This Rockies Road Trip Is America’s Answer To Canada’s ‘Powder Highway’
16.12.2023 - 14:50
/ matadornetwork.com
A dream road trip requires not only cool destinations but inspiring travel along the way. Ask dedicated skiers and snowboarders what their dream trip looks like and you’re bound to hear the phrase “Powder Highway” come up more than once. The 630-mile stretch runs along Route 95A through British Columbia and into Alberta, with dozens of ski resorts and even more options for backcountry touring en route. South of the border, the US has a similar stretch of road – albeit one that runs north to south without nearly as much fanfare: US Highways 191 and 89 from Bozeman, Montana, to Ogden, Utah.
Along the way, you can stop at some of the country’s most iconic and challenging ski resorts, including Bridger Bowl, Big Sky Resort, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Snowbasin, and Powder Mountain. Backcountry touring abounds along the way at trailheads throughout the Bridgers and Madisons of Montana, the Wasatch of Utah, and the Tetons of Wyoming. The peaks are some of the highest and most dramatic in the Rockies. But the best part is that nowhere along this route will you encounter the traffic and lift lines that clog more popular ski thoroughfares like Colorado’s I-70 corridor and Utah’s Little and Big Cottonwood Canyons.
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Plan at least a week to include drive time and a day at each spot (more time means more powder turns). You’ll need a four-wheel-drive vehicle to handle windy mountain passes and inclement weather, and a YETI cooler in which to stock snacks and suds for the road. Also, pro skier Celestre Pomerantz runs down all the gear you should pack for the trip. If arriving by air, fly into Bozeman Yellowstone Airport (BZN). Here, you can rent a car onsite and return it at Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) or in Ogden.
Photo: alex95king/Shutterstock
Technically, this dream American ski trip starts by heading just north of Bozeman on US Highway 86 to Bridger Bowl Ski Area. The non-profit resort is home to some of the most extreme in-bounds terrain in the United States, perhaps second only to another stop on this road trip, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.
In the rugged beauty of Montana’s Bridger Range, Bridger Bowl boasts a diverse selection of steep chutes, challenging couloirs, and tree-lined runs that cater to the most seasoned and daring skiers and riders. The Bridger Ridge offers some of the most thrilling in-bounds extreme terrain in the region, with iconic runs such as the “Ridge” and “The Fingers” providing a heart-pounding descent – having backcountry safety gear is a good idea