Cooler Ranch
Cat Skiing at a Sexy Private Ranch

Snow: generally considered helpful for skiing. Also: not exactly in strong supply in the Rockies this winter.

But now that it is falling, you’ll be ready. Snowcat-grade ready.

Behold Snowcat Skiing at Three Forks Ranch, a new offering from one of the Rockies’ sexiest private lodges, arriving now that it finally f*#@ing snowed.

Think of a snowcat as your personal ski butler—one that comes with a massive snowplow, all-terrain treads and/or bench seating for six. One is there to taxi you up 1,100 vertical feet of gladed mountain face. And another’s there to smooth out up to 20 untouched, private runs in the Sierra Madre, before you grace them with your descent. (You’ll carve these green-, blue- and black-diamond trails almost completely at your leisure, since the hotel caps capacity at a lean 30.)

Your lodgings fall somewhere between Ted Turner’s ranch and Rick’s Café from Casablanca—fireplaces carved from Russian pine, oil paintings of Western scenes and bronzed cowboy sculptures. By night, you’ll take in the mountain range from the spa’s heated infinity pool before settling into the Great Room, where a local native will be manning the antique Steinway by the door.

And yes, he’ll play it again, but only if you stop calling him “Sam.”