The 6 Best Ski Resorts for Solo Travelers and Singles

These solitary missions can be as good or better than the alternative if you plan them right. For one, you’ll be operating entirely on your own schedule. Want to lap that glade you really like over and over again? Game on. Not interested in deviating from your favorite pre-ski breakfast place? You’re the boss.
 
Buying a single plane ticket and picking a resort isn’t necessarily about avoiding human interaction, though. Solo trips can also feature liberating social experiences with numerous opportunities to meet and hang out with fellow singles. Whether it’s on the slopes or at the bar, you’ll likely bump into someone you jive with. These far-flung connections sometimes lead to lifelong friendships, particularly when their origins involve skiing.

These are the six best ski resorts and towns for solo travelers and singles.

1. Ski Portillo, Chile

With a shuttle system that transports visitors from Santiago, Chile, airport to the slopes and hotel packages that cover everything from lodging to food (and lift tickets!), Portillo takes the hassle out of trip planning and provides ample opportunities to connect with fellow skiers.

The economical hostel-style Inca Lodge, which has varying room sizes, is best for solo travelers on a budget who don’t mind sharing their quarters with strangers (by the end of the trip, you’ll probably be best friends). The Octagon Lodge is another hotel that offers shared rooms.

Portillo’s intimate and isolated slopes further facilitate chance encounters. The resort hosts a maximum of 450 guests, so during any given week, it resembles a small town. With skiing, late nights spent dancing at the Discotheque, and Pisco sours as social lubricants, it’s almost impossible to wrap up a week at Portillo without meeting and getting to know someone new. Ski friends are the best kind of friends.

2. Telluride Ski Resort, Colorado

Telluride Ski Resort, Colorado, has a lot to offer single travelers seeking thrills and challenging terrain. For one, there’s the terrain. Palmyra Peak, which requires hiking to access, towers above the resort at 13,500 feet and boasts numerous adrenal-gland engaging runs.

The picturesque town of Telluride ups the ante further. Try 221 South Oak for some New American fare, or hit the Brown Dog Pizza to grab a Detroit-style slice. The Club Red draws national touring acts, and the New Sheridan Bar has foamy pints on tap. For lodging, try the Bivvi, a hostel that, with its stylish lobby and well-kept rooms, doesn’t really look like a hostel (the Bivvi has private rooms, too).

3. Fernie Alpine Resort, British Columbia

The town of Fernie and its accompanying ski area, Fernie Alpine Resort, is a special place. With world-class terrain and heaping snow totals—the resort picks up 29 feet of the white stuff on average each season—Fernie is well known for delivering memorable ski trip experiences. If you get lucky, the Polar Peak Lift will be open, providing above-tree line turns.

In town, there’s the Raging Elk, an affordability-focused hotel that has cozy, cheap pod rooms ideal for solo travelers. Big Bang Bagels whips up stellar bagel sandwiches daily that satisfy pre-ski-day hunger. The Ferniestoke ski shuttle gives skiers without cars a lift to the hill for $5 Canadian each way, simplifying the transportation equation.

4. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Wyoming

When considering a single’s trip to the mountains, the culture of any given place is paramount, particularly for those who want to link up with fellow shredders. You want a place that lives and breathes skiing—and draws people from all over looking for prospective ski buddies. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Wyoming, fits that bill.

The resort’s been the historical home base for Teton Gravity Research and, over the years, has amassed an ever-talented crowd of local pros who, day after day, regularly appear to throw down on the slopes.

Pro spotting might be a killer way to pass the time at JHMR, but more regular folk are obviously welcome, too. In Teton Village—JHMR’s base area—there’s The Hostel, an affordable spot that’s a quick walk away from the lifts and has a mingling-ready rec room with foosball and pool tables. The nearby Mangy Moose covers the après and dining bases and features a classic ski town bar atmosphere.

To soak in Wyoming’s glitzier side, stop by the town of Jackson itself, where you might rub elbows with the upper crust at watering holes like the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar. Pros, ski bums, millionaires—they all call Jackson home. Who knows? Maybe one of them will buy you a drink.

5. Park City Mountain, Utah

Park City Mountain, Utah, is so big that you might get lost. But isn’t that what solo trips are all about? Clocking in at 7,300 acres of terrain, you could spend a week here and not ski everything on offer. Making friends with knowledgeable locals might help.

In the popular imagination, Park City is sometimes associated with a more moneyed crowd, but that perception isn’t quite right. The Epic Pass boasts unlimited days at the destination, the humble Park City Hostel keeps lodging costs down with cheap shared rooms, and the free Park City Transit System makes getting around—whether it's to the slopes or the bar—a breeze.

On the hill, there’s a staggering variety of terrain, from groomed trails to mega park booters. Like JHMR, Park City tends to draw a talented group of skiers (mainly in its terrain parks), so eagle-eyed visitors may be able to spot their favorite pros. Watching a double cork in person should be on everyone’s bucket list.

6. Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia

As far as superlatives go, there isn’t a metric that Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia, misses. It has world-class terrain. It has world-class lodging and amenities. It’s home to world-class skiers. And with the Pangea Pod Hotel, which is home to small and cheap single-person pod-style rooms, it’s an excellent spot for solo travelers.

Pangea is located centrally in Whistler’s sprawling base village and is only a few minutes away from the lifts by foot. Skiing, of course, should be at the top of your to-do list, but you’d be missing out if you didn’t check out everything else on offer.

Fine dining arrives in the form of Wild Blue and the Araxi Restaurant. Garfinkel’s and Buffalo Bills are some of the best places to quaff Kokanees, meet new prospective ski buddies, and dance until the wee hours of the morning. Don’t go too hard, though. Whistler Blackcomb’s skiing is better enjoyed without a raging headache.

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