Your Own Private Ideal: Crested Butte, lots of snow, no crowds (Courtesy, Crested Butte Resort/Joseph Rehana)
Unlike most European alpine resorts, their American cousins boast an embarrassment of riches when it comes to wide-open ski real estateeven though the endless lift lines at some of the major resorts may seem to contradict that fact. However, it is possible to find acres and acres of on-piste terrain (without ducking into the backcountry) where youll still find fields of virgin powder, short lift lines, and nary another yahooing skier in sight.