A Wealth of Open Spaces at the Ski Resorts in Idaho Story and photos by Tim Leffel Enjoying retro ticket prices and throwback facilities, a skier explores the uncrowded ski resorts in Idaho just before "social distancing" becomes a common phrase. “We’ve hit every trail now, so which ones do you want to do again?” Tony asked. It was quiet on the mountain, only an occasional other skier in sight, the creak of the lift chair being the only sound besides a breeze rustling the evergreen trees. This was the seventh Idaho ski resort the two of us had experienced and it was a fitting end to a week and a half of mostly empty slopes, no lift lines, and no pretention. That's exactly what I had been looking for. I wanted to see if there was a part of America left where normal people still went skiing from apartments they could actually afford, an area where every other lift ride wouldn’t involve a conversation with a hedge fund manager, surgeon, or corporate attorney.