Away.com’s ski guide for the 2005-2006 season can help everyone from black-diamond junkies to bunny-slope beginners pick a place to take in gorgeous views, crisp air, and perfect powder. You can browse their top picks by interest—categories include “family skiing,” “bumps,” “close to airport,” “scenery,” and my favorite, “lack of crowds.”

Speaking of the latter, there might not be anything in the terrestrial world like quietly skiing through uncluttered snow, eyes filled with nothing but white and evergreen. Perhaps the only peaceful moment of my early adolescence was a late-afternoon run through a soft Colorado bowl—I remember swooping back and forth, joyfully singing the Beastie Boys’ “Paul Revere” at the top of my lungs, not a soul in sight (“All by myself—without nobody”). You can aim for your own “Revere” (or quieter) moments at any of the places on Away’s uncrowded list. It starts with Big Mountain, a “3,000-acre winter playground” tucked in Whitefish, Montana. There’s about a 1-to-1 person-to-acre ratio on busy days, during the week there’s night skiing, and the area gets about 300 inches of snow a year.

The ten-point list also includes Big Sky, also in Montana, which has everything from “easy-cruising piste to nerve-jangling expert offerings;” Crested Butte, a resort currently undergoing major renovations (but with the most double black diamonds of anywhere in Colorado); and Wyoming’s Grand Targhee, a powdery wonderland filled with “Snow from heaven, not hoses,” according to the brochures.

For other quiet skiing options, check out other uncrowded offerings in Vermont, out West, and in Canada.