As an Oregon native, meadows is my home resort and I’ve always felt like despite it being smaller, it really does have more to offer than Bachelor, but Bachelor is usually hailed as the crown jewel of the state. Glad you really enjoyed the Heather/Private Reserve terrain, it’s sick stuff.
and you could definitely be right. it was hard for me to really get a good read on both meadows and bachelor. i had a great day at meadows and am excited to get back there next year!
Enjoyed your list. For most of us who can’t travel around as much it is nice to hear the perspective of someone who has skied so many resorts in a single season.
the 3rd installment of Ski Resort Rankings! this is the third annual video where we take all of the resorts we went to in the past season and attempt to rank them against each other based off my own subjective opinion. the things that are considered when ranking each mountain is level of natural terrain, accessibility to the mountain and overall snow conditions/pack. drop your resort rankings in the comments!
Big sky is my favorite resort because of how gnarly the AZ chutes are, but I havent been to many other gnarly resorts. How would u rank big sky in the list if u had gone this year?
You mentioned some of the resorts (in CA specially) getting tracked out in 1-2 hours (which is true) . In your experience, which of the resorts on the list dont get track too fast? Great video!keep it up ;)
@@rafaelramos634 I haven’t been to all but park city (especially abyss and hike to stuff off super condor) and some of the stuff at big sky stays good for a long time but sometimes gets pushed to the bottom
I like your reviews of the California ski resorts. I was born in Berkeley, and grew up in the east San Francisco bay area. I also grew up skiing at Alpine Meadows. As my skiing skills progressed, so did my use of the Alpine terrain. I branched out once I was an adult, and have skied Squaw and Sugar Bowl, but the one resort I fell in love with was Kirkwood. This was my 'go to' location during my 20s and 30s. The reason for this is that 1) the resort is at a higher altitude. Alpine, Sugar Bowl and Squaw all have lower elevations, with the base elevations of 6800, 6200, and 6800. Kirkwood has a base elevation of a bit above 7,700+. It is ok to ski near Truckee after a recent storm, but the the snow is always better at Kirkwood. 2) The 3 resorts near Truckee all offer nice stuff, but precious little of it is easily accessible from the top of a lift. You have to work to get to lots of it, and at Alpine, your primary access is via Alpine Bowl and Summit lifts, which are close together up top and you risk placing yourself in avalanche territory. Kirkwood, on the other hand provides much easier access, and to a larger, wider profile of the mountains there. Three lifts, The Wall, Cornice, and Sunrise, all provide easy access to a very large footprint of the resort. You get to ski lots of real estate. I strongly suggest you spend more time at Kirkwood, and block this time from the middle of January to the middle of March. Do some serious exploring. Your biggest challenge may be in Devil's Corral (access via Sunrise and traverse to Larry's Lip, or from The Wall) but don't miss Wagon Wheel, Sentinel Bowl, and Palisades. The Sunrise chair also provides GS and SGS super speed opportunities. Have fun. I can't offer to ski with you, as I am now a disabled senior citizen, but I do have a pretty good memory.
What a great synopsis of the resorts you hit this year. Amazing to see this quick recap of your season and resorts. Last winter was one for the record books brother, cant wait to see how she goes this season.
Love Sugar Bowl. Such an underrated mountain and doesn’t have the crowds, corporate bs that other mountains have. I skied Mt Bachelor (good snow, terrible visibility) and Palisades this year (lots of terrain but a lot people) as well. Looking forward to seeing where you ski this season!
Sugar bowl is my home mountain and i was stoked to see it pretty high on the list. I've been there on powder days getting free refills with no lines for lifts; basically empty.
i dont ski at sugar bowl anymore bc all my friends ski squaw and heavenly, but sugar bowl was where i learned to ski and it was always fun even when i returned after yrs and yrs
I live in Seattle and have been going to snoqualime forever and crystal for the last few years and they are both great mountain but crystal is amazing. I am doing the free ride program this year for big mountain and I am so exited for it!
Excellent job! Nice blend of skiing videography and explanation...I enjoyed the content and appreciate how challenging the task of resort ranking really can be...Super job with the video organization and expeditious presentation of so many resorts...
@@JordanKnighton I spent 31 days trapped down in the valley not being able to ski at all, another 30 days with a 3 hour line up the 8 mile road, and another 30 days waiting for a full bus or a bus that doesn't even show up. US skiing is broken. I'm outta here.
Hey Lucas! I know you may not have been to Steamboat many times but I feel that in my 2 weeks in Steamboat in Colorado that Steamboat is 1# because it has the best snow ever. Steamboat also has some great terrain up at the top and in the trees. Also, the people there are just the nicest you could meet!
My husband’s list of favorites: 1 Taos, NM 2 Serfaus Fiss Ladis (Austria) 3 Deer Valley, UT 4 Las Leñas (Argentina) 5 Monarch, CO He hates crowded resorts and clouded one’s too. Loves groomers, finding untouched fresh snow, trees. You name it; just loves skiing. He is a big fan of your channel. In addition, he plans to one day ski at Jackson, WY; Alta, UT; Panorama (Canada); and St Anton (Austria).
You are spot on about Big Bear. As an advance skier the terrain just isn’t there. But, namely, another resort, we can shred it in the morning and catch sunset from the water surfing. It doesn’t get better than that in your life.
What about the east coast!!!?? There are some great skiing areas in the east! My favorite eastern resort is Sugarloaf in Maine, it has the only above tree line skiing and the only cat skiing in the east. And contrary to popular belief, the east is not all ice. So please do some skiing in the east. I would love to see you ski in the east some!
A nice list and ranking. For me, I always consider AltaBird as one resort and for me is #1. Interesting placing for Vail. Vail's strength(along/w Back Bowls) is double black diamond bump runs. Lucas not being bump skier this is not a draw for him and this reflects in the rankings. Otherwise a good list
Alta and Snowbird have always been my favorites but I usually go to Alta more often because it’s exclusive to skiers so you don’t have to deal with pesky snowboarders lol
great list, I've skied many of these mountains. Turning 52 next month dropping in on 15 plus foot cliffs for me wont bring me to a mountain anymore. Most will hate what I'm going to say, but Vail to me is the have it all and then some mountain. I only ski the front to get to the bowls and use the front t get back. There is so much terrain you can always find un touch areas days after a dump. I almost always can find myself in an area and not see anyone around me and the massive face bowls all connected make it pure joy midweek. Great list and thank you!
Love to see three from BC in the top 5. I've heard nothing but good things about Revvy. Close to Golden, and could be hit in the same trip are the Kootenays. If you havent watched it, "Tales from Cascadia" and "Beyond the Powder Highway" are both excellent ski movies and worth the watch for the hype.
Next time you're in BC check out Whitewater in Nelson. They're getting a bit expensive for a small resort, however the snow can be amazing. Red Mountain in Rossland is great as well, but the snow can be hit or miss.
Next time north of the 48th, try Red, Whitewater, Fernie and Castle (this last one in Alberta). Big dumps, sick terrain all of them, very unique character(s).
Yep. I did a trip to whistler (10 days) then revvie, KH, Whitewater then red last season (4 days each).. In order of best to worst it was 5. Rev, 4. Whitewater, 3. Red, 2. KH, 1. Whistler. You just can't beat the sheer size and variety of terrain at whistler. But then, you do need more time there to account for the weather. KH is basically like one (excellent) section of whis and if I only had 2 days to ski in a whole season I'd actually probably choose it over whistler.
Thanks for the list. Lake Louise is my all time favorite. It's been so good that I haven't been able to get to the other great resorts in the area yet - I'm a California transplant (Squaw was my mountain) since 2020. Hopefully this year, I'll get to Revelstoke, Kicking horse, & Sunshine but I'll still spend most of my time at LL.
I absolutely love the ski resorts around Lake Tahoe area and I really agree that the snow can get really crazy but if you go when people are in school then it gets a lot less skied over.
Love the Kirkwood recognition. Easily the most underrated in California and one of the most underrated in North America, and I'm okay with that. Hope to see you here on a powder day.
I skied all over Colorado and Utah last season and had more fun in steamboat than anywhere else. I was there late season. Massive amounts of snow, powder days every day. I like to ski trees and they have great trees.
Great video, agree with others that this is super helpful for travel targeting. I always have better days at Alta than Snowbird but definitely recognize the difference in accessibility and scale. I’m hitting Solitude for the first time in February so glad to hear the terrain gets your seal of approval. Also guilty of thinking of Deer Valley as a groomer country club - I’ll have to give it a shot one of these trips.
alta and snowbird are both amazing. totally just comes down to personal preference. solitude is sick, as well, but might seem a bit underwhelming compared to alta/bird in LCC. and if ya can swing it, head up to deer valley and give it a shot for the day!
I got in 150 days last season with the last day at Mammoth in August. I live in Tahoe and glad you enjoyed Squaw and Sugar Bowl. A couple of seasons ago I went to Crystal for a few days and I was blown away!! Hope to get back this season. Nice job ranking the resorts.
Love the list and appreciate the insights! Was hoping you’d share some opinions on aspen highlands and how you thought that stacked up with the others. It’s up there for me. Hope you get there this year!
I was hoping to see Revelstoke up there and it didn’t disappoint. That place is truly incredible and everyone should at least ski there once in their lifetime
Love the rankings but its surely missing some major places. Jackson hole, Grand Targhee, Aspen Resorts, Telluride, Steamboat, Beaver Creek, Mount Baker, Heavenly, Northstar, Crested Butte, Alyeska, and Big Sky.
As mentioned at the beginning, this video only includes mountains I went to this past season. I’ve been to all of those resorts besides mount baker and Northstar in the past.
Yeah, snowbird's amazing, 100% agree. As an east coast native, going from 800ft hills to 3000+ft behemoths like snowbird kicked my ass, but couldn't pass up the opportunity to ski some gnarly trails.
Speaking of kicking my ass. I’m old now but in 1977 skied Snowbird for several days on a journey out west by car. I was a ski instructor on the east coast. Skied Park City, Aspen, and Snowbird. I was 25 years old at the time. At the end of the day I could barely make it back to the room carrying my skis. Yes Snowbird will definitely kick your ass :-)
Speaking of kicking my ass. I’m old now but in 1977 skied Snowbird for several days on a journey out west by car. I was a ski instructor on the east coast. Skied Park City, Aspen, and Snowbird. I was 25 years old at the time. At the end of the day I could barely make it back to the room carrying my skis. Yes Snowbird will definitely kick your ass :-)
Great review. It takes days to figure out Powder Mt. I hated it at first, but it became one of fav spots on earth!!!!!!!!. Best pow days of my life at PowMo. Next time you ski Snowbasin hit me up, my home mountain, I'll show you some epic spots!! You are correct about Deer Valley, not just groomers but some great tree skiing too. Come on 2025!!!!!!!!
I basically skied all the resorts in these two states Utah and California back in the day. Best night life Tahoe all the way oh and some great mountains Like Squaw Valley, Heavenly, Kirkwood and Sugarbowl. Mammoth another great mountain but like Tahoe it can get pretty windy up there. Utah, Best Snow on Earth bar none, include some great resorts and your in skiers paradise! Former pass holder in the 80's at Solitude, best bumps in all of Wasatch back in the day. My favorites no particular order: Canyons, Park City, Snowbird, Alta and Solitude all within a short drive from Salt Lake City... I wish I would have ventured out into Wyoming or Colorado but once you find your spots it's hard to leave... My skiing days might be over but thanks to your awesome videos, I get to relive some great memories through your lens...
totally agree! once you find the spots you like and ski some of the best like you have, its difficult to want to go elsewhere. im grateful there are so many incredible resorts in the west. theres almost too many to chose from.
Great comparison of the resorts you visited during the season. I'm impressed you hit so many beautiful places. I've only been to a few on your list and hope to experience more! In the meantime, thanks for bringing us along with you! Love the hoodie!
Love your stuff bro! I got 50 days in at park city/canyons last season and a sprinkling of days at other Utah resorts. I am looking forward to another epic season. Thanks for the tips
Mammoth was my first Cali mountain I've been to (only been out west 3 times) and such a mixed opinion for me. I went during the peak of the peak snowfall this past record season and was first snowed out of the mountains, finally made it in, and was then stuck in town for an extra few days with a postponed flight. Only a few lower lifts were open and finally had Chair 22 open my last day, but man was it some of the most fun yet exhausting snow I've skied. The one run I had on 22 with my very tired legs was one of the hardest runs I've had with untouched super deep heavy (compared to Winterpark/Whitefish) snow but very memorable experience. Can't imagine what its like with the whole/upper mountain open and a bit less snow. Will have to go back one day.
Bout to spend my 3rd season at Kicking Horse, Couldn't agree more when you said that it is some of the Sickest Terrain. I've always considered it more of a "Lift Accessed Mountain" rather than a resort. Even the Slack Country just outside either side of the resort has some really amazing spots and terrain, if you willing to walk, there is always a fresh line to find. Love to see it on the list even though you visited on a low snow year! Hoping for big dumps this year!
Nice! finally the ranking video! Ok, here goes my list. In terms of Wow-factor, I pick Kicking Horse. In terms of natural vibe, Revy. In terms of Iconic American resort, Jackson Hole. In terms of lift layout, Snowbird. And, Whistler is Big. And, If i have to pick my home ski resort out of those I mentioned above, it would be a toss up between Snowbird and Revy. Revy town is also super cool to visit as an American. It's like taking time machine to 20 years ago. That town is a vibe.
man all great resorts! see its super hard to pick just one! honestly snowbird, kmhr and revelstoke are some of the best resorts in north america. whistler is awesome too of course! i think we share some similar perspectives haha
I enjoy your channel! After 50+ years of passion, it is my opinion the BEST ski area is the one you are at at the moment. If you aren't having fun, you are doing it wrong...
Alright, alright- interesting list for sure! I've hit slightly more than half of the resorts on this list. My starting mt was Crystal in WA so cool to see that come in at #10, did you list Mt Baker WA? I missed it if you did but that is the only other mt in WA that I think compares with top 20 resorts but the terrain might not make a top 10 yet the snow you get should put it up there with some of the best in UT. If you include the hikeable terrain and views, Crystal is top 15 in North America but I can see why you questioned top 10, on its best days- hell yeah but that could be said for most of the top 20. Snowbird... yeah- that is my 2nd home mt after Crystal and not at all surprised to see it at #1. Top 3 no question, you need to spend some time at Big Sky and Jackson Hole to fully compare it to the other top Rockies resorts but I can get behind it at #1. I have yet to do the full Revelstroke/Kicking Horse tour, went to MT this year but aiming for a Canada tour in the next couple years. For CO I think Steamboat, Telluride, Aspen, and Crested Butte need to be on some future list consideration. Wolf Creek I've heard a lot about but haven't yet gone. Mt Silverton as well could be on a list but that is not an easy/fair comparison with most of the regular resorts. I'd put Steamboat top 25, Telluride is on the cusp with Crystal and Palisades in being a top 10 but definitely top 20. Aspen and Crested Butte might squeeze into top 15 but I'd have to spend more time at Jackson Hole (only did 1 day there) and check out Kicking Horse and Revelstroke to really be able to have any say on that. Between your mt biking and rating Deer Valley so high, I think I am due for a visit there. I was went there for some spring skiing years ago when I lived in UT but I honestly don't remember much about it other than how spread out the parking lots were and I think I clipped a pass kinda late in the day to get in so probably didn't have time to really explore.
totally agree with a lot of what youre saying! i didnt make it to mt baker, but i want to try and get there this year. ive been to steamboat, telluride and aspen in years past and they are all definitely top 20 top 15 resorts. the snow in colorado is great and all those have fun terrain! been to jackson a handful of times and big sky only once. i do like jackson and id put it as a top 5 resort, but i dont think it replaces snowbird as the #1..
I ski at mammoth often. its such a great mountain.. views from the top are insane and there is so many options to choose, so many runs and difficulties and incredible parks. if you havnt been to mammoth mountain i highly recommend going. you havnt truly lived till you ski or snowboard that mountain. its the best of the best imo. just pretty crowded on weekends. i have been both skiing and snowboarding there for years and i always have the best time. you can ski many sides of the mountain an there is different and its just so huge it feel like you are on a different mountain sometimes when you go exploring.
I just started skiing 2 seasons ago. I'm getting so hyped for the season to start. Thanks for making this list. When I start getting comfortable and going out of Washington state I'll come back to this list to check out the top 5 for sure!
PALISADES TAHOE AND ALPINE have the most epic terrain and acreage....KIRKWOOD is an experience you'll never forget just tough to get to....thanks for the review!
Great stuff. Thank you for sharing. Always fun making top 10 or 20 lists and having a healthy debate. Of course, we are all biased by our individual experiences with a mountain, weather, and a million other factors. Here is my top 20... 1) Zermatt - Cervinia, CH 2) Big Sky, MT 3) Mammoth, CA 4) Snowbird/Alta, UT 5) Aspen Snowmass, CO 6) Vail, CO 7) Deer Valley, UT 8) Park City, UT 9) Sun Valley, ID 10) Banff Sunshine, AB 11) Lake Louise, AB 12) Saalbach, Leogang, Hinterglemm, AU 13) Jackson Hole, WY 14) Solitude, UT 15) Åre, SWE 16) Kirkwood, CA 17) Breckenridge, CO 18) Palisades, Meadows, Squaw, CA 19) Winter Park, CO 20) Crested Butte, CO This season we have plans for Vail, CO, Madonna di Campiglio, IT (Skirama Dolomiti), Verbier, CH, Andermatt, CH and Whistler, BC. Pray for fun, health, and powder!
Everyone needs to take this with a grain of salt, seriously, he is saying a lot of these on the lower side of the list are super fun. Chill out, they can all be really great at times, and really crap at times. Great List!!!
Thanks So Much, for providing a useful Ski Mountain Review for 10-15% of the Skier population. The fact that you base most of your review on words like narley, extreme and challenging excludes 85-90% of skiers. Glad you and the minority enjoy risk taking skiing. The majority of us don't.
Have you ever been to Red Mountain Resort in the southern BC interior? Considering you ranked revvy and kicking horse so high and you like technical big mountain terrain, I think it would be right up your alley. Red only falls short of those two in total snowfall throughout the year, but there is so much amazing terrain and the lift lines are way better compared to the more touristy resorts.
give bachelor another chance. I promise you will love it. Go later in the winter. Dec- Feb is more hit or miss and then when March- April Rolls around you stand a much better chance of hitting it good
I realize you can't have them all, but I was really surprised not to see Jackson Hole, or Bridger Bowl on the list especially with a lot of the lame/tame places you did have.
as mentioned in the video and pinned comment, the ranking only included mountains i went to the past year. i did not visit jackson hole or bridger last year specifically, so they weren't included in the list.
Hehe I love that you ranked Kirkwood over Palisades. The Palisades crowd can be kinda like the Deer Valley crowd, if that makes sense, so they probably took that very personally lol. The fact that it's hard to get to Kirkwood is the best part tbh. All the North Lake resorts (specifically the megapass ones, Palisades/Northstar) get mad traffic because they're right off the I-80, and Heavenly gets way too full of tourists there to gamble and see the lake. If you go to Kirkwood, you're there for one reason, and on the days when the 88 is closed from the west but not the east, you get even less people on the mountain. The best run I've ever had in my life was at Kirkwood last season: untracked waist deep bluebird pow off The Wall when they opened it right after a storm. I think I barely had to turn and just pointed straight down 😂. But the lifts there do suck though. If they replaced Chair 10 and Chair 4 with high speed chairs and added another chair on Eagle Bowl, I wouldn't go anywhere else. As a Kirkwood fanboy, I will say that I actually prefer Palisades on really stormy days, because they will basically always open up KT-22 (since it's on the lower mountain). When the wind is too high, all the sick terrain stays closed at Kirkwood.
great information thanks man! not trying to offend anyone with the rankings lol as all the resorts are great. i definitely need to check out kirkwood on a proper storm day!
I’ve always wondered if Vail had followed through w/the original plan to put a Tram in East Vail and added the chutes to their inbounds terrain how different their reputation would be. (2500 vertical feet of 40 degree slopes)
as someone who skis Alpental/Snoqualmie 30ish days a year, I honestly agree with your ranking of it a lot. It is an excellent place to go on a decent day with someone who knows the mountain but if you've never been there before it's hard to find better places, especially in the backbowls/side/backcountry. great place with some pretty crazy terrain but you've got to know where to go. it is absolutely a mountain for those who are locals, not super great as a place to visit unless it's a powder day.
good to know! its always hard for me to rank resorts lower than others, but snowqualmie definitely had some awesome stuff. just needed to know where to go.
for my time, even with an unlimited pass, i'd much rather risk baker. the line for edelweiss is such a bummer on any day worth going - even weekdays unless you're first chair-ish you're lucky to get, what, 5 runs in? before everything is mostly skiied out. baker has that unbelievably beautiful drive there and back and so many weird little nooks and crannies, that even on a busy day i'm spending more time trying to figure out where even the heck i am than i am sitting on a lift, much less a line. of course the wind can shut the whole thing down and that happening would really, really suck considering how far it is out of town. crystal's a surer bet and northway is just sick because most people don't bother, and the ikon going away certainly helped. baker's highs seem higher though, even if probably not so much to lucas's style and preferences. but he liked crystal, which seems about as busy, so i'm a little surprised. for me snoqualmie shines (no pun intended) on weeknights when it snows - between wildside, mountaineers and triple six you can get fifteen or sixteen runs in between 6pm - when a person reasonably could expect to get there after work - and closing time. it's not super-challenging but even a little bit of snow makes a lot of difference, and can turn a standard work day around into a day i'm glad i lived through. i just avoid chair 2 now, the lines have discouraged me. maybe i've just gotten unlucky on weekdays? weekends are just dumb of course. the conditions up there ARE ridiculously great for the low elevation, but weren't worth it any day last year, for me at least
@@radschliski1143 skipped alpental on a 1 foot pow day and just did triple sixty all day this past season and got so many great runs in hitting the little chutes, they didn’t get completely tracked out till about noon…. Tbh this was much much more enjoyable than waiting 20-30 minutes for chair 2. Wonder if the future lift upgrades at alpental will even help I’m doubtful, might just help get people to the gates that only want the gates with the international lift
@@radschliski1143 totally agree, I’ve gotten lucky a few times on pow days but it’s not often that I get a lot of runs in. Like you said it is the best in weekdays and that’s the main time I ski which I why I like it so much. Baker is admittedly great and I understand your points but for me the drive makes the difference. The convince of alpental for me is what makes it to get a few runs in later in the day. For the type of skier I am baker just isn’t all that practical
Can you make a 2024 season hype video?? The beginning segment for this video got me so pumped but it was too short!! Highlights and fast paced music with your cinematography and editing skills would be lit even if it was only 5 minutes.
Yeah there will be another hype video! It will be more like 90 seconds haha not 5 minutes but check out the other hype videos from 2023 and 2022 if you haven’t 🙌🏽
Tough list to tackle for sure. So many variables to consider that can just be dependent on the day you’re there. Loved seeing A-Basin on there but you should check out Taos. And last, no Hunter Mountain??! No Huntah??!! As a New Yorker I’m offended
well done, life-long kirkwood denizen, mt rose local now. i hope you get kirkwood on a good day check out eagle bowl, thunder saddle, etc. and it doesn't get any steeper than the chutes at rose, come ride the steep sixteen you won't regret. as always thanks for all the sick content, keep it coming!
Shame you weren’t able to hit Louise at a good time of year. Definitely a better resort when it comes to easily accessible top to bottom expert terrain off the summit and paradise chairs on the backside. I hope you make it up here next season! Definitely a far better experience than sunshine and I think it could crack your top 10
Great ratings!! Have been to many of these. My top 3 - Jackson, Snowbird, Alta - in any order. Best way for an east coaster to get to Alta/Snowbird and avoid the traffic - Fly into Salt Lake late at night, 10pm. Pay for the shuttle to drive you up to Snowbird. No traffic at all at that time. Stay at the cliff lodge and don't leave the Snowbird/Alta area. On the return trip, leave late a night as well. Easy!!
Even though the list was based on resorts visited last yr, I feel it necessary that on any list, JH should always be listed, possibly as a honorable mention for this list since you weren't there. JH is the sickest terrain in The USA.
Yeah, I am curious to see the ranking vs Kicking Horse and Snowbird. I've skied 40-60 days at Snowbird so know it pretty well but only did JH one day and have yet to try Kicking Horse.
ALTA... Another Long Traverse Ahead not a top 5 for me, but glad you like it. The rest of the list is well in tact. I would take a vail day over alpental for sure though as a Seattleite
Love the list! But you’re missing out on some awesome skiing in Idaho/Wyoming! Grand Targhee has arguably similar snow quality to Utah resorts with just as technical of terrain. Also, I think you put Park City too low. The technical chutes off of McKonkeys are easily hike-able and just as steep and technical as your Snowbird chutes. Definitely more lapable than honeycomb bowl at Solitude.
ive skiied targhee before and its great! definitely some good snow! i grew up skiing PC and have hiked jupiter peak many times both from mckonkeys and jupiter side - they are so much fun but honestly not comparable to the terrain you find at snowbird imo.
Yeah...thought you went there this year but I guess it was last year. Nice trophy case of ski hills there....especially in my old stomping grounds BC Canada. Would love to see more Indy (non Corp) ski "areas" given some love in the future by the way.@@LucasCatania17
I enjoyed this summary. Having recently relocated from Northern California to east of Seattle, I’m most familiar with the Tahoe area resorts and with Summit at Snoqualmie/Alpental and Crystal. I was surprised to see Alpental on the list, but it’s my home mountain, so I’m going to check out the video on your day there. Definitely some great terrain at Alpy, constraints are the snow quality, visibility and lift configuration. But for 25 minutes from home, it’s pretty darned good!
agree! the mountain is beautiful and definitely has a lot of potential. just heard you really gotta be there with good conditions to enjoy it. thanks for watching!
Snowbird aka Snowbad. The very best and worst of skiing depending on the day. Usually tracked out for the season in August. Sundays in Mormon country and a pow day -forget about it!
Love the list. I skied many of these resorts back in the heyday of the 90's when crowds were small and you could ski many runs totally alone. also you could afford to ski back than. I have been to all of the Utah resorts on your list and many of the California ones to. They were so awesome to ski back in the day. Where is Jackson Hole and Taos?.
These rankings are interesting. I don’t ski stuff this difficult, being more of a black diamond skiier, so I think how you rank things depends a lot upon that. Personally I like trees and bumps, but not super difficult. Beyond that, there’s, of course, the quality of the snow, accessibility, crowds, and parking. Some resorts I’d definitely have on a list would be Steamboat, Snowmass, Brighton, and Copper Mountain. I haven’t skied a lot of places here mentioned, probably about half. I had two days at Schweitzer, of which one was great and the other sucked, for the same reason as Mt. Batchelor. I was surprised Jackson Hole and Big Sky weren’t on the list, but maybe he didn’t go there.
Yah. I mentioned what the rankings were based off in the video. Also, those mountains were not on this list as I did not go to them this calendar year. This was not meant to be a comprehensive ranking of mountains in the west.
@@LucasCatania17I know you mentioned what you were basing it on, but was just giving my 2 cents. I don’t think I could do a ranking because it would be like trying to say which was your favorite child - they’re all precious, and have different strengths and weaknesses.
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While agree that Snowbird is divine, I must also throw in Jackson Hole, Big Sky, and Fernie. All three could give the Bird a run for its money.
ye i j went snowbird for first time ever td and it was fucking insane ive never been to such a versatile and fun resort
I was expecting Jackson to be #1 on this list but I guess Lucas didn't make it there in 2023.
Fernie is legendary!
As an Oregon native, meadows is my home resort and I’ve always felt like despite it being smaller, it really does have more to offer than Bachelor, but Bachelor is usually hailed as the crown jewel of the state. Glad you really enjoyed the Heather/Private Reserve terrain, it’s sick stuff.
and you could definitely be right. it was hard for me to really get a good read on both meadows and bachelor. i had a great day at meadows and am excited to get back there next year!
Meadows is better then Bachelor in my opinion
Bachelor is better for tourists/families. Meadows is better for skiers ; )
Enjoyed your list. For most of us who can’t travel around as much it is nice to hear the perspective of someone who has skied so many resorts in a single season.
thanks shaun! the list is by no means perfect and at the end of the day all of the resorts have something that make them great.
ALTA not ALLTA 👍🏼
the 3rd installment of Ski Resort Rankings! this is the third annual video where we take all of the resorts we went to in the past season and attempt to rank them against each other based off my own subjective opinion. the things that are considered when ranking each mountain is level of natural terrain, accessibility to the mountain and overall snow conditions/pack.
drop your resort rankings in the comments!
Big sky is my favorite resort because of how gnarly the AZ chutes are, but I havent been to many other gnarly resorts. How would u rank big sky in the list if u had gone this year?
You mentioned some of the resorts (in CA specially) getting tracked out in 1-2 hours (which is true) . In your experience, which of the resorts on the list dont get track too fast?
Great video!keep it up ;)
@@rafaelramos634 I haven’t been to all but park city (especially abyss and hike to stuff off super condor) and some of the stuff at big sky stays good for a long time but sometimes gets pushed to the bottom
You recorded one of the best seasons ever! Your creativity and drive truly brought it to life. You are the man!
Thanks cory! Best season ever!
I like your reviews of the California ski resorts. I was born in Berkeley, and grew up in the east San Francisco bay area. I also grew up skiing at Alpine Meadows. As my skiing skills progressed, so did my use of the Alpine terrain. I branched out once I was an adult, and have skied Squaw and Sugar Bowl, but the one resort I fell in love with was Kirkwood. This was my 'go to' location during my 20s and 30s. The reason for this is that 1) the resort is at a higher altitude. Alpine, Sugar Bowl and Squaw all have lower elevations, with the base elevations of 6800, 6200, and 6800. Kirkwood has a base elevation of a bit above 7,700+. It is ok to ski near Truckee after a recent storm, but the the snow is always better at Kirkwood. 2) The 3 resorts near Truckee all offer nice stuff, but precious little of it is easily accessible from the top of a lift. You have to work to get to lots of it, and at Alpine, your primary access is via Alpine Bowl and Summit lifts, which are close together up top and you risk placing yourself in avalanche territory. Kirkwood, on the other hand provides much easier access, and to a larger, wider profile of the mountains there. Three lifts, The Wall, Cornice, and Sunrise, all provide easy access to a very large footprint of the resort. You get to ski lots of real estate. I strongly suggest you spend more time at Kirkwood, and block this time from the middle of January to the middle of March. Do some serious exploring. Your biggest challenge may be in Devil's Corral (access via Sunrise and traverse to Larry's Lip, or from The Wall) but don't miss Wagon Wheel, Sentinel Bowl, and Palisades. The Sunrise chair also provides GS and SGS super speed opportunities. Have fun. I can't offer to ski with you, as I am now a disabled senior citizen, but I do have a pretty good memory.
What a great synopsis of the resorts you hit this year. Amazing to see this quick recap of your season and resorts. Last winter was one for the record books brother, cant wait to see how she goes this season.
thanks brother! cant all be bluebird and pow!
I live in Colorado and Winter Park has really grown on me over the years, it's basically my iKon go to these days. Really fun mountain.
Plus you can avoid the worst parts of 70.
Love Sugar Bowl. Such an underrated mountain and doesn’t have the crowds, corporate bs that other mountains have. I skied Mt Bachelor (good snow, terrible visibility) and Palisades this year (lots of terrain but a lot people) as well. Looking forward to seeing where you ski this season!
Yes sounds like we are on the same page ha! All great resorts - stoked for this year!
Sugar bowl is my home mountain and i was stoked to see it pretty high on the list. I've been there on powder days getting free refills with no lines for lifts; basically empty.
i dont ski at sugar bowl anymore bc all my friends ski squaw and heavenly, but sugar bowl was where i learned to ski and it was always fun even when i returned after yrs and yrs
LOVE this ranking. I agree 100% with Snowbird as #1. I maxed out my 7 days at the end of February/beginning of March 2023. EPIC. Full Stop.
yes dude! it was too good not to use every single day haha
Love your descriptions and videos! Love to see you sometime soon! Miss you, Aspen, Snowmass, Buttermilk & Highlands
thanks team! would love to come back to aspen - send me an email if you want to do something! lucas@lucascatania.com
Awesome rankings for us east coast rippers! Helps narrow down where to travel to!
glad it was helpful bro!
*Ice coast skaters
@@edcunningham5562 it isnt that bad and it helps you get better
Great list, if your looking for challenge in vail, mudslide and frontside chutes are good!
I live in Seattle and have been going to snoqualime forever and crystal for the last few years and they are both great mountain but crystal is amazing. I am doing the free ride program this year for big mountain and I am so exited for it!
Excellent job! Nice blend of skiing videography and explanation...I enjoyed the content and appreciate how challenging the task of resort ranking really can be...Super job with the video organization and expeditious presentation of so many resorts...
Thanks Joe! Not an easy task to do 27 resorts haha
Nothing like the excitement and adrenaline you feel up in LCC on a powder day.
Agree!! One of the best feelings out there
Definitely the truth
Yeah, if you can get up there. After 15 years i am freakin done with that damn road.
I spent 31 snow nights up here due to road closures
@@JordanKnighton I spent 31 days trapped down in the valley not being able to ski at all, another 30 days with a 3 hour line up the 8 mile road, and another 30 days waiting for a full bus or a bus that doesn't even show up. US skiing is broken. I'm outta here.
Hey Lucas! I know you may not have been to Steamboat many times but I feel that in my 2 weeks in Steamboat in Colorado that Steamboat is 1# because it has the best snow ever. Steamboat also has some great terrain up at the top and in the trees. Also, the people there are just the nicest you could meet!
steamboat is absolutely a great mountain. the town is really nice also. they just dont get the amount of snow as place like utah is all!
But somehow Big Bear is higher???
Hey Zach I didn’t go to steamboat last season so it’s not included in the list as I mentioned at the beginning of the video.
My husband’s list of favorites:
1 Taos, NM
2 Serfaus Fiss Ladis (Austria)
3 Deer Valley, UT
4 Las Leñas (Argentina)
5 Monarch, CO
He hates crowded resorts and clouded one’s too. Loves groomers, finding untouched fresh snow, trees. You name it; just loves skiing. He is a big fan of your channel.
In addition, he plans to one day ski at Jackson, WY; Alta, UT; Panorama (Canada); and St Anton (Austria).
You are spot on about Big Bear. As an advance skier the terrain just isn’t there. But, namely, another resort, we can shred it in the morning and catch sunset from the water surfing. It doesn’t get better than that in your life.
not to mention it's the #1 jerry/kook resort lol
yes that is honestly so cool. from the ocean to the mountains all in the same day. i think big bear is awesome to have close to southern california.
@@himboslice_ you got that right!!!
@@himboslice_ What's the link for that video?
What about the east coast!!!?? There are some great skiing areas in the east! My favorite eastern resort is Sugarloaf in Maine, it has the only above tree line skiing and the only cat skiing in the east. And contrary to popular belief, the east is not all ice. So please do some skiing in the east. I would love to see you ski in the east some!
I grew up on the east coast. East coast skiing is awful compared to the west.
@@LucasCatania17not all are bad 😂
A nice list and ranking. For me, I always consider AltaBird as one resort and for me is #1. Interesting placing for Vail. Vail's strength(along/w Back Bowls) is double black diamond bump runs. Lucas not being bump skier this is not a draw for him and this reflects in the rankings. Otherwise a good list
Alta and Snowbird have always been my favorites but I usually go to Alta more often because it’s exclusive to skiers so you don’t have to deal with pesky snowboarders lol
top 10 (snow quality, terrain, and ride vibe) 1)Revelstoke 2)Sugar Bowl 3)Whistler 4)Mt Baker 5)Alpine Meadows 6)Snowbird, 7)Kirkwood 8)Ayeska 9)Zermatt 10)Vail
great list, I've skied many of these mountains. Turning 52 next month dropping in on 15 plus foot cliffs for me wont bring me to a mountain anymore. Most will hate what I'm going to say, but Vail to me is the have it all and then some mountain. I only ski the front to get to the bowls and use the front t get back. There is so much terrain you can always find un touch areas days after a dump. I almost always can find myself in an area and not see anyone around me and the massive face bowls all connected make it pure joy midweek. Great list and thank you!
Thanks for sharing Jeffrey! It all makes perfect sense. As long as you’re enjoying yourself out there, that’s what matters.
Love to see three from BC in the top 5. I've heard nothing but good things about Revvy.
Close to Golden, and could be hit in the same trip are the Kootenays. If you havent watched it, "Tales from Cascadia" and "Beyond the Powder Highway" are both excellent ski movies and worth the watch for the hype.
thanks so much for sharing man! i definitely am gonna check those out as I plan on spending more time up north in BC this winter!
Next time you're in BC check out Whitewater in Nelson. They're getting a bit expensive for a small resort, however the snow can be amazing. Red Mountain in Rossland is great as well, but the snow can be hit or miss.
13:58 I can tell you’re starting to really get comfortable with this yt channel 😂! I love it man! Keep the stoke up babyyyy!!!🏔️⛷️
ha thanks bro!!
Next time north of the 48th, try Red, Whitewater, Fernie and Castle (this last one in Alberta). Big dumps, sick terrain all of them, very unique character(s).
Yep. I did a trip to whistler (10 days) then revvie, KH, Whitewater then red last season (4 days each)..
In order of best to worst it was 5. Rev, 4. Whitewater, 3. Red, 2. KH, 1. Whistler.
You just can't beat the sheer size and variety of terrain at whistler. But then, you do need more time there to account for the weather. KH is basically like one (excellent) section of whis and if I only had 2 days to ski in a whole season I'd actually probably choose it over whistler.
Thanks for the list. Lake Louise is my all time favorite. It's been so good that I haven't been able to get to the other great resorts in the area yet - I'm a California transplant (Squaw was my mountain) since 2020. Hopefully this year, I'll get to Revelstoke, Kicking horse, & Sunshine but I'll still spend most of my time at LL.
awesome bob! i want to get more time in at LL this year. heard the backside is legit!
@@LucasCatania17 Backside and far side are incredible. I'd say it's even more beautiful than Sunshine, but both are ridiculous.
I absolutely love the ski resorts around Lake Tahoe area and I really agree that the snow can get really crazy but if you go when people are in school then it gets a lot less skied over.
Kicking Horse is my favourite mountain I've skied, just incredible.
Love the Kirkwood recognition. Easily the most underrated in California and one of the most underrated in North America, and I'm okay with that. Hope to see you here on a powder day.
For sure man. Excited to get back there.
I skied all over Colorado and Utah last season and had more fun in steamboat than anywhere else. I was there late season. Massive amounts of snow, powder days every day. I like to ski trees and they have great trees.
Steamboat is a great mountain 🙌🏽
Great video, agree with others that this is super helpful for travel targeting. I always have better days at Alta than Snowbird but definitely recognize the difference in accessibility and scale. I’m hitting Solitude for the first time in February so glad to hear the terrain gets your seal of approval. Also guilty of thinking of Deer Valley as a groomer country club - I’ll have to give it a shot one of these trips.
alta and snowbird are both amazing. totally just comes down to personal preference. solitude is sick, as well, but might seem a bit underwhelming compared to alta/bird in LCC. and if ya can swing it, head up to deer valley and give it a shot for the day!
I got in 150 days last season with the last day at Mammoth in August. I live in Tahoe and glad you enjoyed Squaw and Sugar Bowl. A couple of seasons ago I went to Crystal for a few days and I was blown away!! Hope to get back this season. Nice job ranking the resorts.
Man sounds like you had an epic season! So many great mountains out there. Thanks for watching dude.
Love the list and appreciate the insights! Was hoping you’d share some opinions on aspen highlands and how you thought that stacked up with the others. It’s up there for me. Hope you get there this year!
I was hoping to see Revelstoke up there and it didn’t disappoint. That place is truly incredible and everyone should at least ski there once in their lifetime
Love the rankings but its surely missing some major places. Jackson hole, Grand Targhee, Aspen Resorts, Telluride, Steamboat, Beaver Creek, Mount Baker, Heavenly, Northstar, Crested Butte, Alyeska, and Big Sky.
As mentioned at the beginning, this video only includes mountains I went to this past season. I’ve been to all of those resorts besides mount baker and Northstar in the past.
Yeah, snowbird's amazing, 100% agree. As an east coast native, going from 800ft hills to 3000+ft behemoths like snowbird kicked my ass, but couldn't pass up the opportunity to ski some gnarly trails.
Speaking of kicking my ass. I’m old now but in 1977 skied Snowbird for several days on a journey out west by car. I was a ski instructor on the east coast. Skied Park City, Aspen, and Snowbird. I was 25 years old at the time. At the end of the day I could barely make it back to the room carrying my skis. Yes Snowbird will definitely kick your ass :-)
Speaking of kicking my ass. I’m old now but in 1977 skied Snowbird for several days on a journey out west by car. I was a ski instructor on the east coast. Skied Park City, Aspen, and Snowbird. I was 25 years old at the time. At the end of the day I could barely make it back to the room carrying my skis. Yes Snowbird will definitely kick your ass :-)
Great review. It takes days to figure out Powder Mt. I hated it at first, but it became one of fav spots on earth!!!!!!!!. Best pow days of my life at PowMo. Next time you ski Snowbasin hit me up, my home mountain, I'll show you some epic spots!! You are correct about Deer Valley, not just groomers but some great tree skiing too. Come on 2025!!!!!!!!
I basically skied all the resorts in these two states Utah and California back in the day. Best night life Tahoe all the way oh and some great mountains Like Squaw Valley, Heavenly, Kirkwood and Sugarbowl. Mammoth another great mountain but like Tahoe it can get pretty windy up there. Utah, Best Snow on Earth bar none, include some great resorts and your in skiers paradise! Former pass holder in the 80's at Solitude, best bumps in all of Wasatch back in the day. My favorites no particular order: Canyons, Park City, Snowbird, Alta and Solitude all within a short drive from Salt Lake City...
I wish I would have ventured out into Wyoming or Colorado but once you find your spots it's hard to leave...
My skiing days might be over but thanks to your awesome videos, I get to relive some great memories through your lens...
totally agree! once you find the spots you like and ski some of the best like you have, its difficult to want to go elsewhere. im grateful there are so many incredible resorts in the west. theres almost too many to chose from.
Great comparison of the resorts you visited during the season. I'm impressed you hit so many beautiful places. I've only been to a few on your list and hope to experience more! In the meantime, thanks for bringing us along with you! Love the hoodie!
thanks jeff! im definitely very fortunate to experience all that i did. theres so many good mountains out there!
One of my favorite videos you do every year! I'll be moving to Utah this year so I love to see the praise. Great video Lucas
Welcome to Utah man! You won’t be disappointed
Love your stuff bro! I got 50 days in at park city/canyons last season and a sprinkling of days at other Utah resorts. I am looking forward to another epic season. Thanks for the tips
wow dude that is killer! good for you my friend. deer valley and the cottonwoods are other great places to check out!
I may be 10 hours late but ive been waiting for this videos all year always some of the most entertaining and enjoyable videos on youtube
thanks will! hope you enjoy my friend.
Solid overview of them all!🤙🏼
Snowbasin will be my home resort this year just for proximity to where I live. Excited to get out and get to know it!
thanks dude! snowbasin is awesome man. definitely cant go wrong with that being your home resort!
Mammoth was my first Cali mountain I've been to (only been out west 3 times) and such a mixed opinion for me. I went during the peak of the peak snowfall this past record season and was first snowed out of the mountains, finally made it in, and was then stuck in town for an extra few days with a postponed flight. Only a few lower lifts were open and finally had Chair 22 open my last day, but man was it some of the most fun yet exhausting snow I've skied. The one run I had on 22 with my very tired legs was one of the hardest runs I've had with untouched super deep heavy (compared to Winterpark/Whitefish) snow but very memorable experience. Can't imagine what its like with the whole/upper mountain open and a bit less snow. Will have to go back one day.
Bout to spend my 3rd season at Kicking Horse, Couldn't agree more when you said that it is some of the Sickest Terrain. I've always considered it more of a "Lift Accessed Mountain" rather than a resort. Even the Slack Country just outside either side of the resort has some really amazing spots and terrain, if you willing to walk, there is always a fresh line to find. Love to see it on the list even though you visited on a low snow year! Hoping for big dumps this year!
good way to put it! ill be back up there in February! super stoked!
Nice! finally the ranking video! Ok, here goes my list. In terms of Wow-factor, I pick Kicking Horse. In terms of natural vibe, Revy. In terms of Iconic American resort, Jackson Hole. In terms of lift layout, Snowbird. And, Whistler is Big. And, If i have to pick my home ski resort out of those I mentioned above, it would be a toss up between Snowbird and Revy. Revy town is also super cool to visit as an American. It's like taking time machine to 20 years ago. That town is a vibe.
man all great resorts! see its super hard to pick just one! honestly snowbird, kmhr and revelstoke are some of the best resorts in north america. whistler is awesome too of course! i think we share some similar perspectives haha
@@LucasCatania17 Yes we do share! hope we get good amount of snow this year!
I enjoy your channel! After 50+ years of passion, it is my opinion the BEST ski area is the one you are at at the moment. If you aren't having fun, you are doing it wrong...
I started at the university of Utah this year and I’m here to ski snowbird
nice dude have fun!
Alright, alright- interesting list for sure! I've hit slightly more than half of the resorts on this list. My starting mt was Crystal in WA so cool to see that come in at #10, did you list Mt Baker WA? I missed it if you did but that is the only other mt in WA that I think compares with top 20 resorts but the terrain might not make a top 10 yet the snow you get should put it up there with some of the best in UT.
If you include the hikeable terrain and views, Crystal is top 15 in North America but I can see why you questioned top 10, on its best days- hell yeah but that could be said for most of the top 20.
Snowbird... yeah- that is my 2nd home mt after Crystal and not at all surprised to see it at #1. Top 3 no question, you need to spend some time at Big Sky and Jackson Hole to fully compare it to the other top Rockies resorts but I can get behind it at #1. I have yet to do the full Revelstroke/Kicking Horse tour, went to MT this year but aiming for a Canada tour in the next couple years.
For CO I think Steamboat, Telluride, Aspen, and Crested Butte need to be on some future list consideration. Wolf Creek I've heard a lot about but haven't yet gone. Mt Silverton as well could be on a list but that is not an easy/fair comparison with most of the regular resorts. I'd put Steamboat top 25, Telluride is on the cusp with Crystal and Palisades in being a top 10 but definitely top 20. Aspen and Crested Butte might squeeze into top 15 but I'd have to spend more time at Jackson Hole (only did 1 day there) and check out Kicking Horse and Revelstroke to really be able to have any say on that.
Between your mt biking and rating Deer Valley so high, I think I am due for a visit there. I was went there for some spring skiing years ago when I lived in UT but I honestly don't remember much about it other than how spread out the parking lots were and I think I clipped a pass kinda late in the day to get in so probably didn't have time to really explore.
totally agree with a lot of what youre saying! i didnt make it to mt baker, but i want to try and get there this year.
ive been to steamboat, telluride and aspen in years past and they are all definitely top 20 top 15 resorts. the snow in colorado is great and all those have fun terrain! been to jackson a handful of times and big sky only once. i do like jackson and id put it as a top 5 resort, but i dont think it replaces snowbird as the #1..
Sick season. The fact that Mt Baker, Big Sky/Moonlight or Bachelor didn’t make your top 10 is super sus.
I ski at mammoth often. its such a great mountain.. views from the top are insane and there is so many options to choose, so many runs and difficulties and incredible parks. if you havnt been to mammoth mountain i highly recommend going. you havnt truly lived till you ski or snowboard that mountain. its the best of the best imo. just pretty crowded on weekends. i have been both skiing and snowboarding there for years and i always have the best time. you can ski many sides of the mountain an there is different and its just so huge it feel like you are on a different mountain sometimes when you go exploring.
mammoth is awesome!
I just started skiing 2 seasons ago. I'm getting so hyped for the season to start. Thanks for making this list. When I start getting comfortable and going out of Washington state I'll come back to this list to check out the top 5 for sure!
nice man! have so much fun out there!
The canyons at big bear are very very fun to tear up especially in the spring of a big snow year
PALISADES TAHOE AND ALPINE have the most epic terrain and acreage....KIRKWOOD is an experience you'll never forget just tough to get to....thanks for the review!
Great stuff. Thank you for sharing. Always fun making top 10 or 20 lists and having a healthy debate. Of course, we are all biased by our individual experiences with a mountain, weather, and a million other factors.
Here is my top 20...
1) Zermatt - Cervinia, CH
2) Big Sky, MT
3) Mammoth, CA
4) Snowbird/Alta, UT
5) Aspen Snowmass, CO
6) Vail, CO
7) Deer Valley, UT
8) Park City, UT
9) Sun Valley, ID
10) Banff Sunshine, AB
11) Lake Louise, AB
12) Saalbach, Leogang, Hinterglemm, AU
13) Jackson Hole, WY
14) Solitude, UT
15) Åre, SWE
16) Kirkwood, CA
17) Breckenridge, CO
18) Palisades, Meadows, Squaw, CA
19) Winter Park, CO
20) Crested Butte, CO
This season we have plans for Vail, CO, Madonna di Campiglio, IT (Skirama Dolomiti), Verbier, CH, Andermatt, CH and Whistler, BC. Pray for fun, health, and powder!
Awesome list! I hope to one day ski internationally like that!
Nice video man. Got me stoked for the season. I’m a colorado native and dude you should hit aspen highlands. it’s pretty sick up there
Everyone needs to take this with a grain of salt, seriously, he is saying a lot of these on the lower side of the list are super fun. Chill out, they can all be really great at times, and really crap at times. Great List!!!
Glad to see my main nearby resorts Kirkwood and Sugar Bowl made the list 👍👍
I’m a hard-core skier and I really enjoyed your video. Thank you.
nice im glad!
Felt like yesterday when I was watching the 21/22 season resort rankings. Can’t wait for this upcoming season
for real dude. years go by fast.
Thanks So Much, for providing a useful Ski Mountain Review for 10-15% of the Skier population. The fact that you base most of your review on words like narley, extreme and challenging excludes 85-90% of skiers. Glad you and the minority enjoy risk taking skiing. The majority of us don't.
You’re welcome my friend
You should go to Shames Mountian Terrace. This is where i grew up skiing and from what i hear there is great backcountry
Have you ever been to Red Mountain Resort in the southern BC interior? Considering you ranked revvy and kicking horse so high and you like technical big mountain terrain, I think it would be right up your alley. Red only falls short of those two in total snowfall throughout the year, but there is so much amazing terrain and the lift lines are way better compared to the more touristy resorts.
Never been there before but many people have vouched for it and I’m looking forward to checking it out this year!
give bachelor another chance. I promise you will love it. Go later in the winter. Dec- Feb is more hit or miss and then when March- April Rolls around you stand a much better chance of hitting it good
I realize you can't have them all, but I was really surprised not to see Jackson Hole, or Bridger Bowl on the list especially with a lot of the lame/tame places you did have.
as mentioned in the video and pinned comment, the ranking only included mountains i went to the past year. i did not visit jackson hole or bridger last year specifically, so they weren't included in the list.
all of them in US. Not sure why RUclips recommended me this
anyway. you visited 27 resorts in one season. nicely done!
Hehe I love that you ranked Kirkwood over Palisades. The Palisades crowd can be kinda like the Deer Valley crowd, if that makes sense, so they probably took that very personally lol. The fact that it's hard to get to Kirkwood is the best part tbh. All the North Lake resorts (specifically the megapass ones, Palisades/Northstar) get mad traffic because they're right off the I-80, and Heavenly gets way too full of tourists there to gamble and see the lake. If you go to Kirkwood, you're there for one reason, and on the days when the 88 is closed from the west but not the east, you get even less people on the mountain.
The best run I've ever had in my life was at Kirkwood last season: untracked waist deep bluebird pow off The Wall when they opened it right after a storm. I think I barely had to turn and just pointed straight down 😂. But the lifts there do suck though. If they replaced Chair 10 and Chair 4 with high speed chairs and added another chair on Eagle Bowl, I wouldn't go anywhere else.
As a Kirkwood fanboy, I will say that I actually prefer Palisades on really stormy days, because they will basically always open up KT-22 (since it's on the lower mountain). When the wind is too high, all the sick terrain stays closed at Kirkwood.
great information thanks man! not trying to offend anyone with the rankings lol as all the resorts are great. i definitely need to check out kirkwood on a proper storm day!
Very stoked to see the high grades for West Coast mountains. Alpental gets insane deep days when it's good! Wish you had better conditions
I’ve always wondered if Vail had followed through w/the original plan to put a Tram in East Vail and added the chutes to their inbounds terrain how different their reputation would be. (2500 vertical feet of 40 degree slopes)
as someone who skis Alpental/Snoqualmie 30ish days a year, I honestly agree with your ranking of it a lot. It is an excellent place to go on a decent day with someone who knows the mountain but if you've never been there before it's hard to find better places, especially in the backbowls/side/backcountry. great place with some pretty crazy terrain but you've got to know where to go. it is absolutely a mountain for those who are locals, not super great as a place to visit unless it's a powder day.
good to know! its always hard for me to rank resorts lower than others, but snowqualmie definitely had some awesome stuff. just needed to know where to go.
True, Alpental is all about the local lore and knowledge
for my time, even with an unlimited pass, i'd much rather risk baker. the line for edelweiss is such a bummer on any day worth going - even weekdays unless you're first chair-ish you're lucky to get, what, 5 runs in? before everything is mostly skiied out. baker has that unbelievably beautiful drive there and back and so many weird little nooks and crannies, that even on a busy day i'm spending more time trying to figure out where even the heck i am than i am sitting on a lift, much less a line. of course the wind can shut the whole thing down and that happening would really, really suck considering how far it is out of town. crystal's a surer bet and northway is just sick because most people don't bother, and the ikon going away certainly helped. baker's highs seem higher though, even if probably not so much to lucas's style and preferences. but he liked crystal, which seems about as busy, so i'm a little surprised.
for me snoqualmie shines (no pun intended) on weeknights when it snows - between wildside, mountaineers and triple six you can get fifteen or sixteen runs in between 6pm - when a person reasonably could expect to get there after work - and closing time. it's not super-challenging but even a little bit of snow makes a lot of difference, and can turn a standard work day around into a day i'm glad i lived through.
i just avoid chair 2 now, the lines have discouraged me. maybe i've just gotten unlucky on weekdays? weekends are just dumb of course. the conditions up there ARE ridiculously great for the low elevation, but weren't worth it any day last year, for me at least
@@radschliski1143 skipped alpental on a 1 foot pow day and just did triple sixty all day this past season and got so many great runs in hitting the little chutes, they didn’t get completely tracked out till about noon…. Tbh this was much much more enjoyable than waiting 20-30 minutes for chair 2. Wonder if the future lift upgrades at alpental will even help I’m doubtful, might just help get people to the gates that only want the gates with the international lift
@@radschliski1143 totally agree, I’ve gotten lucky a few times on pow days but it’s not often that I get a lot of runs in. Like you said it is the best in weekdays and that’s the main time I ski which I why I like it so much. Baker is admittedly great and I understand your points but for me the drive makes the difference. The convince of alpental for me is what makes it to get a few runs in later in the day. For the type of skier I am baker just isn’t all that practical
Just go to Sugarloaf in Maine during the week - almost zero lift lines, inexpensive lift tickets, incredible terrain that can challenge anyone.
But only 144” average snowfall
@@LucasCatania17 So? Is you skiing ability so bad that you have to have deep powder and "perfect" slopes all the time?
@@richardpare3538 I am bad at skiing but I just prefer skiing powder. Not sure why the attack on my skiing ability though.
Can you make a 2024 season hype video?? The beginning segment for this video got me so pumped but it was too short!! Highlights and fast paced music with your cinematography and editing skills would be lit even if it was only 5 minutes.
Yeah there will be another hype video! It will be more like 90 seconds haha not 5 minutes but check out the other hype videos from 2023 and 2022 if you haven’t 🙌🏽
What’s your opinion on Sundance, Utah? Love the video and I wish I could afford to ski all those places!
Tough list to tackle for sure. So many variables to consider that can just be dependent on the day you’re there. Loved seeing A-Basin on there but you should check out Taos. And last, no Hunter Mountain??! No Huntah??!! As a New Yorker I’m offended
well done, life-long kirkwood denizen, mt rose local now. i hope you get kirkwood on a good day check out eagle bowl, thunder saddle, etc. and it doesn't get any steeper than the chutes at rose, come ride the steep sixteen you won't regret. as always thanks for all the sick content, keep it coming!
4 days and counting already in New Zealand. LETS GO 2023/2024!!
that is SICK! getting a head start haha!
So fun to watch, Especially through your eyes and ability! Here’s to another great snow season!
Thanks Shawn! Ready for snow!
sun valley is such a good resort i love whenever i make a trip out there
Great job!! I’ve learned some new resorts I should visit in the coming years.
awesome - stoked to hear that!
Shame you weren’t able to hit Louise at a good time of year. Definitely a better resort when it comes to easily accessible top to bottom expert terrain off the summit and paradise chairs on the backside. I hope you make it up here next season! Definitely a far better experience than sunshine and I think it could crack your top 10
for sure man. its one of the resorts i really want to get back to next year. heard really great stuff about the backside!
No doubt hard work to do a ranking, but no Jackson Hole? Maybe the next trip it'd be cool to see where that lands
Great ratings!! Have been to many of these. My top 3 - Jackson, Snowbird, Alta - in any order. Best way for an east coaster to get to Alta/Snowbird and avoid the traffic - Fly into Salt Lake late at night, 10pm. Pay for the shuttle to drive you up to Snowbird. No traffic at all at that time. Stay at the cliff lodge and don't leave the Snowbird/Alta area. On the return trip, leave late a night as well. Easy!!
love it thanks for sharing! definitely great advice on the trip option. best way to avoid the LCC traffic is just stay right up there!
Love this list and I'm so glad that you put Snowbird first. It's my fav too!!!
Sweet! Glad ya liked it!
Love the Sugar Bowl placement
Glad you made it to Sunshine after all, that’s my home mountain! Looking forward to this season!
Thanks brother! Can’t wait to get back up to that area!
Even though the list was based on resorts visited last yr, I feel it necessary that on any list, JH should always be listed, possibly as a honorable mention for this list since you weren't there. JH is the sickest terrain in The USA.
Yeah, I am curious to see the ranking vs Kicking Horse and Snowbird. I've skied 40-60 days at Snowbird so know it pretty well but only did JH one day and have yet to try Kicking Horse.
@@AlanLamb11 The only downside of JH is when there is no snow the conditions can be pretty bad with the elevation.
ALTA... Another Long Traverse Ahead not a top 5 for me, but glad you like it. The rest of the list is well in tact. I would take a vail day over alpental for sure though as a Seattleite
Love the list! But you’re missing out on some awesome skiing in Idaho/Wyoming! Grand Targhee has arguably similar snow quality to Utah resorts with just as technical of terrain.
Also, I think you put Park City too low. The technical chutes off of McKonkeys are easily hike-able and just as steep and technical as your Snowbird chutes. Definitely more lapable than honeycomb bowl at Solitude.
ive skiied targhee before and its great! definitely some good snow! i grew up skiing PC and have hiked jupiter peak many times both from mckonkeys and jupiter side - they are so much fun but honestly not comparable to the terrain you find at snowbird imo.
That was so fun to watch. I hope you have a good winter.
you too my friend!
Nice Lucas!!! I would have put Fail at 25 or left it off. Targhee?
Targhee is awesome but this video only includes mountains I went to this year!
Yeah...thought you went there this year but I guess it was last year. Nice trophy case of ski hills there....especially in my old stomping grounds BC Canada. Would love to see more Indy (non Corp) ski "areas" given some love in the future by the way.@@LucasCatania17
Glad to see meadows at 16! Come back on a great day and it’s 🔥🔥🔥! Keep it up Lucas!
appreciate the support brother! hopefully see you out at meadows!!
1) SunValley Idaho
2) Aspen mountain
3) The Bird
4) Jackson Hole
5) Mammoth mountain
I enjoyed this summary. Having recently relocated from Northern California to east of Seattle, I’m most familiar with the Tahoe area resorts and with Summit at Snoqualmie/Alpental and Crystal. I was surprised to see Alpental on the list, but it’s my home mountain, so I’m going to check out the video on your day there. Definitely some great terrain at Alpy, constraints are the snow quality, visibility and lift configuration. But for 25 minutes from home, it’s pretty darned good!
agree! the mountain is beautiful and definitely has a lot of potential. just heard you really gotta be there with good conditions to enjoy it. thanks for watching!
Snowbird aka Snowbad. The very best and worst of skiing depending on the day. Usually tracked out for the season in August. Sundays in Mormon country and a pow day -forget about it!
Been skiing sugar bowl since I was three and can promise that you can have the best skiing day of you life if you go at the right time and place
That can be said at just about any resort on this list ha!
@@LucasCatania17 trust me you gotta go back
@@LucasCatania17 but don’t ski Lincoln only
Love the list. I skied many of these resorts back in the heyday of the 90's when crowds were small and you could ski many runs totally alone. also you could afford to ski back than. I have been to all of the Utah resorts on your list and many of the California ones to. They were so awesome to ski back in the day. Where is Jackson Hole and Taos?.
nice! as mentioned at the start, the list only includes mountains that i went to this past season. i didnt go to JH or taos last year.
These rankings are interesting. I don’t ski stuff this difficult, being more of a black diamond skiier, so I think how you rank things depends a lot upon that. Personally I like trees and bumps, but not super difficult. Beyond that, there’s, of course, the quality of the snow, accessibility, crowds, and parking. Some resorts I’d definitely have on a list would be Steamboat, Snowmass, Brighton, and Copper Mountain. I haven’t skied a lot of places here mentioned, probably about half. I had two days at Schweitzer, of which one was great and the other sucked, for the same reason as Mt. Batchelor. I was surprised Jackson Hole and Big Sky weren’t on the list, but maybe he didn’t go there.
Yah. I mentioned what the rankings were based off in the video. Also, those mountains were not on this list as I did not go to them this calendar year. This was not meant to be a comprehensive ranking of mountains in the west.
@@LucasCatania17I know you mentioned what you were basing it on, but was just giving my 2 cents. I don’t think I could do a ranking because it would be like trying to say which was your favorite child - they’re all precious, and have different strengths and weaknesses.