The 4 Most Exciting New Ski Trails in North America
By Matt Lorelli,
1 days ago
Nothing moves the needle like asking your skier friend, "Did you see (insert name of your favorite ski resort) is expanding?!" Despite millions of acres of previously-developed skiable terrain across North America, there's something inherently exciting about new trails and terrain.
In the mood to check out some new trails for yourself? The following list contains four new trails and terrain areas we're excited about for the Winter '24/'25 season.
Ymir Bowl at Whitewater Ski Resort in British Columbia, Canada.
1. Ymir Bowl—Whitewater Ski Resort, British Columbia
Perhaps the most exciting expansion on this lis when it comes to challenging terrain, Whitewater Ski Resort will add Ymir Bowl into its official patrolled boundary for the Winter '24/'25 season.
The 60 acre zone used to be out of bounds, but with the installation of the Raven Lift last season, Whitewater found that skiers were entering it more frequently. This became concerning when some skiers were ignoring avalanche risks and skiing the terrain despite warnings. By bringing the terrain into their fold, Whitewater can patrol it and keep it safe for others.
There will be four new runs added to Whitewater's official trail count with the Ymir Bowl expansion, all of which are Black or Double Black rated. The runs are called Upper Goat's, Lower Goat's, Jann's Gully, and False Signal. There will be ample opportunities for freeride and glade skiing outside of the named runs as well.
The Keetley Point terrain is shaded in yellow on this map of Deer Valley Resort.
Photo&colon Deer Valley
2. Keetley Point—Deer Valley Resort, Utah
The first phase of Deer Valley Resort's massive 'Expanded Excellence' terrain expansion is Keetley Point. The new peak will be accessed by three lifts that are all expected to open this season.
In total, Keetley Point will add 316 acres of new terrain and 20 new named runs. The resort has yet to provide specifics on what the Keetley Point terrain will consist of, but it appears to feature a mix of groomed and gladed terrain. Skiers can access the new Keetley Point terrain from the still-being-constructed East Village and its 500 new parking spots. The new trails can also be reached from the existing terrain on Bald Mountain.
Powder Mountain is installing four new chairlifts this offseason. The photo above shows the fixed-grip quad that will replace the ancient Timberline lift.
Photo&colon Tristan Sadler via Powder Mountain
3. Lightning Ridge—Powder Mountain, Utah
The terrain on Lightning Ridge has been skied by Powder Mountain skiers for years but was previously reserved for those willing to shell out a few extra bucks for a cat-skiing ride. With the construction of a new fixed-grip quad chairlift in the offseason to replace the cat-skiing service, the Lightning Ridge terrain almost feels brand new.
The chairlift will serve terrain on both sides of Lightning Ridge with over a dozen new named runs added to Powder Mountain's trail map. Make sure you plan ahead if you want to ski the terrain for yourself. Powder Mountain limits daily lift ticket sales, and will not sell lift tickets to non-passholders on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the month of February.
Powder Mountain is also opening a new lift and terrain in Cobabe Canyon. This terrain will be reserved exclusively for Powder Mountain's homeowners and members.
Mount Bohemia has yet to release an official trail map with the new Far East terrain. For now, we'll have to reference this crude mockup. The red lines mark the new glades.
Photo&colon Mount Bohemia
4. Far East—Mount Bohemia, Michigan
Mount Bohemia is already known for having the best terrain in the entirety of the Midwest, but more is almost always better , right?
The ski area known for not making snow and not grooming its slopes is adding a few dozen acres of new gladed terrain they're calling The Far East. These new glades will run parallel to the long, meandering glades that already exist in the Middle Earth zone. The terrain in The Far East isn't as steep as Bohemia's Extreme Backcountry or frontside trails, but the long descents and deep snowfall will make them worth your time.
Mount Bohemia opens their gladed and non-gladed terrain as soon as Mother Nature allows. The resort is 100% reliant on natural snowfall and can't open until a solid base has formed. This typically happens around Christmas each year, but stay tuned into Bohemia's social media for their official opening day announcement.
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