The Skiing Experience

The ski industry changes every year. New technology. New designs. New gear. You name it. And the ski resorts are changing, too. You see improvements to guest services, amenities, and online conveniences being made all across the country. But what rarely seems to change is the skiing experience itself.

Related: The 9 Best Independently Owned U.S. ‘Mom-and-Pop’ Ski Resorts, According to SnowBrains Readers

As tough as it is to define a list of ‘up-and-coming’ ski areas, we chose to identify those that are showing signs of advancement and ambitious development of the true skiing experience. While no list is perfect, and this one undoubtedly misses a few, we are excited to share a very nice collection of candidates. We hope you enjoy reading.

We recently reached out to our loyal readers to ask the question, “What are your favorite independently owned mom-and-pop ski areas?” Here’s a list of the top responses. Thank you, and we hope you enjoy reading.

No Looking Back

Coming in waves, circling white sheets of snow whipped around him as he ceremoniously slowed to a stop halfway up the face of one of Colorado’s gnarliest 13,000 ft. peaks. Michael Wirth stops, not necessarily because he wants to, but rather because he has to. Storm conditions have worsened over the last few hours and now his right eyelid has frozen shut.