THE GOOD LIFE Ski resorts


(2022/23 holds the top spot with nearly 65 million visitors, according to the US Nation- al Ski Areas Association), the dearth of good quality snow, and space to enjoy it in, be- comes even more worrying. The rich and famous aren’t keen on over-


Reed Hastings is pursuing a half-public, half-private business model at Powder Mountain in Utah (pictured on previous page)


crowding at the best of times, so it’s little surprise that efforts to create VIP skiing ex- periences have stepped up a gear. As of 2025, several ski resorts have been priva- tised in North America. Three of them – the Yellowstone Club in Montana and Wasatch Peaks Ranch and Powder Haven, both in Utah – operate as private clubs where pro- spective members must purchase real estate. The Yellowstone Club reportedly charges an initial fee of £300,000 and annual dues of more than £30,000. That’s in addition to the mandatory property purchase that will set you back at least £3 million, though it could easily be considerably more. Mark Zucker- berg, Bill Gates and Justin Timberlake are reportedly among the club’s members. A few hundred miles south lies Wasatch


Peaks Ranch, which is still in development. Bare lots of land (where one can build one’s own lodge) are priced at around $10 million, membership is $500,000, and there is the op- portunity to acquire an equity stake, for those who are happy to invest at least $5 million. But money alone is not enough to access this snowy seventh heaven, which boasts 70 miles of slopes, high-speed ski liſts, a luxuri- ous mountain village and a golf course for the warmer months. There is said to be an


ultra-rigorous vetting process and restric- tions on the publication of photos or GPS data of any on-mountain activity. Access to private slopes like these offers


the promise of privileged access to fresh powder, empty liſts and, like any good club, a strong sense of community. The owner of Powder Haven, Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, tells Spear’s that he thinks of it ‘more as a golf club than a private resort’. The billionaire had been a longtime visi- tor to Park City, the nearby resort that has been visited by the likes of Taylor Swiſt and the Kardashians. ‘But it got more and more crowded,’ he explains. ‘And of course, you want your family time to be magical, so I vis- ited Powder Mountain and I thought, “This could be magical.”’ Hastings purchased Powder Mountain in


2023 by investing $100 million to secure a controlling stake in the resort, wiping out the debt it had accumulated. Powder Moun- tain officially opened as a ski resort in 1972 and now ranks among North America’s larg- est, with more than 8,000 skiable acres (it is around 12,000 acres in total size), more than 160 named runs, and more than 360 inches of average annual snowfall – almost double the natural snow that Aspen receives. When Hastings gained majority owner-


ship of the area, he decided to keep a part of the mountain public while turning the rest of the resort into Powder Haven, the latest ultra-exclusive residential ski club to open in the US. This private part of the mountain


IT IS NOT


‘LUXURY’ IN THE CLASSIC SENSE.


OF COURSE, IT IS BEAUTIFUL AND SAFE, BUT IT IS NOT ASPEN


Members at the Yellowstone Club in Montana pay annual dues of more than £30,000


ALEX GOODLET, GIBEON PHOTOGRAPHY


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