Ski-in, ski-out or a short walk?
What the lodging labels mean and how to read our minutes.
Short answer
"Ski-in/ski-out" means you can, in theory, ski to the door and from it to a lift. Nobody checks the label, and some places earn it with a long traverse or a shuttle. Minutes on foot to the bottom of a lift are a plainer test: under 5 is effortless in boots, 10 is fine, past 15 most people drive or take the bus.
The labels you will see
- Ski-in/ski-out: a run passes the building. Ask which run, and whether it is open all season.
- Slopeside: beside a run, often at the bottom; you may still walk to the lift.
- Walk to lifts: anything from 2 minutes to 20.
- Shuttle to lifts: a drive, with a timetable.
Why we measure to the bottom station
A lift is where every ski day starts, so it is the one point everyone shares. We take the lift's lowest end from the map and measure from each building to it. A place on a run at the top of the mountain can still be a long walk from a lift's bottom, which is why a great ski-in spot can show a big number here.
Boots, kids and gear
- Plan on walking in ski boots at about half your normal pace.
- With small children, a 5-minute walk beats any view.
- Ask about ski lockers at the base: they turn a 15-minute walk into a 15-minute walk in sneakers.
Where the most beds sit within about 5 minutes of a lift
- Park City Mountain Resort23 within about 5 minutes
- Vail22 within about 5 minutes
- Ober Gatlinburg19 within about 5 minutes
- Jackson Hole Mountain Resort18 within about 5 minutes
- Telluride Ski Area15 within about 5 minutes
- Heavenly Mountain Resort14 within about 5 minutes
- Breckenridge Ski Resort10 within about 5 minutes
- Red River Ski Area9 within about 5 minutes
- Mammoth Mountain7 within about 5 minutes
- Aspen Snowmass6 within about 5 minutes
- Steamboat Ski Resort6 within about 5 minutes
- Aspen Mountain6 within about 5 minutes
- Deer Valley Resort5 within about 5 minutes
- Beaver Creek Resort5 within about 5 minutes
- Boyne Mountain4 within about 5 minutes