"Have you ever had very first tracks of the season somewhere? Really special to get the first tracks (other than ski patrol) in Boundary Bowl. Something that, despite growing up at Norquay, I've never had before. Even cooler was being able to share it with my dad and then proceed to lap the bowl all day." -KJ Read Really cool to see this father and son share an unforgettable moment at this incredible ski resort. Just goes to show that being polite and making friends with ski patrol can pay major dividends.
Conditions ReportContinuing on my journey through Visit Idaho's Gem Line, I headed from Sandpoint, Idaho, to Kellogg, Idaho, for another powder day at Silver Mountain. I had skied at Silver last season and had a great time lapping pristine corduroy during a stint of high pressure. I was excited to return with plenty of recent fresh snow to explore some of the steeper, off-piste terrain at Silver.
Once the clouds cleared, we got two fantastic runs on our first afternoon (Friday). It was waist-deep. When you jumped out of the helicopter at the drop-off, you sank to your waist in soft and light snow. The 116mm underfoot K2 Crescendo skis they recommended I use were exactly what I needed. Our fearless lead guide, Dale, used 140mm underfoot as his daily driver.
After a lean start to this season, the Montana clouds finally opened up, dropping 11 inches of snow over the last 3 days at Big Sky Resort. This snowfall, mixed with some high alpine wind, left the slopes immaculate for the Bluebird day this past Sunday. While coverage on certain portions of the mountain remained spotty, if you know where to look, some fresh untracked snow was your reward.
For powder seekers, few things matter more than consistency-the kind of deep winter snowpack that transforms a good ski trip into an unforgettable one. Across the Alps, snowfall varies dramatically by altitude, exposure, and local weather patterns. But year after year, a handful of resorts rise to the top with reliable, season-stretching storms. Using average annual snowfall totals collected by Hoppa, here are Europe's 10 snowiest ski resorts: