The 8 Best Ski Towns in the World According to POWDER Staff

Let’s be real for a second—saying a town, ski resort or other location is the “best” is a subjective opinion.

Each person has their own desires, wishes, and wants, and to claim a list of eight ski towns is definitive feels wrong. So, rather than throwing a list together willy-nilly, the entire POWDER staff chipped in with their two favorite ski towns.

Gear editor Max Ritter has written about Golden, BC, and Chamonix, France. Writer Ian Greenwood has selected Fernie, BC, and Government Camp, WA. Writer/photographer Izzy Lidsky shared her opinions on Jackson, WY, and Steamboat Spring, CO, and finally, senior editor Matt Lorelli writes about Jeffersonville, VT, and Truckee, CA.

Without further ado, read along as each of us explains why we love our respective ski towns.

1. Jackson, WY

Izzy Lidsky:

A list of the best ski towns wouldn’t be complete if Jackson, Wyoming wasn’t on the list. While the town is often colloquially referred to as Jackson Hole, officially, the town is Jackson and the ski area is Jackson Hole. There’s a number of reasons Jackson is such a great ski town, namely, the skiing.

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort has some of the best terrain and snow in the country, not to mention access to more skiing in the Jackson Hole backcountry, Teton Pass, and Grand Teton National Park. As a result, the town is a hot spot for professional skiers, ski film production, and creatives working in ski media.

Behind the skiing itself, ski culture in Jackson is unmatched. Skiing solo? Not for long; odds are you’ll run into someone you know on the lift pretty fast.

Wondering what your friend who works a 9-5 is doing if it snowed 8” the night before? Wonder no more, they’re probably hiking up Mt. Glory or Snow King at the crack of dawn for some fresh turns before work.

Skiers in Jackson like to celebrate almost as much as they like to ski, and powder days might as well be holidays. So if you make it to the Tetons, despite many of the very real challenges of living there, buckle up and get ready for the ride of your life, and make sure you pack powder skis and glitter.

2. Steamboat Springs, CO

Izzy Lidsky:

Steamboat Springs is one of the original western ski towns and despite how it has grown and changed with the times, it has still kept its western charm and stayed true to its ranching roots.

Driving in from either direction on Highway 40, you’ll still see the hand-made yellow signs along the road beckoning you to F.M. Light & Sons, the town’s western wear shop that’s been around for more than 100 years. Look up to your right as you drive in from the West, and you’ll see the massive Nordic jumps at Howelson Hill. Steamboat Springs has also produced some of the most Olympic skiers per capita across different ski disciplines.

History aside, Steamboat Springs remains a true outdoor person’s town. The aspen tree glades are legendary, and the snow is so good that they trademarked it. After a long day of skiing Champagne Powder™, you’ll find locals easing their legs in one of the town’s beautiful hot springs, dancing to bluegrass bands late into the night at Old Town Pub, or skinning up the Quarry for more turns, and still lined up early the next day to ski powder.

In the spring, as the snow melts from Mt. Werner, skiers flock to enjoy run-off on the wild Yampa River. One of the last undammed tributaries of the Colorado River, the river flows right through downtown and keeps skiers loving the Yampa Valley all year round.

3. Chamonix, France

Max Ritter:

Think you’ve skied steep terrain? If you’ve never been to Cham, think again. Home to generations of ski history, from the 1924 Winter Olympics to pioneering steep skiing legends like Sylvain Saudan, to contemporary athletes and mountain guides pushing visionary lines like Vivian Bruchez and Aurel Lardy, plus a seasonally rotating cast of characters from the world over, this bustling French mountain town continues to cater to those who want to live on the edge.

It’s not all about ski extrême here, though. The Chamonix Valley is home to 10 beautiful ski resorts, not including the Aiguille Du Midi tram that whisks skiers (and tourists) nearly 9,000 vertical feet into the icy heights of Mont Blanc, Europe’s highest peak. In the valley, you’ll be able to enjoy world-class bakeries, restaurants, music venues, and a taste of the finer things in life.

4. Golden, British Columbia

Max Ritter:

While Golden might seem like just another gruff working-class logging town nestled in interior British Columbia, it serves as the jumping-off point for some of the best powder skiing in Canada. Heard of the Powder Highway? Yep. Golden’s on it.

Just a few miles from Kicking Horse Mountain Resort and its absolutely wild inbounds skiing (and a Freeride World Tour venue), Golden also boasts multiple heliskiing operations like CMH Purcells and Great Canadian Heliskiing, plus a lifetime’s worth of snowmobile-access backcountry skiing.

If you and your crew are more into foot-powered adventures, you’re in luck. Just up the highway towards Revelstoke lies Rogers Pass, which features some of the best access to big-mountain backcountry skiing on the planet.

5. Fernie, British Columbia

Ian Greenwood:

Fernie, British Columbia, is a sleepy town, but the surrounding mountains crackle with potential energy. Its accompanying ski area, Fernie Alpine Resort, features glades, steeps, and alpine-style, above treeline descents accessed by the Polar Peak chair. To give your adrenal system a shock, try descending the tires that cover the rocks and roots found in Corner Pocket, a tight chute that delivers skiers to Fernie’s Lizard Bowl.

Around Fernie Alpine Resort, there are plenty more thrills, but you could opt to farm a few inches of the resort’s average annual 29 feet of snowfall on mellower pitches instead. A quick blitz down Tom’s Run or Concussion as twinkling, sun-dappled snowflakes whiz past will leave you feeling free and clean.

In the town of Fernie, there are plenty of great places to fuel up before you click back into your skis, including Big Bang Bagels and the sushi restaurant Yamagoya. And, when it comes time to recover, there’s no need to shell out for an expensive spa treatment.

A public access pool, steam room, and hot tub at the Fernie Aquatic Centre soothes tired muscles for only a few bucks. After a week in Fernie, you might leave with the sense that you stepped into a mystical realm where skiing, above everything else, comes first. But know this: you weren’t dreaming.

6. Government Camp, Oregon

Ian Greenwood:

Government Camp doesn’t really feel like a ski town—at least in the usual, glitzier perception of the term—but it is a place where you can stay and ski. The frills are limited, you won’t spot hulking luxury condominiums, and the Huckleberry Inn is a pure slice of Pacific Northwest Americana that could’ve been featured in Twin Peaks. Government Camp is quirky in a good way, and so are the slopes that surround it.

The aforementioned Timberline Lodge is a summer skiing mecca that draws seasoned athletes and prolific dirtbags in equal measure, while Mt. Hood Skibowl supplies easily accessed nighttime turns alongside the coziest mid-mountain lodge you’ll ever meet.

Further up the road is Mt. Hood Meadows, where rolling, Dr. Seuss-esque slopes beckon. All these ski areas are steeped in the lush, beautiful greenery of the Pacific Northwest and supplemented with a bit of historic flair.

Timberline Lodge was constructed in 1937 while, in Government Camp, ghostly traces of the ill-fated sky bus that once connected the town to the mountains remain.

7. Jeffersonville, Vermont

Matt Lorelli:

There are bigger and more popular ski towns in Vermont, and that’s exactly why Jeffersonville made my list. This sleepy, quiet town is just a few minutes’ drive from Smugglers’ Notch, perhaps my favorite ski resort in New England, and the local community has always been welcoming.

While there isn’t nightlife, boatloads of restaurants, or shops, Jeffersonville’s charm comes with the laidback atmosphere that seems to matriculate into every social setting. Grab a beer at the local watering hole and have an actual conversation with a Buffalo plaid-clad man with a beer. Walk into the grocery store, and an old woman who has been ripping powder for 40 years might suggest which type of cheese you buy for your après ski party.

Folks who live in Jeffersonville are happy, and I’m happy every time I have the opportunity to pretend that I live there, even if just for a week.

Take a deep breath, throw an extra log on the fire, and relax when you visit Jeffersonville. Crowds can stack up on powder days at Smugglers’ Notch, but the hustle and bustle of a major ski town and resort simply doesn’t exist.

If you’re looking for such a town that does feel like a major resort, consider booking a room on the other side of the Notch. The folks in Stowe will be more than happy to accommodate you.

8. Truckee, California

Matt Lorelli:

“Truckee used to be so different just ten years ago.” It’s a common sentiment expressed by locals who have watched remote workers and tourists transform their once-sleepy town over the last two decades.

Truckee used to be nothing more than a train station and a pitstop for traveling skiers, but the town has exploded with the mountain culture skiers are yearning for.

There’s a sizable population of folks in their 20s and 30s who enjoy mountain biking, skiing, recreating outdoors, and partying hard when the sun goes down. As a fortunate member of this community, I can assure you that Truckee is about as good as it gets.

The cost of living isn’t cheap, but that should come as no surprise these days. If you can afford to live in Truckee, you can reap the benefits of 365 days of mountain living. It’s been the greatest experience of my life.