Destination: Powder Stashes

WHERE TO FIND THE FRESHIES AT 17 IKON PASS DESTINATIONS

All friends on a powder day — if you know the phrase, you likely know the feeling: rounding up all your pals, dropping into a bottomless supply of pillow-soft pow, and floating over a dreamy field of white. Ikon Pass powder hounds know that there’s plenty of powder to go around for first tracks on deep freshies, an electric, euphoric experience that few things can replicate.

Great snow can happen anywhere, but higher elevations, vast snowpack, and lake-effect snowfall create powder town legends. Ikon Pass gives you unparalleled access to some of the planet’s best powder stashes — so if you’re searching for deeps, take a peep.

Check out the video below for a preview of the powder runs waiting for you at Ikon Pass destinations:

Alta Ski Area
Home to the Utah’s signature Greatest Snow on Earth^®— the heaps of light, fluffy pow that comes from the climate surrounding the Great Salt Lake — Alta Ski Area is revered plain and simply for its heaps of deep powder. Skiers flock from all over the world to shred its 546-inch average snowfall — and in 2023, Alta skiers were truly rolling in the deep with a record 903 inches. For low-angle powder skiing, check out the Alta’s Ballroom Bowl; steep-and-deep lovers can blast through pow on Devil’s Castle or skirt through the trees on Back Forty, So Long, and Supreme Challenge.

Arai Snow Resort
There’s a reason Japan’s iconic powder has its own internationally known abbreviation: JAPOW. Boasting an average of 826 inches of snowfall annually and the title of Japan’s Best Ski Resort for Powder from the Ski Asia Awards, Arai Snow Resort, on the main island of Honshu, is a premier international powder destination. In fact, nearly 80 percent of Arai’s terrain comprises off-piste powder pillows, like the fabled Funaishi area. If you’re at Arai on a heavy powder day during peak season, be sure to ski or ride the Zendana Bowl for some of the best drops and terrain, as well as Mamushi — a snowboarder’s paradise with some of the country’s best ridges, cliffs, and trees.

Aspen Snowmass
With four distinct mountains to explore, there are few things better than waking up to a powder day at Aspen Snowmass. Aspen Highlands regulars love hitting the dreamy terrain off Deep Temerity before indulging in the mountain’s main course — the hike-to Highland Bowl. While at Snowmass, don’t miss carving untracked snow on Powerline Glades and on Buttermilk, you’ll find the best snow from Tiehack Parkway to Racer’s Edge. If you’re at Aspen Mountain, take some turns on Kristi’s, Walsh’s, Bell Mountain, and the — aptly named — Dumps run. If you prefer a guided experience, pony up for an Aspen Mountain Powder Tour on a luxury snowcat.

Big Bear Mountain Resort
Yes, Southern California gets powder days — and when it starts snowing, Big Bear Mountain Resort serves up the goods for you to go discover all the best stashes. After a good storm rolls through the San Bernardino Mountains, scout out some deep off-piste pow at Big Bear’s Goldmine Canyon, Deer Canyon, and Bow Canyon. These SoCal gems hold onto snow the longest and are sure to test your skills and get your legs burning.

Blue Mountain
When the Canadian freshies start flying at Blue Mountain — Ontario’s largest ski resort that spans the gorgeous Niagara Escarpment — drop everything and head directly to the Weider Express Lift. This chair services the resort’s North Area, home to some of the steepest and least crowded terrain, which only gets dreamier after a few feet of fresh pow.

Copper Mountain
What was once one of Colorado’s hidden gems — accessible only via snowcat or 30-minute hike up Copper Mountain’s back side — is now just a seven-minute lift ride away. The iconic Tucker Bowl is a powder playground positioned at 12,337 feet, providing a Rocky Mountain high unlike any other. Tucker Mountain’s north-facing slopes allow the snow to remain pristine as long as possible; for access, jump aboard the new-in-2019 Three Bears lift. The Copper Bowl, Spaulding Bowl, and Union Meadows are three more must-skis, consistently delivering the stuff powder hounds dream about.

Crystal Mountain
With an average 486 inches of snow annually, Crystal Mountain doesn’t disappoint. When it starts dumping, head first to The Doors on the front side of the mountain under the Rainier Express chairlift for some steep and deep turns through wide-open trees. And keep a close eye on Crystal’s mountain resort and weather forecast for white room updates — you’ll be the first to know when the gates open in Southback and Northway. To access Southback’s technical terrain and deep powder, take the high-speed two-seater, Chair 6, known locally as Crystal’s most legendary lift.

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort
Wyoming’s Jackson Hole Mountain Resort never comes up short in the powder department. In fact, its light, bone-dry Cowboy Powder — all 458 inches of it, on average, annually — is one reason people lose their minds over this legendary destination. While Jackson Hole’s north-facing terrain tends to hold onto snow the longest, don’t forget to also tackle the south side’s Thunder and Sublette. And be sure to make some tracks off Teton Lift, which gives skiers and riders access to previous hike-to terrain.

June Mountain
Situated in the Eastern Sierra area that’s often referred to as the “Switzerland of California,” June Mountain is a hidden gem with plentiful powder and limited lift lines. If The Face is open when the flakes start falling, you can spend most of your morning working steep-and-deep lines off the J1 lift. And when the high-speed, summit-serving J7 quad opens, don’t miss hot laps on powder day favorites, like the Deer Bowl, Schatzi, Davo’s Drop, Pro Bowl, and Sunset. June Mountain even makes it easy to plan for first chair — sign up to get their Powder Report delivered straight to your phone.

Mammoth Mountain
Known for its massive snowfall — including a record 900 inches at its 11,053-foot summit — and legendary snowpack, Mammoth Mountain hosts one of the country’s longest seasons, often lasting into July and August. This Golden State gem in the Sierra Nevada range is California’s highest resort and has the powder to prove it. If it’s snowing, head to the Hemlocks on the backside of the mountain for in-bounds powder pillows, enhanced natural terrain, and maximum airtime. And don’t miss the steep-and-deep laps you’ll get off Chair 22, Wipe Out, and Drop Out Chutes.

Niseko United
Imagine lake-effect snow but on an oceanic level. That’s what happens at Niseko United when seasonal winds pick up moisture over the Sea of Japan’s warm currents to form some of the planet’s most plentiful, driest, and lightest powder. Take the trip of a lifetime to the island of Hokkaido to experience Japan’s premier pow, where skiers and snowboarders consistently get to experience the deepest days of their lives. With perfect powder tree runs, such as the famous off-piste Strawberry Fields run at Hanazono, there’s plenty of terrain to satisfy all your powder cravings.

Revelstoke Mountain Resort
British Columbia’s Kootenay Rockies are home to Revelstoke — last season dumping 864 inches and officially the most massive destination along Canada’s legendary Powder Highway^®. Revelstoke’s snow-blessed terrain includes North America’s longest vertical drop, plus amazing cat and backcountry skiing. If it’s dumping, hit the Stoke Chair to access Revelstoke’s world-renowned powder glades and keep an eye on their webcam to watch freshies fall on Gnorm the Powder Gnome. If the snow looks promising, sign up for Revelstoke’s First Tracks program for prime pow access. Bring your fat skis — it’s gonna be deep.

Snowbird
We can thank the phenomenon that is Great Salt Lake–effect snow for Snowbird’s legendary steep-and-deep terrain. This Little Cottonwood Canyon gem, also home to Utah’s trademarked “Greatest Snow on Earth,” has an annual average snowfall of more than 500 inches — and, some say, is one of the top powder resorts on the entire planet. When fresh flakes are falling, there’s no better place for powder laps than Mineral Basin and Mach Schnell.

Solitude Mountain Resort
Utah’s Big Cottonwood Canyon gets some of the planet’s coldest, driest, deepest powder — and is home to Solitude Mountain Resort. Head to Solitude for some of the best in-bounds off-piste powder anywhere, including an average 500 inches of annual snowfall on uncrowded terrain. A short, steep hike to the 10,400-foot Fantasy Ridge summit delivers you to Black Bess and Honeycomb Chutes, where you can ski deep pow run after run, day after day — even after the storm has passed.

Steamboat
Find yourself in northwestern Colorado for legendary skiing and riding on the first trademarked snow in America — Steamboat’s famous Champagne Powder^®. This unique brand of pow that covers all 2,965 acres at Steamboat averages six percent water content, compared to the 15 percent typical at other destinations. It was coined in the 1950s by a local rancher who said the snow “tickled his nose like champagne.” On powder days, be sure to jump on some of Steamboat’s snowiest runs, such as Ted’s Ridge, Buddy’s Run, and the hike-to terrain at the top of Mt. Werner.

Sunday River
With eight distinct peaks and a boundary-to-boundary resort policy, you’ll have some of Maine’s finest terrain at your ski tips at Sunday River, including 300 acres of developed tree skiing. Hurry to the Western peaks on powder days for renowned glades and be sure to hit Aurora Peak for steeps that make this resort feel a world away. If it’s really dumping, jump aboard the fancy new Barker 6 Doppelmayr D-Line lift — it’ll whisk you away to carve some fresh tracks, but not before warming your backside with its ergonomic heated seats from within a weather-blocking bubble.

Winter Park Resort
They’ve got the steeps, they’ve got the deeps — they’ve even got their own Winter Park Powder Day playlist. When the snow gods answer your powder prayers, glide on up the gondola at Winter Park Resort and onto the Panoramic Express to find yourself smack dab in the middle of the Parsenn Bowl’s wide-open terrain. Seasoned skiers and snowboarders won’t want to miss hitting up Eagle Wind Territory for a legendary and utterly ungroomed black-diamond experience deep in the trees.