4,000-ft untouched faces, glacier landings, hot tub overlooking Denali.
Tordrillo Mountain Lodge or Points North. 4,000-ft untouched faces, glacier landings, hot tub overlooking Denali. The actual Alaska fantasy — not a resort in a parka.
Four days at Sun Valley Lodge, the 1936 resort that defined American ski culture. Day one: Bald Mountain top-to-bottom runs, lunch at Warm Springs Restaurant mid-mountain. Day two: Full day with Sun Valley Heli-Ski for backcountry descents and yurt lunch above the valley floor. Day three: Rest day with cigar selection at The Ketchum Club, dinner at Enoteca at the Limelight Hotel. Final night: Pioneer Saloon for whiskey and live music, steaks at Cristina's at the Limelight.
Four days of cat-skiing out of Irwin Guides' base camp, dropping into 11,000-foot bowls above Crested Butte with zero lift lines and fresh snow every morning. Nights at Crested Butte Mountain Resort's slopeside condos, dinners at Public House (elk meatballs, house-made pasta, Colorado wine list), and a soak at South Canyon Hot Springs on the drive back down. Bourbon and cigars in the lodge after each run, skin-on-skin warmth in a 10-person hot tub under the stars.
Tordrillo Mountain Lodge — the longest-operating heli-ski lodge in Alaska, run by U.S. Olympic ski medalist Tommy Moe. 40 minutes by floatplane out of Anchorage to a private 5,000-acre lodge fronting Judd Lake. Spring (March-April): heli-ski operations into the Tordrillo Range. Summer (June-September): the 'Kings & Corn' program — heli into Tordrillo glaciers in the morning for corn skiing on permanent snow, then float-plane to the Talachulitna for king salmon in the afternoon. Pilots average 5,000+ hours; lodge holds 14 guests max. All-inclusive: lodging, meals, drinks, helicopter, fishing gear, ski guides. Anchorage (ANC) connects.
Whistler Sliding Centre — the actual 2010 Olympic bobsled track — runs passenger sliding sessions in summer and winter (50-85 CAD/person, 125+ km/h, three-person bobsled with a pro pilot). Day-two heli-ski with Whistler Heli-Skiing or Blackcomb Helicopters into Tordrillo-grade powder fields. Sleep at the Four Seasons Whistler or the Fairmont Chateau Whistler. Dinner at Araxi (Pacific Northwest, the Whistler institution). Day-three Peak2Peak Gondola ride (longest unsupported gondola in the world, 2.7 miles), zipline, brewery tour at Whistler Brewing. Vancouver (YVR) is 90 minutes south by Sea to Sky Highway.
Ice Magic Festival on Lake Louise (mid-January, ice carvers from 30+ countries chainsaw 100,000-pound blocks for nine days), heli-ski with Mount Norquay or Pursuit out of Canmore. Sleep at the Fairmont Banff Springs (1888 castle in the woods, the Rocky Mountain icon) or the Rimrock. Dinner at the Eden Restaurant (Banff Springs castle, the only AAA 5-Diamond in Western Canada). Day three: Banff Upper Hot Springs in the snow, Sulphur Mountain Gondola, the Bow Falls below the castle. Calgary (YYC) is 90 minutes east.
Eleven Experience's Iceland flagship — 13-room sheep-farm conversion 4 hours north of Reykjavik in Tröllaskagi. Spring (March-April): heli-ski operations into 4,000-ft Tröllaskagi peaks. Summer (June-September): fly fishing for Atlantic salmon and Arctic char on the Fljót River. Lodge has a 5,000 sq-ft Icelandic-design spa (geothermal bath, sound bath room). Conde Nast Best Hotel in the World 2023. All-inclusive: lodging, meals, drinks, all heli flights, all guided activities. Akureyri (AEY) airport, 1.5 hours by van.