Rankings

Best Ski Resorts for Backcountry Access

Sometimes the best skiing is just outside the boundary. These resorts make it easy to go find it -- with sidecountry gates, touring-friendly policies, and terrain that blurs the line between inbounds and backcountry in the best possible way.

15 resorts ranked·Scored 0-100

Verbier

IndependentAlps

Verbier offers 6,004' of vertical with challenging terrain.

6,004' vertical10,925' summit

Jackson Hole

IkonWyoming

Jackson Hole offers 4,139' of vertical with challenging terrain and 459" of annual snow.

459" snow/yr4,139' vertical10,450' summit

Jay Peak Resort

IndependentVermont

Jay Peak Resort offers 2,153' of vertical with challenging terrain and 359" of annual snow.

359" snow/yr2,153' vertical385 acres3,968' summit

Lech

IndependentAlps

Lech offers 4,465' of vertical with challenging terrain and 275" of annual snow.

275" snow/yr4,465' vertical9,222' summit

Zürs

IndependentAlps

Zürs offers 3,481' of vertical with challenging terrain and 315" of annual snow.

315" snow/yr3,481' vertical9,222' summit

Andermatt

IndependentAlps

Andermatt offers 5,315' of vertical with challenging terrain.

5,315' vertical10,072' summit

Bad Gastein

IndependentAlps

Bad Gastein offers 6,299' of vertical with challenging terrain.

6,299' vertical9,088' summit

Chamonix

IndependentAlps

Chamonix offers 9,206' of vertical with challenging terrain.

9,206' vertical12,602' summit

Champoluc

IndependentAlps

Champoluc offers 4,593' of vertical with challenging terrain.

4,593' vertical9,842' summit

Portillo

IndependentSouth America

Portillo offers 4,661' of vertical with challenging terrain.

4,661' vertical14,111' summit

St. Anton am Arlberg

IndependentAlps

St. Anton am Arlberg offers 4,947' of vertical with challenging terrain.

4,947' vertical9,222' summit

Flims-Laax

IndependentAlps

Flims-Laax offers 6,627' of vertical with challenging terrain.

6,627' vertical10,072' summit

Palisades Tahoe

IkonCalifornia

Palisades Tahoe offers 2,850' of vertical with challenging terrain and 450" of annual snow.

450" snow/yr2,850' vertical6,000 acres9,050' summit

Revelstoke Mountain Resort

IndependentBritish Columbia

Revelstoke Mountain Resort offers 6,161' of vertical with challenging terrain and 450" of annual snow.

450" snow/yr6,161' vertical3,121 acres7,841' summit

Big Sky

IkonMontana

Big Sky offers 3,666' of vertical with challenging terrain and 400" of annual snow.

400" snow/yr3,666' vertical5,800 acres11,166' summit

How We Score

Each resort gets a 0-100 score based on weighted attributes specific to this category. We pull from real data: average annual snowfall, skiable acres, vertical drop, summit elevation, pass coverage, proximity to major airports, and editorial “best for” tags from our resort profiles.

Scores are normalized so the best resort in each attribute gets 100 and the rest scale proportionally. The final score is a weighted average -- heavier weights go to the attributes that matter most for each category.

This isn't pay-to-play. No resort can buy a higher ranking. It's math, data, and a little editorial judgment.

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