Skiing in Idaho.
Skiing in Idaho.

There are ski resorts all around the western United States. The most famous states are likely Colorado, California, and Utah, but every one of the 11 western most contiguous states has notable skiing and snowboarding, ranging from the south to the north.

@peakrankings

โ€ŠIdaho isn’t the most well known ski state in the USA, but it has a surprising number of respectably competitive resorts. The best known is Sun Valley, but mountains such as Schweitzer, Tamarack, and Bogus Basin have the terrain and infrastructure to impress destination visitors as well. Idaho is also typically much less crowded than the better known ski states. And with the notable exception of Sun Valley, most of the resorts in the state are considered strong values compared to their peers. However, there’s a reason that Idaho hasn’t broken through at the same level as the state’s higher on this list, and that comes down largely to snow. #peakrankings #werankpeaks #skieurope #skivacation #mountains #winter #skitrip #travel #landscape #snowboarding #wintertrip #skiusa #skiingisfun #powder #skiidaho

โ™ฌ original sound – PeakRankings

Idaho isn’t an unknown ski destination, with Sun Valley Resort and Schweitzer Mountain being rather highly regarded in the ski world. But there are quite a fair number of resorts and ski areas that often go less noticed, many of which are home to some serious terrain variety. Tamarack, Brundage Mountain Resort, and Bogus Basin all offer some great terrain options at affordable prices, and the resorts don’t just stop there. So why isn’t Idaho as popular as many other states?

According to PeakRankings, there’s a few reasons. Most notably is snow quality. While Idaho does get descent snowfall, it often can’t quite compete with neighboring states like Montana, Wyoming, or Utah. Additionally, Idaho’s resorts don’t stretch to the same elevations as other states in the Rocky Mountains, making snow retention more difficult throughout the winter. Lastly, Idaho doesn’t necessarily have the same resort difficulty as other states across the west.

Nolan Deck is a writer for Unofficial Networks, covering skiing and outdoor adventure. After growing up and skiing in Maine, he moved to the Denver area for college where he continues to live and work...