Is there anything better than the chance to play football, baseball, or soccer under the lights as a kiddo? Short answer– absolutely not.
Related: Skiing Off The Aiguille Du Midi In The Middle Of The Night
As it turns out, skiing at night shares the same childhood magic but unlike the sports listed above, it’s perfectly normal for both young and middle-aged skiers alike to take the field together and make some shadowy turns under the glow of fluorescent lights. So in order to honor our nocturnally oriented shredders, we’ve compiled a list of the best ski areas the world over. Game on!
The 8 Best Night-Ski Areas In The World
7) Cypress Mountain, BC
Roughly a half hour drive from Vancouver, Cypress Mountain offers up affordable skiing and riding for all the 9-5er’s who want to get some turns in after punching out. The expanse of city lights hanging just below the mountain as well as the well maintained terrain park make this ski area one of the best night skiing option in all of Canada.
- Operational Hours: 5-10PM
- Adult Lift Ticket: $39
6) Le Collet d’Allevard, France
France’s largest night ski area is Le Collet d’Allevard. At approximately 50 acres, the night skiing is pretty expansive, especially for Europeans whose alpine terrain relegates night skiing options to the lower mountains.
- Operational Hours: 8-1030PM
- Adult Lift Ticket: €14 ($17 USD)
5) Steamboat Springs, CO
The Christie Peak Express rises up 1,100 vertical feet, leaving skiers with a few wide open trails to choose from– all of which are well-lit. If you catch it on a night when it’s dumping, pow turns can come often and easy.
- Operational Hours: 530-830PM (*select days)
- Adult Lift Ticket: $39
4) Crotched Mountain, NH
Rumor has it that Crotched is the only resort in the Northeast with some night-time tree skiing available (*Final Frontier Glades). That said, the New Hampshire ski resort is the only resort that stays open past midnight (actually they stay open till 3 A.M on select nights!). So grab a Midnight Madness Pass and shred on.
- Operational Hours: 3-9PM (lifts spin until 3am on select Saturday’s)
- Adult Lift Ticket: $49
3) Mt Hood Ski Bowl, OR
Ski Bowl at Mt. Hood offers the most expansive night skiing in the entire United States. With 960 acres of lighted terrain, Ski Bowl offers everything from moonlit powder fields to rocky, mini golf lines right off the groomer. Ski Bowl is open till 10pm every day of the week.
- Operational Hours: 3-10PM (*11PM on FRI/SAT)
- Adult Lift Ticket: $39
2) Brighton, UT
Brighton offers the best chance for night-time powder turns out of any resort on this list outside of Japan. The Utah ski resort offers three chairlifts, one of which is the popular Crest Express that accesses mid mountain goods not offered by many night skiing operations in the States.
- Operational Hours: 4-9PM
- Adult Lift Ticket: $45
1) Grand Hirafu, Japan
When it comes to night skiing, the world capital is without a doubt Grand Hirafu in Niseko, Japan. The lift that accesses the majority of the goods is the ACE Quad, which puts you on everything from pillow lines to powder fields and even a fair share of small chutes. What makes Hirafu better than anywhere else is obviously the snow. As the sun sets, the snow gets a tad bit lighter and if it’s dumping like normal– free refills can be common. Kanpai!
- Operational Hours: 430-830PM
- Adult Lift Ticket: ¥2,700 ($27 USD)