Confession: I don’t know how computers work. When mine goes south, I stab random buttons. I turn it on and off. I swear out loud. It usually works again after a while and then I move along. Ditto for my phone, ditto for my car, ditto for the other machinery on which I rely any given day.

Ditto for our social systems. Though I studied both politics and economics in school, I read as widely as I can, and I listen as much as I can, this column still proceeds on more thin ice than I prefer to admit. To be truthful is to be profoundly modest. A peasant from the tenth century, living in a world lit by fire, understood more of that world than I do of my own, with every bit of artificial light I can find. He was just more afraid of the dark.

Modernity requires experts and we live and die by them. They keep our phones humming, they keep our bodies working, they keep our businesses prospering. So when those experts fail, we feel pain: physical, social, economic.

Donald Trump became president because our experts have been failing lately. Economic experts not only impoverished our workers for the benefit of China, they also paid for Wall Street crashes with taxpayer funds, ensuring the rich would stay rich while the poor stayed poor. Technology experts fractured our nation into a thousand rabid pieces, then invented AI to fling our future into the whirlwind. Even our medical experts have caused harm. They’ve given us long lives capped with years of dependent misery and myriad new procedures to plaster over our spiritual poverty and make us want painkilling of every sort imaginable.

Our experts have also stopped talking to each other, or to us, or to even make sense on their own terms. Academia took all the progress we’ve made in civil rights and used it to propagate the most egregious example of dead-end thinking a satirist could imagine: gays for Hamas.

It’s therefore no wonder that he has stacked his administration with passionate amateurs instead of lukewarm professionals. As always, his most valid role is to act as the measure of past neglect. For every doctor who told us to mask up and stay home, except if you were protesting George Floyd, a vaccine denier was born. For every economist who explained why the good of our country required free trade, who wore silk ties from France while the rest of us choked on cheap plastic, a class warrior came to be. And for every politician who ignored these developments, an election denier gained credibility.

Hegseth at Defense, Kennedy at Health, Musk, whatever he did before he quit, and more. Most have been awful (Kennedy couldn’t put a band-aid on a child’s knee). Some have done okay (two cheers for Caroline Leavitt, whose politics are raw but who does her job with flair). William F. Buckley’s old jab about preferring to be governed by the first two hundred names in Boston’s telephone directory than by the professors of Harvard College comes to mind. Common sense is worth more than any degree and real world experience helps too.

Yet not just avoiding but vilifying expertise is a dangerous game to play. Our president’s line on scientific research makes zero sense and hands China an open promise; his energy policy is similarly short-sighted; his tariff threats make our allies doubt our sanity. As those things are all abstractions, though, their true effect won’t be felt for years. It has taken Minnesota to drive it home.

As a criminal defense attorney, I watch police video regularly. I see our officers show tremendous patience. I see them lose their temper. I see them take down suspects with speed and force, sometimes for good cause, sometimes for less. I see them show a fairly complete range of human emotion; but importantly, I don’t see a complete range. Far from it. While there are always exceptions, our police officers largely hold themselves in check. They pride themselves on being professional. They pride themselves on self-control.

The video coming out of Minneapolis shows the opposite. Undisciplined, trigger-happy, violence-prone men, seeking their own safety in cowardly anonymity while seething with contempt for the people around them. This is not law enforcement. It’s amateurism run amok. It’s also childish behavior in a grown-up world.

Take this as Trump’s gays-for-Hamas moment. His underlying theory of governance must give way to common sense before more people die. And once that happens, let’s hope that common sense takes root. Our world needs leaders who are not afraid of the dark.

Davidow writes Radio Free New Hampshire for InDepthNH.org. He is also the author of Gate City, Split Thirty, and The Rocketdyne Commission, three novels about politics and advertising which, taken together, form The Henry Bell Project, The Book of Order, and The Hunter of Talyashevka, Chanukah Land can be found here. And his latest novel Interdiction can be found here.

This article first appeared on InDepthNH.org and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

If you’d like to pair your next U.S. ski trip with a hotel housing a blizzard of luxury, read on.

Here, we reveal 12 standout mountain properties so enticing that you may find it difficult leaving for the slopes each morning.

In Colorado, there’s a Five-Diamond-rated ski-in/ski-out property with heated marble bathroom floors; a hotel that looks like a European fairytale ski chateau brought to life; and a property that offers a “slippers to ski boots” concierge service, with gear prepared and taken onto the slopes for guests.

Head to Utah for a hotel that offers a children’s “High Chocolate” afternoon tea-style service with gourmet cocoa and a brand new property with an outdoor pool, hot tubs and Native American art belonging to a Hollywood legend.

Discover the “grand dame” in New Hampshire with a roll call of famous past guests, and the Montana hotel with its own private heated gondola.

In Wyoming, meanwhile, you can check into an opulent slopeside property and ease the day’s aches away in an outdoor swimming pool and whirlpools.

1. The Little Nell — Aspen, Colorado

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The Little Nell is the only hotel in Aspen to offer ski-in/ski-out access to Aspen Mountain (known as Ajax by locals).

Inside the 92-room property, guests relax in rooms featuring gas log fireplaces, wool carpeting, Fili D’oro down comforters and heated ensuite marble flooring.

On the food front, the hotel is home to the Michelin-recommended Element 47 restaurant and the lively Ajax Tavern, famous for its truffle fries and wagyu burger.

The concierge team can organize snowcat powder tours and ski-in/ski-out spa treatments.

Rooms from $1,250.

Read more: The lesser known Rocky Mountain ski resorts with impressive yearly snow packs and manageable lift lines

2. The Arrabelle at Vail Square — Vail, Colorado

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With its clock tower, steeply pitched roofs, wrought-iron balconies and flowery façade motifs, The Arrabelle at Vail Square — just steps from Vail’s Eagle Bahn Gondola — feels like a storybook palace from Europe.

Guests will certainly feel like royalty as they relax in the rooftop pool and the 10,000-square-foot spa, which features 11 treatment rooms, a steam room, a whirlpool and a sauna.

The old world Alpine vibe continues across the public spaces and guestrooms, which are richly decorated with warm woods and stone. There are 81 guestrooms and condominiums in total, including a sprawling five-bedroom villa.

Rooms from $400.

Read more: Forget the Rockies: Five East Coast ski resorts to try instead

3. Pendry Park City — Utah

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Pendry Park City, in Canyons Village, offers ski-in, ski-out access to Park City Mountain, which, with 7,300 acres of terrain, is the largest lift-served ski resort in the U.S.

And because the hotel is right next to the new high-speed 10-passenger Sunrise Gondola, explorations of this incredible ski-scape don’t begin with frustrating lines.

The property has a spa offering treatments such as the “high altitude radiance body treatment,” a rooftop pool with stunning mountain views, and four on-site dining destinations: Kita, an upscale sushi restaurant; Dos Olas, a Mexican-inspired cantina; The Pool House rooftop eatery; and Apres Pendry, a lobby lounge serving European-inspired alpine snacks.

Features in the 175 guestrooms include deep-soak tubs and walk-in showers, and 65-inch TVs.

Rooms from $311.

Read more: The best destinations in Canada for your next ski holiday

4. Grand Hyatt Deer Valley — Utah

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Grand Hyatt Deer Valley has every hotel-stay base covered.

There are 381 luxury rooms, including 26 premium suites with private balconies, kitchenettes and cozy fireplaces; on-site ski lockers; a kids’ club with games room; and several tempting culinary and cocktail destinations, from speakeasy-inspired Hidden Ace to family friendly apres in the Living Room.

At the latter, children can indulge in “High Chocolate,” an afternoon tea-style service with gourmet hot cocoa, s’mores cookies and pastries.

There’s also an Alpine-inspired spa and a 7,000-square-foot outdoor terrace with a large, heated pool and three hot tubs.

Rooms from $325.

Read more: The stunning ski destination where the Winter Olympics are taking place

5. Park Hyatt Beaver Creek — Colorado

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Creature comforts are not in short supply at Park Hyatt Beaver Creek, which transformed its 189 guest rooms in 2025. They feature Nespresso coffee machines, mini-fridges, wet bars, Le Labo bath products, air conditioning, wifi, plush bathrobes, and private balconies showcasing mountain or village views.

Elsewhere, guests can loll in a heated outdoor pool, soothe aching leg muscles in five hot tubs, and have massages in the Exhale Spa, which has 23 treatment rooms.

Refueling options include the 8100 Mountainside Bar & Grill, which rustles up dishes in a wood-fired oven, and lively Brass Bear Bar.

When you’re ready to hit the slopes again, you won’t have far to go. The hotel is located at the base of Beaver Creek Mountain with direct access to the white stuff.

Rooms from $350.

Read more: The 12 best ski resorts in Italy for holidays in 2025/2026

6. W Aspen — Colorado

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Even in glitzy Aspen, the W Aspen stands out thanks to a number of signature features.

Firstly, there’s The Rooftop, a year-round rooftop bar where guests enjoy a heated pool, hot tub, fire pits, a food and beverage service — and 360-degree mountain views.

Then there’s 39 Degrees, a restaurant and apres destination where creative cocktails are sipped to live DJ sets, and Hidalgo, a cocktail lounge speakeasy created by mixologist Dushan Zaric from New York City’s legendary Employees Only bar.

And while the 88-room hotel isn’t ski-in/ski-out, the slopes are only a minute or two away by foot.

Rooms from $300.

Read more: How to have a ‘grown-up’ ski season in your 40s

7. The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch — Beaver Creek, Colorado

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Ritz-Carltons are renowned for top-level pampering, and at the Beaver Creek incarnation during the winter season, one manifestation of that is a “slippers to boots” ski concierge service. Guests are eased into their boots and their skis or snowboard taken onto the slopes for them.

There’s also a “ski nanny” service that assists kids in ski school: they’re given help gearing up and transported to and from lessons.

Other plus points at the property include reimagined guest rooms and suites following a multi-million-dollar renovation in 2022; multiple restaurant options, including Buffalos, where comforting bison chili is served; a vast spa with plunge pools and a Himalayan salt wall sauna; and apres workshops from whiskey tastings to painting lessons.

Rooms from $750.

Read more: I skied Japan’s most and least westernised resorts – this is what I found

8. One&Only Moonlight Basin — Montana

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This property in Big Sky Resort in southwest Montana marks the U.S. debut for luxury hotel brand One&Only.

It opened in November 2025, so, at the time of writing, is brand-new though there are many more reasons to book.

There are the Alpine-chic rooms, suites and cabins; there’s the 17,000-square-foot spa, complete with a beautiful indoor pool; and there’s a Japanese restaurant by Michelin-starred chef and former professional snowboarder Akira Back.

But for many, the main talking point will be the private heated gondola that whisks guests to Big Sky’s Madison Base in around five minutes.

Rooms from $1,800.

Read more: The TravelSmart guide to far-flung ski destinations

9. Rusty Parrot Lodge & Spa — Jackson Hole, Wyoming

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The Rusty Parrot Lodge & Spa — a total rebuild of the original, which was destroyed in a fire in 2019 — in the legendary ski town of Jackson Hole cossets winter sports enthusiasts in boutique-y luxury, and tempts them with top-quality cuisine.

There are 40 rooms featuring handcrafted, custom furnishings, while the Wild Sage restaurant serves carefully curated dishes from dawn till dusk.

At breakfast, you can fuel up for the slopes with omelets featuring morning dew mushrooms and locally grown seasonal vegetables, and yogurt parfait made using yoghurt from Wyoming’s Shumway farms.

In the evening, while Jackson Hole has several excellent restaurants, you may be tempted to head back to Wild Sage for Provençal garlic soup and beef tartare crafted with local ranch-raised beef.

The hotel offers complimentary transport to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort daily.

Rooms from $1,000.

Read more: How to have an extraordinary ski holiday in Italy on an ordinary budget

10. The Inn at Sundance Mountain Resort — Utah

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The Inn at Sundance Mountain Resort, which opened on January 22, 2026, has 63 rooms and sits a snowball’s throw from the Outlaw Express lift.

This means guests can bank a few runs first thing and return straight to the hotel’s amenities at the end of the day.

These include two hot tubs, a large outdoor pool, a sauna and cold-plunge outdoor shower, a fitness center, and a cozy living room serving drinks and nibbles.

For an elevated dining experience, head to the Tree Room, where Native American art once belonging to Robert Redford, who founded the resort, adorns the walls.

Rooms from $1,135.

Read more: This is the sophisticated way to go drinking in the French Alps

11. Omni Mount Washington Resort — Bretton Woods, New Hampshire

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Stay at the Omni Mount Washington Resort & Spa, located in the tranquil Bretton Woods resort, and you’ll be following in the footsteps of a roll call of famous guests, including Thomas Edison, Babe Ruth, John D. Rockefeller, Princess Margaret and Alfred Hitchcock.

The opulent 200-room property, which opened in 1902, truly is a “grand dame” hotel.

As you might expect, the amenities are eye-catching, and they include a 25,000-square-foot, full-service spa; a heated outdoor pool; two golf courses (worth noting if you’re tempted back in the spring or summer); and an indoor climbing wall.

Eating and drinking options? You’re spoiled for choice. Elegant dining comes courtesy of the 1902 Main Dining Room, Stickney’s Steak & Chop Pub is the go-to venue for crowd-pleasers (think smash burgers and BLTs), and you can toast being on a superb ski trip at The Cave speakeasy and Rosebrook Bar.

Rooms from $820.

Read more: The European ski resort that offers it all – from guaranteed snow to Michelin-starred food

12. Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole — Wyoming

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Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole is the town’s flagship hotel, a complex located in Teton Village at the base of Rendezvous Mountain that oozes opulence.

There’s a slopeside heated pool and a trio of whirlpools that glow at night, a Forbes five-star spa, and multiple restaurants, including the Steadfire Chophouse that opened in July 2025 and a pool café that serves complimentary s’mores in winter.

The 157 rooms all include a gas fireplace and a private terrace.

Rooms from $1,000.

Read more: 8 best ski resorts in Norway for your 2025 skiing holiday