POWDER POWER

FROM CANADA TO COLORADO TO ITALY,THE WORLD'S SKI RESORTS ARE UPPING THE ANTE BOTH ON AND OFF THE SLOPES

- TODD PLUMMER

THE SKI INDUSTRY is turning up the volume this season— not with cheap thrills, but with sharper, smarter energy. There are new trails, new flights and new reasons to visit the world's most coveted peaks. Luxury is getting more fluid and, much like the rest of the travel industry, turning its attention toward experiences. Diversity is finding its footing like never before, too, and even the smaller resorts in less visited destinations are offering serious reasons to rethink the same old, same old this year. Still, there's also something to be said about the staying power and iconic status of the sport’s longest standing resorts: Whistler and Jackson Hole are celebrating their 60th anniversaries this winter, and both are still at the top of their game.

Whether you're drawn to something old or something new, the numbers tell a clear story: Last winter saw 61.5 million ski resort visits, the second-busiest season on record, per the National Ski Areas Association. Ignore the doom and gloom around the gentrification of ski towns, increased prices, climate change, and more—we are truly entering a golden age of skiing, with more avenues to engage with the sport than ever before.

"With the new Four Seasons coming to Telluride, for example, the Madeline Hotel & Residences, Auberge Collection, will have more favorable rates," says Meg Austin, a Vail, Colorado-based travel advisor and owner of Meg2book, an associate of The Travel Society, a Virtuoso agency. More options and new openings mean higher competition for hotels and resorts to stake their claim. "My job is not so much about where people want to go, but about finding what works for what they seek—and with value,” says Austin.