The Inn Crowd
In Deer Valley, Goldener Hirsch, a Bavarian-inspired inn, is fresh off a slick renovation and expansion by acclaimed architect Tom Kundig. Antiques imported from Austria and original paintings from the owners private collection imbue the place with a bit of Habsburgian history. A classic feel extends to the menu of the main restaurant, which features wiener schnitzel and traditional fondue.
The Sun Valley Lodge debuted in 1936 —the same year, the first chair lift was installed on the mountain at Sun Valley Resort, America’s first glitzy, European-style ski spot. Flash forward to today, the lodge’s hallways pay homage to its heyday with photos of famous bygone guests, including Judy Garland catching a trout and a portrait of Ernest Hemingway, who completed "For Whom the Bell Tolls" in 1939 while staying in Suite 206. All of the Golden-Age charm remains, just now with a new 20,000-square-foot spa — for that much needed post-slopes soak.
With its cowhides, leather club chairs and handsome woods, the historic Hotel Jerome looks like it was ripped from the pages of the Ralph Lauren playbook. This season, the property partnered with Bomber, the Italian ski brand, so guests can test drive skis covered in iconic designs by Keith Haring and Jean Michel Basiquiat or, if feeling inspired, design their own custom planks. Skiers have long made the pilgrimage to Big Sky Resort in Montana for its steep, untrammeled terrain and low-key atmosphere. The recent opening of Montage Big Sky caters to the region’s recent popularity with tech moguls and Hollywood tastemakers. (The hip Western town of nearby Bozeman became a hot spot during the pandemic.) At the property, there’s the designated beginner’s ski area right outside, a buzzy après ski scene with raclette service, a sprawling spa and a bowling alley for those non-powder days.
The 80-room, LEED-certified Blake Hotel at Taos Ski Valley in New Mexico leans into the region’s rich history with lithographs by Georgia O’Keefe, Edward Curtis photographs, and an extensive pottery and textile collection. Art tours can be requested. In Jackson Hole, the stylish eight-room Caldera House maintains one rule: no A’s, which is shorthand for antlers and a-holes. Located steps from Jackson’s iconic tram, the hotel subscribes to a Scandi-Shake aesthetic. Suites, either four-bedroom or two-bedroom, feel like alpine penthouses outfitted with Boffe-designed kitchens, John Pawson furnishings, fire pits and inviting copper tubs. This season, guests can book a day with five-time Olympian Shaun White, who will tailor it according to guests’ abilities, from groomer runs to half-pipe tricks.
Elevated Tables
For years, skiing out West meant a lunch of cafeteria-style fare like burgers or chili. But these days, there are enough reasons to make a leisurely, mid-day culinary pit stop. At Snowmass Resort, skiers can swap their bulky boots for slippers before dining at Sam’s, which serves dishes like tuscan chicken liver toast, ribollita, and cavatelli with mushrooms and gorgonzola. If you’re feeling more Chamonix than Cortina, the Alpin Room, an Alsatian restaurant situated at 10,486 feet, offers hearty classics like tartiflette and chicken schnitzel. Wash it down with a nice Bordeaux and Burgundy from the ambitious wine list. In town, Austin’s beloved sushi restaurant, Uchi, is staging a series of dinners at Hotel Jerome in December. After a day of surviving the vertiginous slopes of Jackson Hole, reward yourself with steak frites and escargot at the Bistro, the Parisian brasserie at the new Cloudveil hotel. The popular, family-owned Teton Thai is a casual spot for spicy and surprisingly authentic curry and larb.
In Big Sky, the Horn & Cantle restaurant at Lone Mountain Ranch, offers a refined take on cowboy fare, like Tomahawk bone-in ribeye and cedar-plank trout. This season, take a guided night skiing excursion that stops mid-mountain at Everrett’s 8800, a sleek Alpine restaurant serving classic French dishes. Sun Valley’s historic Galena Lodge hosts Full Moon Dinners, where guests can snowshoe or Nordic ski groomed trails before sitting down in the fire-warmed cabin for a three-course meal. Zak Pelaccio, the acclaimed chef behind Fish & Game in New York’s Hudson Valley, lives part time in Taos. He and his wife, Jori Jayne Emde, recently opened Corner Office, New Mexico’s first natural wine bar, which contemplates its global vintages with elk carpaccio and wagyu brisket French dip sandwiches.
Après Hours
While the J Bar at Hotel Jerome remains the spot for the best burger in town, you can have some après-hours fun at the hotel’s adjacent speakeasy, Bad Harriet, an intimate, art deco bar serving classic cocktails like Vesper martinis. Nearby, Hunter Thompson’s old watering hole, Woody Creek Tavern, has been carefully restored with an ambitious new wine list and fresh takes on cozy favorites, such as Peruvian chicken stew. The new owners of the Virginian Lodge in Jackson Hole have also revamped its storied saloon, adding outdoor igloos and heated fire pits. Hop on to a saddle stool at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, a country-and-western institution since 1937, and rub elbows with real live cowboys (even if it’s a bit touristy). The Lone Mountain Ranch in Big Sky, opened Lytle Bar, a 10-seat speakeasy that serves Ranch Manhattans and Pampered Cowboys, Moscow Mules made with huckleberry infused vodka. On the slopes of Deer Valley, Rime Raw Bar’s oyster happy hour runs daily from 2 to 3 p.m., enticing even the most thrill-chasing of black-diamond daredevils to call it quits before the last chair.
A Piste of Culture
For thirty years, Aspen was the home of Herbert Bayer, a Bauhaus master who transformed the mining town into a mecca for modernist art and architecture. Fleeing the Nazis in 1946, Bayer came to Aspen at the behest of a wealthy industrialist, who tasked him to create a world-class destination for skiing and the arts. The Aspen Institute, a 40-acre campus for thought leaders, recently opened the Resnick Center for Herbert Bayer Studies, a celebration of Bayer’s legacy spurred by Aspen Meadow Resort’s multi-million dollar renovation. This winter, the Aspen Art Museum features sculptures and video works by Brooklyn-based, Choctaw-Cherokee painter Jeffrey Gibson. Located in Snowmass Village, the Anderson Ranch Arts Center is a 55,000-square-feet showcase of ceramics, printmaking and furniture design, including works by the photographer Cherie Hiser and the woodworker Sam Maloof.
