Even between working as an investment banker and raising two kids, Tribecan Alli Widman made sure the family skied as often as they could. At least once a year, the four of them would get out to Park City and as a result, grew to know the ins and outs of the Utah ski resort — and feel like real insiders. So when she and her husband snuck off on a trip to Vail in 2018, she realized she needed a guide to help her navigate a new ski area — one that would give her the tips that you just couldn’t uncover on the resort’s website.

“We spent a lot of time trying to find our way around,” Alli said. “Car or no car? Where’s the best powder? Where can we eat? I had to use five or six different sites to figure it out. And I thought, wouldn’t it be cool to get the insider guide in one spot?”

Later that winter she launched Avant Ski, at first just a scrappy website to help skiers decide which pass to buy, a question her city friends would often ask. It soon evolved into a one-stop shop for advice and tips on ski resorts around the country.

The venture also scratched an itch she’s had since business school to launch something of her own, so in 2019, frazzled by travelling too much for work, she decided to go all in on Avant Ski as a media company. Now the site has 70 guides and 20 contributors updating the intel. She has developed an advertising and affiliate linking program, which keeps things running for now. Eventually she may get into bookings as well.

Of course covid derailed her marketing plans when travel ground to a halt, but there were also some perks. She was able to move the family full-time to Park City for one season while the kids were in online school, allowing them to live a mountain lifestyle for a couple months. And her stable of writers grew to include some entrenched industry people with significant ski experience, adding depth to her reviews.

She also added more content as well as tips and tricks: full-day itineraries; how make the most of demo offers; where to ski from NYC; the top ski stores in the area; state-led passport programs (= free skiing) for elementary aged kids.

Her target audience is not so much the seasoned powder hound but the recreational skiers and families who are looking to get out on the slopes more often, and tap some experts to find the best and easiest ways to do it. Her site will help you navigate the different mountains, passes and offerings.

And if you still can’t decide, she’ll send a hand-written recommendation herself. “I don’t think you can find this anywhere else.”