Top 10 Favorite Resorts

[Dave Petersen]

Images from the web

 

[Fishbowl]

I am seeing Arizona Snowbowl repeatedly. This has me curious -- I've never been there but now I want to go.

The map you posted is a little outdated now as two new lift have been installed in the last few seasons. Snowbowl also has a very extensive snow making system, which along with a 9,500 ft elevation, gives us a Thanksgiving through Easter ski season. We don't get as much natural snow as other areas, but when it does fall it tends to be in large dumps of light powder. The only real down side being the high afternoon temperatures that tend to create a lot of melt/freeze conditions. Flagstaff is a great college town with many bars, hotels and restaurants. The college does give us more than our fair share of snowboarders, but they rarely show up until the afternoon. At just two hours from Phoenix Sky Harbor, we are reasonably accessible to the rest of the country. I believe this year we are also getting a new restaurant and lift at the main base. Plus, Snowbowl also has one of the best beginner areas I have seen anywhere and the tree skiing off the upper bowl rivals the best the West has to offer.

Here is the new trail map.

 

[DanoT]

I have my own weighted criteria that is a bit different than the op.

When it comes to skiing I am very crowd adverse; when it comes to snow I am a snow quality snob. I also like high speed cruising on the groomers, although now that I am an old guy I like cruising but I pick my spots where I go fast. I try to avoid moguls unless they have a foot of snow on them, so I like winch-cats, wind sift, and runs that don't get enough traffic to create moguls.

In no particular order:

Aspen, one of the least crowded of any major US resort even on a powder weekend, near perfect weather whenever I have skied there. Bonus points for an outstanding transit system. According to a bus driver, on the Saturday of the X games a few years ago they carried over 50k transit riders.

Alta/Snowbird, best combo of terrain, snow volume and snow quality. I won't go near the place on an over crowded powder weekend but that is what Brighton/Solitude are for. For me a great powder day is NOT 1 hour of untracked powder skiing followed by 5-6 hours of cut up trashed snow. Bonus points for cheap accommodation in nearby Sandy.

Jackson Hole, fabulous terrain and variety. Needing to line up mid week at 6am at the Gondola or Tram on a powder morning and getting to watch VIPs crash the line is not for me. However by avoiding these 2 lifts and avoiding the Thunder Chair I was able to find untracked foot deep powder on other parts of the mountain until near noon. Bonus points for cheap accommodation in the nearby town of Jackson.

Big Sky, very uncrowded especially on the Moonlight Basin side. I had a boot top powder day there a couple years ago and there was a steady 12 person lineup at the 6 pack chair so I gravitated to the fixed grip double where I was skiing runs where I was the only person skiing and I thought I was back at the Burfield Chair at Sun Peaks.

Sun Valley, best high speed cruising in North America. They don't get a ton of snow but if it is a poor snow year, they have 500 snow guns, so no worries. Mostly uncrowded with tons of lift capacity.

There could be a separate list for the British Columbia Interior. Suffice it to say that just about every small town has turned or tried to turn their local ski hill into a destination resort. The result is that B.C. is overbuilt for lift capacity. Except that every town has an unwritten "15cm (6") Rule" wherein if it snows 15cm overnight, everyone pours out of the woodwork to ski and then after a couple hours or so people go back to school or work or to the back country and some business that were closed for the morning reopen. I should give a shout out to Whitewater near Nelson, B.C. Whitewater gets so much snow that the locals are jaded. So if it snows less than 15cm overnight, no one bothers to go skiing.

Castle Mountain. Tucked away in southern Alberta, I like to tell people that Castle is the greatest mountain in North America that you have never heard of. There are 4 chairs, two of which deliver 2800' vertical and it is a little like Snowbird when you get off the upper chair. Go to the right and you ski along a cat track and drop into bowls or tree runs. One blue run and the rest black and double black. Go to your left and the cat track delivers more black and double black runs. A very windy area that has wind sift which means the wind moves snow around to fill in tracks and prevent moguls from forming without it even snowing. If it wasn't for local school trips this place would be completely empty mid week. Grade school kids are not allowed to ride the chair to the upper mountain.. I once showed up there on a Monday morning after a 3 week snowless brutal Alberta cold snap had ended with a reported 20cm snowfall that was actually 25-30cm and there was all of 20 skiers in line first thing in the morning.

Copper, Winter Park, and Steamboat, I have 3 days at each and was very impressed with terrain and tree skiing but weekend crowds are a concern. That being said the Eagle Wind area of Winter Park delivered boot top turns in the trees several days after a storm and Copper had short lift lines on the Sunday and Monday of Presidents Day weekend during a storm as long as I stayed on fixed grip lifts. Loved the tree skiing terrain at Steamboat and nice town.

Sun Peaks, my home mountain with probably the best high speed cruising in Canada (there is even a run called Cruiser), along with some of the driest snow and is very uncrowded especially on the long slow Burfield Chair which most non locals ride once and then never come back. I also don't like fog and while Sun Peaks gets it share of fog it is almost always just the upper mountain in the fog and the mostly treed lower mountain has 4 and a half chairs (mid terminal on the Burf) that are usually fog free.

 

[DanoT]

I forgot Whitefish. It has a reputation for fog but was clear the 2 days that I have skied there. Great tree skiing which probably mitigates the fog. I have held off returning to Whitefish only because I am waiting for the 2018-19 season when I will be a Super Senior and elligible for FREE SKIING. Very nice town.

Schwietzer is not too far from Whitefish and I find the mountain to be quite similar to Whitefish and like Whitefish not very crowded. Very good tree skiing and an old double chair that is the longest lift at the resort and not too many people ride it. The nearby town of Sandpoint is also very nice.

 

[DoryBreaux]

1. Alta
2. Alta
3. Alta
4. Alta
5. Alta
6. Mammoth
7. Sugar Bowl
8. Stevens
9. Baker
10. Alta

 

[David Chaus]

In no particular order:

Whistler/Blackcomb. For obvious reasons, stated by others.
Crystal Mt (WA). Terrain every bit as good as Whistler/Blackcomb, on a smaller scale.
Jackson. No need to explain
Snowbasin
Mt Bachelor. The Northwest terrain pod does it for me, as well as the Summit.
Red Mt (like Jackson but without trams, crowds or attitude)
Sun Valley. What Dano said.
Sun Peaks. What Dano said.
Schweitzer. No crowds, wide well-groomed slopes, interesting terrain including great glades, much less $$ than comparable destinations
Brundage. Excellent snow, no crowds, feels like you've got a whole mountain to yourself. Like Schweitzer, interesting terrain and glades without much gnar, though that could change with their planned expansion.

Targhee, Solitude, and Powder Mt. might all be pretty close to Brundage, but I had more time at Brundage and know it better and appreciate it more. For terrain alone, Alpental and Stevens Pass might be rated higher but the overall ski experience isn't as much fun for me. I've been to six Tahoe areas (Squaw, Alpine Meadows, Mt Rose, Northstar, Heavenly and Kirkwood) during the 2012 Gathering, but didn't have enough time at any one destination to feel Ike I really knew the place. I have not yet been to Alta, Snowbird, Mammoth, Big Sky, Taos, Whitefish and anything in Colorado, so my thoughts may change with more time.

 

[Mike Rogers]

I should ski at more resorts.

But my favorites so far:
1) Whistler/Blackcomb (terrain)
2) Jackson Hole
3) Snowbird
4) Kicking Horse
5) Red Mountain (best trees)
6) Alta
7) Lake Louise (with more snow, it would rank higher)
8) Castle
9) Fernie
10) Whitewater

Notables Outside the top 10: Solitude, Sunshine, Revelstoke, Big White, Silver Star, Bachelor(visited 6 days, but the summit was closed for all of them), Stowe, Jay, Sugar Loaf, Norquay, Nakiska, Panorama

I have also skied Vail and Beaver Creek, but I was pretty young and inexperienced (second year skiing), so it is difficult to evaluate. I enjoyed the vacation though.

 

[Philpug]

Hmmmm

West:
Jackson Hole-Big, proud and you have to take sriously
Snowmass- So much area to get around and all types of terrain
Big Sky-See Snowmass
Snowbird-Utah snow with magnificent terrain
Arapahoe Basin- Home awy from home.
Copper- The more I ski here, the more I like it.
Whistler-Blackholm- Cannot say anything that hasnt' been said before

East
Mad River Glen-Personality like no other mountain.
Sugarbush-MRG terrain but mure of it.

Not doing all 10 because there are areas I not been to yet inc:
Sun Valley
Taos
Yellowstone Club
Crystal

 

[fatbob]

La Grave
St Anton
Fernie
Red
Val Thorens
Kirkwood
Highlands
WB
Squaw
Vail (yeah I know it's flat)

KH sould probably be in there somewhere.

 

[Tricia]

I feel like I need to ski a few more places before I pick my top 10, but I'll give it a stab
In no specific order.

1. Kirkwood
2. Alpine Meadows
3. Squaw Valley
4. Arapahoe Basin
5. Loveland
6. Aspen Snowmass
7. Snowbird
8. Bridger Bowl. I've only skied there once, but I should definitely get back there.
9. Jackson Hole
10. Big Sky

 

[4ster]

Using this criteria:
(1) great terrain, (2) uncrowded, (3) lift efficiency (layout), (4) weather/snow conditions, and (5) natural scenery.
& my own experience, my list may go something like this...

1. Kicking Horse (I've heard it's gotten more crowded since I was last there).
2. Arosa (Modern off the radar resort up a winding road in Switzerland)
3. Snowbasin (getting crowds on weekends now pbut still better than most)
4. Big Sky (a long ways from anywhere keeps this big place feeling small)
5. Rose (for a small place, there is lots of variety & less crowds than most Tahoe resorts)
These top five rate with weight being placed on the uncrowded part. I might throw Bachelor & Powder Mountain in there but just not enough steep terrain. I think I would really like places like Castle, Red & Telluride but I've never been. I am also sure there are many more hidden gems in Eurasia.

The next 5 are amazing for terrain, lifts, scenery & snow but crowds eliminate them from the top, so better to visit in non peak season.

6. Les Gran Montet (Just up the road from Chamonix, amazing terrain!)
7. St. Anton (huge complex, reliable snow & crazy party scene)
8. Mammoth (Gondi, Chair 23, Lincoln)
9. Snowbird (Tram laps)
10. Squaw (KT22 & Olympic Lady are the real deal!)

Jackson would probably fit in here too but I've only experienced it during a powder frenzy.
So many more great ones but this list works for me.

 

[at_nyc]

Using this criteria:
(1) great terrain, (2) uncrowded, (3) lift efficiency (layout), (4) weather/snow conditions, and (5) natural scenery.

Everyone seem to have similar "criteria", how come we ended up with different lists?

Reason #1: Weather & snow condition (4) changes daily, crowd level (2) changes drastically too depending on WHEN one last visited. Since most of us are compiling that list based on our past trip(s) to the mountain, a mountain perceived as crowded maybe not when we visit it during non-holiday period. Or the "terrible condition" during a drought

Reason #2: What's "good terrain" (1) for one maybe bad terrain for another. Not being a super-duper gnarly cliff jumper, I prefer more variety of terrain. A bit of gnar can be exciting, but I don't want to do that for all day and everyday! More over, a mountain with a lot of terrain variety typically has many runs of different aspect. That really helps to be able to find good snow under different weather conditions.

 

[Bigtinnie]

In no particular order:

Whistler/Blackcomb. For obvious reasons, stated by others.
Crystal Mt (WA). Terrain every bit as good as Whistler/Blackcomb, on a smaller scale.
Jackson. No need to explain
Snowbasin
Mt Bachelor. The Northwest terrain pod does it for me, as well as the Summit.
Red Mt (like Jackson but without trams, crowds or attitude)
Sun Valley. What Dano said.
Sun Peaks. What Dano said.
Schweitzer. No crowds, wide well-groomed slopes, interesting terrain including great glades, much less $$ than comparable destinations
Brundage. Excellent snow, no crowds, feels like you've got a whole mountain to yourself. Like Schweitzer, interesting terrain and glades without much gnar, though that could change with their planned expansion.

Targhee, Solitude, and Powder Mt. might all be pretty close to Brundage, but I had more time at Brundage and know it better and appreciate it more. For terrain alone, Alpental and Stevens Pass might be rated higher but the overall ski experience isn't as much fun for me. I've been to six Tahoe areas (Squaw, Alpine Meadows, Mt Rose, Northstar, Heavenly and Kirkwood) during the 2012 Gathering, but didn't have enough time at any one destination to feel Ike I really knew the place. I have not yet been to Alta, Snowbird, Mammoth, Big Sky, Taos, Whitefish and anything in Colorado, so my thoughts may change with more time.

From the list you've mentioned I would be amazed if Alta, Snowbird and Mammoth don't break into your top 10.

 

[DanoT]

Mammoth and Crystal would have made my top 10 list but for coastal conditions.

 

[David Chaus]

From the list you've mentioned I would be amazed if Alta, Snowbird and Mammoth don't break into your top 10.

You may be right.
As it turns out, I will be able to experience Alta and Snowbird during the Gathering, and since I got the MCP I could very well take an extra trip or two, including Mammoth.

That said, I'm fond of places that aren't overrun with crowds, and even if a destination is totally amazeballs, it might not make my top 10 for the skiing experience. 1800' of vertical at Brundage, with the run pretty much to myself in several inches of fresh powder is pretty hard to beat.

Forget I posted that. These aren't the droids you're looking for. You can go about your business, move along.

 

[UGASkiDawg]

The next 10...

 

[Lofcaudio]

Reason #1: Weather & snow condition (4) changes daily, crowd level (2) changes drastically too depending on WHEN one last visited. Since most of us are compiling that list based on our past trip(s) to the mountain, a mountain perceived as crowded maybe not when we visit it during non-holiday period. Or the "terrible condition" during a drought

Great points here and right on the mark. One of the things that I take note of is how a resort skis when things aren't ideal. W/B and Snowbasin are my two favorites and I've been to both places when the weather (and crowds) aren't exactly ideal. But in both cases, I was able to find places where the skiing was great, there were no lift lines and the snow was still in good shape. Other places I have been to have not fared so well in similar conditions and as a result, won't be found in my Top 10.

Reason #2: What's "good terrain" (1) for one maybe bad terrain for another. Not being a super-duper gnarly cliff jumper, I prefer more variety of terrain. A bit of gnar can be exciting, but I don't want to do that for all day and everyday! More over, a mountain with a lot of terrain variety typically has many runs of different aspect. That really helps to be able to find good snow under different weather conditions.

Like you, I prefer variety. I don't ski the gnar, but I love it when a resort has it and I can see others nailing it. Some mountains just seem more "playful" than others for whatever reason. I can't really put my finger on why this is the case, but Snowbasin, Alta, Whistler, and Grand Targhee just seem so FUN to me.

 

[Bad Bob]

Mammoth and Crystal would have made my top 10 list but for coastal conditions.

The Coastal conditions are part of what make these mountains what they are.
That is one of the interesting parts of lists like these; we all have different tastes.

I have had blah times at some fine resorts, and really special days on some little speed bumps (Never a horrible bad day provided I could walk away in the prescribed number of pieces). I strongly believe that your mental state, and alcohol content, going in will factor tremendously into your sentiment coming out of a day.

 

[Cheizz]

Using the same criteria as the OP, this is my European list. NOTE: by 'resort' I mean a ski area that consist of an interconnected network of lifts and runs. 'Dolomiti Superski'- for example, is a collection of 12 resorts; 'Three Valleys' counts as 1 resort/area, since it's interconnected (although it holds 12 villages and 4 valleys)...

1. Obereggen (Italy)
2. Pila (Italy)
3. Espace Killy (Tignes & Val d'Isère, France)
4. Val Gardena (Italy)
5. Trois Vallées (France)
6. Ischgl (Austria)
7. Alta Badia (Italy)
8. Passo San Pellegrino (Italy)
9. Hochzeiger (Austria)
10. Hochoetz (Austria)

Zermatt, Courmayeur, Serre Chevalier, St. Anton, Quatre Vallées, Paradiski (Les Arcs & La Plagne), and many others didn't make my top-10. In fact, Zermatt and Quatre Vallées are high in my flop-10

 

[DanoT]

Great points here and right on the mark. One of the things that I take note of is how a resort skis when things aren't ideal. W/B and Snowbasin are my two favorites and I've been to both places when the weather (and crowds) aren't exactly ideal. But in both cases, I was able to find places where the skiing was great, there were no lift lines and the snow was still in good shape. Other places I have been to have not fared so well in similar conditions and as a result, won't be found in my Top 10.

The bold part is a great point. As a 5 or 6 day a week skier I base where I have lived in winter for the past few decades on how a place skis between storms. Every place is great with fresh snow, even short runs, (as long as it isn't skied out in an hour) but what does a place ski like when it hasn't snowed in a week or more? Even resorts known for their powder can and do experience droughts or at least snowless spells.