The 10 Best places to ski in North America |
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Ski WestEverybody agrees the best ski is in the West. Why is that the case? Well you are in the Rockies and standing at the base of one of those gigantic mountains (at least for a first time visitor) feels like a mystical experience. I think I gave myself away, yeah I live in the East, but I have been out West, but not as often I would have like. This is the land of endless slopes, steep, free-riding terrain and light as air powder. The west offers challenging terrain and abundant snow, a place you can venture off groomed trails and into bowls, glades, and chutes. |
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Aspen, ColoradoAspen has been the ultimate ski destination for decades with its circus like atmosphere. But before the jet setters rushed to the resort, there had to be a reason… the skiing. The mountain is considered moderate-to-difficult, there is no novice trail. The mountain stands at 11,212ft, with a drop of 3,267ft. Its 76 trails are service by 8 lifts with a capacity of 10,755 riders per hour, despite that there are long lines. If you enjoy skiing and a little partying, you should try the Aspen experience.You might even cross path with celebrities like; Lance Armstrong, the Beckmans, singer Mariah Carey. Actor Kevin Costner, Kurt Russell, Goldie Hawn, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones or ZZ top’s Billie Gibbons. |
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Jackson Hole, WyomingJackson Hole is located 12 miles northwest of the town of Jackson. It’s 276 miles from Salt Lake city and 529 miles from Denver by road. Fortunately the Jackson airport is only 40 minutes away and the major carriers fly there. The mountain has an elevation of 10,450 feet/1,924M, with a drop of 4,139 feet. It has 86 runs with 12 lifts to help more than 17,833 skiers get to the top every hour and they feature an Aerial tram capable of carrying 100 skiers a shot. The best thing is that they received over 475” of new snow a year, that’s fantastic. Now, check this…half of the 2,500 acres of skiable terrain at Jackson hole is labeled black diamond. Nearly all of the 12 lifts will take you to a black diamond run. If you are not advance downhiller, there are plenty of powdery blue runs. |
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Lake Louise Mountain, AlbertaLake Louise is located in the Banff national park. The scenery is fantastic; it will take your breath away. The snow falls are modest at 179in compare to others, but their snow making equipment makes up for the difference. Despite that, the skiing is world class, the slopes are covered with light as air powder, as most resorts located on the east side of the Rockies. The mountain covers an incredible 4200 acres, it stands at an elevation of 2637M (8650 ft) with a drop of 991M (3250 ft). 139 trails stretching 100 km (62 miles) are serviced by 9 lifts that can accommodate up to 13,716 skiers an hour, so the lift lines are quite acceptable. Lake Louise has something to offer everyone beginners as well as seasoned skiers. The resort is located 126 km (78 miles) west of Calgary, AB. Flying there is not a problem Calgary Int. Airport is more than a regional field, every carrier flies there and you can get direct flights to/from European destinations. |
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Park City, UtahUtah brags about having the best snow, in North America, I guess you have to go and find out about yourself. Ambitious new hoteliers and chefs in Park City proper have been able to create a great ski atmosphere in this great ski town. Yes, you are in Mormon territory, but you’ll be able to find excellent micro-breweries in Park City. Now about the mountain itself, Park City receives 360 inch a year of dry powder and it offers all the natural beauty the region is famous for. The mountain stands at 10,000ft (3,049m) with a drop of 3,100ft. It offers 107 trails, with 15 lifts. The top of the mountain is reserved for black and double black diamond trails and bowls, accessed by the Jupiter Lift. The rest of the mountain offers a fair share of intermediate and beginners runs. Adding to the surrounding scenery, you’ll also appreciate the absence of long lines and there is night skiing at Park City. Like its Canadian cousin Lake Louise, Park City is highly accessible; it’s located 35 minutes from the Salt Lake City Int. airport, connecting the resort to the continent and the world. Note: If you plan a ski trip to Park City, remember that it also hosts the Sundance film festival. So book long time in advance and you will experience a fantastic atmosphere … well now you know |
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Mount Bachelor, OregonYou have several ski resorts that were at one point an Olympic Mountain, Mount Bachelor is another type of mountain, it’s a volcano gone quiet. Mount Bachelor is located on the eastern side of the Cascades range, in Easter Oregon. But don’t worry it hasn’t erupted in a while… quite a while actually. The elevation (lift served) stands at 9,000ft with a drop of 3,300ft. There are 71 runs serviced by 12 lifts. There is no night skiing at Bachelor nor is there snow making equipment, they don’t need it. Bachelor receives 370 in of dry powder and it stay practically all year. The lift lines are shorter and the tickets are more affordable than at a lot of the glitzier resorts out West. Bachelor offers 3,683 acres of skiable terrain. A good 25% of the mountain is double black diamond, adding to that the black diamond trails take another 35%. But novice and intermediate skiers will find a fair share of trails (15% Green – 23% Blue) |
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EastIf you live on the east coast and love to ski, here are some of the hottest spots on our side of the continent. No you don’t have to fly West to experience great skiing, right here in the North East there is plenty of challenging skiing to be done. Yes the snow is probably going to be more packed snow than fluffy powder, but there are challenging runs on all the major resorts, listed here. |
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Stowe, VermontStowe Vermont is a true ski town with shops, restaurants, lodging and spas. Stowe is located only 36miles from Burlington, VT and can be reached by traveling a while on the I 89 south, then taking the VT 100N until you get there. Stowe Mountain stands at an elevation of 4,395 ft, with a drop of 2,160ft. It gets on the average 330in of snow and they have quality snow making equipment to help early and/or late in the season. There are 116 runs stretching over 39 miles, there are serviced by 13 lifts with a capacity of 15,516 skiers an hour It features some of the toughest and most challenging terrain east of the Rockies. Stowe is well-known for its "Front Four" double black diamond runs, but also offers some of the longest intermediate cruisers in the East. If you like visiting resorts that are a notch above, you have to visit Stowe at least once |
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Jay Peak, VermontJay Peak isn’t the tallest mountain in the East, nor does it have the steepest drop (2,153 Feet, 8th in the East). But when it comes to snow, it beats all other resorts in New England and Quebec (Averaging more than 350 inches) it even gets more snow than some of the big names out West, yup! Jay Peak is a skier's mountain, if you want great skiing and you like to stay away from the “In crowd” this is it. Jay Peak is located 5miles (8Km) from the US/Canada border, no wonder there are so many Quebec plates in town. Canadian skiers certainly appreciate challenging terrains and this is what Jay offers. Seasoned skiers will appreciate the River Quai and Green Beret trails. The resort features 2 Peaks, the tallest having a drop of 2,153 feet. The 76 trails cover 50 plus miles of skiable terrain, 8 Lifts help 12,175 skiers per hour get to the top. |
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Mont-Tremblant, QuébecWhen you visit Mont-Tremblant you have a feeling of being elsewhere… like Europe. It is a resort with a taste of the Alps with its charming pedestrian village covered in cobblestones. The village is mostly restaurants, boutiques, spas and bars. If you can’t afford the Alps, this is pretty close and you’re only 80 Miles (130Km) away from Montreal via the A15 North or 160 Km from Ottawa. There is night skiing at Tremblant Now about the mountain, it’s the highest peak in the Laurentians at 2,871 feet (875M), with a drop of 2,000feet (610M). It features 95 runs supported by 14 lifts. It dominates, a region rich in ski centers, by its magnitude. The mountain receives, on the average, 150in (380cm) of snow that’s far from the 350in Jay Peak gets, but Tremblant has the most powerful snowmaking system in Eastern Canada. So you’re sure you’ll have something to ski on. For couples who like to do cute things and then keep it a secret (specially the guy), there is a place called the Plush Factory, where you can make yourself a stuffed animal, dress the cute thing, give him (her) a name and have a photo ID made of it. Now you know why some secrets are easier to keep. |
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Whiteface, NYWhiteface was the Olympic Mountain during the 1980 Lake Placid winter games. You don’t find many resorts who can brag about that. It isn’t as big as Killington and it’s not located in the “snow belt” of Vermont. It averages slightly more snow fall (200in) than Mount Tremblant, but like the Quebec resort, it has state of the art snow making equipment. The summit stands at 4,650ft, with a drop of 3,430 feet, the greatest in the East. The 86 trails are serviced by 11 lifts, with a capacity of 14,200 skiers an hour. 20% of the slopes are for novice, 43% for intermediate skiers, the rest belongs to the experience downhillers. The “main event” is a series of steep, hike-to chutes starting at the very top of the mountain called "the Slides". They are rated double black Diamond and sometime during the season, avalanche gear is required to enter this area. |
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Killington, VermontIf, for you, the atmosphere is as important as the slope themselves, you got to visit Killington once in your life. It’s huge, Six mountains, 71 miles (135Km) of trails serviced by 22 lifts, not to mention de dozen of Ski shops. No other resort in the east comes close as far as size is concerned. It’s like going to a carnival, yes there will be lines and the slopes are crowded. That also applies to the dozens of Pubs, Bars and Restaurants, but it’s a place to party. As far as the slopes are concerned the "Outer Limits" is considered one of the most challenging runs in the U.S. On your first visit, figure than three day is barely enough to explore the full extent of the resort. Killington is smoke free, since 2010. It opens at 8h the week end (9h the week) and it closes at 4pm… so there is no night skiing. But there are plenty of things to do at night |
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