12 Best Places to Ski Around The Globe

In partnership with Ikon Pass

Powder junkies know all the angles when it comes to hitting the slopes, including any deals to be found. One go-to for ski obsessives is Ikon Pass. This wide-ranging pass grants skiers and riders access to more than 50 iconic destinations worldwide with almost 400,000 skiable acres of terrain. Each Ikon Pass option provides a different tier of access, along with food, beverage, and retail discounts, with limited or no blackout dates: The Ikon Session Pass gets you 2-4 days to use across 37 destinations. The Ikon Base Pass offers unlimited access to 13 destinations and 5 days at another 30 mountains, each. Lastly, the Ikon Pass delivers unlimited skiing or riding at 15 destinations, and 7 days at another 31 mountains, each.

What’s lesser known outside the enthusiast set is that Ikon Pass has just as much to offer to everyone else – families, globetrotting thrill-seekers or those who fancy themselves more aprés than ski. To help you plan the perfect snow-capped getaway for you and your crew, we’re highlighting a few of our favorite Ikon Pass destinations that are suited to riders of all types. With more than 50 global destinations, each unique in its own way, it was tough to narrow down to just a dozen, but here goes.

POWDER PARENT

Ikon Pass makes it easier to pass the stoke from one generation to the next, thanks to destinations like these offering family-friendly experiences and amenities on and off the mountain.

June Mountain

Known locally as California’s Family Mountain, you’ll be charmed by the easy-going vibes and pleasantly surprised by the uncrowded 1,500 acres of terrain. Kid-favorite food options abound, as do breathtaking views from the June Lake Chalet.

3819 CA-158, June Lake, CA 93529 (map)

Snowshoe Mountain

With 60 trails and five terrain parks, Snowshoe delivers the most open terrain in the Southeast, along with famous night skiing for a memorable, past-their-bedtime treat. Shops, restaurants, and lodging are at the top of the mountain rather than the base, so kids can tell their friends they spent their vacation at the upside-down mountain. Dr. Seuss didn’t even think of that.

10 Snowshoe Dr, Snowshoe, WV 26209 (map)

Stratton

As a parent and therefore a history buff, you are obligated to bring your kids on a pilgrimage to what’s colloquially known as the Birthplace of Snowboarding. To sweeten the deal, take the crew on a Full Moon Snowshoe Tour of the mountain at night, complete with hot cocoa by the campfire.

5 Village Lodge Rd, Stratton Mountain, VT 05155 (map)

THRILL SEEKER

Ready to stare sheer vertical drops in the face and tell the mountain, “Not today?” Seek joy in the extremes of steeps, deeps, and snow dumps at these destinations known for jaw-dropping adventure.

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort

Some of the best skiers and riders in the world flock here for bottomless powder, the longest continuous vertical descent in the U.S. (4,139 exhilarating feet), and the legendary Corbet’s Couloir. The run is so difficult and intimidating that people pack the Aerial Tram just to watch others drop in.

3395 Cody Ln, Teton Village, WY 83025 (map)

Big Sky

The numbers here are gobsmacking: 5,800 skiable acres, 4,350 feet of vertical drop, 400 inches of average snowfall, and even one six-mile-long run highlight the country’s largest single ski mountain. The Big Couloir run is so extreme you’re literally not allowed to ride alone. That’s right, you’ll have to alert Ski Patrol and bring a partner (and your avalanche gear) before tackling the 50-degree pitch and 1,400-foot vertical drop. Like they say, go Big Sky or go home.

150 Big Sky Resort Rd, Big Sky, MT 59716 (map)

Revelstoke Mountain Resort

Ski or ride the longest vertical drop in North America, an astounding and adrenaline-pumping 5,620 feet of lift-accessed terrain. With legendary powder and this record-breaking drop, you’ll have big-ski energy all the way down. Put a serious dent in your bucket list in Western Canada.

2950 Camozzi Rd, Revelstoke, BC V0E 2S1, Canada (map)

GLOBETROTTER

Ikon Pass is here for the globetrotters, too. Track lines around the planet, beyond the best of North America to the European Alps, Japan and the Southern Hemisphere. Seeing the world hits different when you’re seeing it from the top of a mountain.

Zermatt Matterhorn

The Matterhorn. Need we say more? This legendary mountain is one of the most photographed and iconic peaks on Earth. But Zermatt is more than just leg-burning 16-mile runs and 7,425 feet of vert. It’s a snow-and-ice paradise where you can ride a gondola with heated leather seats or explore the ice tunnels and sculptures of Glacier Palace.

Wildi 9, 3928 Randa, Switzerland, 3928, Randa, Switzerland (map)

Niseko

Japan might not be the first destination on every skier’s list, but it should be. With some of the deepest, most plentiful powder on the planet, natural hot springs, and Michelin-star ramen, curry, and fresh sushi, we’re fairly confident you’ll be here for it. Plus, Ikon Pass just added a new destination in Japan for 2023, Lotte Aire. So you can extend your trip to Japan and ski two powder-filled resorts.

Abuta District, Hokkaido Japan (map)

Chamonix Mont-Blanc Valley

This valley’s 100-year history as a mountaineering destination has earned it the nickname “the world’s highest museum.” Among the “exhibits” are Mont Blanc, the highest peak in western Europe, and La Vallée Blanche, the longest off-piste run in the world — 12 miles long with an 8,858-foot descent. You can also take a cable car to “the roof of Europe” or spend your French vacation like the French: devouring fresh breads, gourmet cheeses, and some of the finest wines you’ll ever taste. This is a new pass for the 2022-2023 season.

29 Rte Henriette d’Angeville, 74400 Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France (map)

APRÉS LOVER

If the closest you want to get to the mountain is looking at it from the window of your cozy chalet, hey, we don’t judge. There’s so much more to love about ski culture beyond skiing itself — perhaps we might interest you in some big sweaters, fireside hangs, refined dining, and après-ski cocktails? Thought so.

Tremblant

Four-season access, runs so good they’re named after world champions and maybe the best ski-in/ski-out village in North America? Check, check, and check, but let’s be honest, you’re here to eat. Sample from more than 30 restaurants, and don’t leave without tasting the quintessentially Canadian Maple Taffy on Snow: hot maple syrup poured over literal snow and then rolled onto a popsicle stick.

1000 Chem. des Voyageurs, Mont-Tremblant, QC J8E 1T1, Canada (map)

Arapahoe Basin

Known as The Legend, this Rockies destination has been around for nearly 70 years. Which is cool and all, but let’s talk about A-Basin’s true signature: the award-winning Bacon Bloody Mary at 6th Alley Bar. Pull up a stool and sip while watching the frontside runs, then grab your gear and drop in yourself. Or, you know, don’t.

28194 US-6, Dillon, CO 80435 (map)

Kitzbühel

Skiing in Austria is about as authentic to the sport’s roots as it gets. This is where the world comes to ski and party at the world-class Hahnenkamm downhill race. But you can just focus on the party part, with 60 huts and mountain restaurants offering traditional Austrian dishes, reinvented alpine gastronomy, and everything in between.

Hahnenkammstraße 1a, 6370 Kitzbühel, Austria (map)

These are just a few of the many mountains Ikon Pass puts within your reach. And with options from only $269, adult, there’s a pass for however you ride. Explore more at ikonpass.com.