In 1936, failed mink farmer turned ski area operator Clare Bousquet had a big idea. Working in partnership with General Electric he mounted floodlights on poles at Bousquet Mountain, Massachusetts, flipped a switch, and illuminated a 750-foot ski run for night skiing. And while took it nine years for another area to turn on lights — The Summit at Snoqualmie near Seattle was number two — skiing after dark was on.
Night Skiing Now
While I didn’t find an exact count of U.S. ski areas offering night skiing, the number could well be into the hundreds. Night skiing is an institution, especially in the Midwest and Northeast where ski racers have trained under the lights for decades.
And while the gates still go up when the lights come on, terrain parks, learn-to-ski and ride classes, tubing, and just-for-fun recreational skiing and snowboarding are additional after-dark attractions.
COVID has definitely put a damper on night skiing, with many resorts curtailing their nighttime hours and cancelling events until 2023. Still, if you can access night skiing, it’s a great way to get some extra turns and have extra fun, even after a full day of work or school.
Four Tips for Making the Most of Skiing After Dark
Layer Up
Most night skiing sessions start in the late afternoon while the sun is still up. If you’re planning on skiing past the dinner hour, bring extra layers for when the sun sets and the temperature drops. Hand warmers are essential. Add a thin beanie under your helmet and don’t forget a thick neck gaiter or neoprene face mask.
Let There Be Light
For most of us, one pair of goggles does it all, from full sun conditions to socked in fog. Night skiing is different. It’s dark, despite the lights. Invest in goggles with interchangeable lenses and use clear lenses at night.
Keep it Fun. Make it Social
Whether you and your family are taking lessons, lapping the park, racing through gates, or making hot laps together, there is something celebratory about skiing at night. Take time to warm up over hot chocolate and cookies. Plan to have dinner part way through the evening and order something special. Go tubing. Or, choose an evening when the resort has fireworks, live music, and other enticements and create your own midwinter holiday!
Keep an Eye On Your Kids
It’s not so much that they could get lost in the dark, but that they’ll get cold and hungry and not realize it. When kids are having fun, they don’t think about much else other than the fun their having! Be proactive about adding layers, changing goggles, and enforcing snack and meal breaks. Keep your kids warm and well-fed and everyone will have a great evening.
And as for getting lost? A good rule — day or night — is to always stop at trail intersections to ensure everyone in the group is together.
And now, a sampling of resorts around the country where you and your family will enjoy skiing after dark!
Night Skiing in the Northeast
With a 1,010-foot vertical drop and lights covering all of its 126 skiable acres, West Mountain, New York sells four-hour tickets starting at $29 for kids 12 and under. Monday night racing — a long-time institution at West Mountain — is off for 2022, but the mountain hopes to bring it back for 2023.
Still not all the fun is on hold. West Mountain is reviving Fire On the Mountain, a live music event with skiing and riding on February 19, 2022.
David Cronheim, a well-traveled northeast skier, believes West Mountain deserves more notice.
“Hordes of New York and New Jersey folks drive right past West Mountain on their way to Vermont and New York every weekend,” he explains. “They should stop and ski it sometime.”
In Massachusetts, Jiminy Peak, does night skiing sustainably, sourcing 100% of its electrical power from renewable sources, including an on-site 1.5 Megawatt wind turbine that provides 1/3 of the ski area’s annual electricity.
Jiminy Peak is open until 10:00 p.m. throughout the ski season, with 21 trails and the terrain parks open after dark.
Skiing After Dark in the Midwest
Skiing and snowboarding aren’t the only ways to slide on snow. Tubing is fun, too, and is a nighttime staple across the country.
If you live in Chicago, chances are you’ve skied Wilmot Mountain. Wilmot also has tubing, with the mountain open until 8:00 pm every night.
Want to stay up later? How about skiing until 3:00 am?
That’s how late Trollhaugen Outdoor Recreation Area in Wisconsin is open for skiing and riding (along with live music) under the yellow lights on Fridays from late November through mid-March.
Just an hour from the Twin Cities, Trollhaugen Late Night Friday tickets must be purchased in advance and are $22 to ski from 9:00 pm to 3:00 am.
Night Skiing in the West
Unlike New England or the Midwest, where it seems even small, remote ski areas have lights, night skiing in the Western state tends be found at resorts near urban areas, where there are enough guests to make flipping the switch economically viable.
The Summit at Snoqualmie, mentioned above, has the most illuminated terrain in the country, with night skiing available every night but Sunday until 10:00 p.m.
Echo Mountain, Colorado and Brighton Resort, Utah are good examples of this, with night skiing less than an hour from Denver and Salt Lake City, respectively (although on vastly different scales, with Brighton being much larger).
An exception to this rule is historic Howelsen Hill in Steamboat, Colorado. Howelsen Hill began as a ski jump venue in 1914 and added alpine ski runs in 1931. Since that time, Howelsen Hill has produced 89 Olympians and remains an after-dark destination for local athletes and visitors, alike.
Not to be outdone, nearby Steamboat Ski Resort has night skiing on five trails from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Thursday through Sunday.
Finally, if your tastes run to surfing in the morning, followed by riding at night, check out Mountain High near Los Angeles. Less than two hours from the coast, Mountain High’s West Resort has SoCal’s only night skiing, open from 5:00 – 10:00 pm, Wednesday through Sunday.
Enjoy!
Where do you ski at night? Please share.
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