Where to Ski This December

December is the quiet start of the season, when the first good snow arrives and the holiday crowds have not. These are the mountains we would choose this year, and the places to stay once the boots come off.

Stowe, Vermont. The natural first trip from New York. This winter marks ninety years of skiing on Vermont's highest peak, and the mountain is targeting a November 21 opening, conditions permitting. Come for the Front Four, the trails that built Stowe's name, and stay for the village and its long, unhurried evenings.

Aspen, Colorado. Aspen Mountain and Snowmass are scheduled to open November 26, with Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk following on December 12, so a mid December week has all four mountains. It is also the last winter at The Little Nell before it closes in April 2027 for a full renovation. The hotel is ski-in, ski-out and Aspen's only Five-Star, Five-Diamond hotel, and the season brings First Tracks on an early gondola and Friday snowcat tours into the Elk Mountains. If there was ever a year to go, it is this one.

Deer Valley, Utah. An easy flight from Los Angeles into Salt Lake City. Deer Valley is ski-only and limits daily lift tickets, and this season it opens December 5 with the new Hail Peak Express, adding 200 skiable acres and seven runs to a resort now at 4,500 acres. Stein Eriksen Lodge, Utah's only Forbes Five-Star hotel, is ski-in and ski-out, and its ski valet team helps you into your boots in the morning and out of your skis when you come back.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming. For those who want the mountain to ask something of them. Opening day is November 27, and by December the Tetons are fully in their winter light. The Four Seasons in Teton Village has true ski-in, ski-out access at the base of the mountain, and its ski shop handles rentals, tuning and a ski valet, with your skis waiting slopeside in the morning.

Tell Theins the week, the mountain and who is coming. Your personal assistant can arrange the flights, the hotel and the car from the airport.