The Global Ski Real Estate Index

Full data set — coming soon

Where property meets powder.

PowderMetrix ranks the world's ski towns on the numbers that decide a mountain home — snowfall, value and market momentum. Developed by Jim Williams of Williams Realty.

See the index Meet the towns

Index leader — Niseko

+12%

Strongest momentum — Niseko

$420k

Entry point — Hakuba median

590″

Deepest snow — Niseko

The index

Every town, one score

A blend of snowfall (40%), market momentum (30%) and value (30%). Higher is a better all-around mountain market.

#TownIndexMedian priceYoY

Niseko

Hokkaido, Japan

$780k+12.0%

Hakuba

Nagano, Japan

$420k+9.6%

Brighton

Utah, USA

$850k+7.4%

Revelstoke

British Columbia, Canada

$640k+8.1%

Solitude

Utah, USA

$920k+6.8%

Snowbird

Utah, USA

$1.1M+5.9%

Chamonix

Haute-Savoie, France

$760k+7.0%

Whistler

British Columbia, Canada

$1.28M+3.2%

Alta

Utah, USA

$2.45M+5.4%

Steamboat

Colorado, USA

$1.29M+5.6%

Park City

Utah, USA

$1.65M+4.8%

Deer Valley

Utah, USA

$2.95M+6.2%

Figures shown are preliminary placeholders. Final index data is being collected and will be published soon, curated by Williams Realty.

Research by Williams Realty

The 2026 Powder Value Index

How many real-estate dollars are paid for each inch of average annual snowfall? Lower is better — more snow value per real-estate dollar.

Williams Realty Powder Value Index 2026 — bar chart comparing real-estate dollars paid per inch of average annual snowfall across 16 ski resorts

Working 2026 comparison by Williams Realty. Market benchmarks vary by data class; see the methodology below before drawing conclusions.

Featured towns

Four markets, side by side

Snowfall sets the ceiling; price and momentum decide the entry. The full picture, town by town.

Alta

Utah, USA

$2.45M

Average snowfall547″

Season

Nov – Apr

YoY change

+5.4%

Vertical

2,180 ft

Skier-only and buried by the Wasatch lake effect. Inventory is tiny and rarely trades — legacy cabins at a premium that never seems to soften.

Niseko

Hokkaido, Japan

$780k

Average snowfall590″

Season

Dec – Mar

YoY change

+12.0%

Vertical

3,080 ft

The world's deepest, most consistent powder — and the most internationally liquid ski property market in Asia. Foreign freehold ownership, strong rental yields.

Chamonix

Haute-Savoie, France

$760k

Average snowfall375″

Season

Dec – Apr

YoY change

+7.0%

Vertical

9,186 ft

Permanent Mont Blanc views in a year-round town with serious big-mountain pedigree. Scarce building land keeps the market tight.

Steamboat

Colorado, USA

$1.29M

Average snowfall337″

Season

Nov – Apr

YoY change

+5.6%

Vertical

3,668 ft

Champagne powder is literally trademarked here. A ranch-town main street that still feels like a town, with a growing four-season economy.

Market notes

Life at the top of the list

Beyond the numbers — what it's actually like to own at the base area before the first lift.

$780k median

Niseko

Hokkaido, Japan

590″ snow+12.0% YoYDec – Mar

The world's deepest, most consistent powder — and the most internationally liquid ski property market in Asia. Foreign freehold ownership, strong rental yields.

$420k median

Hakuba

Nagano, Japan

430″ snow+9.6% YoYDec – Apr

Ten resorts in one valley beneath the Japan Alps — and the most accessible entry price on the index. 1998 Winter Olympics territory on the way up.

$850k median

Brighton

Utah, USA

500″ snow+7.4% YoYNov – Apr

Big Cottonwood's laid-back locals' hill with the same legendary lake-effect snow. Among the last truly affordable ownership pockets in the Wasatch canyons.

$640k median

Revelstoke

British Columbia, Canada

420″ snow+8.1% YoYDec – Apr

North America's biggest vertical drop, a real railroad town, and prices still far below Whistler. The classic early-stage resort market thesis.

$920k median

Solitude

Utah, USA

500″ snow+6.8% YoYNov – Apr

The name says it — quiet lift lines, Honeycomb Canyon powder, and a European-style village. Small inventory keeps values resilient.

$1.1M median

Snowbird

Utah, USA

500″ snow+5.9% YoYNov – May

Little Cottonwood Canyon's steeps and 500-inch seasons, an hour from downtown Salt Lake. A serious skier's mountain with undervalued slope-side stock.

$760k median

Chamonix

Haute-Savoie, France

375″ snow+7.0% YoYDec – Apr

Permanent Mont Blanc views in a year-round town with serious big-mountain pedigree. Scarce building land keeps the market tight.

$1.28M median

Whistler

British Columbia, Canada

465″ snow+3.2% YoYNov – May

The benchmark North American resort market: deep, liquid, and globally recognized. Mature by design — growth comes from the mountain's fame, not discovery.

$2.45M median

Alta

Utah, USA

547″ snow+5.4% YoYNov – Apr

Skier-only and buried by the Wasatch lake effect. Inventory is tiny and rarely trades — legacy cabins at a premium that never seems to soften.

$1.29M median

Steamboat

Colorado, USA

337″ snow+5.6% YoYNov – Apr

Champagne powder is literally trademarked here. A ranch-town main street that still feels like a town, with a growing four-season economy.

$1.65M median

Park City

Utah, USA

300″ snow+4.8% YoYNov – Apr

Two resorts, one historic mining town, and the largest lift-served terrain in the US. Thirty-five minutes from a major international airport.

$2.95M median

Deer Valley

Utah, USA

300″ snow+6.2% YoYDec – Apr

Skier-only, famously groomed, and one of the most prestigious addresses in American skiing. A massive new terrain expansion is reshaping the market.

Methodology

How the index works

One score, three signals — so a deep-snow bargain and a blue-chip classic can be compared on the same scale.

Snowfall — 40%

Long-term average annual snowfall from resort records. Depth is the foundation of every ski market: it drives demand, rental seasons and scarcity.

Momentum — 30%

Year-over-year price appreciation. Where the market is heading matters as much as where it stands, especially in early-stage resort towns.

Value — 30%

Affordability relative to every other market on the index. The best number is useless if the entry price has already run away.

Developed by Jim Williams · Williams Realty

PowderMetrix is curated by Jim Williams of Williams Realty, drawing on resort records and market data to help buyers find the right mountain town.

Work with Williams Realty

Your next mountain home, decided by data.

Full town profiles, head-to-head comparisons and live index updates are on the way from Williams Realty.

Explore the index