The Sirens’ Coast: Naples & Capri—Myth, Faraglioni & Feasts
December 15, 2025
Where Color Began: Lapis, Saffron & Indigo Itineraries
December 18, 2025The American ski holiday has entered a golden little renaissance. Lift fleets are being renewed with glassy gondolas, long-pondered terrain expansions are finally open to the public, and classic resorts are refining the art of an unruffled day on snow. What follows is a connoisseur’s circuit of the best U.S. ski resorts this winter—places where snow quality, mountain character, and thoughtful hospitality intersect. We spotlight what each mountain does best right now, plus the smart upgrades that shape the way you’ll ski in 2025–26.
Aspen Snowmass, Colorado
Aspen Snowmass still feels like a complete sentence. Four distinct mountains—Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, and Snowmass—are stitched together by one ticket and a free-flowing shuttle network, so you can match the day’s mood to the day’s mountain without overthinking it. Ajax is town-side glamour with a mischievous streak; Highlands is a cult favorite for the bowl hike and long, loping pitches; Buttermilk is where technique gets dialed; Snowmass is the all-day, big-vertical playground that keeps families and mileage hounds equally rapt. A single lift ticket unlocks the lot, which is precisely why returning skiers talk about “skiing Aspen” rather than any single peak.
What to book: In town, The Little Nell’s best suites turn first tracks into ritual; up the valley, the ultra-convenient Snowmass base keeps multigenerational groups humming. Evenings are for a cocktail beneath Hotel Jerome’s pressed-tin ceiling, a detour to a gallery, and dinner that doesn’t insist on a headliner—because the headliner is always the mountain.
Jackson Hole, Wyoming
There are mountains you ski and mountains that rearrange your internal compass. Jackson Hole is the latter. The red-box Aerial Tram rises 4,139 vertical feet from Teton Village to the rooftop of Rendezvous Mountain in just a handful of minutes; on storm mornings, watching the door slide open at 10,450 feet is pure theatre. Step into Corbet’s Cabin for a waffle (it’s a rite, not a snack), then drop into a run that will make your quads sing, whether you choose a chalky bowl, a gladed detour, or the famous chute you’ve been thinking about since October.
Where to stay: Caldera House is quietly opulent without fuss; in town, Amangani remains a minimalist temple to mountain light. Après here is lower-case by design: a whiskey by a fire, a nod across a room, the Tetons blue in the last light.
Deer Valley, Utah
Deer Valley has always excelled at the choreography of a day on snow—grooming that feels hand-combed, capped daily lift tickets, mountain hosts who anticipate rather than respond—and, crucially, the calm of a ski-only policy. The story this winter is scale. The resort’s long-planned expansion is rolling out in earnest: nearly 100 new trails and as many as 10 new lifts are part of the multi-year vision, including the 10-passenger East Village Express Gondola that links the brand-new East Village to Park Peak. For the 2025–26 season specifically, the resort has opened more than 4,300 acres with seven new chairlifts and roughly 80 new runs, a transformation that more than doubles Deer Valley’s footprint while keeping the skier-first ethos intact.
How to do it: Book Stein Eriksen Lodge for an old-world take on mountain comfort or Montage Deer Valley for crisp, contemporary polish. Lunch on-mountain is unhurried and, uniquely here, a proper sit-down affair; plan for it. The fun of Deer Valley is how civilized a powder day can feel.
Big Sky, Montana
Montana’s Big Sky has the audacity of a cathedral. Lone Peak’s pyramidal summit presides over a network of bowls, couloirs, and groomed runways that make the “biggest skiing in America” tagline feel less like a boast than a map key. The modern Lone Peak Tram that debuted in December 2023 reshaped summit access with airy cabins and a refined load experience; coming online for winter 2025–26, the two-stage Explorer Gondola replaces the vintage Explorer chair and connects the heart of Mountain Village directly to the tram’s lower terminal, smoothing base-to-peak movement for everyone from first-timers to summit pilgrims.
Where to linger: Montage Big Sky is the mountain’s discreet grande dame in Spanish Peaks; beyond the windows, the stars really do look closer. If you’re skiing with a mixed-ability group, you can lap perfect groomers off Swift Current while your bravest peel off to test their mettle off the summit—then reconvene for a long, late lunch without missing a beat.
Palisades Tahoe, California
The Sierra’s most storied venue has become a single, seamless expanse thanks to the Base to Base Gondola linking The Village at Palisades Tahoe and the Alpine Lodge base. In practice that means you can follow aspect and wind like a local—gliding from granite bowls to sunlit groomers and back again—without ever taking off your skis. Together, the combined terrain comes to roughly 6,000 acres, the largest in California and a joyful sprawl for skiers who treat a mountain like a choose-your-own-adventure.
Stay smart: When Pacific storms spin overhead, the upper mountain fills with pillowy, wind-buffed laps; on indigo days, make a ceremony of the lake views. Base life is dialed but not over-curated—espresso in hand, you still feel the hum of a true mountain community.
Vail, Colorado
Vail is American skiing’s grand boulevard—broad, well-groomed, and seemingly endless. The front side’s corduroy has few equals for sheer cruising pleasure; the seven Back Bowls and Blue Sky Basin are still where the faithful go to find quiet lines and an almost meditative rhythm. With 5,317 acres, it remains the largest resort in Colorado, and learning the mountain’s micro-zones is a satisfying project in itself: a late-morning lap through Sun Down Bowl; a tree-shot detour when the light goes flat; a long glide to lunch in the village.
Where to check in: The Arrabelle at Vail Square offers classic, Old-World romance steps from the Eagle Bahn Gondola; for a contemporary riff with strong wellness credentials, The Hythe delivers.
Park City Mountain, Utah
If variety is your north star, Park City is hard to beat. At 7,300 acres, it’s the largest ski resort in the United States, its lift network knitting the former Canyons terrain to historic Park City in a way that invites wandering rather than lap-counting. Spend the morning off Dreamcatcher, dip into the trees near Thaynes after lunch, and then take one of the great modern-skiing pleasures: riding Town Lift directly into Main Street for après, swapping ski boots for stool perches in a matter of minutes.
Where to base: Pendry Park City brings a crisp, art-forward sensibility to Canyons Village; the Waldorf Astoria’s spa is a tonic after a storm cycle. Park City works especially well for multigenerational parties—the terrain menu is so broad that everyone gets their day.
Telluride, Colorado
Telluride looks like a film set, and then you ski it and realize the mountains got the starring role for a reason. The amphitheater of San Juan peaks creates scenery that borders on operatic; on snow, you’ll find an elegant blend of deceptive groomers, airy bowls, and hike-to lines that feel like a little secret every time you drop in. The daily joy here is the gondola commute: a quiet, 12-minute float linking the historic town in the box canyon to Mountain Village above—free, scenic, and somehow still novel even on your fifth ride of the day.
Where to stay: In Mountain Village, the Madeline sits practically on the snow. In town, restored Victorians make a persuasive case for lingering. Either way, ride the gondola at dusk at least once; the way alpenglow brushes the ridge is reason enough to come back next year.
Sun Valley, Idaho
Sun Valley is the first chapter of the American destination-ski story: the original chairlift, the classic lodge, the expectation—still met—that a ski trip can be both athletic and beautifully social. Baldy remains a near-perfect ski hill: long, sustained fall lines that make groomer-gliding an art form. The ritual here has a different cadence—lingering over a martini at the Lodge before considering whether you’ve got one more top-to-bottom in the legs. The place carries its history like a well-cut coat: with ease.
Stowe, Vermont
Stowe is the East’s archetype for a reason. Mansfield’s narrow classics serve up the kind of technical, rhythm-driven skiing that makes New England devotees out of visitors; across the way, Spruce Peak is sunnier, friendlier, and almost tailor-made for families. The Lodge at Spruce Peak, set right on the snow, is Stowe’s only true ski-in/ski-out hotel—an advantage that, in a place with authentic winter, becomes addictive. Come for the deeply rooted mountain culture; stay for the way covered bridges and brewery stops feel like essential intervals in the skiing itself.
How to choose—by the way you ski
For the all-conditions devotee: Aspen Snowmass’s four-mountain matrix means you can always find the aspect, pitch, and crowd level you want, even when the weather changes three times before lunch.
For experts chasing consequence: Jackson Hole’s tram-served terrain and Big Sky’s Lone Peak routes are the Lower 48’s most reliable purveyors of adrenaline; Telluride’s hike-to zones add a touch of European theatre to the mix.
For skiers who prize polish: Deer Valley’s dialed grooming, capped daily ticket sales, and now-vast terrain expansion make it the benchmark for a well-orchestrated day that still feels relaxed.
For mileage hounds: Park City’s 7,300 acres and Vail’s 5,317 can keep a strong intermediate entertained for a week without repeating a favorite line—unless you want to.
For family harmony:Â Snowmass and Spruce Peak are both masterclasses in layout and ski-school excellence, with true slopeside lodging that eliminates faff and maximizes smiles.
The upgrades that define this season
Three pieces of infrastructure stand to change the way you experience their respective mountains this year.
Deer Valley’s Eastward Horizon. The expansion unfolding this season and beyond—nearly 100 new trails in the full plan, up to 10 new lifts, and the 10-passenger East Village Express Gondola tying East Village to Park Peak—has already opened more than 4,300 acres for 2025–26 with seven new lifts and about 80 new runs now in play. The promise: scale without losing the poise that made Deer Valley famous.
Big Sky’s Base-to-Peak Flow. The 2023 Lone Peak Tram reset expectations for summit travel; the coming Explorer Gondola (winter 2025–26) closes the loop by linking Mountain Village directly to the tram’s lower terminal via a two-stage ride. The net effect is a cleaner rhythm to your day: fewer bottlenecks, more choices.
Palisades Tahoe’s One-Mountain Reality. The Base to Base Gondola has transformed two sibling areas into a single, 6,000-acre canvas—California’s largest—so you can play the sun, wind, and snow like an instrument. For storm chasers and explorers, this is the Sierra at its most fluid.
When to go—and how to plan the week
Out West, January often blends cold, chalky snow with thinner holiday crowds; late February into early March is a sweet spot for packed powder and blue-sky interludes. In New England, mid-winter cold snaps deliver classic conditions, while March has a convivial, spring-softened charm that suits families.
Build your itinerary around the mountain’s natural rhythm. Book one “long lunch” each ski day—Deer Valley practically insists—and save a star restaurant for the middle of your stay when you’re not in that euphoric, first-48-hours fatigue. If you’re traveling with a group, make peace with splitting up for a couple of hours each morning; having a reliable rendezvous (a mid-station lodge, a favorite sun deck) will keep the day flowing. And wherever you land, choose accommodations that match the way you actually ski: slopeside ease if first chairs matter most, town-side culture if travel, food, and late afternoons are part of the equation.
The three-mountain “if you must” list
Forced to choose only three, pick Aspen Snowmass for its range and sense of occasion; Jackson Hole for terrain that humbles and exalts in equal measure; and Deer Valley for a day that feels perfectly composed even as its horizons expand. But skiing has a way of rewarding specificity: if the week’s storm track favors Tahoe, go west; if your group is big and varied, Park City’s acreage makes every trade-off painless; if you’re chasing romance with your turns, Vail’s Back Bowls after a mid-storm lull are a memory that stays.
Raise a glass to the season, to old rituals and new lifts, to legs that still surprise you on day four—and to the rare winter trips that feel more art than itinerary.
