The views recall Tahoe. And the terrain? Call it Steamboat West. That's the early line on Tamarack Resort, 90 miles north of Boise. The Tahoe analogy is plain from a 7,700-foot spot on West Mountain's ridge: Far below, 22-mile-long Lake Cascade glistens in Long Valley. What's more, the resort sits far enough west to rack up 300 annual inches of snow (100 more than Sun Valley), yet it's east of Oregon's high desert, ensuring that the bounty arrives talcum-dry.

Don't expect Tamarack to max out your Pocket Rockets. The tree skiing in glades of aspen and subalpine fir, and the languorous blue runs that unspool down the mountain's 2,800 vertical feet, summon Steamboat—diverting, if not exactly heart-stopping. Tamarack is a year-round resort with some 2,000 chalets, condos, and hotel rooms. For the best apres-ski, head to the old logging town of McCall, 17 miles north.

Tamarack also includes two terrain parks and access to 5,000 backcountry acres.