At some point during the 2026 ski season, I looked at the trip calendar and realized I was accidentally doing a thing. So I made it official: a numbered ski series on Instagram, ten resorts in about five weeks, from late February through the end of March. Ten stops, one season, more bluebird days than I had any right to expect.
This is the whole series in one place, in order โ with a little more context than the captions allowed.
#01: Vail, Colorado
The series had to start here. Vail is my favorite mountain โ Iโve said it before and Iโll say it again โ and this trip was bluebird days, snowy nights, and great company. I was already missing it before I left.
Bonus, and I stand by this: the best hot chocolate of my life. If youโve had it, you know. If you disagree, Iโm willing to hear your case, but youโre probably wrong.
Vail and I go way back. I rang in 2017 on New Yearโs Eve at Blue Sky Basin, and Iโve skied it with some of my favorite people for years โ including a 2020 trip I called an epic return to skiing at my favorite mountain. Iโve even gone winter fly fishing on the Colorado River in the middle of a Vail-area trip, which is its own kind of cold, and its own kind of great.
#02: Telluride, Colorado
Telluride is something else. Ski runs, golden hour from the balcony, and aprรจs under the string lights โ thatโs the whole formula, and itโs perfect. Some places try to be charming; Telluride doesnโt have to try.
#03: Park City, Utah
Bluebird days in Park City. Sometimes a ski trip doesnโt need a thesis โ it just needs good snow, good people, and a lot of smiles. This was that trip.
#04: Jackson Hole, Wyoming
The Tetons are one of those places that feel a little wild and peaceful at the same time โ and that tension is exactly why I keep going back.
Jackson Hole holds a lot for me. In February 2018, we wrapped up an epic week there with amazing snow all week โ 13 inches on Jakeโs birthday alone, 23 inches total, allegedly one of the best ski weeks of the season. Itโs also where the โvictory lapโ was born, at least in my vocabulary: my friend Nixโs term for the final run of the day. I took a lot of victory laps that week, including through the glades, which she knew were my favorite. Every run felt like she was right there with us.
And the very first taste of Jackson was the Steep & Deep camp back in January 2016 โ a perfect last run through a winter wonderland. Once you ski here, you understand why people make their high school dreams of moving here a reality.
#05: Sun Valley, Idaho
Sun Valley gave us bluebird skies and a wide-open mountain, plus the ski-town charm of Ketchum right there alongside it. Idaho might be the sleeper pick of this whole series โ wide open, sunny, and not trying to be anything other than exactly what it is.
#06: Northstar, California
Lake Tahoe. Skiing through the pines on perfectly groomed snow. Northstar is that rare resort that feels calm even when itโs busy โ groomers you can actually cruise, trees everywhere, and the lake glittering nearby.
#07: Palisades Tahoe, California
From the legendary Olympic slopes to chasing powder with views of Lake Tahoe, and of course ending it all at The Chammy. Palisades has real history under its boots โ you feel it in the lift lines and in the legend of the runs โ but the Tahoe views are what get you.
#08: Niseko, Japan
Powder so deep it buries the buildings. Mt. Yotei watching over every run. And the best seafood of your life waiting at the bottom of the mountain. JaPow is not a myth โ itโs better than the hype, somehow, which almost never happens with things that have a nickname.
#09: Verbier, Switzerland
Floating above the clouds, surrounded by endless peaks, with that effortless mix of Swiss alpine beauty and French-inspired aprรจs that makes Verbier feel a little unreal. Itโs the rare place that delivers on both sides of the ski day: the mountain is serious, and the aprรจs is seriously fun.
#10: Zermatt, Switzerland
Where the Swiss Alps meet Italy and the Matterhorn watches you carve. A place that doesnโt feel quite real. Ending the series here felt right โ you donโt top the Matterhorn, you just stand there, look up, and accept that some views are almost unfair.
Where I stayed
I didnโt name specific hotels or lodges in the series captions, so Iโm keeping this section honest: this series was about the mountains, and I didnโt publish the stays. What I will say โ if youโre planning a ski season like this one โ is that every one of these ten mountains is worth the trip on its own. Pick the ones that make your heart beat faster, and go.
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