America's ski resorts have long sold themselves as a pristine escape for the rich and famous. 

But behind the designer goggles and après-ski fur boots, a darker story is emerging.

From Aspen to Vail and Park City to Jackson Hole, the elite world of US skiing and snowboarding is being rocked by wild drug-fueled parties, unruly behavior and disturbing allegations of harassment and sexual assault involving young women.

Longtime skiers say the sport they fell in love with is barely recognizable - and insiders warn the rot runs deep.

The US ski and snowboard industry is booming on paper: Resorts logged about 61.5 million skier visits in the 2024–25 season, the second-highest on record, despite snowfall running below the 10-year average.

Industry revenue hit an estimated $4.2billion by 2025, driven by soaring pass prices, consolidation and luxury experiences.

Yet beneath the surface, critics say the industry is in moral and cultural decline.

'The culture around skiing has gotten worse,' wrote one regular skier on Reddit. 'Selfish skiing. S****y etiquette. Flying through slow zones. No apologies.'

America's winter wonderlands have been overtaken by jet setters and wild drug-fuelled parties

Locals worry about growing incidents of assault and harassment at après-ski hot tub parties 

Another added bluntly: 'This sport is very expensive so you have a large amount of overly entitled narcissistic people who think they own the mountain.'

Anyone who has stepped into Aspen's infamous Cloud Nine bar knows the scene. Champagne sprays. Boots on tables. Music thumping at altitude.

The same energy pulses through The Red Lion in Vail and Jackson Hole's Million Dollar Cowboy Bar – haunts frequented by celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Justin Bieber and Mark Zuckerberg.

But insiders say the party culture has tipped into something uglier.

Law enforcement agencies have stepped up crackdowns on cocaine, ecstasy, methamphetamine and fentanyl flowing into resort towns, fueling wild après-ski nights in bars, luxury lodges and private chalets.

In October 2024, traffic stops on Interstate 70 in Eagle County yielded 133 pounds of methamphetamine, along with cocaine and fentanyl, some believed to be headed for Vail and Beaver Creek.

Another 100 pounds of meth was seized in Vail in late 2025. In November, Colorado authorities announced the seizure of 1.7million fentanyl pills statewide.

Drug teams have also been active in Park City, Utah – another playground for Hollywood stars and Silicon Valley executives.

More troubling than hangovers are the allegations now surfacing from young women working or training in ski towns.

At Camelback Resort in Pennsylvania, a teenage female hostess has sued the resort, alleging she was sexually harassed by a male coworker – and that she and her younger brother were fired after she complained.