Monarch Mountain, Colorado

Located two hours south of Summit County's mega resorts, Monarch is a little powder paradise off the beaten path. The cat runs just outside the resort's boundaries in a 1,000-acre zone where you'll find No Name Bowl, which tilts to 50 degrees at its steepest point and stretches for 1,400 vertical feet. Most runs aren't that long (the average is 900 vertical feet), but you can typically squeeze in 12 to 15 of 'em. The guides set the pace for your group of up to 12 and ease you into steeper and more challenging terrain as the day progresses. Which is to say that this isn't an ideal choice for your first foray into deep powder. "We discourage intermediates," says Monarch's Greg Ralph. "If there's one person holding everyone up, we'll refund that person and get them out of the group."

$275; skimonarch.com