“The next frontier of exclusive, members-club culture? Ski mountains. We went to Netflix founder Reed Hastings’s new Powder Mountain to see how private mountains are taking over — and changing — the American landscape.”
Grayson Schaffer writes for GQ on Powder Mountain
Some extremely fit and self-reliant skiers are escaping the crowds by strapping on touring skis and trekking into the backcountry, with its attendant avalanche risks. But another subset of truly blessed souls have simply vanished from the lift line as though divinely raptured by the invisible hand of Adam Smith himself. Where have they gone, exactly? Heaven?
Close. They have gone to private ski clubs. Much like how private aviation captured ultra-high-net-worth fliers and left the merely prosperous to grovel for frequent-flier status, these clubs are enabling the richest sliver of Americans to opt out of traditional resorts and preserve not only their sanity but their anonymity.
In 2025, there are more than a half-dozen private clubs across the country. At these mountains, there’s rarely a lift line, and fresh powder may last for a week. Or so I learned when I skied Powder Haven, the residential side of Utah’s Powder Mountain, which was recently acquired by Netflix founder Reed Hastings. Since last year, half of the chair lifts and lodges are open only to club members. The other half are open to everyone, and are in the process of being enhanced by works from artists like James Turrell.
Read the full article in GQ here