I have extremely limited experience of skiing is the US (I'm from Scotland), my only visit for skiing was in 1992, on Honeymoon, when we stayed in the North Star Lodge at Killington.
While I loved it then, and I have been back to killington to visit (but not ski) , it was my first experience of a large ski area. Previously I, (we) had only been to Scottish ski areas which are very limited ( you'd probably call them local ski hills) and one other trip to Sierra Nevada, not the US one, the one in southern Spain.
For one reason or another, we stopped going skiing for many years, but then caught the bug and we or (i) have been away at least one major trip for the last many.
Its my favourite thing, ever. I'd happily forego a summer sunshine holiday to ski, my other half is by no means as keen, but likes the general winter holiday idea.
In the last few years, our trips have been to Alpbach, Austria ,Morzine in the Portes du soleil, France mostly! , two trips to Canazei, which is in the Italian Dolomites, and most recently, just before the covid lockdown, to Kitzbühel, Austria.
In the UK, most skiers will book a package holiday , usually through one or two main travel companies, typically Inghams or Crystal . The deal will normally include, flights, transfers, hotel or chalet accommodation and usually food on a half board basis. (Breakfast and evening meal) . Normally, extras such as ski passes, rental equipment and lessons as required can be added into the total cost, or purchased separately in resort.
Some people prefer to arrange it all themselves, or at least partly , arranging their own flights etc.
In view of the above, many resorts become over supplied shall we say with a certain type of visitor, since the travel co's offer limited numbers of resorts.
The resorts I've been fortunate enough visit have varied quits a lot , for example Alpbach is a typical beautiful little alpine village , with not an awful lot by way of aprés. Thats OK by me, we're older now...morzine in the pds is a different matter. Very busy, very aprés,and very full of the people I don't particularly want to spend time around. The ski areas linked to the PDS lift pass are wonderful however, and range over a massive area, indeed more than one country.
Kitzbühel is wonderful. Superbly connected so simple to get to, (we could get on a train outside our hotel) and very swish indeed, way more so than my pockets could imagine. It is the only ski resort , on a mountain, in a land locked country in which I saw a "Yacht shop".
Lots of very expensive cars, and equally expensive looking ladies.
The skiing here,is of course fantastic too. We went there because I wanted to see the famous Streif course, my wife wanted to go because it looked really nice. It met both requirements.
My favourite so far, by a long, long way though is the dolomites. Fabulous skiing everywhere , many hundreds of kilometers of beautifully pisted, 100% (allegedly) snow sure snowmaking system. Just beautiful scenery, totally different from the normal alpine views. You'll have seen the scenery at the recent World champs from Cortina- ot of this world. See also the pic in my avatar - thats from the top viewing platform on the Marmolada, at 4000m+
Oh, did I mention the Sella Ronda? No? A 40km + linked circuit around the central mountain massif, which can be skied in 4 or 5 hours, either clockwise or anti, and gives access to all the other linked ski areas included in the ticket.
Simply wonderful.
Add to that the ability to stay in any of the various linked resorts, and indulge in quieter, or more rowdy places as you choose while still enjoying the same enormous area.
Food and drink in the dolomites are far better value both on hill and off than resorts in the other alpine countries, and I find the local people far friendlier too.
The main difference between the skiing in us/alps I my limited experience is on/off piste. Although there is undoubtedly plenty off piste in europe, most skiing is piste.
There are very few "bowls" in the american resort style. Also, most of the on-piste is above the tree line. I often look at American piste maps where there are pistes cut through trees and think "wow, there are 3 runs on that entire mountain face" what a waste of terrain.
I'm happy to ski, at all, especially at the moment, but if I could recommend one single place to go from my admittedly limited experience, it would 100% be the Dolomites.