When you get up early on a powder day and ski first tracks, it’s an incredible thrill. But what if your group had the whole mountain to itself and made the only tracks all day?
This is no powderfueled daydream. There are a number of small resorts where a three- or four-day public schedule means groups can take over the slopes on most weekdays for a unique skiing experience. Enjoy our quick primer on ski areas that are available for daily group rentals in the West.
Turner Mountain Ski Area // Libby, Montana
In far northwestern Montana, Turner Mountain has been available for group rentals Monday through Thursday for the last 15 years.
“The last five or six years, it’s exploded,” says Bruce Zwang, spokesperson for the nonprofit ski area. “We’ve had some business groups, but mostly it’s individuals.”
Up to 100 skiers get the resort all to themselves for $3,750, and then it’s $37 per additional person. The closest lodging is in Libby, 22 miles away, with a number of affordable motels and rental homes. There’s a snack bar on the mountain, but many groups bring in caterers.
Turner has about 400 skiable acres, but it’s more challenging than resorts three times its size. “The skiing is great,” Zwang says. “It’s all fall-line skiing. We have something for everybody.”
The grooming is customized for the group, and because of the schedule, fresh powder is a safe bet. “Almost all of them come on Thursday, so they have a great shot at powder. If it snows Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, it won’t be skied before they get here,” Zwang says.
Brian Schott, editor and publisher of the Whitefish Review, an annual literary journal from the Montana town of the same name, has rented out Turner for a fundraiser for about 100 people.
“Ski-wise for a small mountain, it’s fabulous,” Schott says. “What’s really fun is the low-key atmosphere, and the staff is really helpful. They built a bonfire in the parking lot, and we did a pig roast after the ski day.”
Eagle Point Resort // Beaver, Utah
After about a decade of inactivity, the former Mt. Holly reopened as Eagle Point in 2010-11 with a full, seven-day calendar. However, weekday crowds weren’t sustainable. “It was a ghost town,” confirms owner Shane Gadbaw.
So Gadbaw moved the notably snowy, 600-acre resort in the Tushar Mountains (about 200 miles south of Salt Lake City) to a Thursday-through-Sunday schedule the next season and soon had an epiphany. “I realized I could offer the entire resort to groups,” he says.
On Monday through Wednesday, the rate for one lift running a half day starts at about $5,000 for 100 or more people or about $12,000 for “your own private ski resort,” says Gadbaw. Food is included. The resort has a bed base of about 250 with event space for 300 on the mountain.
“We can customize the experience,” says Gadbaw. “Anything you want to do for the day, we can do.”
Endless Blue Resort // Amalia, New Mexico
Located four hours from both Denver and Albuquerque, Ski Rio was New Mexico’s largest ski resort with more than 1,000 skiable acres and 100 runs served by 10 lifts when it shut down in 2000.
After an aborted snowcat-only operation, new owners have embarked on a new strategy. “The latest is we’ll rent the entire resort,” says Tom Atkins, resort manager.
For a negotiable fee of $5,000, a group of up to 40 skiers can access the mountain by snowcat and stay the night at a number of casitas and on-mountain log homes.
“We’ll groom one side of the run and leave the rest as powder, and off you go,” says Atkins. “It’s a hoot.” There are also more than 100 miles of cross-country trails on the property and snowmobile routes.
As this is a new business strategy for the 2014-15 season, Endless Blue hasn’t had any groups take over the mountain—yet. “I’m getting tired of being the only one here,” jokes Atkins.
Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort // North Powder, Oregon
Four hours east of Bend and two hours north of Boise, Anthony Lakes is off the beaten path. The benefit is that lift lines are nonexistent.
At 1,100 acres, it’s got some elbowroom, and at 7,100 feet above sea level, the base area is the highest in the Evergreen State.
“I love it here,” says Chelsea McLagan, the resort’s marketing director. “We always have awesome snow—that elevation works in our favor.”
The resort’s Own the Mountain deal for $4,000 gets 50 people on the slopes on nonholiday Mondays when the resort is closed to the public. Lunch is included. The resort has 20 lodging partners in the nearby towns of Baker City and La Grande, plus two yurts on the mountain that can accommodate up to 12 overnight guests.
“We always tell people it’s a great opportunity for companies, reunions and bachelor or bachelorette parties,” says McLagan.
Steve Chapman of Bend organized a group of about 50 work colleagues and friends to Own the Mountain in 2013, overnighting in Baker City. “It’s completely awesome,” he says of the experience. The skiing was great, he adds, thanks to fresh powder: “We got pretty lucky with the weather.”
Baker City was also worth the trip, according to Chapman. “It’s an old goldrush town with a good downtown and a couple of brewpubs.”
Not only was it extremely unique, it was easy. He notes, “You don’t have to worry about anything.”
Irwin // Crested Butte, Colorado
Just 12 miles west of Crested Butte, Irwin has more than 1,000 acres of snowcatserved terrain, and guests can expect about six to eight runs daily after being shuttled to Irwin in a high-end cat featuring a large interior, leather seats and video screen.
Director of Marketing Jennifer Jeffery says several corporate groups have come in the last five years. Skiing is a premiumpriced $1,500 per person, including overnight lodging, or else a group can take over the entire facility for $15,000 daily. Airport transfers, gear, breakfast and lunch are included, and a chef is available for a catered dinner in the lodge. Irwin’s accommodations, including the luxurious Scarp Ridge Lodge located downtown, have an overnight capacity of about 25 guests.
And Irwin is as snowy as resorts in the Rockies get. “We had 600 inches three years ago,” Jeffery notes, and this past ski season wasn’t too far behind.
