"Let's just say you could fly to a distant (sometimes expensive-to-fly-to), but not-insanely-remote, small city and drive a short distance before you arrive at a ski area with 2500 vert, 1,500+ acres of largely high-alpine skiing with respectable terrain features, an average annual snowfall of more than 600 inches of "maritime" snow, a skier density that is often relatively low compared to similar North-American resorts, and lift tickets that can be bought at the window for approximately $60. Do you stop and ski there, or do you double or triple your drive time to ski the MRA-style (Soulskier has asked us to think Silverton) area further down the road?"
I think the question is almost equally valid when applied to Anchorage-area skiers.