Sure, everyone from Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez Bezos to Prince Harry and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have been frolicking in the snow — or lack thereof — in Aspen in recent weeks, but other boldfaces are looking beyond the usual winter destinations in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and Switzerland.
New — and newly invigorated — ski resorts near and far are attracting power players and celebs with fresh powder and fresh perks, from luxury clubs, private mountains and Michelin-starred chefs.
Have a look.
Denali National Park, Alaska
Key players: In 2019, Julia Roberts reportedly took husband Danny Moder to this ultra-isolated resort to celebrate his 50th birthday. Reachable only by helicopter, it sits in the shadow of Mount McKinley, North America’s tallest peak and previously known as Denali, on a 33-acre nunatak deep inside a national park.
“There is no other way to experience the mountain unless you’re willing to pitch a tent, eat freeze-dried food, and survive the elements,” owner Marne Sheldon told NYNext. “So we put you in a beautiful 2,000 square-foot chalet, with a chef preparing gourmet meals, warm and fluffy down beds — all the features that you would find at any ski resort, and then some, in the the most gorgeous place on all of Earth.”
The land itself is part of the legend: Sheldon’s father-in-law, Don Sheldon, a bush pilot and surveyor, claimed the site under the Homestead Act decades before Alaska achieved statehood and the area became a national park.
Built to realize Don’s vision of a true refuge at the edge of the world, the chalet spares no comfort. The two-story, hexagonal lodge hosts just five bedrooms (10 guests max), a rooftop sauna and a kitchen run by Neil Young’s former personal chef. Every stay is a complete buy-out, with nights priced at $32,000.
Two resident mountain guides tailor every stay — from heli-skiing and glacier trekking to fly-fishing — and few places on earth offer a better seat for the aurora borealis.
Fljót Valley, Iceland
Key players: Former Blackstone real estate executive Chad Pike opened this remote spot in 2016 — it’s one of eight lodges around the world operated by his Eleven Experience, a luxury adventure travel company. In May 2025, Justin Bieber reportedly spent a week here recording music and enjoying the stunning scenery.
Set near the Arctic Circle on a former sheep farm, Eleven Deplar offers extreme terrain without even a semblance of crowd. Guests are ferried by helicopter to untouched runs — vast snowfields stretching all the way to icy Atlantic waters. The ski season lasts well into June, at which point the sun doesn’t set much before midnight.
Adventurers can also opt to go snowmobiling or try Arctic-surfing. Ultra-thick wetsuits are available on-site.
The luxurious inn features just 13 guest rooms, one restaurant and a geothermal spa.
Given the terrain, the resort is probably best suited for expert skiers who don’t mind a bit of a drive. The outpost takes four-hours to reach by car from Reykjavík, Iceland’s capital, or two-and-a-half from Akureyri, a regional airport.
Most winter weeks are booked up years in advance.
“It seems every day is going to be the best day ever, even on days we thought we knew what to expect,” one reviewer wrote.
Hokkaido, Japan
Key players: Japan’s ski scene is booming. Niseko, a mountain town on the country’s idyllic northern island, has drawn comparisons to Aspen and St. Moritz and attracted celebs such as Hugh Jackman and Sam Neil, as well as developers such as Malaysian billionaire Francis Yeoh and Charlerm Yoovidhya, the Thai billionaire and co-owner of Red Bull GmbH.
While there are a growing number of upscale hotels, the six-star Seasons Collection Niseko on the quiet side of Mount Niseko-Annupuri stands apart.
To reach the one-of-one private estate, you ski through the trees on the little-known Seasons Chairman’s Run. You can’t miss the multi-level villa, and you shouldn’t miss its in-house Michelin-starred chef.
The lodge, which appeared in Netflix’s “The World’s Most Amazing Vacation Rentals,” also boasts a home theater, indoor heated swimming pool and 1,000-bottle wine cellar.
“With [all that], you might not want to hit the slopes,” one reviewer wrote.
Windham, NY
Key players: Hospitality gurus Kemmons Wilson Jr. — heir to the Holiday Inn empire — and Sandy Beall — founder of Tennessee’s five-star Blackberry Farm — acquired the previously low-key ski area in 2023. They’ve spent $70 million transforming the once humble Catskills spot into a private, amenities-packed club.
Members pay $200,000 to join, plus $9,000 in annual dues, for early access to “first tracks” on the mountain, which had surprisingly good snow (for the East Coast) last season and this past December. While parts of the mountain are still open to the public, there are members-only lift lines, private locker rooms, valet service and exclusive dining options, including a steakhouse and 15-table sushi restaurant.
New boutique hotels like The Henson — which features a destination restaurant, Matilda, from the team behind trendy Wildair on NYC’s Lower East Side — add to the upscale vibe.
“Can we beat Vale or Aspen or Jackson on skiing? Probably not,” Beall told NYNext. “But, we’re running an elevated resort — we can beat them on food and beverage, on hospitality, on experience.”
Dolomite Mountains, Italy
Key players: In years past, everyone from Tom Cruise to Prince Albert of Monaco have stayed at the storied Rosa Alpini, which dates back to the 1930s. This past summer, after a two-year, $69-million renovation designed by noted architect Jean-Michel Gathy of Denniston, the historic hotel reopened as the Aman Rosa Alpina.
“This new chapter with Aman is something we approach with great pride, as it brings together our history with a shared vision for the future,” Hugo Pizzinini, the hotel’s managing director and co-owner, told Travel + Leisure.
Tucked in the quaint village of San Cassiano, the hotel is just a short walk from the Piz Sorega gondola and the adjacent mountain, elevation 6,565 feet. Skiing events in the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics will be taking place about an hour’s car ride away in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Some of original Rosa Aplini’s charms — such as the longtime piano player and the ski butler, who can help newcomers navigate the mountain’s terrain — remain. Aman did away with other features, including the former three-Michelin starred restaurant, Hubertus, in favor of a more relaxed grill, with standout items including cotaletta alla Milanese and Piemonte rib-eye steaks.
A refurbished spa boasts two outdoor infinity pools, a warm thermal bath and a lap pool. The hotel will arrange for helicopter transfer from the local airports if you don’t want to drive the twisting mountain roads.
Park City, Utah
Key Players: The popular mountain has reportedly drawn visits from everyone from Taylor Swift and Gwen Stefani to the Kardashians — but in recent years, it’s perhaps been best known as the place of origin for an alleged accident that landed Gwyneth Paltrow in court.
Deer Valley previously ranked as the 15th largest ski resort in the nation with over 2,000 skiable acres, but, in the past year, it has added ten new lifts and more than doubled in size. The outgrowth, dubbed “Expanded Excellence,” brings the mountain to 31 lifts, 202 runs and 4,300 skiable acres.
Lodging expansion lags behind mountain expansion, so this winter might be one of the least crowded in Deer Valley’s history. Come 2026-27, the current five-star options — Montage Deer Valley and Stein Eriksen Lodge — will be joined by a Four Seasons, which is currently under construction.
Despite all the changes, at least three of the resort’s hallmarks remain. Deer Valley still caps daily capacity to manage crowds, snowboarders are still banned and day lessons with an Olympian can still be had for about $3,000.
“This isn’t a reinvention,” President of Deer Valley Resort Todd Bennett told NYNext. “It’s an expansion of what has worked well — we’re continuing with that.”
This story is part of NYNext, an indispensable insider insight into the innovations, moonshots and political chess moves that matter most to NYC’s power players (and those who aspire to be).
Wolf Creek, Utah
Key players: Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings acquired Powder Mountain in 2023 and started developing this $300 million semi-private housing community on it shortly thereafter.
While public skiers can still use much of the mountain, owning a Powder Haven home — prices begin at around $2.5 million — unlocks access to exclusive lifts and uncrowded, un-groomed lines reserved for members.
This winter marks the first operational season of the mountain’s private side with the debut of the Primetime lift. It’s opened roughly 1,200 acres of north-facing powder in the mountain’s newly expanded Davenport territory.
That’s just the beginning. Two more private lifts are set to open in the coming years, and a 73,000-square-foot members-only summit clubhouse with an in-house gym, omakase, heated outdoor pool and pickleball courts is currently under construction.
With so much to offer, it’s no surprise that Hastings sold nearly all 39 build-ready lots before a single road was paved. Thirty-four additional custom homesites are now available, with average listing prices around $4 million.
“The demand has been tremendous,” he told Robb Report.
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