Wherever your ski travels take you, you’ll find yourself a mogul. You might even end up surrounded by them. Calling them bumps won't make them any smaller. Staring at them won’t help you get down. Keep your knees together (best you can) and tackle our list of the Top 10 Mogul Runs in North America. We dare you to try.
Summary of our Top 10 Mogul Runs in North America (in order of Vertical Feet*):
Click the trail name to jump to that section
Kant Mak'M — Telluride, CO
Chute 75 — Palisades Tahoe, CA
Lone Pine — Mt Norquay, Alberta
Lookout — Stowe, VT
Outerlimits — Killington, VT
Outhouse — Winter Park, CO
Larch Poma — Lake Louise, Alberta
Bubbly — Kickinghorse, BC
Tower Three Chute — Jackson Hole, WY
Champion — Deer Valley, UT
Honorary Mentions: There are three trails from our List of the Top 10 Hot Dogging Runs in North America that are also legendary for their moguls:
* These links take you to our feature on Top 10 Hot Dogging Runs
Gunbarrel — Heavenly, CA
Exhibition — Sun Valley, ID
Alf's High Rustler — Alta, UT
1. Kant Mak’M — Telluride, CO
Mogul Run: Kant Mak’M
Length: 5,438 feet
Vertical Drop: 2,014 Feet
Resort: Telluride
As if over a mile of moguls isn’t tiring enough, Telluride’s Kant Mak’M has the added element of starting at just under 12,000 feet. As your knees and back begin to burn, you’ll gasp for oxygen and there won’t be much. Sounds like a whole ton of Type-2 fun.
If you need any extra inspiration, look no further than former Telluride local John Cooper, who skied Kant Mak’M 1,000 times during the 2014-15 season. According to Cooper, his friend bet him $100 that he, can we say, Koulnd’t Mak’M. But Cooper Made’M and we believe you can too. Insider tip: when you get to Telluride–and this goes for any ski area, but especially Telluride–hydration is key. The town sits at 8,750 feet and most of the mountain is above 10,000 feet.
Access: From town, take Chair 8/Oak Street Lift, exit left and get onto Chair 9/Plunge Lift. At the top, do an immediate u-turn and ski back down under the lift.
2. Chute 75 — Palisades Tahoe, CA
Mogul Run: Chute 75
Length: 2,006 feet
Vertical Drop: 1,500 feet (courtesy of Teton Gravity)
Resort: Palisades Tahoe
Chute 75 is a long leg burner with a sustained pitch. According to mogul skiing gold medalist, Jonny Moseley, it’s the best run on the mountain. And that’s saying something considering the run just to the skier's right of Chute 75 is named after him. (Check out Moseley and some other local pros shred Chute 75 here.)
Accessed from Palisades Tahoe’s famed KT-22 (aka The Mothership), Chute 75 is best in the afternoon sun. Whether in search of an early-season leg blaster to get your ski-legs back under you or some perfect slushy late-season bumps, Chute 75 is a must.
Access: From Olympic Village ride KT-22. Exit right onto Saddle. Follow this cat track around the gondola station. Once around the corner, there’s a sign for Chute 75 on the right.
3. Lone Pine, Mt. Norquay, Alberta
Mogul Run: Lone Pine
Length: 2,165 feet
Vertical Drop: 1,300 feet (according to SkiBig3)
Resort: Mt. Norquay
Lone Pine at Mt. Norquay is a legendary mogul run with one of the steepest pitches in all of Canada, a whopping 1,300 feet of vertical drop. Locals take on the “Lone Pine Challenge” by seeing how many times they can ski it in one day. Plus, direct views from the Lone Pine Pub mean when you take on the pitch and moguls you’re on full display, so it’s a great run for people watching the pros.
Access: Take the North American Double and exit right. Lone Pine will be on the skier's left.
4. Lookout — Stowe, VT
Mogul Run: Lookout
Length: 2640 feet
Vertical Drop: 1,263 feet (based on vert for Upper Lookout only)
Resort: Stowe
Stowe boasts some of the oldest and longest trails in New England. In traditional fashion, many of these runs are kept ungroomed for the entire season to the delight of locals and visitors. There are many iconic runs on Vermont’s highest peak, but next time at Stowe, make sure to check out Lookout.
Hidden in plain sight behind a red fence and under the Lookout Double, this straight-cut trail features a fun double fall line, well-spaced trees on both sides, and a chairlift audience that knows its stuff. Ripping down Lookout, cutting back up the fall line left to right will leave you with a huge smile and wanting more. Insider tip: when everyone’s heading for the trees or other well known trails after a storm, head to Lookout for a quiet lap of fresh snow and incredible views.
Access: From the Mansfield Lodge base area, ride the Lookout Double and take a look at the run below. Exit right and wrap around to Lower Lord where you’ll see a red snow fence directly under the Double. Enter right of the fence. You can also take the quicker Fourrunner Quad to the top and after taking Lord Loop into Upper Lord, look for the same red fence.
5. Outer Limits — Killington, VT
Mogul Run: Outer Limits
Length: 2,534 feet
Vertical Drop: 1,145 feet
Resort: Killington
There’s no way this list is complete without mentioning one of the steepest, gnarliest lines in New England. Outer Limits is probably the first run that comes into mind when we think eastern bump runs.
Outer Limits on Bear Mountain at Killington is the ultimate stage for any mogul enthusiast. This trail has been a testing ground for the region's best bump skiers for decades, and is home to the first Olympic mogul gold medalist in 1992, Donna Weinbrecht. Want to go for gold yourself? Check out the Bear Mountain Mogul Challenge which goes off every April. Don your finest '80s gear and relive glory days past or swing by the Deck Bar to witness greatness on the trail above. Either way, you’ll find the party at Outer Limits.
Access: From the Bear Mountain base, ride Bear Mountain Quad exit left, wrap around the lift and you’ll find yourself on Outer Limits.
6. Outhouse — Winter Park/Mary Jane, CO
Mogul Run: Outhouse
Length: 2,270 feet
Vertical Drop: 886 feet
Resort: Winter Park
Mary Jane, an area named for a notorious business woman during Colorado’s mining days, was added to Winter Park Resort in 1975. It’s so famous for its moguls, we could’ve closed our eyes, thrown a dart at a trail map and been totally sure it would’ve landed on a great mogul run. But we’re making a list, so we had to pick, and it had to be Outhouse.
What separates Outhouse from the rest isn’t that it’s steep and long with multiple different pitches, so are a slew of other runs at Mary Jane. What separates Outhouse from the others is prominence. As you pull up to the base it’s staring at you. A long white strip from the top to the bottom, daring you to test your mettle/legs to see if you have what it takes. They don’t groom Mary Jane and that’s just the way the locals like it.
Access: From the Mary Jane Base Area, ride Super Gauge Express. At the top, go right onto Whistlestop. Follow Whistlestop to the top of the Lariat rope tow. Take a right and go until you reach the top of The Gondola. Once at the top of The Gondola, Outhouse will be on your right. From The Village At Winter Park, just get on The Gondola, exit left and there it is.
7. Larch Poma — Lake Louise, Alberta
Mogul Run: Larch Poma
Length: 3,168 feet
Vertical Drop: 863 feet
Resort: Lake Louise
Larch Poma is an intermediate-level bump run, favored by ski instructors as the ideal training ground for mogul skiing technique. Located off of the Larch Express, this area of the resort is generally less crowded and easy to lap with little to no lift line. Larch Poma snakes parallel to a popular groomer, Larch, which you can traverse onto near the bottom if your legs are getting sore. The best part about this run? Temple Lodge is located conveniently at the bottom for a warm-up or reward after practicing those perfect turns.
Access: From Whiskyjack Lodge, ride Grizzly Gondola. Exit straight ahead and take any of the runs down. They all end at the base of Larch Express. Ride Larch. Exit left and wrap around onto Larch. Keep right and, after a couple hundred feet, you'll end up on Larch Poma.
Bonus Mogul Run: Paradise Bowl
Length: 1,162 feet
Vertical Drop: 289 feet
Resort: Lake Louise
*For experts at Lake Louise, we also call out Paradise Bowl. It's located on the backside of Lake Louise Ski Resort, and accessed by the nostalgic three-seater Paradise Chair. While advanced skiers flock to it on a powder day, this bowl is just as good (or better) after the snow has settled. Perfectly formed moguls from top to bottom, and directly under the lift line, make it an all-star lap for those wanting to show. At the bottom of the bowl, drop into Upper Alley for an expert-level tree run or chase more moguls down Hell's Kitchen.
8. Bubbly — Kicking Horse, BC
A rare thin cover leads to a little extra challenge in picking a line on Bubbly.
Mogul Run: Bubbly
Length: 1,901 feet
Vertical Drop: 843 feet
Resort: Kicking Horse
Bubbly is not the steepest or the gnarliest run at Kicking Horse, instead it is a delightful leg-burner composed of delicious sized bumps for its entire length. Though very large, these bumps tend to be soft and downright "bubbly". Try your hardest to tear from top to bottom. However, for the wary, the It's a Ten Cat Track weaves through it a few times, making for a nice perch to rest a minute, pick a line and go back at it again.
Access: Head up the Golden Eagle Gondola and drop into Crystal Bowl via It's a Ten cat track. Continue down Crystal Bowl and go left under the chairway and right into the next junction for Bubbly.
9. Tower Three Chute — Jackson Hole, WY
Mogul Run: Tower Three Chute
Length: 1,162 feet
Vertical Drop: 712 feet
Resort: Jackson Hole
Jackson is known for Corbet’s, the Hobacks and its unparalleled lift-accessible backcountry terrain. We'd be remiss not to mention that it has some pretty epic moguls too. Tower Three Chute off Thunder Chair might be the most technical mogul run on this list.
There’s no easing into Tower Three. The top is extremely steep and there are a couple of trees that force you to pick a lane. Also, you’re in full view of Thunder Lift and the Tram, so you’ve got an audience. Once you’re beyond the trees, the run dives into a tight chute and elbows to the left. Be careful of the rock walls, but don’t look up from the next mogul.
The bottom third of Tower Three is a little more forgiving. It’s wide open and gentler. Though you can see and almost taste the sweet groomed relief of Amphitheater, you’ve still got another 50 or so yards of moguls on legs that are, by this point, Jell-O. Good luck!
Access: From Teton Village, ride Bridger Gondola. Walk out to the end of the walkway and hop on Lupine Way. Lupine merges with Amphitheater. At the bottom of Amphitheater, stay right and you’ll end up at Thunder Quad Chair. Ride Thunder. At the top, u-turn and head back down under Thunder, staying on to the left. When the slope steepens, you’ll see a sign and the orange fencing for the gate to Tower Three Chute.
10. Champion — Deer Valley, UT
Mogul Run: Champion
Length: 1,320 feet
Vertical Drop: 554 feet
Resort: Deer Valley
The site of the 2002 Salt Lake Olympic Freestyle (mogul) competition and renowned as one of the toughest courses on the FIS World Cup Freestyle circuit, Champion is the center of the mogul skiing universe. Our logic: if it’s good enough for the best in the world, it’s definitely good enough for us. It’s got all the ingredients of a great mogul run. Immediate steepness and a manageable length.
Access: From Snow Park Lodge, ride Carpenter Express. Exit left onto Little Stick. Take Little Stick for a little while. The second run on the left is Champion. From Silver Lake Lodge, ride Homestake Express. Exit straight ahead onto Little Stick. For the remaining steps, see above.
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