5 Hidden Gem Ski Areas of North America
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- Опубліковано 5 чер 2022
- This is my ninth video highlighting the top ski areas of North America and it highlights the areas that are not as well known but worth looking into. I have not skied everywhere and encourage you to list your favorite hidden gems in the comments below. Remember that in order to make the list, the ski area cannot be on the Epic or Ikon passes.
Other videos in the series:
Top 5 Steepest Ski Areas of North America: • Top 5 Steepest Ski Are...
Top 5 Powder Ski Areas of North America: • Top 5 Powder Ski Areas...
Top 5 Spring Ski Areas of North America: • Top 5 Spring Ski Areas...
Top 5 Sidecountry Ski Areas of North America: • Top 5 Sidecountry Ski ...
Top 5 Lunch Ski Areas of North America: • Top 5 Lunch Ski Areas ...
Top 5 Teaching Ski Areas of North America: • Top 5 Teaching Ski Are...
Top 5 Fun Ski Areas of North America: • Top 5 Fun Ski Areas of...
My Top 5 Favorite Ski Areas of North America: • My Top 5 Favorite Ski ...
Top 5 Early Season Ski Areas of North America: • Top 5 Early Season Ski...
Top 5 Destination Ski Areas of North America: • Top 5 Destination Ski ...
Top 5 Showoff Runs in North America: • Top 5 Showoff Runs in ...
Additional credit: Danielle Rankin is the skier at Tamarack.
Background music is “Photo Album” from www.bensound.com
This past winter I went out to Colorado to ski some of the bigger resorts around Dillon. On the last day we skied Loveland on the way to airport and I personally thought it was the most underrated resort I've been to. There was 6 inches or more of fresh snow and we were still making fresh tracks at 330pm. There's free Snow Cat rides along the top ridge too. Not the biggest resort or the scariest runs, but a really solid choice you could spend multiple days at! Not to mention very unpretentious and quite affordable.
Great recommendation. They also have one of the longest seasons in Colorado as they try to open early and stay open late.
Jiminy Peak, Catamount and Bousquet are all better than Wachusett 👍😁👍
@@jeffreygreen9315 You're probably right. Thanks for the recommendations.
2 Honorable mentions are Lutsen Mountains and mount bohemia.
Lutsen may be in Minnesota but it’s an actual resort with multiple pods catered to different skill levels and 800 of vertical. Theres a lot of diversity of terrain and some nice challenging runs off of the moose and eagle mountain pods.
Bohemia on the other hand is a backwater resort in upper Michigan with a full 900 feet of vertical (most in the midwest) with intermediate and expert skiing only. Its also the only place in the midwest with a proper cat skiing operation too!
I didn't know anyone in the Midwest did cat skiing so thanks for the tip.
Mission Ridge, Wenatchee WA 1:22
Monarch Mt., CO, between Telluride & Colorado Springs 1:55
Grand Targhee, WY 2:22
Wachusett Mt. MA 2:52 Sugar Bowl, Tahoe, CA 3:11
Thanks for indexing the video.
I love all your videos on this channel! It just makes me so unnaturally happy. I love how open you are for comments and suggestions. Keep it up!!!
Thanks for the kind words.
I had to laugh at your little Mt. Bohemia jab!😂. I’m in Michigan, so I hear about Bohemia quite a bit. I’ve visited it in the summer, and would live to try it in the winter. The problem is, for those of us who live in the southern part of the state, it’s actually faster for us to hop on a plane and fly to Reno/Tahoe, Utah, or Colorado than it is to drive to Bohemia.
Thanks for the great video. The only place on this list I’ve been to is Targhee, and I would definitely go back.
Oh I think it is great when people bring up their local areas as there are a lot of great little resorts that nobody ever hears about. I just can't justify making a trip to Michigan. But I do love hearing about Mt. Bohemia as it seems to have a huge following based on the comments I've received about it.
I've skied Mt. Bohemia. It's mostly glade skiing and they tend to mark a lot of trails tripple black diamond when they should only be double, but the snow is spectacular lake effect snow. It's on what people call the upper peninsula or UP which sticks out on Lake Superior so... enormous amounts of snow. Only two lifts though.
@@stephendulli6252 I’ve thought about taking a winter off work and trying to hit all of those out-of-the-way places like Bohemia but it will have to wait a few years.
Ragged Mountain Resort - a family oriented ski area in New Hampshire with great snowmaking capacity.
That's a new one I have not heard of before. Thanks for the recommendation.
Bridger Bowl in Montana! Skied one day at Big Sky and didn’t like the setup! Thank God we heard about Bridger! We skied 4 days in a row that week! A big favorite of mine! Cool vibes!
Thanks for the recommendation. I have gotten quite a few comments about Bridger Bowl as an alternative to Big Sky. I still need to give it a shot.
Panorama in eastern BC. Huge, very tall resort with no lift lines ever!
I like the "no lift lines". It looks like a relatively short drive across the Canadian border from Whitefish, Montana.
love that place
@@nikolakokot3234 It is on my list of places to visit next season.
Bolton Valley in VT. Same mountain ridge as Stowe but lift tickets are half the price, highest base elevation in New England, classic terrain, amazing glades and sidecountry.
Thanks for the recommendation. It sounds like a true hidden gem.
I have two Oregon ski hills for you: Mt. Hood Skibowl and Hoodoo. Skibowl is the forgotten child up on Hood. It has some great steeps! Hoodoo is a true hidden gem. Skied the once this year and loved it. Nothing fancy, but it’s a skier’s ski hill. Great vibe, solid variety of terrain, and a great place to ski as a group or family.
Great recommendations as I love hearing about true skier's ski hills. Thanks!
Mount Hood Meadows in Oregon is the best ski Western ski resort I've ever been to, and I've been to a lot of Western ski areas. Amazing great terrain.
Thanks for the recommendation. I will definitely add it on my list of places to visit.
Apex alpine BC..if you can ski there, you can ski anywhere…steep fall line is awesome..little hill that skis big
This is exactly what I was hoping to receive with respect to comments. Thanks for sharing.
Loveland!!
I keep meaning to get there but have yet to do so. They have an amazingly long season as they try to open early and stay open late.
Terry peak South Dakota is awesome!!
That is a new one for me. Thanks for the recommendation.
Sugar Bowl is such a fun place. Not as busy as Heavenly or Palisades Tahoe, but definitely worth a day or two. I had my best powder day ever at Sugar Bowl. It was knee and thigh deep, I'm 5-5 so it was deep, and free refills. Spent most of my day lapping the Disney Express. Another great hidden gem in the Tahoe region is Homewood. The Crows Nest is nasty tough, and hike in and out.
Sugar Bowl is one of my favorites as is Homewood. I understand that they are about to restrict Homewood to just property owners or it may have been on the list as well.
@@matthewbennettutah That sucks . Oh well..thanks for the info.
@@Frank020 I hope I am wrong but here is an Internet article talking about going private: www.keeptahoeblue.org/news/homewood-mountain-is-going-private-is-this-the-future-of-tahoe-skiing/
cannon mtn nh has to be my favorite east coast mountain, and altough its icy if you know where to look or know a local you can find some hair rasing steeps with untracked powder.
Thanks for the recommendation. I get a lot of recommendations for Cannon and need to get there some day.
Bear Valley resort in California is great family ski area,quite a gem.
You are right as it is a great family area. I have many fond memories there.
When the spur is closed it is where I go.
my favourite ski area is in New Zealand it is very small and unknown it is called Broken River its biggest day was 300 people and it has great snow(next week it looks like we will be getting 1.5metres of snow) its terrain is steep and there are plenty of great chutes.
I'll second that. I spent a season in NZ and loved all of the club resorts. I guess the rope tows keep the riffraff away.
Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately I doubt I will be able to make it there this summer as I have other commitments.
@@SnowArcs Rope tows tend to do that but are still much easier than hiking up the hill.
@@SnowArcs the one issue with rope tows is that they destroy my expensive gloves. I've had mine for over 8 years and they're still working fine, but now that I've moved out to Michigan I've used rope tows a few times and started to notice the leather peeling.
Another nice video but my daughter whats to be in the credits as your opening scene skier!!
I don't want to re-cut the video to adjust the end credits but I will add her to the video description. How's that sound?
White Water in Nelson BC is definitely a hidden gem. So worth checking out. Great vid
Great recommendation! Thanks.
@@matthewbennettutah Whitewater gets 39ft of snow on average. Locals are jaded, so if there is less than 15cm(6in) overnight, the locals don't bother to show up.
@@danieltaylor3396 I wish that is what happened at Alta. 15cm is enough for locals to call in sick.
@@matthewbennettutah One time I showed up at Whitewater a week after a drought had ended. They got 44cm that week but none of it in storms of greater than 10cm...it was mostly untouched!!!
@@danieltaylor3396 Ah the joys of hidden gems. I'll need to remember Whitewater.
Saddleback mountain in Rangeley, Maine great hidden East coast gem
Thanks for the recommendation. I've heard good things about Saddleback Mountain.
Skied my 106th resort this past winter; my top five hidden gems: Castle Mountain, AB; Beaver Mountain, UT, Silver Mountain, ID, Brundage, ID, Saddleback, ME
That is a great list, thanks for the recommendations. Congratulations on 106 ski areas.
I can't believe no one has mentioned Mad River Glen yet.
I get a lot of Mad River Glen recommendations in some of my other videos. It is a great ski area that I need to get out and ski.
Mount Baker Washington and Ski Sunlight Colorado
Mt. Baker is the first place I ever skied and I loved it. Ski Sunlight is a new one for me and will add it to my list of places to visit.
Sun Peaks in BC is a great resort. I don't think it is yet in the Icon or Epic monopoly. It is the 2nd largest resort in Canada. I would rate this resort as the best place to go as a family.
Thanks for the tip. I've had a few comments about Sun Peaks. Good to know you recommend it for the family.
Sun Peaks joined the Ikon Pass last season. It is not for powder hounds, it is for speed freaks. With skiing on 4,270 acres on 2 mountains and 2 ridges on both sides of the valley, you would be hard pressed to name a ski resort that spreads skiers out better than SP. So look down a run and see no one else on the run, then go as fast as you want.
Sommet Saint Sauveur in quebec is nice
Thanks for the tip. It sounds interesting.
That lady in the yellow jacket was skiing really well!
I'll pass the comment along to my buddy Jim as that is his daughter skiing with him.
Fernie, BC
Fernie is a great recommendation except that it is part of the Epic pass and I was trying to list areas not on Ikon nor Epic.
Sunlight Colorado
That's a new one. Thanks for the recommendation! I'll have to look into it.
Grand Targhee still got to go
Grand Targhee is pretty good.
How’s the Drive
Drive is not too bad from Salt Lake (about 5 hours).
Wolf Creek 🐺🐺🐺🐺
Wolf Creek is great for powder and it seems all the powder hunters know about it. Well that and the entire state of Texas.
Quebec: St Anne's and Le Massif
Whenever I see "Quebec," I'm not sure if I should reply in French or English. Good recommendations.
A nice list, but Wachusett Mt., I know you had to have an east coast mt. for those viewers but, ''hidden gems'' should mean power potential, not sure our eastern bros qualify.
A list like this is really meant to spark a conversation or comments. I'm interested in what you would replace it with. Today I heard about Pebble Creek in Idaho and may make a trip there this winter as it is so close.
Lmao Wachusett??? Are you serious??? The only reason that mountain gets skied is because of how close it is to Boston. Terrain, crowds and prices are all terrible. Berkshire East offers by far the best skiing experience in Massachusetts.
Never heard of BEast? Well, then I guess it's a hidden gem too 😁
I have heard of Berkshire East, just never got there. Of the ones out East, I felt obligated to put something and that was the best I found. Your comment is great for others and I appreciate it. I'm heading out East this coming winter and will have few more areas to chose from.
@@matthewbennettutah In the East I recommend Saddleback, Black Mountain of Maine and Bolton Valley.
@@jonathanwhitehead9253 Thanks for the recommendations. My wife and I hoped to get to the East this winter to get a few more areas but I started a new job and may not be able to get the time off. We'll see.
Big white , BC
Big White looks like a great hidden gem. Thanks for the recommendation.
2nd Lutsen as the best in the Midwest
Lutsen looks pretty good for the Midwest.
SHhhhhhhh Mission Ridge sucks, don't ski there! And definitely don't tell anyone that they probably have the best grooming in the country (aside from Keystone...)
For real, my sister moved to Wenatchee after graduating from college and my dad and I took a few trips up there this year. It's got such a lovely local vibe, with some amazing terrain, good snow quality, and like I mentioned, their grooming is absolutely top notch. If you have the choice between Steven's Pass, one of the Snoqualmie resorts, or Mission, Mission Ridge knocks them out of the park!
Sorry, my mistake.
@@josiahsimmons9866 I agree as far as the Snoqualmie resorts go. I still have yet to get to Steven's Pass but need to.
Mission Ridge sucks. Stay away. 😏
Yes, the snow is too deep. It is cold and so big it is easy to get lost.