Europe may want skiing royalty, but the American West has written its own creative chapter in winter sports culture. From Sun Valley (where Hemingway wrote drafts between runs) to Aspen’s Reagan-era excesses and Jackson’s current crypto-meets-cowboy scene, winter western style has always played by different rules. The gear culture here is born out of necessity—if you’re tracking elk through waist-deep powder or trekking through hot springs in subzero temperatures, you need gear that works beyond the groomed runs of a ski vacation.
There’s something perfectly fitting about celebrating gear made here, in the US—especially when “here” means small-batch workshops in Colorado mining towns and Oregon factory floors rather than overseas assembly lines. This season’s standout ski apparel marries technical flair with a distinctly American attitude. Think of the beauty of small Euro racing, “it can withstand sudden detours to track wolves in Yellowstone.”
Because let’s face it—western winters aren’t all about skiing. Snow to natural hot springs in Utah’s red rock country, track moose outside Steamboat, or end up at a Wood River Valley salon that hasn’t updated its decor since the ’70s (and is better for it). An important packing tip is to find gear that handles both technical demands and cross-cultural issues, equally at home in the powder-bombed Alta ski resort or posted at Mangy Moose, where every part tells the story of American art and travel. Here’s your curated kit of home gear to get you from the slopes to après-ski or catching the playoffs in the comfort of your own home.
