Marmot Basin is a gem of a resort tucked away in the relatively remote reaches of Jasper National Park in Alberta's Canadian Rockies. By the sheer quirk of geographic happenstance, it's a place most skiers never reach. The bigger resorts at Banff and Lake Louise, some 150 miles south, swallow the lion's share of visiting skiers like a six-foot pit of powder. And, unless you're the Marmot marketing director, this is a good thing for you and the other fortunate skiers who get to enjoy the wide-open runs, inviting terrain, and gob-smacking views all to your lucky, lucky selves.

Marmot's stats are modest: 3,000 feet of vertical spread over 1,675 acres—but that blessed lack of crowds and enticing variety of terrain make it punch well above its mid-scale weight. You've got double-black heavies like Terminator and Outback; big, sweeping blues and blacks on Powder Hill; and an array of gentle beginner slopes feathering the resort's lower terrain (plus a magic carpet to help newbies find their snow legs). A total of 86 named trails fill the mountain's three separate reaches, and any one of these affords a view of the Canadian Rockies' spectacular peaks and rivulets.

The Marmot vibe is distinctly unlike the big-chain feel you might encounter at some of North America's other mega-resorts. Only 20 minutes from the hotels and lodges of downtown Jasper, Marmot boasts a laid-back atmosphere to encourage the powderhound in you to cut loose and get yahooing. A busy ski day here is several thousand, so beyond the possible scrum at the lower mountain's Eagle Express Quad and Tranquilizer Chair, chances are you won't encounter another line until you're back at the

Marmot Basin is a gem of a resort tucked away in the relatively remote reaches of Jasper National Park in Alberta's Canadian Rockies. By the sheer quirk of geographic happenstance, it's a place most skiers never reach. The bigger resorts at Banff and Lake Louise, some 150 miles south, swallow the lion's share of visiting skiers like a six-foot pit of powder. And, unless you're the Marmot marketing director, this is a good thing for you and the other fortunate skiers who get to enjoy the wide-open runs, inviting terrain, and gob-smacking views all to your lucky, lucky selves.

Marmot's stats are modest: 3,000 feet of vertical spread over 1,675 acres—but that blessed lack of crowds and enticing variety of terrain make it punch well above its mid-scale weight. You've got double-black heavies like Terminator and Outback; big, sweeping blues and blacks on Powder Hill; and an array of gentle beginner slopes feathering the resort's lower terrain (plus a magic carpet to help newbies find their snow legs). A total of 86 named trails fill the mountain's three separate reaches, and any one of these affords a view of the Canadian Rockies' spectacular peaks and rivulets.

The Marmot vibe is distinctly unlike the big-chain feel you might encounter at some of North America's other mega-resorts. Only 20 minutes from the hotels and lodges of downtown Jasper, Marmot boasts a laid-back atmosphere to encourage the powderhound in you to cut loose and get yahooing. A busy ski day here is several thousand, so beyond the possible scrum at the lower mountain's Eagle Express Quad and Tranquilizer Chair, chances are you won't encounter another line until you're back at the lodge waiting for your pint.

So go break free from the flock and become a Marmot convert. (Word to the wise: Do so from Banff and gateways south, and you get to drive the awesome 143-mile Icefields Parkway into the bargain, arguably one of the world's most scenic stretches of asphalt.)

Recent improvements include the Leitner Poma lift system, which is now the longest high-speed quad in Alberta.