$780k medianNiseko
Hokkaido, Japan
The world's deepest, most consistent powder — and the most internationally liquid ski property market in Asia. Foreign freehold ownership, strong rental yields.
The Global Ski Real Estate Index
Powder Metrix 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.
95
Index leader — Niseko
+12%
Strongest momentum — Niseko
$420k
Entry point — Hakuba median
590″
Deepest snow — Niseko
The index
A blend of snowfall (40%), market momentum (30%) and value (30%). Higher is a better all-around mountain market.
Niseko
Hokkaido, Japan
95
Hakuba
Nagano, Japan
83
Revelstoke
British Columbia, Canada
75
Chamonix
Haute-Savoie, France
68
Whistler
British Columbia, Canada
57
Steamboat
Colorado, USA
54
Alta
Utah, USA
51
Park City
Utah, USA
44
Figures shown are preliminary placeholders. Final index data is being collected and will be published soon, curated by Williams Realty.
Featured towns
Snowfall sets the ceiling; price and momentum decide the entry. The full picture, town by town.
Utah, USA
$2.45M
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.
Hokkaido, Japan
$780k
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.
Haute-Savoie, France
$760k
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.
Colorado, USA
$1.29M
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
Beyond the numbers — what it's actually like to own at the base area before the first lift.
$780k medianHokkaido, Japan
The world's deepest, most consistent powder — and the most internationally liquid ski property market in Asia. Foreign freehold ownership, strong rental yields.
$420k medianNagano, Japan
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.
$640k medianBritish Columbia, Canada
North America's biggest vertical drop, a real railroad town, and prices still far below Whistler. The classic early-stage resort market thesis.
$760k medianHaute-Savoie, France
Permanent Mont Blanc views in a year-round town with serious big-mountain pedigree. Scarce building land keeps the market tight.
$1.28M medianBritish Columbia, Canada
The benchmark North American resort market: deep, liquid, and globally recognized. Mature by design — growth comes from the mountain's fame, not discovery.
$1.29M medianColorado, USA
Champagne powder is literally trademarked here. A ranch-town main street that still feels like a town, with a growing four-season economy.
$2.45M medianUtah, USA
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.
$1.65M medianUtah, USA
Two resorts, one historic mining town, and the largest lift-served terrain in the US. Thirty-five minutes from a major international airport.
Methodology
One score, three signals — so a deep-snow bargain and a blue-chip classic can be compared on the same scale.
Long-term average annual snowfall from resort records. Depth is the foundation of every ski market: it drives demand, rental seasons and scarcity.
Year-over-year price appreciation. Where the market is heading matters as much as where it stands, especially in early-stage resort towns.
Affordability relative to every other market on the index. The best number is useless if the entry price has already run away.
Powder Metrix is curated by Jim Williams of Williams Realty, drawing on resort records and market data to help buyers find the right mountain town.
Full town profiles, head-to-head comparisons and live index updates are on the way from Williams Realty.
Explore the index