If you happen to have a cool mil or two lying around, you should take a hard look at the Elk Meadows ski area auction, currently scheduled to end Monday evening, November 23. Current high bid is just $1.16 million. Okay, true, that’s a lot of loot, but we need to have some perspective here: For the cost of a Laguna Beach teardown, you get 1,138 acres of gorgeous terrain in central Utah, six lifts, two lodges, nine condos, and 400 inches of annual snowfall.

The Tushar Mountains are one of Utah’s little-known gems. Located north of Brian Head and south of the Salt Lake sprawl, they have sweet backcountry and a tiny population base–just the little town of Beaver. So, admittedly, you’re not drawing on a huge pool of potential lift-ticket buyers. But dang–your own personal hill…isn’t that the dream? And it would make a sick mountain bike destination. Shaun White, got any spare change?

Tagged as: skiing