Nobody likes to encounter crowds while skiing or snowboarding, whether it’s traffic getting to the mountain, long chairlift lines, or overcrowded ski runs. There are a lot of different types of crowds you can find on the mountain, but it’s not as hard as it might seem to avoid packed areas if you know what you’re doing. This video from PeakRankings explores the different types of ski resort crowds and how to best go about avoiding them.
The video outlines 7 main factors that cause ski resort crowds. Lift infrastructure can create crowds through limited uphill capacity, poor line management, flashy lifts, and more. These can be avoided by staying on expert or less-popular lifts early or late and planning end-of-day routes ahead of time. Terrain layout, like easier greens/blues, can also cause crowds, with bottlenecks and traverses often packing up.
Conditions can create crowds through thin coverage, closures, or powder, while geography and access can funnel more people to resorts that are closer to major cities with day-trippers. Unlimited megapass access can also create major crowds, while restrictive resorts tend to stay a bit quieter. Bigger, more iconic resorts tend to draw more people, even if nearby resorts are equally as good.
Lastly, the most major factor is absolutely about the timing. Weekends and holidays are often the most crowded, with school vacation and other major weeks and weekends seeing the most people. Later in the season, generally around April in the west, can still offer great snow with fewer people. Spring break weeks, however, often come with massive crowds.
