Kicking Horse Wins Gold - Best Ski Resort for Off-Piste 2025 North America
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The 2025 Snomad Awards are liveThe Snomad Ski Resort Awards 2025 are live: decided by real skiers See Winners
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gold winner: Best for Off-Piste - north-america
Kicking Horse

Why Kicking Horse is Highly Rated for Off-Piste

Kicking Horse is North America's off-piste paradise. Our community have awarded the resort the coveted 2025 gold award for Best Resort for Off-Piste in the North American category. For those riders who are ditching the piste map and venturing off the marked trails, Kicking Horse has 4.84/5.00 rating from our users. The ungroomed terrain here is nothing short of legendary, with Snomad community member Tom describing it as "simply the best resort in the world for off-piste, big alpine skiing" with "the most ridiculous alpine bowls any resort has." This sentiment is echoed by Vince, who praises the "wonderful off-piste terrain and accessible, hikable backcountry from the top of the gondola." The natural features are extraordinary, with Ryan pointing out that the resort offers "more chutes and coulys then you could ever imagine," while expert snowboarder Jesse raves about the "super steep insane terrain with easy access to some of the best chutes on earth."

The backcountry access at Kicking Horse is unparalleled, making it a haven for adventure skiing enthusiasts. Expert skier Matt explains there are "lots of options for short (5-20 min) hikes to get in-bound, less skied runs," while Suhan describes the mountain as having "extremely challenging terrain that is more like backcountry avalanche terrain that just happens to be avalanche controlled." One Snomad community member liked that "you can almost always find powder if you don't mind hiking the ridges of the resort," as Chloe points out. Expert snowboarder Dave sums it up perfectly: "terrain is challenging if you dare to hike it and you are rewarded with amazing views and beautiful untouched powder." For true adventure seekers, expert skier Rich confirms it's "a fun and challenging resort, especially if you want to hike for your turns or are into ski touring."

Want to head off the beaten track? Read our full resort guide to see how Kicking Horse stacks up across all 20 of our community-rated categories!

Community Review

Kicking Horse, Canada
"Simply the best resort in the world for off-piste. The resort is serviceable in other areas, however the only reason youd come to Kicking Horse is to ski the most ridiculous alpine bowls any resort has! SO MUCH FUN!!"
Kicking Horse
Tom
expert skier

Other Winners In Best for Off-Piste

2nd
Utah

Snowbird

4.83/5
off-piste rating
3rd
British Columbia

Revelstoke

4.81/5
off-piste rating

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<div className="snomad-award" style="display: inline-block; text-align: center; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; max-width: 200px"> <a href="https://gosnomad.com/ski-resort-awards/2025/north-america/off-piste/gold" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none; color: #d5a500"> <img src="https://gosnomad.com/images/resort-awards/2025/gold.png" alt="Snomad Best for Off-Piste - Gold Winner" style="max-width: 150px; height: auto;" /> <div style="font-size: 12px; margin-top: -10px; font-weight: bold" >Best for Off-Piste</div> <div style="font-size: 12px;">North America - Gold Winner</div> </a> </div>
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About the Snomad Ski Resort Awards

The Snomad Ski Resort Awards are the most authentic and unbiased recognition in the ski industry, based entirely on genuine guest experiences from real skiers and snowboarders.

Unlike other awards that rely on paid nominations or allow resorts to collect their own votes, ours are determined by verified ratings from actual visitors who have experienced these resorts firsthand.

This approach ensures that winning resorts truly deserve recognition based on guest satisfaction rather than marketing budgets or social media follower counts, providing you with trustworthy recommendations for your next mountain adventure.