jackson Hole.

While there is plenty to entertain expert skiers, Targhee is particularly conducive to confidence-building, with accessible glades and many runs where intermediates can practice. It offers on-mountain lodging, but many visitors stay 12 miles down the road, in the charming and homey little town of Driggs, Idaho.

Sundance

When hearing the name Sundance, people think of the film festival (which is mostly in Park City). But Sundance Mountain Resort, the smallest and southernmost outpost of the Salt Lake City snow belt, is a reminder that skiing is supposed to be chill.

Perhaps it’s because you’re often alone on a trail, or because of the majestic presence of 11,750-foot Mt. Timpanogos in the background, but Sundance feels more spacious than its 500 skiable acres would suggest. The lack of lines helps, too, since Sundance is not on a multi-mountain pass. “You have to go a little out of your way to get there, and it helps limit crowds,” Pugliese said. “We’ve skied there on weekends when there were less skiers than other mountains have midweek.”

Sundance features nifty and distinctive touches. In January, it will open the Mountain Camp Day Lodge, a one-stop spot for rentals, lessons and retail, as well as food “with prices to appeal to locals,” as VP of marketing Nick Como put it. In keeping with its artsy heritage, there’s also a studio where anyone can sign up for workshops on things such as pottery or watercolor painting.

Bridger Bowl

Big Sky, an hour south of Bozeman and its growing airport, has emerged as a first-class destination in recent years. But the layout is not always easy to navigate, and lodging is far from cheap.

Just a half-hour from downtown Bozeman (and its cool restaurants), a visitor can spend an idyllic couple of days at Bridger Bowl. Run since 1971 by a nonprofit association, this day-trip haven caters mostly to locals, who will happily share their favorite spots if you take the time for a nice conversation on a lift. Amenities don’t seem to have changed much in recent decades but are perfectly serviceable.

Thrill-seekers, take note: You need to bring an avalanche transceiver to ride Schlasman’s Lift, which accesses some of the most challenging inbound terrain in the United States.

Gore Mountain

For many residents of the New York metro area, a ski trip in the Northeast means Vermont. But in the same time it would take to get to Stratton or Mt. Snow, they could get to the Adirondacks’ Gore Mountain, just west of Lake George.

The crowds and the prices are lower at Gore, since it isn’t on any of the major ski passes. With 115 trails on 450 acres, “it’s the largest area in New York State, but it spreads people out really well because of its unique layout,” Storm Skiing’s Winchester said, noting that several sections feel almost self-contained.

Gore is operated by a state agency that has been making improvements to the infrastructure and lifts in the past few years. A new, state-of-the-art day lodge is coming next year, but for accommodations you’ll have to look within a few miles of the base or in nearby North Creek. Odds are, there won’t be traffic jams either way.