Top Ski Resorts and Hotels 2008

Resort Trends
Telluride
Former World Cup mogul pro Caleb Martin, now freestyle team director at the Telluride Ski & Snowboard Club, tells us where to hit in his hometown.

Q: Best run?
A: "Telluride is known for long runs with Volkswagen-sized bumps, and the best of them are on the runs accessed by Chair 9. I zigzag down Kant-Mak-M to Spiral Stairs. That run opens out of the trees into Lower Plunge, a steep—think 33 degrees—pitch that hosts the town's annual mogul competition."

Q: New terrain?
A: "Revelation Bowl is opening this season on the backside of Gold Hill. It's just beautiful terrain—a wide-open bowl enclosed by 13,000-foot peaks with a real Alpine feel. You can ride powder down or find steeper, rockier terrain on the rim. It faces east and catches the first morning rays, so the snow softens up earlier than most upper-mountain terrain."

Q: Après-ski spot?
A: "Right at the base is X Cafe, a great spot for a tall beer and good company [250 W. San Juan Ave.; 970-728-8887]. I aalso like to wander into town to the Last Dollar Saloon, known as 'The Buck' here. It has the widest selection of beer, and it's always a hot spot [100 E. Colorado Ave.; 970-728-4200]."

Q: Best meal?
A: "Honga's Lotus Petal just moved into a great new space, but the restaurant has been in Telluride for nearly two decades—when I was an up-and-coming skier trying to make the U.S. Ski Team, I worked there washing dishes. It serves great sushi and excellent Asian fusion [135 E. Colorado Ave.; 970-728-5134; entrées, $15—$24]."

Green Gear
If your resort upholds the best environmental practices, why not demand the same of your gear? A new generation of sustainable fabrics don't underperform when it comes to keeping you warm and dry. Waterproofing specialist 1 Helly Han-sen's Ekolab jacket and pants shield you from the elements with a new polyurethane membrane that eliminates the need for polytetrafluoroethylene (read Teflon). Liners, zips, and pockets are made from recycled polyester, plastic, and nylon (hellyhansen.com). The bamboo fabric in 2 Kombi's LS crew and pants is not only earth-friendly, it's softer and tougher than cotton and naturally anti-bacterial (kombiltd.com). The three-layer waterproof, windproof, breathable, soft-shell fabric in 3 Gordini's Glasgow glove is made of recycled plastics. The Thinsulate insulation, made of recycled polyester, is designed to keep the heat in, while the Lavawool blend wicks away moisture (gordini.com).

In the Bag
Shipping your ski gear eliminates the stress of checking bags—bags that might not even arrive on your flight. Sports Express's luggage concierges arrange pickup and guarantee on-time delivery at your destination (sportsexpress.com). The Luggage Club has door-to-door service in 220 countries and no membership fee (theluggageclub.com). Flylite, the choice for road warriors who ski between business trips, picks up your gear and stores it until you request delivery (flylite.com; membership, $500).

new lifts
Rising to the Challenge
For the last few years, Whistler Blackcomb and Jackson Hole have been quietly engaged in a lift-engineering race, each striving to be the first to finish a fantastical mode of mountaintop transport. Set to open on December 12, 2008, Whistler Blackcomb's Peak 2 Peak gondola connects the resort's two mountains, linking 8,171 skiable acres, 200-plus trails, more than 17 alpine bowls, and four glaciers in one 38-lift system. The gondola's 28 cabins—two of which come with glass floors—fly over the 2.73-mile gap between the peaks in 11 minutes (peak2peakgondola.com). Jackson Hole's original tram opened in 1966, whisking pioneering snow riders up 4,000-plus vertical feet and setting them down in the heart of the Tetons. Repair costs forced the resort to shutter the legendary lift in 2006 after 40 years of service, but Jackson Hole promised to bring it back bigger, stronger, and, most important, faster. When it opens on December 20, 2008, the new Jackson Hole Tram will have the longest continual vertical rise of any lift on the continent, climbing 4,139 feet in nine minutes. It also doubles the uphill load capacity of its predecessor to 650 skiers per hour. Although the boxed cars will be much improved, they will still be red—a nod to the iconic originals (tram-formation.com).

Well Grounded
Tecnica's Mega 12 UltraFit combines soft- and hard-shell construction to balance cushioning and flex with targeted rigidity that enhances stability. Inside, the liner's slow-memory Ethafoam molds to your foot, ankle, and lower calf, holding them snugly in place. When you're ready to hit the lodge, you'll never again walk like a lumbering Frankenstein: A ski/walk switch on the back of the boot flips open, allowing you to take easy strides even when the buckles remain snapped shut (tecnicausa.com; $525).

Wrist Guard
The svelte titanium Highgear Altis TI is the only gadget you'll need on your next snowcat trip. The Swiss-made altimeter monitors your elevation, and tracks the vertical feet and the rate of descent of every run you take. The barometer measures atmospheric pressure to predict incoming weather, the thermometer gauges the temperature, and the digital compass ensures that you won't lose your way. Oh yes, it's a watch, too, so you won't be late meeting friends for aprýs-ski drinks (highgear.com; $250).

SMART SKIING
Bounty Hunters
If you ski during popular holidays, there's one way to avoid waiting in lift lines, weaving down packed slopes, and riding tracked-out powder: Take a snowcat tour on vehicles that haul your group into the backcountry, where the steeps, trees, cliffs, and bowls are blanketed in deep virgin powder. Grand Targhee SnowCat Adventures whisks skiers to Peaked Mountain, where more than a thousand acres of Wyoming's mellow bowls and gladed cruisers await (grandtarghee.com; $399). A 40,000-acre private ranch 30 miles east of Park City, in the Uinta Mountains, provides Park City Powder Cats with a playground larger than Vail and Aspen combined. The ranch gets more than 400 inches of the white stuff annually (pccats.com; $449). Amplify the pleasures of Steamboat's legendary powder by skiing it under the luminescence of the full moon. Steamboat Powdercats' moonlight descents kick off after sunset with runs before a three-course dinner. Strap on your boards for post-prandial skiing in glades and bowls under the lunar light (steamboatpowdercats.com; $2,700).

Got Your Back
In the backcountry, you need to carry avalanche safety gear—a beacon, a shovel, and a probe. You can rent them from your cat operator, although we like Life Link's Carbon Speed Probe 280 and 3D Polycarbonate Shovel (life-link.com; probe, $100; shovel, $38). Either way, you'll need a good ski-specific pack for hauling them. The Dakine Pro II has an external shovel pocket for quick access to your equipment, and an insulated water pouch for on-the-go hydration. And at 1,600 cubic inches, the pack is roomy enough to even use as a carry-on (dakine.com; $100).