Rankings

Best Ski Resorts with No Crowds

Lift lines are a design flaw, not a feature. These resorts either cap daily tickets, sit in the middle of nowhere, or are just blissfully under-the-radar enough that you can ski powder at noon and never wait more than 30 seconds for a chair.

15 resorts ranked·Scored 0-100

Big Sky

IkonMontana

Big Sky offers 5,800 acres without the crowds -- powder lasts here.

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

Deer Valley

IkonUtah

Deer Valley offers 4,300 acres without the crowds -- powder lasts here.

3,000' vertical4,300 acres9,570' summit

Sun Valley

EpicIdaho

Sun Valley offers 2,829 acres without the crowds -- powder lasts here.

3,400' vertical2,829 acres9,150' summit

Telluride

EpicColorado

Telluride offers 2,000 acres without the crowds -- powder lasts here.

309" snow/yr4,425' vertical2,000 acres13,150' summit

Whistler Blackcomb

EpicBritish Columbia

Whistler Blackcomb offers 8,171 acres without the crowds -- powder lasts here.

458" snow/yr5,280' vertical8,171 acres7,494' summit

Park City

EpicUtah

Park City offers 7,300 acres without the crowds -- powder lasts here.

355" snow/yr3,200' vertical7,300 acres10,000' summit

Aspen

IkonColorado

Aspen offers 5,700 acres without the crowds -- powder lasts here.

3,267' vertical5,700 acres11,212' summit

Palisades Tahoe

IkonCalifornia

Palisades Tahoe offers 6,000 acres without the crowds -- powder lasts here.

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

Heavenly Mountain Resort

EpicCalifornia

Heavenly Mountain Resort offers 4,800 acres without the crowds -- powder lasts here.

360" snow/yr3,527' vertical4,800 acres10,067' summit

Vail

EpicColorado

Vail offers 5,317 acres without the crowds -- powder lasts here.

354" snow/yr3,450' vertical5,317 acres11,570' summit

Lake Louise Ski Resort

IkonAlberta

Lake Louise Ski Resort offers 4,200 acres without the crowds -- powder lasts here.

180" snow/yr3,269' vertical4,200 acres8,650' summit

Mt. Bachelor

IkonOregon

Mt. Bachelor offers 4,318 acres without the crowds -- powder lasts here.

462" snow/yr3,414' vertical4,318 acres9,065' summit

Sun Peaks Resort

IndependentBritish Columbia

Sun Peaks Resort offers 4,270 acres without the crowds -- powder lasts here.

236" snow/yr3,122' vertical4,270 acres7,060' summit

Banff Sunshine

IkonAlberta

Banff Sunshine offers 3,358 acres without the crowds -- powder lasts here.

3,514' vertical3,358 acres8,954' summit

Keystone

EpicColorado

Keystone offers 3,148 acres without the crowds -- powder lasts here.

3,128' vertical3,148 acres12,408' 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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