The 10 Best Backcountry Skiing Destinations in North America

1. Girdwood, Alaska

Nestled right in the heart of Alaska’s legendary Chugach Range, the little town of Girdwood is basecamp to some of the easiest access backcountry skiing on the continent. It’s a veritable melting pot of big mountain skiing culture. Home to multiple heli-skiing operations, the legendary Alyeska Mountain Resort, and endless ski touring up the road at Turnagain Pass, Girdwood is a great place to score powder turns year-round.

Girdwood is located about an hour’s drive southeast of the Anchorage International Airport, right on the shore of the Turnagain Arm. Snow conditions in the Girdwood area tend to be a bit of a feast or famine experience, thanks to the low-elevation mountains rising directly out of the ocean. Turnagain Pass tends to hold excellent snow deep into the spring and is easily accessible directly from the highway.

Of course, the main attraction for most skiers coming to the Chugach is the heli skiing. Operators like Chugach Powder Guides and Silverton Mountain Guides offer everything from multi-day packages to single-drop heli bumps to over a million acres of skiable terrain. That includes everything from mellow glacier runs to test piece steeps. Girdwood offers quite a bit of mid-winter skiing, but the best time of year to go is late winter into the spring.

2. Haines, Alaska

If you thought the Chugach was cool, Haines is that on steroids. The small fishing town, located about 100 miles north of Juneau, lies right in the middle of Alaska's coastal mountain ranges. In short, it’s stunningly beautiful, with some of the most rugged and snowiest mountains in North America piercing the sky in all directions. Snow totals here are frequently measured in feet, not inches. That being said, the extremely remote and rugged terrain means there’s not a whole lot of beginner backcountry ski touring here.

Home to legendary heli-skiing operations like SEABA and Alaska Heli Skiing, this is the place to experience some of the gnarliest big mountain skiing in the world—there’s a reason that this is where film companies like Teton Gravity Research, Matchstick, and others come to stack footage year after year. When it comes to heli skiing here, it’s kind of a go big or don’t go at all kind of scene. You’ll be best off dropping the cash with some buddies to get a private guide and aircraft for a few days. The best time of year to go is mid-March through April.

North of town, towards the Canadian border, Haines Pass offers a lifetime of great ski touring options, from short roadside missions to long multi-day traverses. There’s also loads of helicopter and ski-plane access touring to do in all directions from town.

3. Rogers Pass, British Columbia

British Columbia’s Rogers Pass is famous for a few things. A tourist attraction since the late 1800s, the area is home to a vital transportation link between central and western Canada thanks to the Trans-Canada highway and the Canadian Pacific Railroad cutting through some of the most impassable mountains in North America. Thanks to this vital infrastructure, these days, it’s pretty easy to go backcountry ski touring here and take advantage of access to some of the best ski terrain in the world.

Deep in the heart of Canada’s Glacier National Park, and while Rogers Pass proper is technically within the Selkirk Range, there’s backcountry skiing in all the adjacent ranges, including the Monashees, Purcells, and Bugaboos, to name a few. Just east of the pass lies Kicking Horse Ski Area, with hundreds of acres of world-class sidecountry and snowmobile-access terrain. On the west side, there’s Revelstoke Mountain Resort, with similar access possibilities.

The ski touring terrain around Rogers Pass proper features everything from glaciated peaks, to steep technical couloirs, bouncy pillow lines, and 3000-foot powder tree runs. Another thing to consider is flying out to one of the many remote mountain huts and spending a week ski touring in your own private range. Trust us, there will be nobody else out there. The best time of year for skiing in the Rogers Pass area is mid-winter into early spring. Base out of Golden or Revelstoke for the easiest access.

A quirky thing about skiing here is that Parks Canada regulates daily backcountry access to many popular skiing zones on Rogers Pass. The steep terrain causes many avalanche paths cross the highway and train tracks, meaning the Canadian military does daily avalanche control using artillery. That means you can’t just show up and expect to ski anywhere any day. Learn more about the Winter Permit System rules and check current Parks Canada forecast and closures here.

4. Eastern Sierra, California

California’s Eastern Sierra Range is the spring skiing capital of the world. With Mammoth Mountain consistently providing one of the longest ski resort seasons in the country, it’s no wonder that the high peaks of the Sierra hold excellent snow quality deep into the summer.

Skiing in the Sierra really showcases some of the hallmarks of the California lifestyle—it can be both super laid-back and extremely intense at the same time. Thanks to 4x4 access roads that wind thousands of feet up into just about every drainage in the range, it’s possible to approach really big ski lines without much walking. Time it right, and you can bootpack up and ski down a 3000-foot couloir from your car without having to walk more than a mile to get there. While it’s possible to ski many of these zones in cold winter snow, it’s best to wait until late spring and take advantage of the neverending corn cycle. Base out of Mammoth or Bishop for the easiest access.

Of course, for those willing to walk a little further, endless adventure awaits. The Sierra is an excellent place to bring a tent and spend a few nights sleeping up high to tick off multiple objectives in one trip. There’s a good reason that four of the 50 Classic Ski Descents of North America are in this range.

5. San Juan Mountains, Colorado

Southwestern Colorado and the San Juan mountains have long beckoned backcountry skiers. With views of the adjacent Utah desert, these are some of the highest, steepest, and most remote peaks in Colorado and feature a huge variety of ski objectives. With a very dense concentration of 14,000-foot peaks, there’s world-class ski touring right from the small historic mining towns of Silverton and Ouray, excellent sidecountry skiing off the back of Telluride Ski Resort, and a whole network of newly developed full-service mountain huts on and around Red Mountain Pass.

The hut-based access is perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the San Juan skiing experience, akin to what you would find in the Italian, Austrian, or French Alps. Screw snow camping, ski tour up to a warm and cozy hut, and let the resident hut crew take care of you with delicious food, beverages, and even backcountry hot tubs and saunas.

Unfortunately, unlike many other popular backcountry skiing areas in North America, the San Juans consistently harbor one of the most unstable snowpacks in the world, meaning they are especially avalanche prone and dangerous, especially in mid-winter. This is a particularly good place to consult with a local guide service like the San Juan Mountain Guides or San Juan Expeditions on current conditions if you visit.

6. Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

While the San Juans get much of the glory for being rugged and adventurous, the Front Range of Colorado is home to some of the best powder skiing and ski mountaineering in the West. A short drive into the mountains from Boulder, Colorado, the small town of Estes Park acts as a jumping-off point for ski tours into Rocky Mountain National Park.

Here, you’ll find a huge variety of very approachable terrain, including short powder laps in sub-alpine trees, 2000-foot couloirs in the alpine, and everything in between. There’s even an abandoned ski area, Hidden Valley, that features lots of low-angle ski terrain. It makes for an excellent place to learn to backcountry ski or for experienced skiers to milk powder runs when the avalanche danger is elevated. It’s home to excellent guide services like the Colorado Mountain School.

7. Mount Washington, New Hampshire

Believe it or not, there’s some pretty good backcountry skiing on the East Coast. New Hampshire’s highest peak, Mount Washington, is actually home to two of the 50 Classics, Tuckerman and Huntington Ravines. Surrounded by a handful of smaller ski resorts like Cannon, Bretton Woods, Attitash, and Wildcat, the White Mountains of New Hampshire feature easy access to high-alpine technical ski lines.

East-facing Tuckerman and Huntington Ravines take advantage of the comically strong winds that blow snow off the summit of Mount Washington and deposit it (often 45-50 feet deep) in the catcher’s mitts that are the two glacial-carved cirques. The terrain is characterized by large, icy cliffs split by multiple chutes and couloirs. It might not be as big as out west, but it sure is steep.

Skiing the Whites requires more patience than many other popular backcountry ski zones—conditions are simply pretty bad most of the year. But when things get good in the spring and early summer, it’s go time. Base out of North Conway, New Hampshire, for the best access.

8. PNW Volcanoes - Washington, Oregon, and California

The Pacific Northwest and its loamy old-growth forests might be considered more of a mountain bike destination for most people, but don’t skip out on the volcano skiing. With 13 named volcanoes reaching from northern California to the Canadian border, there’s a lifetime of high-alpine ski mountaineering to be done here.

On the south end of the Cascade Range, California’s Mt. Lassen and Mt. Shasta offer some of the easiest access to ski touring terrain—and no glaciers to worry about. Bump up to Oregon, and there’s Mt. Bachelor, the Three Sisters, and Mt. Hood, home to the famous Timberline Lodge. Cross the border into Washington, and you’re looking at Mt. Adams, Mt. Saint Helens, the behemoth 14,400-foot Mt. Rainier, and the beautifully aesthetic Mt. Baker.

Each peak offers its own unique challenges, but most require high levels of fitness and familiarity with technical glacier skiing and crevasse rescue. But the payoff–standing on the summit and looking at thousands of vertical feet of continuous corn skiing below—is well worth the effort.

Every year, the season seems to change a little, but generally the best time to ski any of these peaks is mid to late May—sometimes even later.

9. Snoqualmie Pass and the North Cascades, Washington

Skiing in the PNW isn’t just about ticking off volcano summits. Mid-winter, and even often into the spring, there’s excellent skiing to be had on the lower-elevation peaks around Snoqualmie Pass and further into the North Cascades around the Mt. Baker Ski Area.

Much of this skiing can be accessed with the help of a chairlift at the Alpental or Mt. Baker ski areas and features classic Washington terrain: steep tree runs, chutes, cliffs, and pillow lines. While the terrain isn’t all that big compared to the high peaks, Alpental’s sidecountry or Mt. Baker’s Shuksan Arm are great places to ski a bunch of shorter laps on a powder day.

Unfortunately, thanks to the lower elevation of many of these zones, the snow quality can change in an instant. It’s crucial to keep an eye on freezing levels when planning a day to ski one of these zones—a few degrees of temperature difference can mean the difference between an unforgettable 30-inch powder day and 3 inches of rain. Either way, bring your fattest skis and your Gore-Tex.

10. Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Last but not least, there’s the legendary terrain of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. With two major ski areas and their generous open-gate backcountry access policies, 310,000-acre Grand Teton National Park, and millions of acres of ski touring terrain accessible from the many roads in the area (including Teton Pass and Hoback Canyon), this is one of North America’s best ranges to explore on skis.

Both Jackson Hole and Grand Targhee feature huge swaths of backcountry terrain accessible from the top of the resorts. Most of this terrain can be accessed without ski touring gear, as it all funnels back to the base, but bring your skins and touring bindings if you’re unsure of where you’re headed. Of course, much of this terrain is steep and extremely avalanche prone, so listen to what the JHMR tram operator has to say: “If you don’t know, don’t go.” In other words, make sure you’re fully prepared to enter the backcountry before you leave the gates.

Just north of the JHMR boundary lies Grand Teton National Park, home to dozens of skiable high alpine summits, technical couloirs, and thousands of vertical feet of perfectly spaced trees. Local guide services like Exum and Jackson Hole Mountain Guides are happy to show you around. The deep snowpack and varied terrain make this an excellent place to take an avalanche course.

The Tetons are a great place to come in both the mid-winter for powder skiing down low, and mid-to-late spring for high alpine objectives. Base out of Jackson Hole, Wyoming or Driggs, Idaho for the best access.