Mountain Layout—Skiing

The area's one high-speed quad, Eagle Express, serves as the primary chair to the upper-mountain lifts. It can get somewhat crowded sometimes, so don't come back to the base during peak loading times, such as mornings before 9:30. Instead, try Caribou Chair on the lower mountain, far to the right, where there's rarely a wait. It has terrain for all abilities and also will get you to the upper-mountain lifts, Paradise Chair, Kiefer T-Bar, Knob Chair and Eagle Ridge Quad. You can purchase lift tickets at the hut near Caribou Chair on the weekend, so you can bypass the lines at the base ticket windows. To reach it, drive past the main lodge and head for the farthest parking lot (fourth lot). Or park in any of the lots in this area and ski down to the base to buy your ticket. Novice, intermediate, advanced and expert trails can be found off all lifts with the exception of the Knob Chair which has no green runs.

Marmot has four distinct areas:

The Lower Area, accessed by the Eagle Express Chair, School House Platter—excellent for beginners—he Caribou Chair and a magic carpet in the learning area.

The Upper Area, serviced by the Paradise Chair and the Kiefer T-Bar to the top of Caribou Ridge is great for experts and intermediates.

The Knob Area, served by the Knob Chair, features advanced and expert terrain.

Eagle Ridge Area, the newest area at Marmot, is serviced by the Eagle Ridge Quad which accesses 20 expert, advanced and intermediate runs on Eagle Crest and Chalet Slope as well as one long novice run on Chalet.

If you want to learn about the local history while you explore the mountain, join a mountain host for a complimentary tour. Here's a trail map.

Expert, Advanced: Marmot has tree-lined runs toward the bottom and wide-open bowls at the top. Generally, the higher you go, the tougher the skiing gets. The Knob Chair takes you to the highest lift-served terrain. From the top of that lift, the hardiest hike the last 600 feet up to Marmot Peak. (Our vertical-foot and summit stats reflect the lift-served terrain, while those advertised by the area include this hike.) It's all Alpine bowls up here, and they are really sweet. There's fine powder in Dupres Chute dividing it from steep, double black Charlie's Bowl, named after Charlie Dupres, who died in an avalanche here many years ago. You may want to opt for the "easier" Dupres Chutes and Dupres Bowl. Another good choice for bowls and untracked powder is to stay high and to skier's right of The Knob. A vast area of glades off the Eagle Ridge Chair on Chalet Slope where the powder lasts is most challenging. The chutes, bowls and glades on Eagle East are an extreme skier's dream. Terrain off the back side is a true backcountry experience. The drop-ins to this area can be intimidating and often require vertigo-inducing traverses to get you where you want to go. Keep an eye out for the boundary signs that funnel you back toward the trails. Otherwise it's a long hike out. There's also excellent glade skiing off the Paradise Chair and Kiefer T-bar, both of which serve Caribou Ridge. Off to skier's right the trees in a black area are truly misnamed Milk Run. Outer Limits is an off-piste experience similar to Eagle East off the back of the Paradise Chair. Plan for at least 30 minutes to make your way out along the flat Whistler Creek Trail, which dumps you out next to the third parking lot below the Caribou Chair. For mogul mashers, directly below the Eagle Express, Tranquilizer Chair and Paradise Chair you'll find some super bump runs. Warm up here before heading to the right of Knob Chair to hammer the most challenging bumps. [TOP]

Intermediate: Every lift has an intermediate way down, even The Knob. Punch Bowl and Paradise are especially delightful runs. The Knob Traverse takes you high on the mountain where you'll have incredible views. On blustery days, stay low on the mountain, where trees provide shelter from winds that sometimes block visibility on the naked summit. The intermediate runs on Chalet Slope off Eagle Ridge, which also hold snow longest, are excellent choices. [TOP]

Beginner, First-timer: The three lifts at the base serve most of the lower-level terrain. Beginners have expansive mountain access, with 1,100 vertical feet on Eagle Express and Tranquilizer Chairs after you master terrain from the School House Platter and the Magic Carpet at their base. Old Road is a great run for novice skiers and can be accessed from either the Eagle Express or the Tranquilizer chairs. You can even head up to Caribou Ridge for an above-treeline thrill where a wide trail, Basin Run, takes you safely back to the lower slopes. A novice run on Chalet Slope off Eagle Ridge provides gorgeous views from the top before you wind down the mountain. [TOP]