Wyoming, Usa · Indy
White Pine
25 runs, 370 acres near Pinedale. 80% beginner/intermediate terrain, no expert runs. Indy Pass access.
Season 2025 - 2026
Opens
7 Dec 2025
Closes
30 Mar 2026
Days open
113
Annual snow
17ft
The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
White Pine's summit reaches 9,500 feet, dropping 1,101 vertical feet to a base at 8,399 feet across 25 runs spread over 370 acres near Pinedale, Wyoming. Terrain splits evenly at 40 per cent beginner and 40 per cent intermediate, with 20 per cent advanced and no expert-rated runs. Average annual snowfall reaches roughly 200 inches. The resort operates on the Indy Pass, and was acquired by billionaire Joe Ricketts in 2024.
The even beginner-intermediate split makes White Pine a progression-focused mountain rather than a steep, advanced-terrain destination. Three lifts serve 25 runs across the 1,101-foot vertical drop, a moderate scale for the Wind River Range. The resort sits on Fortification Mountain, the site chosen in 1939 by Olympic ski coach Alf Engen as the best location for a ski hill near Pinedale. No expert-rated terrain sets White Pine apart from steeper Wyoming resorts like Jackson Hole and Snow King.
White Pine has closed and reopened multiple times across its history, a pattern unusual even among small Wyoming ski areas. The resort operated from 1940 until 1985, reopened in 1999 as only the second US ski area ever to reopen after a full closure, then closed again for the 2011-12 season. A fire destroyed the resort's lodge in 2019, five years after new owners had reopened it in 2014. Joe Ricketts purchased the resort in 2024, its most recent change of ownership.
Indy Pass holders get access to White Pine alongside dozens of other independent resorts across North America. Adult full-day tickets range from 55 to 75 US dollars depending on the day and season, with a season pass priced at 499 dollars. The resort suits Pinedale-area locals and Wind River Range visitors seeking straightforward, affordable progression terrain over a destination resort experience. Its history of repeated closure and revival reflects the challenges facing small, independently operated Wyoming ski areas generally.
1,099ft
Vertical
25
Runs
370 acres
Skiable
17ft
Annual snow
Indy
Pass
The Terrain
25 runs across 370 acres skiable
White Pine spreads 25 runs across 370 acres skiable of terrain. It leans beginner at 40%, with 10 beginner runs to find your feet and 5 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
Terrain split
25
runs
25 runs across 4 grades
Beginner10 runs · 40%
Intermediate10 runs · 40%
Advanced5 runs · 20%
Expert0 runs · 0%
Time it right
When to visit White Pine
The 2025-26 season at White Pine ran from 7 December 2025 to 30 March 2026, a roughly sixteen-week window. The resort's 8,399-foot base supports a reasonably long season for its Wind River Range location. Season dates shift year to year based on snowpack and the operator's scheduling, a particularly relevant factor given the resort's history of closures. The late March close is typical for a mountain at this elevation without extensive snowmaking.
Average annual snowfall of roughly 200 inches is moderate relative to the heavier totals seen at Grand Targhee and Jackson Hole further north in the Tetons. The Wind River Range's position gives White Pine a different weather pattern than the Teton-area resorts, generally drier given its more interior location. Specific snowmaking coverage is not confirmed in available resort information. Base depth and season length have historically been vulnerable to the operational and ownership instability that has closed the resort multiple times.
January and February typically offer the most reliable conditions once early-season snowpack has built up on Fortification Mountain. The resort's beginner and intermediate-leaning terrain, with no expert runs, makes conditions less weather-dependent than at steeper resorts nearby. Late-season visits in March can be more variable given the moderate snowfall and Wind River Range's interior location. Given the resort's history, checking current operating status before a visit is more important here than at more established resorts.
White Pine's operating calendar has been shaped as much by ownership stability as by weather, given closures in 1985-99 and 2011-12, and disruption following the 2019 lodge fire. Under Joe Ricketts' 2024 ownership, the resort has continued standard-season operation without documented special events programming. The Pinedale area's Wind River Range setting offers additional winter recreation beyond the ski area itself. As with several of Wyoming's smaller resorts, the calendar centres on reliable basic operation rather than festival programming.
Season 2025 - 2026
7 Dec 2025
Opens
30 Mar 2026
Closes
113
Days open
17 ft
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to White Pine, and where to stay
White Pine sits on Fortification Mountain in the Bridger-Teton National Forest, near Pinedale, Wyoming, on the edge of the Wind River Range. Base elevation is 8,399 feet, with the summit reaching 9,500 feet across a 1,101-foot vertical drop. The site was selected in 1939 by Olympic ski coach Alf Engen as the best location for a ski hill serving Pinedale. The surrounding Wind River Range is known for its granite peaks and extensive wilderness area.
Pinedale, Wyoming, is the nearest town, home to the original Pinedale Commercial Club that first proposed a local ski area in 1930. The town serves as the area's main service centre, with lodging, dining and outfitters supporting Wind River Range recreation beyond skiing. The Wind River Range itself is one of Wyoming's most significant wilderness areas, drawing hikers and climbers in summer alongside winter skiers. Pinedale's character leans toward outdoor recreation and ranching rather than ski tourism specifically.
Local roads from Pinedale provide direct access to White Pine, without the extensive highway infrastructure serving Wyoming's larger resorts. The drive from Pinedale is short given the resort's position on the edge of town's surrounding forest. Winter driving conditions can include snowpack typical of a Wind River Range access route. No public transport service reaches the resort, making a car necessary for access, consistent with most small Wyoming ski areas.
The nearest airport with limited commercial service is in the Pinedale-Big Piney area, though specific scheduled service is not confirmed in available resort information. Jackson Hole Airport, roughly 75 miles north, offers a fuller range of scheduled flights and is the more practical option for most visitors. Rock Springs-Sweetwater County Airport to the south offers another regional alternative. Most visitors reach White Pine by rental car from Jackson Hole or a regional Wyoming airport.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near White Pine, powered by Stay22.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
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White Pine Lift System
White Pine runs three lifts: two triple chairs and one surface lift, serving 25 runs across 370 acres on Fortification Mountain. There is no quad chair, gondola or high-speed installation. The two triple chairs handle the bulk of the mountain's beginner and intermediate terrain, while the surface lift covers the base-area learning zone. This lift count is modest but has been sufficient across the resort's various reopenings since 1940.
The original 1940 installation was a 4,200-foot rope tow built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, the longest ski lift in Wyoming at the time with a capacity of 550 skiers per hour. Today's two triple chairs replaced that original tow at some point across the resort's multiple reopenings, though the exact installation dates are not confirmed in available resort information. The surface lift serves a similar beginner-zone function to the original tow. Lift infrastructure has been rebuilt or maintained through several ownership changes since 1940.
Skiers base out of the area near where the fire-destroyed lodge once stood and ride the triple chairs to reach the upper mountain's intermediate terrain. There is no mid-mountain facility separating sectors on this modest, single-peak mountain. The surface lift operates independently at the base for beginner-zone laps. The straightforward three-lift layout suits a mountain focused on progression skiing rather than complex terrain access.
White Pine's lift infrastructure has persisted through the resort's repeated closures and reopenings since 1940, suggesting the lifts themselves have generally outlasted the business operating them. The 2019 fire destroyed the lodge but not, as far as available information confirms, the lift infrastructure itself. Under Joe Ricketts' 2024 ownership, no new lift investment has been documented yet. Given the site's history, continued operation of the existing three-lift network is itself notable.
3lifts across 2 types
2
Triple Chairs
1
Surface Lift
White Pine lift system
White Pine is served by 3 lifts, listed here by type. Check which lifts are turning against the live conditions before you plan your first laps - early lifts and high-speed chairs get you to the best snow fastest.
More White Pine intelligence: trail map, snow report, webcams, resort overview.