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The 9 Best Ski Resorts for Advanced Skiers in North America

Originally posted on Powder | By Ian Greenwood | Last updated Feb 8, 2025 6:34 AM ET

These days, the traditional skier skill categories—beginner, intermediate, advanced, and expert—can feel highly malleable. What, really, is an intermediate skier? How about an advanced skier? Do you need to be able to ski double black diamonds to qualify as an expert, or is the oft-coveted title of “professional” required for entrance into this exclusive club?

What’s less debatable, though, is a simple fact: skiing, sometimes, is scary or, at the very least, challenging. It helps us overcome our fears, find inner strength, and remind ourselves that we can do hard things. For the advanced and above crowd, this sensation won’t be found on a gently groomed trail—they need sterner stuff.

As for where to find those tricky runs, you’ve come to the right place. This is our list of the nine best ski resorts for advanced skiing in North America.

1. Silverton Mountain, Colorado

In the North American ski resort landscape, Silverton Mountain, Colorado, stands apart with a unique operating plan. The ski area has one chairlift, and for a significant stretch of the season, it only allows visitors who are accompanied by guides. Much of Silverton Mountain’s terrain requires hiking to access, so once skiers depart the single chair, they’re effectively in the backcountry without the hassle of managing avalanche hazards. The guides are there to keep you safe.

During the unguided season in the spring, the ski area opens to skiers who feel comfortable moving through the mountains on their own. Helicopter-assisted laps available by the flight add to the appeal, satisfying those steep and deep cravings.

2. Revelstoke Mountain Resort, British Columbia

Revelstoke Mountain Resort, British Columbia, is a big mountain mecca with ample snowfall, sustained steeps, and North America’s longest vertical descent. From atop the Stoke Chair—which tops out at roughly 7,500 feet—numerous avenues curtailed to advanced skiers beckons. The Separate Reality Bowl is a prominent, nearby choice, but more adventures await over the ridge in the North Bowl. Once the day is done, it’s time for the final test of endurance—a top-to-bottom run encompassing 5,620 feet.

3. Snowbird, Utah

Snowbird, Utah, looms large in the Salt Lake City big mountain scene for good reason. One of two Little Cottonwood Canyon resorts, this hulking destination serves up cliffs and chutes of all kinds. One area of the mountain—Mineral Basin—saw some incredible freeride action during Isaac Freeland’s 2015 hit, One of Those Mineral Laps.

While we advise strongly against trying to ski like Freeland, his antics prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that Snowbird houses numerous big mountain playgrounds — you just need to show up with the requisite skills.

4. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Wyoming

Winter after winter, the world’s best skiers and snowboarders convene at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Wyoming, for the Kings & Queens of Corbet’s. This titular big mountain competition makes use of the famed Corbet’s Couloir, a looming terrain feature just beneath the aerial tram. On competition day, athletes soar off the Couloir’s headwall, executing spins and flips.

You, too, can step to Corbet’s Couloir and come away with bragging rights, but at JHMR, that’s only the beginning. Numerous challenging lines that will test even the most seasoned skiers are available at the resort.

5. Alta Ski Area, Utah

If you’re a longtime skier, you know the name Alta. Rustic and homey yet simultaneously a destination that draws international attention, this ski area near Salt Lake City is a place of legend. The buzz is warranted. Alta Ski Area is home to 119 runs, and over half of them are for expert skiers. What good is all that tough terrain without powder, though? Alta Ski Area has that base covered, too—the resort receives 548 inches of snow on average.

With Mother Nature at the helm, there’s no such thing as a sure shot. But if you’re hoping to ski fresh snow and challenging terrain, consider visiting Alta Ski Area—the odds are good you’ll discover exactly what you’re hoping for.

6. Kirkwood Ski Resort, California

Near Lake Tahoe, California, Kirkwood Ski Resort was once a venue for the Freeride World Tour (FWT). To join other entrants on that list, a ski resort must offer access to some of the hardest trails and terrain. Kirkwood meets this bar—and then some. While FWT chops aren’t necessary to cruise the resort, confidence and on-snow skills will allow visitors to take full advantage of Kirkwood’s terrain. Hardcore, truly expert skiers, meanwhile, already have their work cut out for them.

7. Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia

Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia, allows skiers to ride directly into film-shoot-ready terrain. The classic Air Jordan line is readily accessible, as are numerous heart-in-your-throat steeps. On the Whistler side of the sprawling, 8,171-acre resort, the Peak Chair is the locus of a high-octane trail network. That’s only the appetizer, though.

Across the valley, at Blackcomb, more thrilling options, like Spanky’s Ladder and the Saudan Couloir, present themselves. Whistler Blackcomb produces some of the best big mountain skiers in the world. Its terrain, surely, is part of the reason why (Author’s note: There are runs at Whistler Blackcomb that I will never, ever ski again—it can get truly hectic up there).

8. Big Sky Resort, Montana

At Big Sky Resort, Montana, the Lone Peak Tram soars to a height of 11,166 feet. Views aren’t the only benefit of riding this mechanical wonder—the challenging turns, too, are worth their weight in champagne powder. The Big Couloir is the obvious test piece accessible from the Lone Peak Tram, but exploration-minded skiers will find a buffet of additional, triple black diamond lines to tick.

9. Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, British Columbia

Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, British Columbia, is, first and foremost, a ski resort. But as you navigate away from the central Golden Eagle Express, it can be easy to forget that you’re skiing in-bounds.

Towering peaks and ridges that fall away into steep committing faces abound, as do spooky boot packs that’ll make you feel like you’re auditioning for an appearance in a Teton Gravity Research flick. The exposure ramps up fast on the higher end of the difficulty spectrum at Kicking Horse—here, there truly is no skill ceiling.

This article first appeared on Powder and was syndicated with permission.

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