Sure, skiing's expensive. But at some places, it's really expensive. Still, for a life-list indulgence, you can't go wrong at one of these deluxe destinations. More than just winter hideaways for the 1 percent, these are the places where the rest of us can lap up some serious 4-star pampering. Yes you may need to save for years, or cash in your kids' college education, but, hey, YOLO, right? Go ahead, treat yourself. You earned it.
Yellowstone Club, Montana.
Courchevel, France.
Aspen, Colorado.
Deer Valley, Utah.
St. Moritz resort in the Swiss Alps.
Courchevel, France
Reputation: the world's most expensive ski town
Nice touches: 7 restaurants—in a town with just 2,000 year-round residents—have 11 Michelin stars between them, which is the most stars per capita of any town or city
Typical celebrity skier: any Russian billionaire
Favorite off-slope activity: buying the girlfriend a little something at the Dior or Fendi or Hermès or Chanel or Louis Vuitton stores
Where to stay: , starting at $2,040/night, for a 600-square-foot suite (set breakfast, $48, and parking, $41 per day, not included)
Nearest airstrip for private jets: the terrifyingly short and steep , 2 miles away
Wheathertoski.com historic snowpack analysis: “snow cover and quality are pretty good”
St. Mortiz, Switzerland
Reputation: the original ski resort
Nice touches: A handful of helicopter companies will shuttle clients to the tops of resorts so they can sleep in a little bit longer
Typical celebrity skier: Lakshmi-Mittal, the second richest man in India
Favorite off-slope activity: Training for the annual Polo World Cup on Snow
Stay at: , starting at $540/night, for a 160-square-foot standard single room (including complimentary breakfast and transfers to locations around town in a Rolls Royce Phantom)
Nearest airstrip for private jets: Samedan airport, 4 miles away
Wheathertoski.com historic snowpack analysis: “the area as a whole is pretty snow-sure”
Deer Valley, Utah
Reputation: the place where concierges hand you tissues in the lift line
Nice touches: skiers can FedEx their skis straight to the resort, hosts help unload cars, guides offer free tours of the mountain
Typical celebrity skier: Steve Mahre
Favorite off-slope activity: reading
Stay at: , starting at $775/night, for a 375-square-foot Deluxe Room (ham and egg breakfast sandwich costs $20; no rollaways are allowed in rooms)
Nearest airstrip for private jets: Heber airport, 15 miles away
Wheathertoski.com historic snowpack analysis: “overall snow reliability is excellent”
Aspen, Colorado
Reputation: a downhome refuge for the rich and famous
Nice touches: the silver-service meals at the , a summit-top lodge with a $125,000 membership fee
Typical celebrity skier: Goldie Hawn
Favorite off-slope activity: exercising
Stay at: , starting at $1,020/night, for a 600-square-foot Town View Room (eggs benedict costs $18; complimentary snacks and non-alcoholic drinks from the mini bar)
Nearest airstrip for private jets: Aspen-Pitkin County Airport, 3 miles away (but the jet parking lot is often full during holidays)
Wheathertoski.com historic snowpack analysis: “overall snow reliability is excellent”
Yellowstone Club, Montana
Reputation: private powder™
Nice touches: rarely do even 100 or their guests ski the 22 square miles of terrain at one time; a $100-million main lodge that used to feature a caviar bar
Typical celebrity skier: Barry Sternlicht, CEO of a private equity fund
Favorite off-slope activity: chuckling about how bad things looked when your net worth halved and the Club declared bankruptcy in 2008…before the stock market returned your riches and a private equity firm with close ties to a Club member bought it in 2009
Stay at: the mansion you built after paying the Club's $250,000 membership fee and proving that you had at least an additional $3 million in liquid assets (breakfast is on you, or is a complimentary Danish and coffee at the former caviar bar)
Nearest airstrip for private jets: , 60 miles away
Wheathertoski.com historic snowpack analysis: N/A