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TOP 50 SKI & SNOWBOARD RESORTS IN THE USA


There are more than 400 ski and snowboard resorts currently in operation in the United States. The good news is that we don't all have to travel to Colorado, Utah or California to experience some of the best of them.

This page presents my opinionated selections of the top 50 ski and snowboard resorts in the United States. Take note that all mountain statistics presented below are as of January 2016. Also, many of these resorts below offer backcountry access that is in addition to the "skiable acres" amount listed.

There are still two major resorts that prohibit snowboarding, and they are Alta and Deer Valley (both in Utah). Taos Ski Valley (New Mexico) started allowing snowboarding in 2007. Alta and Deer Valley have not yet caved to the pressure. Mad River Glen in Vermont also doesn't allow snowboarding.

If you believe I missed any of the best ski and snowboard resorts in the U.S., please email me at gparsons66@hotmail.com so that I can add them to this list.

Author/Contributor: Greg Parsons

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STATE SKI / SNOWBOARD RESORT # OF
TRAILS
SKIABLE
ACRES
VERTICAL
DROP
BASE
ELEVATION
TOP
ELEVATION
TOWN / CITY
California ALPINE MEADOWS 100 2,400 1,802ft 6,835ft 8,637ft Tahoe City
HEAVENLY 97 4,800 3,527ft 6,540ft 10,067ft Lake Tahoe
KIRKWOOD MOUNTAIN RESORT 86 2,300 2,000ft 7,800ft 9,800ft Kirkwood
MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN 151 3,500 3,100ft 7,953ft 11,053ft Mammoth Lakes
NORTHSTAR-AT-TAHOE 97 3,170 2,280ft 6,330ft 8,610ft Truckee
SQUAW VALLEY 170 3,600 2,850ft 6,200ft 9,050ft Olympic Valley
SUGAR BOWL SKI RESORT 103 1,650 1,500ft 6,883ft 8,383ft Norden
Colorado ARAPAHOE BASIN 109 960 2,270ft 10,780ft 13,050ft Keystone
ASPEN HIGHLANDS 118 1,040 3,635ft 8,040ft 11,675ft Aspen
ASPEN MOUNTAIN 94 675 3,267ft 7,945ft 11,212ft Aspen
BEAVER CREEK 150 1,832 3,340ft 8,100ft 11,440ft Vail
BRECKENRIDGE SKI RESORT 187 2,908 3,398ft 9,600ft 12,998ft Breckenridge
COPPER MOUNTAIN 140 2,465 2,601ft 9,712ft 12,313ft Copper Mountain
CRESTED BUTTE MOUNTAIN RESORT 121 1,547 2,787ft 9,375ft 12,162ft Crested Butte
KEYSTONE RESORT 131 3,148 3,128ft 9,280ft 12,408ft Keystone
LOVELAND SKI AREA 94 1,800 2,210ft 10,800ft 13,010ft Georgetown
PURGATORY RESORT 88 1,360 2,029ft 8,793ft 10,822ft Durango
SNOWMASS 91 3,332 4,406ft 8,104ft 12,510ft Snowmass Village
STEAMBOAT 165 2,965 3,668ft 6,900ft 10,568ft Steamboat Springs
TELLURIDE SKI RESORT 127 2,000 4,425ft 8,725ft 13,150ft Telluride
VAIL SKI RESORT 195 5,289 3,450ft 8,120ft 11,570ft Vail
WINTER PARK RESORT 143 3,081 2,220ft 9,000ft 11,220ft Winter Park
WOLF CREEK SKI RESORT 77 1,600 1,604ft 10,300ft 11,904ft Pagosa Springs
Idaho SCHWEITZER MOUNTAIN 92 2,900 2,400ft 4,000ft 6,400ft Sandpoint
SUN VALLEY 75 2,054 3,400ft 5,750ft 9,150ft Sun Valley
Maine SUGARLOAF MOUNTAIN 153 1,056 2,820ft 1,417ft 4,237ft Carrabasset Valley
SUNDAY RIVER SKI RESORT 135 870 2,340ft 800ft 3,140ft Newry
Montana BIG SKY RESORT 300 5,800 4,366ft 6,800ft 11,166ft Big Sky
BRIDGER BOWL 75 2,000 2,600ft 6,100ft 8,700ft Bozeman
WHITEFISH MOUNTAIN RESORT 105 3,000 2,353ft 4,464ft 6,817ft Whitefish
New Mexico TAOS SKI VALLEY 110 1,294 3,281ft 9,200ft 12,481ft Taos
New York WHITEFACE 80 288 3,430ft 1,220ft 4,650ft Wilmington
Oregon MOUNT BACHELOR SKI RESORT 88 3,700 3,365ft 5,700ft 9,065ft Bend
MOUNT HOOD MEADOWS SKI RESORT 85 2,150 2,777ft 4,523ft 7,300ft Mt Hood
Utah ALTA 116 2,200 2,020ft 8,530ft 10,550ft Little Cottonwood Canyon
BRIGHTON RESORT 66 1,050 1,745ft 8,755ft 10,500ft Brighton
DEER VALLEY 101 2,026 3,000ft 6,570ft 9,570ft Park City
PARK CITY MOUNTAIN RESORT 314 7,300 3,100ft 6,900ft 10,000ft Park City
POWDER MOUNTAIN 144 7,000 2,000ft 6,900ft 8,900ft Eden
SNOWBASIN RESORT 104 3,000 2,959ft 6,391ft 9,350ft Huntsville
SNOWBIRD 169 2,500 3,240ft 7,760ft 11,000ft Snowbird
SOLITUDE MOUNTAIN RESORT 77 1,200 2,047ft 7,988ft 10,035ft Solitude
Vermont KILLINGTON RESORT 155 1,509 3,076ft 1,165ft 4,241ft Killington
MOUNT SNOW 135 589 1,700ft 1,900ft 3,600ft Dover
STOWE MOUNTAIN RESORT 116 485 2,066ft 1,559ft 3,625ft Stowe
SUGARBUSH MOUNTAIN SKI RESORT 111 484 2,600ft 1,483ft 4,083ft Warren
Washington CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN 50 2,600 2,472ft 4,400ft 6,872ft Pierce
SUMMIT AT SNOQUALMIE, THE 96 1,994 2,810ft 2,610ft 5,420ft Snoqualmie Pass
Wyoming GRAND TARGHEE RESORT 95 2,602 2,454ft 7,408ft 9,862ft Alta
JACKSON HOLE MOUNTAIN RESORT 133 2,500 4,139ft 6,311ft 10,450ft Teton Village

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RUNNER-UPS: RESORTS ALMOST GOOD ENOUGH TO MAKE THE TOP 50 LIST

Here are a list of other great ski and snowboard resorts in the United States that I considered for the top 50 list above. Let me know via email if you think there are any other ski & snowboard resorts of this quality that I should be considering, either for this "runners-up" list or for the above top 50 list above itself (gparsons66@hotmail.com).

STATE SKI / SNOWBOARD RESORT # OF
TRAILS
SKIABLE
ACRES
VERTICAL
DROP
BASE
ELEVATION
TOP
ELEVATION
TOWN / CITY
Alaska ALYESKA SKI AREA 76 1,610 2,500ft 250ft 2,750ft Girdwood
Arizona ARIZONA SNOWBOWL 40 777 2,300ft 9,200ft 11,500ft Flagstaff
Arizona SUNRISE PARK RESORT 65 800 1,800ft 9,200ft 11,000ft Pinetop-Lakeside
California HOMEWOOD MOUNTAIN RESORT 64 2,010 2,510ft 6,230ft 8,740ft Homewood
California SIERRA AT TAHOE 46 2,000 2,212ft 6,640ft 8,852ft Twin Bridges
Colorado BUTTERMILK MOUNTAIN 44 470 2,030ft 7,870ft 9,900ft Aspen
Colorado MONARCH MOUNTAIN 62 800 1,162ft 10,790ft 11,952ft Monarch
Colorado POWDERHORN MOUNTAIN RESORT 63 1,600 1,650ft 8,200ft 9,850ft Mesa
Colorado SUNLIGHT MOUNTAIN RESORT 67 700 2,010ft 7,885ft 9,895ft Glenwood Springs
Idaho BOGUS BASIN 53 2,600 1,782ft 5,800ft 7,582ft Boise
Idaho BRUNDAGE MOUNTAIN 46 1,500 1,800ft 5,840ft 7,640ft McCall
Idaho SILVER MOUNTAIN RESORT 73 1,600 2,200ft 4,100ft 6,300ft Kellogg
Idaho TAMARACK RESORT 42 1,000 2,800ft 4,900ft 7,700ft Donnelly
Maine SADDLEBACK MOUNTAIN 66 220 2,000ft 2,120ft 4,120ft Rangeley
Michigan MOUNT BOHEMIA 95 450 900ft 600ft 1,500ft Houghton
Minnesota LUTSEN MOUNTAINS SKI AREA 95 1,000 1,087ft 601ft 1,688ft Lutsen
Montana DISCOVERY SKI AREA 67 2,200 2,388ft 5,770ft 8,158ft Anaconda
Montana GREAT DIVIDE MONTANA 110 1,600 1,330ft 5,880ft 7,210ft Marysville
Montana RED LODGE MOUNTAIN 65 1,600 2,400ft 7,016ft 9,416ft Red Lodge
Nevada MT. ROSE SKI TAHOE 60 1,200 1,440ft 8,260ft 9,700ft Reno
New Hampshire ATTITASH MOUNTAIN RESORT 68 225 1,750ft 600ft 2,350ft Bartlett
New Hampshire BRETTON WOODS 97 464 1,500ft 1,600ft 3,100ft Carroll
New Hampshire CANNON MOUNTAIN 95 282 2,230ft 1,850ft 4,080ft Franconia
New Hampshire CRANMORE MOUNTAIN RESORT 56 170 1,400ft 600ft 2,000ft North Conway
New Hampshire LOON MOUNTAIN 61 370 2,100ft 950ft 3,050ft Lincoln
New Hampshire MOUNT SUNAPEE RESORT 66 233 1,510ft 1,233ft 2,743ft Mount Sunapee
New Hampshire WATERVILLE VALLEY RESORT 50 220 2,020ft 1,820ft 3,840ft Waterville Valley
New Hampshire WILDCAT MOUNTAIN 48 225 2,112ft 1,950ft 4,062ft Gorham
New Mexico ANGEL FIRE RESORT 80 500 2,077ft 8,600ft 10,677ft Angel Fire
New Mexico RED RIVER SKI AREA 57 290 1,600ft 8,750ft 10,350ft Red River
New Mexico SKI APACHE 55 750 1,900ft 9,600ft 11,500ft Ruidoso
New Mexico SKI SANTA FE 79 660 1,725ft 10,350ft 12,075ft Santa Fe
New York GORE MOUNTAIN 119 439 2,602ft 998ft 3,600ft North Creek
Oregon MOUNT HOOD SKIBOWL 65 960 1,500ft 3,600ft 5,100ft Government Camp
Oregon TIMBERLINE 41 1,415 3,690ft 4,850ft 8,540ft Government Camp
Utah BRIAN HEAD RESORT 71 650 1,370ft 9,600ft 10,970ft Brian Head
Utah SUNDANCE RESORT 41 450 2,150ft 6,100ft 8,250ft Sundance
Vermont BOLTON VALLEY RESORT 71 300 1,050ft 2,100ft 3,150ft Bolton Valley
Vermont JAY PEAK 78 385 2,153ft 1,815ft 3,968ft Jay
Vermont OKEMO MOUNTAIN RESORT 121 667 2,200ft 1,144ft 3,344ft Ludlow
Vermont SMUGGLERS NOTCH 78 1,000 2,610ft 1,030ft 3,640ft Smugglers' Notch
Vermont STRATTON MOUNTAIN SKI RESORT 97 670 2,003ft 1,872ft 3,875ft Stratton
Washington 49 DEGREES NORTH 82 2,325 1,851ft 3,923ft 5,774ft Chewelah
Washington MISSION RIDGE SKI & BOARD RESORT 36 2,000 2,250ft 4,570ft 6,820ft Wenatchee
Washington WHITE PASS 47 1,500 2,050ft 4,500ft 6,550ft White Pass
Wisconsin GRANITE PEAK AT RIB MOUNTAIN SP 72 220 711ft 1,231ft 1,942ft Wausau

TOP TEN SKI TOWNS IN THE UNITED STATES

Here is a list of the top ten U.S. ski towns:

Aspen, Colorado
Breckenridge, Colorado
Jackson, Wyoming
Ketchum, Idaho
North Conway, New Hampshire
Park City, Utah
South Lake Tahoe, California
Taos, New Mexico
Telluride, Colorado
Truckee, California

Runner-ups: Crested Butte (Colorado), Lake Placid (New York), Steamboat Springs (Colorado), Stowe (Vermont), Bend (Oregon), Durango (Colorado), Whitefish (Montana), Sandpoint (Idaho), Red Lodge (Montana)

TOP TEN SKI RESORTS IN THE UNITED STATES

Here is my list of the top ten ski resorts in the U.S.:

Alta, Utah
Aspen Highlands, Colorado
Big Sky Resort, Montana
Breckenridge Ski Resort, Colorado
Copper Mountain, Colorado
Deer Valley, Utah
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Wyoming
Park City Mountain Resort, Utah
Snowbird, Utah
Vail Ski Resort, Colorado

This top ten list is obviously heavily opinionated. For example, I would expect that many skiers and snowboarders would have included other resorts in their top ten lists, especially resorts like: Steamboat (Colorado), Winter Park (Colorado), Beaver Creek (Colorado), Mammoth Mountain (California), Telluride (Colorado), Squaw Valley (California), and Taos (New Mexico), among others.

TOP TEN SKI RESORTS IN NEW ENGLAND

Here is my list of the top ten ski resorts in New England.:

Bretton Woods, New Hampshire
Jay Peak, Vermont
Killington, Vermont
Mount Snow, Vermont
Okemo Mountain Resort, Vermont
Stowe Mountain Resort, Vermont
Stratton Mountain, Vermont
Sugarbush Mountain Ski Resort, Vermont
Sugarloaf, Maine
Sunday River Ski Resort, Maine

Take note that advanced skiers would likely have included Wildcat Mountain or Cannon Mountain instead of Bretton Woods. I included Bretton Woods because of its acreage, scenic views of Mt. Washington, and fantastic glades/tree-skiing.

TOP TEN SKI RESORTS IN CANADA

Here is my list of the top ten ski resorts in Canada.:

Big White Ski Resort, British Columbia
Fernie, British Columbia
Kicking Horse Resort, British Columbia
Lake Louise, Alberta
Mont-Tremblant, Quebec
Revelstoke Mountain Resort, British Columbia
Silver Star, British Columbia
Sun Peaks, British Columbia
Sunshine Village, Alberta
Whistler/Blackcomb, British Columbia

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View of Mt. Washington from a ski trail at Bretton Woods, New Hampshire

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