BIG Shoutout to @mizzoumort @sambrikakawa @pnwrider for being our first Peak Patrons! Check out the story of how we actually got all the footage for this video (it took us over four years) and way more 👉 www.patreon.com/PeakRankings
25th: Northstar, CA 0:56 24th: Crystal, WA 2:14 23rd: Powder Mountain, UT 3:51 22nd: Kirkwood, CA 5:30 21st: Heavenly, CA/NV 6:43 20th: Schweitzer, ID 8:03 19th: Park City, UT 9:25 18th: Brighton/Solitude, UT 11:09 17th: Deer Valley, UT 12:46 16th: Whitefish, MT 14:29 15th: Steamboat, CO 15:53 14th: Sun Valley, ID 17:04 13th: Palisades Tahoe, CA 18:27 12th: Mammoth, CA 20:04 11th: Winter Park, CO 21:27 10th: Keystone, CO 22:31 9th: Copper, CO 23:39 8th: Breckenridge, CO 24:54 7th: Big Sky, MT 25:57 6th: Beaver Creek, CO 27:48 5th: Telluride, CO 29:36 4th: Snowmass, CO 31:06 3rd: Vail, CO 32:36 2nd: Jackson Hole, WY 33:49 1st: Alta/Snowbird, UT 35:31
You speak a lot about lift ticket prices but the biggest cost variables on a destination ski trip are lodging and transportation. Compare, for example, Park City and Big Sky. In Park City during most of the season you can find quality lodging near the resorts for $200/night or less midweek. In Big Sky the least expensive rooms near the resort start at $500 a night. It is also typically far easier and less expensive to fly into Salt Lake City compared to Bozeman. I’m guessing you will say that lodging and air are beyond the scope of your videos but these factors have a significant bearing on the quality of a ski trip.
I’d argue that the flight cost factors are HIGHLY subjective to where you are flying out of. I live in Minnesota and fly out of MSP. It is almost always cheaper to fly to Bozeman, compared to SLC in the winter here. And the small size of the Bozeman airport makes it a breeze getting in & out. Don’t get me wrong, I typically fly to SLC for riding. But I think deep diving into factors like this become highly-location specific.
Ikr. And further, cost should be beyond the scope as well. Both because the mts essentially all are on 1 of 2 passes, and walk up prices are in same ranges. Where they vary greatly are kids and elderly.
CA skiing is way too unreliable for vacation skiers imo. Feast or famine. Wouldn’t put any CA resort in the top 15 for this reason. It’s great for locals or those within a couple hrs drive (eg SF, Sacramento).
Agree that Beaver Creek is too high on the list. Great resort and we had a blast in the grouse mountain and birds of prey runs but it sits so much lower in base elevation compared to Vail and others that the snow turns to mush much quicker during spring skiing which we found out this past year.
@@TheShreddingHand Its elevation is practically the same as Vail for practical purposes (i.e. if you're not accessing it from Avon or Arrowhead). Vail's base is 8200 ft and BC's (Village and Bachelor Gulch) is 8100 ft
@@zoraster3532 Yeah Arrowhead is 7400 though which is significant in the spring months. We spent 4 days in Vail at the end of March and drove to Beaver Creek for two days right after and I-70 went from snow covered sides to bare ground. When we entered, Beaver was bare at the bottom leading up the mountain. Wouldn’t make any difference in January, February and early March but was noticeable when we were there last week of March/first of April and at least a consideration at that time of year for folks. Either way, we had a blast at both mountains and they compliment each other well.
Starting a petition to do a PeakRankings video on ski areas in Japan. Come on, you guys know you want to. I'll even share some footage of my next trip in January!
@ВладиславКононов-л5н Привет! But I hope you understand my Japanese is much better than my Russian 😆 I live in Hong Kong so it is also easier to fly to
I personally think the conditions in Tahoe are overblown, yeah Sierra Cement isn't as good as powder more inland but it's still really fun to ski and helps create some of the best spring ski conditions in the nation. Would move Kirkwood, Heavenly, and Palisades up a little (Northstar is fine where it is)
Agreed. I understand that these rankings are based on a number of different factors that Tahoe resorts may lack but realistically Palisades and Kirkwood are much better mountains than Keystone, Winter Park, and Copper
I’m surprised Powder Mountain made the cut, but Grand Targhee did not. I’ll assume Crested Butte and Taos missed due to acreage? And Snowbasin deserves at least a sidebar mention, even though there’s no slopeside lodging. All in all, a great video guys!
skiing trips are all about timing, the conditions and crowds, you can have a better time on a mountain that's less crowded and if it's snowed recently with nice weather.
Northstar is straight up hostile to day trippers. The process of arriving, parking, shuttle, walking from the shuttle stop to the gondola, gondola, and then doing the reverse at the end of the day is such a time sink it feels like you get cheated out of skiing time. To do northstar properly, you have to be an early bird. You need to arrive more than an hour before the lifts open, and you need to stop skiing by 2:30. I'm a night owl so I do not appreciate hurrying up to get someplace early so that I can wait, and I don't appreciate having to ski past open lifts just so I have a chance of making it back to my car before the traffic is bad.
@@SeaofinK perhaps. But then y bother ranking so many resorts. True expert skiers/riders know where to go or don’t need exhaustive list. In fact,Should be focused less on ikon, epic resorts.
I've mostly only been in epic resorts, but here you go: 1. Breckenridge by far for beginners and families. Not even close to anything else. If I had to relearn from start how to ride I'd go there first. 2. Park City. 3. Beaver creek. 4. Telluride. Better runs for beginners than beaver Creek, but more remote and expensive. 5. Crested Butte, 6. Keystone 6, Vail. 7. Snowmass. 8. Northstar 9. Mammoth 10. Heavenly. No point going there for beginners in my opinion. That's is where I first learned to ride. Literally the worst place to learn. Another cheaper option is Big bear CA. But much smaller resorts and cheaper. 3 hours from L.A. But you have night skiing. Can ski from 9am to 9pm if you want. More time to practice.
@@RawRides4U My main issue with Breck is that nearly all their green runs are mid-mountain or lower. Not the best views. Also, the learning area at peak 8 is a hike from the gondola. So, I'd put Keystone above Breck for first-timers if you pick River Run. However, there is basically no progression at Keystone after the bunny hill (Endeavor, Scout, then nothing). Progression at Breck is excellent - all the way into the blue range. But, for solid beginner (not blue yet), BC is pretty great. McCoy Park alone is worth going.
Bachelor definitely is better than a number of these mountains. And if lack of slope-side lodging that kept it off, your top resort, Alta-Snowbird, barely has any.
If anyone comes to Washington State for Crystal mountain, definitely worth the trip to Stevens pass. I grew up skiing crystal, but now have skied and worked up at Stevens for last 25 years. Although smaller Stevens has better snow plus more fun and variable terrain.
Kirkwood has a fantastic isolated beginner ski hill, ample intermediate trails including the incredible sunrise lift, and it has perhaps the best entry-level off piste terrain of any California resort. Intermediate skiers looking for trees have an overabundance to choose from, and even beginners can get a feel for some tree runs. Kirkwood’s lifts are the worst part about it, but really only a few are frustratingly long, meaning there is a great deal of lappable runs and terrain. I do not think it is fair to say kirkwood doesn’t have much for beginner and intermediate skiers.
suggestions i have for the channel 1: new rankings added to the 10 category mountain score (currently theres snow, resiliency, size, diversity, challenge, lifts, crowd flow, facilities, navigation, aesthetic) the new rankings i suggest are: -beginner friendliness -accessibility -affordability -ski season length also, split ur crowd flow category into lift line crowd flow and trail crowd flow 2: facilities, terrain and lift upgrades for 2024-25 season 3: do a review of valle nevado chile
I’d like to amend “beg friendly” to beg friendly, and ability to level green to blue”. And at least a rating for run lengths, esp green and blue runs. Cause that’s how u level up.
Probably too small for this list but at 1600 acres silver mountain near Kellogg’s Idaho offers what might be the best bang for your buck in terms of a family oriented skiing experience. Good terrain decent snow and if you have kids there’s an indoor water park in the resort that’s actually pretty fun. Also the longest gondola ride in the US takes you from the resort to the base of the mountain which is a pretty cool way to access the mountain.
With the rising costs of everything, especially recreation type things, I think that the cost of Skiing/Snowboarding is one reason that a lot of people don't get into this pastime or don't continue doing it once they try it. I would love to see your take on the best value/budget ski resorts in the US.
snowbird does look beautiful with clear skies. usually when I go its like 70knot winds (tram closes just after midway through the day due to winds >80knots) with less than 100 foot viability with flat lighting so I cant tell how steep something is and I love it because there are less people on the mountain and I get to go home with some fun stories to why im all bruised up.
Park city: I'd like to add something very important to consider in park city and that's winds. The canyons side is more exposed to winds, and with high winds comes Gondolas and lifts closures that can last all day long. Limiting access to many runs, and forcing everyone to the same runs where the lifts are still open, making it super crowded and long wait times for lifts and gondolas. So make sure you check online for lift and gondolas closures in the morning before you go. The good thing about Park City is that even on the weekends, when there are more people, it's not that bad, cause the resort is huge and except for a small area that is packed, everyone just spreads out and it's still a lot of fun. The resort is always busy, even in the middle of the week, and sometimes parking can be an issue if you come late. Also, if there are winds and the canyons side is closed, try not to park on the canyons side. It can take up to 2 hours! And sometimes more, to get from there to park City with the shuttle. Park city is awesome, but if you're not staying there and need parking, you need to plan in advance. There are free and paid parking lots. For the paid parking lots, you can buy access online in advance, but during the weekend you need to buy a week or more in advance. Sometimes even during the week. If you park in paid parking lots, you can just walk to the nearest lift. If you park on the canyons side and there is wind closures, you'll need a shuttle to get to and from park City to get back to your car.
Northstar, CA: It takes an HOUR to get from the parking lot to the top of the mountain!!! And that in the middle of the week! From the parking lot you take a free shuttle to the gondola. From the gondola you take the 1st ski lift. And than a 2nd ski lift from there. If you ski all the way down in the middle of the day, it'll take you 30-45 minutes to get back to the top. The majority of skiers just ski to the middle, going to the bottom only at the end of the day to leave. And I agree with the commentary, most of the the runs aren't interesting. And the ones that are, are very short. I was there this winter (2024) for 1 day, and was supposed to be 2 days, and I'll probably never go there again. I preferred to spend more days in Heavenly.
I agree with this list very much, appreciate your ranking system. It's all subjective but the 2 resorts I think you need more time at are Big Sky and Steamboat, but everything is slotted pretty damn well I'd agree. Taos and Kirkwood are the sneaky bangers that deserve love too.
ive been to probably 10-15 of these and was/am a local in a few of them and I have to say your knowledge of many of these and how spot your analysis is seems impossible. Good work
Some good and accurate information in here. I strongly agree that SnowBird is the best ski mountain NA. One downside to Vale is how freaking difficult it is to get from car to mountain. Maybe I'm just doing it wrong, but it feels like a half-mile walk on hard surfaces, which nobody wants to do in ski boots. Though I could say the same for Deer Valley, I think my biggest complaint is that you did Deer Valley dirty -- I think it's a little unreasonable to say Breckenridge is better, let alone this many places higher. How on earth could you give it a 4/10 asthetic score? The view from Bald peak down towards the lake is possibly the best thing I've ever seen in my life.
I was at Snowbird last February. We missed the snow storm by about ten days so it was all icy and shredded out. I much preferred Brighton because it had untouched powder tree runs and the lift tickets were about $150 cheaper.
As someone who has run trips for a ski group, this is a useful video for me. However, Heavenly has a lot of lodging and entertainment and should be ranked higher.
I remember when Alta was $25 for an adult day pass. We could stay in SLC cheap and take the kids. I’ll be 80 this year. I hope to make at least one run with a free lift ticket. On a sunny day it’s my favorite spot on earth.
As a season skier who has epic, ikon and indy passes, skied 110 days and did 27 resorts last season. peak rankings did a great job. the best among many lists! It was not a popularity contest. well done
Would love to see a video about affordable ski areas across the country. I'm not willing to buy a pass product or pay over $150 per day to ski. Thus, I no longer ski much anymore. Corporate greed killed the ski industry for me. Its not fun to pay over $10 per run, $30+ for mediocre lunch and a beer, then sit in hours of traffic on the way home.
@@edwardkiernan Not true at all. There are some decent places still that aren't part of of the pass systems - But that's what makes them so great. I'm not going to even mention them here because the more people ignore them is for the better. You just need to look at places that aren't part of the two big passes. This top twenty list is almost a joke because most of these have been ruined for over a decade now due to Disney theme-parking them and the huge crowds thanks to the mega-passes. The list doesn't at all account for cost, and crowds (lack of).
@@newagain9964 Yep. There aren't many left, but there are still some left that rival many of these places but don't have the crowds, the theme parkification, and still have reasonable lift ticket prices.
When you got to #2 and hadn't called out either Alta or Snowbird, I was about to call BS! How could either not be top ten. Then you combined them, and I was like, 'ahh, balance in the force has been restored.'
Bro. I lived in CO for a while and keystone shouldn’t even sniff the top 10 for more reasons than I can list. It’s an opinion , I understand but there’s a reason CO locals call it “fleastone” 😂
On Big Sky having some slow lifts in weird places: Most of those lifts give access to terrain that most resorts wouldn't even consider having in-bounds. For advanced/expert, Big Sky is world-class
Seeing several videos on regional ski atea comparison would be fun. Obviously other forms of data collection would be needed. There are too many for the crew to visit all of them.
Holy cow prices have climbed up!!! I ski and snowboard at a place that has more terrain than Alta, jackson, beaver creek, vail, and big sky... in fact all of those can fit inside the resort at the same time! Condo /chalet rental could be as low as 200usd per day for 4pp. Lift prices about 70usd per day Excellent on hill food destroys most ski area food anywhere... for less $$$ than most... or at least same brutal prices. Usually goood warm weather. Good snow. No lines Weaknesses... short season and occasional rain... it is a warm place. If you fly from east coast usa, it may even be similar price for travel compared to colorado... dunno. But money saved on lifts and accomodation goes a long way to flights. Portes du soleil Switzerland. 203 lifts. Over 200,000 acres of terrain some is not skiable but... perhaps ski terrain os 140,000 acres then.. including 9 small towns. After a direct flight, take a train with one transfer from geneva. Or get there via france and direct bus
Love Beaver Creek. I've only skied/stayed at Keystone, Breck, Copper and Beaver. And my list would be: Beaver Creek Breck (it's close between Copper) Copper Keystone Haven't been to Vail, Snowmass or Telluride yet. We are looking at Jackson Hole or Snowmass for next season.
Every skier or boarder should go to Jackson Hole at least once. If you like all the moguls at Beaver Creek you will feel right at home at Jackson Hole. Vail is too crowded for me. JMO.
The guy that waxed our skiis last year at Vail, a true ski bum, when I asked him his favorite ski area in Colorado he said Beaver Creek. I wanna visit. I have never been. Could not coonvince my ski party to go even though the hotel we were staying at had a shuttle from Vail to Beaver Creek.
@@wilmoore5259 Also, besides last year skiing at Vail and Breckenridge I skiied at Mammoth. Loved it. Free parking. Tons of snow. When possible try to ski midweek and avoid weekends. Wanna say it was Saturday one day we skiied. It was like skiing on an ant hill there was so many people.
Great video but I think one thing you may have gotten wrong is putting every aspect of grading on the same scale. For example, I think for most people, having good quality snow is way more important than having fast lifts. I'd much rather have a mountain with extremely good snow quality/quantity and crappy lifts than one with extremely fast lifts but crappy snow, so rating them both out of 10 doesn't feel super honest. Other than that super good info though
US folks should pay a trip to some of the EU ski resorts and taste much better experience for far less $$$....1- day lift tickets in the US are insane , for a family of 4, a week ski vacation to Europe is the better deal out there, including the airfair
The only drawback to Sun Valley is snowfall, but they have the largest capacity of snow making in the U.S. Other than that it’s hard to beat. Getting there is better than most anything in CO (you won’t spend four hours on I-70), the mountain is....wow, prices are lowish, lift lines almost nonexistent, top notch facilities, parking is free, Ketchum is a great ski town.
@@mhurbi I also think Sun Valley is pretty lacking in expert terrain, however it still is possible to find some with good snow conditions if you know where to look
I’ve skied most of the resorts on the list. My top four in no particular order are: Jackson Hole, Big Sky, Sun Valley, Alta/Snowbird. Any resort in CO I-70 corridor on a powder day and the traffic/lift lines will ruin your day. At these four you’ll be able to ski your legs off although you might get traffic/avalanche delays at Altabird as there is not much near mountain lodging.
Snowmass is like someone looked at a mountain and tried to build as many runs across the fall line instead of down it as possible. I always felt like I was going somewhere to get to something else instead of just going down. The good terrain isn't lapable. My least favorite mountain in Colorado.
Nope, def got #1 wrong. No town, no snowboarders at one side, very steep and narrow runs, back bowl only one lift out. Not the best complete resort. And Mammoth needs to move up list, stayed for two weeks once and had best time. Good quick reviews of many resorts though. Well done. Thx. 🏂
Awesome video. The position of Snowmass and its score is slightly misleading - Aspen should be considered holistically as a destination, like you did with Altabird. While Aspen isn't interconnected the same way, Altabird is a premium option vs Alta or Snowbird alone, meaning it should be weighed the same way as the Aspen day pass that includes all 4 mountains. I say this because if you compare Vail to Snowmass alone, I get why Vail scores higher, but few are going to Aspen just to go to Snowmass. This video is titled "Ski Destinations". Vail you can ski other mountains nearby on an Epic pass, but a day pass is only good at Vail.
I thought so too, it is a destination but the price to go to the Aspen’s is just not viable for majority of people along with the kind of people the aspens attract may not be what some want, so it isnt the best. I think the fact its become so expensive should make it lower by a lot
That’s a fair point-there are plenty of valid ways to define these resorts. Ultimately, we had to decide where to draw the line. For instance, one could argue that Vail and Beaver Creek could be considered a single destination, just as all four Aspen mountains are. After all, the drive between Snowmass and Ajax is about the same as between Vail and the Beav.
Agreed Aspen should be treated as a 4 pack. Very few destination skiers are taking a trip just to go to Snowmass the whole time. It gets murky with the distinction between "different mountains with one ticket/brand" and "different mountains on the same multi pass like Vail/BC" but there's a reason 95% of people who go say they are going skiing in "Aspen" and don't specify Highlands, Buttermilk, Ajax (although Jerrys wouldn't know that term) or even Snowmass.
@@PeakRankings That's a reasonable point I had considered, but with Vail/BC there's no option to go to both unless you have an Epic pass. Part of the perk of Aspen is that everyone has access to every mountain, no questions asked. For example if your has a place near the town of Aspen, you can ride Snowmass all morning then meet people at one of the other three mountains for a couple hours later. Vail/BC isn't quite as seamless and friendly for the less initiated who haven't bought into Epic. Someone pointed out, very few people really say their destination trip is Snowmass, it's generally perceived and even branded by the corp as "Aspen Snowmass", meaning all four.
@@SpruceTreeThree Yeah the crowd is definitely not for everyone, I can understand that. In terms of cost, it's not easy to pull off but I've skied Aspen successfully at a reasonable price if you look closely enough. There's no question it's expensive, but a good rule of thumb is if you really wanna go somewhere with traveling, there might be a way to swing it that isn't immediately obvious.
Park City: The mountain for rich people who like to buy ski gear and have a “Ski Picture” on their wall, but don’t actually like skiing. If you like listening to people wearing $5k ski suits trade stocks on the lift, then riding a ridge line cat track for a mile, then skiing a 600 foot run for 30 seconds, then riding a flat, crowded valley cat track for a mile to the lift… then Park City is for you!
The video definitely implies an undisclosed minimum amount of hotels/services for a resort to be considered to have proper “on-site lodging”, which Targhee likely doesn’t meet
Keystone: Has a lot of charm, and is the closest big ski resort to Denver, driving wise. The ski town at the bottom is also special. A must visit in my opinion.
Yep... With only a couple of exceptions all the resorts on this list have expensive walk-up lift prices. The real cost variables that should be considered is lodging and air.
@@je5406 I’m retired, so only go on weekdays. I don’t like the crowds and the traffic in the canyon, but i still think getting there is generally better than ALL of the Colorado resorts from Denver any day of the week. Also, I think Ikon has only ruined Solitude not Snowbird/Alta. Just my opinion. You should come back!
maybe it's just me, but I genuinely don't understand why everyone always says that Deer Valley has short lines and impeccable grooming. I've been there at least 6 times, on weekdays, holidays, and weekends, in all weather conditions, and there are always long lines in the mornings. The grooming is destroyed by like 11am as well, leaving everything super choppy. Solitude, for example, always had much shorter lines and much better grooming, much of which lasts well into the afternoon, and yet it's always ranked lower and everyone gets told it's always crowded. Don't get it.
So Jackson Hole #1 for snowboarders, then? Snowbird is about the same size as Crystal, which knocks two points off right there. Guessing it might lose another point or two elsewhere with Alta off limits. And then of course one has to factor spite into the equation…
Snowboarding IMO saved the ski industry, not just with additional lift ticket sales but also with that deep side-cut people now enjoy in their skis. I get tired of the general resentment, but I can’t blame skiers for bemoaning the change in culture some boarders brought and continue to bring to the mountain.
I've skied in Alta and Snowbird multiple times You are dead on right with your selection of them those two as number one their number one in my book for sure
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BIG Shoutout to @mizzoumort @sambrikakawa @pnwrider for being our first Peak Patrons! Check out the story of how we actually got all the footage for this video (it took us over four years) and way more 👉 www.patreon.com/PeakRankings
i was gonna say really well put together
25th: Northstar, CA 0:56
24th: Crystal, WA 2:14
23rd: Powder Mountain, UT 3:51
22nd: Kirkwood, CA 5:30
21st: Heavenly, CA/NV 6:43
20th: Schweitzer, ID 8:03
19th: Park City, UT 9:25
18th: Brighton/Solitude, UT 11:09
17th: Deer Valley, UT 12:46
16th: Whitefish, MT 14:29
15th: Steamboat, CO 15:53
14th: Sun Valley, ID 17:04
13th: Palisades Tahoe, CA 18:27
12th: Mammoth, CA 20:04
11th: Winter Park, CO 21:27
10th: Keystone, CO 22:31
9th: Copper, CO 23:39
8th: Breckenridge, CO 24:54
7th: Big Sky, MT 25:57
6th: Beaver Creek, CO 27:48
5th: Telluride, CO 29:36
4th: Snowmass, CO 31:06
3rd: Vail, CO 32:36
2nd: Jackson Hole, WY 33:49
1st: Alta/Snowbird, UT 35:31
Thanks so much I needed that ❤
Chumbles is My Hero!
Appreciate the time stamps.
You speak a lot about lift ticket prices but the biggest cost variables on a destination ski trip are lodging and transportation. Compare, for example, Park City and Big Sky. In Park City during most of the season you can find quality lodging near the resorts for $200/night or less midweek. In Big Sky the least expensive rooms near the resort start at $500 a night. It is also typically far easier and less expensive to fly into Salt Lake City compared to Bozeman.
I’m guessing you will say that lodging and air are beyond the scope of your videos but these factors have a significant bearing on the quality of a ski trip.
Second that
I’d argue that the flight cost factors are HIGHLY subjective to where you are flying out of.
I live in Minnesota and fly out of MSP. It is almost always cheaper to fly to Bozeman, compared to SLC in the winter here. And the small size of the Bozeman airport makes it a breeze getting in & out.
Don’t get me wrong, I typically fly to SLC for riding. But I think deep diving into factors like this become highly-location specific.
We go to Big Sky every year and stay in Bozeman for under 100 a night at a nice motel. Yes you have to drive 45 min but it's not that bad.
Steamboat sucks so much
Ikr. And further, cost should be beyond the scope as well. Both because the mts essentially all are on 1 of 2 passes, and walk up prices are in same ranges. Where they vary greatly are kids and elderly.
peak ranking just posted???????????????????? now i have to pretend to poop for 40 minutes at work
Me to man me to…
"Sorry boss, I got to take a sick year"
This is so fr
I could slowly just watch this while at my job not on the toilet when I'm not needing to do anything at work
@DJslopp10
I love beaver creek but you’re on crack for putting it above resorts like mammoth, big sky, and palisades
CA skiing is way too unreliable for vacation skiers imo. Feast or famine. Wouldn’t put any CA resort in the top 15 for this reason. It’s great for locals or those within a couple hrs drive (eg SF, Sacramento).
*Squaw
Agree that Beaver Creek is too high on the list. Great resort and we had a blast in the grouse mountain and birds of prey runs but it sits so much lower in base elevation compared to Vail and others that the snow turns to mush much quicker during spring skiing which we found out this past year.
@@TheShreddingHand Its elevation is practically the same as Vail for practical purposes (i.e. if you're not accessing it from Avon or Arrowhead). Vail's base is 8200 ft and BC's (Village and Bachelor Gulch) is 8100 ft
@@zoraster3532 Yeah Arrowhead is 7400 though which is significant in the spring months. We spent 4 days in Vail at the end of March and drove to Beaver Creek for two days right after and I-70 went from snow covered sides to bare ground. When we entered, Beaver was bare at the bottom leading up the mountain. Wouldn’t make any difference in January, February and early March but was noticeable when we were there last week of March/first of April and at least a consideration at that time of year for folks. Either way, we had a blast at both mountains and they compliment each other well.
Starting a petition to do a PeakRankings video on ski areas in Japan. Come on, you guys know you want to. I'll even share some footage of my next trip in January!
100%
huge vouch
I've been to Japan for three times. Powder is the same, as russian, prices x20 😂
@ВладиславКононов-л5н Привет! But I hope you understand my Japanese is much better than my Russian 😆 I live in Hong Kong so it is also easier to fly to
I personally think the conditions in Tahoe are overblown, yeah Sierra Cement isn't as good as powder more inland but it's still really fun to ski and helps create some of the best spring ski conditions in the nation. Would move Kirkwood, Heavenly, and Palisades up a little (Northstar is fine where it is)
Agreed. I understand that these rankings are based on a number of different factors that Tahoe resorts may lack but realistically Palisades and Kirkwood are much better mountains than Keystone, Winter Park, and Copper
@@jacobthome147the mountain may be great but its not a good bet for fresh snow. Tahoe has frequent 2 and 3 week stretches without a single flake.
@@je5406agreed. Much better risk go to a summit county resort than Tahoe if I only had specific few days / a week to ski.
@@jacobthome147 Kirkwood is fantastic. But I don't think it's great as a destination ski resort, which I think this list is trying to get at.
@@zoraster3532if that was true then Alta and snowbird wouldn’t be at top. Lol
I’m surprised Powder Mountain made the cut, but Grand Targhee did not. I’ll assume Crested Butte and Taos missed due to acreage? And Snowbasin deserves at least a sidebar mention, even though there’s no slopeside lodging.
All in all, a great video guys!
The 'Ghee didn't quite make the size cut. We measure 1,715 skiable acres: www.peakrankings.com/content/grand-targhee
Same with CB and Taos.
Mammoth is elite you gotta hit chair 14 and hike the hemlocks.
The vid we’ve all been waiting for ladies and gentlemen
skiing trips are all about timing, the conditions and crowds, you can have a better time on a mountain that's less crowded and if it's snowed recently with nice weather.
Rockies resorts enjoy more frequent and better quality snow than Tahoe. Thats why they are the safe bet for vacationers who book months in advance.
Northstar is straight up hostile to day trippers. The process of arriving, parking, shuttle, walking from the shuttle stop to the gondola, gondola, and then doing the reverse at the end of the day is such a time sink it feels like you get cheated out of skiing time. To do northstar properly, you have to be an early bird. You need to arrive more than an hour before the lifts open, and you need to stop skiing by 2:30. I'm a night owl so I do not appreciate hurrying up to get someplace early so that I can wait, and I don't appreciate having to ski past open lifts just so I have a chance of making it back to my car before the traffic is bad.
And making you walk through an outdoor mall between the shuttle stop and the gondola. I agree, the most difficult access in Tahoe.
I’ve lost toenails from all the ski boot walking at Northstar. I hate that place with a passion.
I'd love to see a ranking based around first-time/beginner skiers. Or, perhaps well rounded family ski destinations.
They spend a lot effort as expert skier pov,but small % of entrants ski and board diamond slopes/consider themselves experts . 🤷♂️
@@newagain9964I agree, but I'd also bet that a higher % of people following RUclips content like this are more skilled than average.
@@SeaofinK perhaps. But then y bother ranking so many resorts. True expert skiers/riders know where to go or don’t need exhaustive list. In fact,Should be focused less on ikon, epic resorts.
I've mostly only been in epic resorts, but here you go:
1. Breckenridge by far for beginners and families. Not even close to anything else. If I had to relearn from start how to ride I'd go there first.
2. Park City.
3. Beaver creek.
4. Telluride. Better runs for beginners than beaver Creek, but more remote and expensive.
5. Crested Butte,
6. Keystone
6, Vail.
7. Snowmass.
8. Northstar
9. Mammoth
10. Heavenly. No point going there for beginners in my opinion. That's is where I first learned to ride. Literally the worst place to learn.
Another cheaper option is Big bear CA. But much smaller resorts and cheaper. 3 hours from L.A. But you have night skiing. Can ski from 9am to 9pm if you want. More time to practice.
@@RawRides4U My main issue with Breck is that nearly all their green runs are mid-mountain or lower. Not the best views. Also, the learning area at peak 8 is a hike from the gondola. So, I'd put Keystone above Breck for first-timers if you pick River Run. However, there is basically no progression at Keystone after the bunny hill (Endeavor, Scout, then nothing). Progression at Breck is excellent - all the way into the blue range. But, for solid beginner (not blue yet), BC is pretty great. McCoy Park alone is worth going.
Bachelor definitely is better than a number of these mountains. And if lack of slope-side lodging that kept it off, your top resort, Alta-Snowbird, barely has any.
Shhhh
But actually 100% - and the nearby town/city Bend has great food and breweries - plus a very cute downtown area that is very walkable.
CB in the thumbnail and not on the list is wild lmao
Well done onsite video and rankings! There are a couple of resorts that I will now visit as a result of your good work!
Now we need this list for the East Coast! 😂
Easy. If ur north of Maryland just got to VT. If not, don’t matter then. Just find a cheap decent hill.
😂😂
Surprised Taos isn't on the list
its great if you dont make it to colorado
Have skied 11 of them and as an advanced intermediate skier, would agree.
I think Mammoth and Kirkwood aren't getting a fair shake in this list, but the rest seems fairly good.
If anyone comes to Washington State for Crystal mountain, definitely worth the trip to Stevens pass. I grew up skiing crystal, but now have skied and worked up at Stevens for last 25 years. Although smaller Stevens has better snow plus more fun and variable terrain.
Kirkwood has a fantastic isolated beginner ski hill, ample intermediate trails including the incredible sunrise lift, and it has perhaps the best entry-level off piste terrain of any California resort. Intermediate skiers looking for trees have an overabundance to choose from, and even beginners can get a feel for some tree runs. Kirkwood’s lifts are the worst part about it, but really only a few are frustratingly long, meaning there is a great deal of lappable runs and terrain. I do not think it is fair to say kirkwood doesn’t have much for beginner and intermediate skiers.
suggestions i have for the channel
1: new rankings added to the 10 category mountain score (currently theres snow, resiliency, size, diversity, challenge, lifts, crowd flow, facilities, navigation, aesthetic) the new rankings i suggest are:
-beginner friendliness
-accessibility
-affordability
-ski season length
also, split ur crowd flow category into lift line crowd flow and trail crowd flow
2: facilities, terrain and lift upgrades for 2024-25 season
3: do a review of valle nevado chile
I’d like to amend “beg friendly” to beg friendly, and ability to level green to blue”.
And at least a rating for run lengths, esp green and blue runs. Cause that’s how u level up.
Probably too small for this list but at 1600 acres silver mountain near Kellogg’s Idaho offers what might be the best bang for your buck in terms of a family oriented skiing experience. Good terrain decent snow and if you have kids there’s an indoor water park in the resort that’s actually pretty fun. Also the longest gondola ride in the US takes you from the resort to the base of the mountain which is a pretty cool way to access the mountain.
With the rising costs of everything, especially recreation type things, I think that the cost of Skiing/Snowboarding is one reason that a lot of people don't get into this pastime or don't continue doing it once they try it. I would love to see your take on the best value/budget ski resorts in the US.
snowbird does look beautiful with clear skies. usually when I go its like 70knot winds (tram closes just after midway through the day due to winds >80knots) with less than 100 foot viability with flat lighting so I cant tell how steep something is and I love it because there are less people on the mountain and I get to go home with some fun stories to why im all bruised up.
Park city: I'd like to add something very important to consider in park city and that's winds. The canyons side is more exposed to winds, and with high winds comes Gondolas and lifts closures that can last all day long. Limiting access to many runs, and forcing everyone to the same runs where the lifts are still open, making it super crowded and long wait times for lifts and gondolas. So make sure you check online for lift and gondolas closures in the morning before you go. The good thing about Park City is that even on the weekends, when there are more people, it's not that bad, cause the resort is huge and except for a small area that is packed, everyone just spreads out and it's still a lot of fun. The resort is always busy, even in the middle of the week, and sometimes parking can be an issue if you come late.
Also, if there are winds and the canyons side is closed, try not to park on the canyons side. It can take up to 2 hours! And sometimes more, to get from there to park City with the shuttle.
Park city is awesome, but if you're not staying there and need parking, you need to plan in advance. There are free and paid parking lots. For the paid parking lots, you can buy access online in advance, but during the weekend you need to buy a week or more in advance. Sometimes even during the week. If you park in paid parking lots, you can just walk to the nearest lift. If you park on the canyons side and there is wind closures, you'll need a shuttle to get to and from park City to get back to your car.
Northstar, CA: It takes an HOUR to get from the parking lot to the top of the mountain!!! And that in the middle of the week! From the parking lot you take a free shuttle to the gondola. From the gondola you take the 1st ski lift. And than a 2nd ski lift from there. If you ski all the way down in the middle of the day, it'll take you 30-45 minutes to get back to the top. The majority of skiers just ski to the middle, going to the bottom only at the end of the day to leave. And I agree with the commentary, most of the the runs aren't interesting. And the ones that are, are very short. I was there this winter (2024) for 1 day, and was supposed to be 2 days, and I'll probably never go there again. I preferred to spend more days in Heavenly.
Wow. Thx for the Northstar info. I’m gonna make a note of that.
I agree with this list very much, appreciate your ranking system. It's all subjective but the 2 resorts I think you need more time at are Big Sky and Steamboat, but everything is slotted pretty damn well I'd agree. Taos and Kirkwood are the sneaky bangers that deserve love too.
ive been to probably 10-15 of these and was/am a local in a few of them and I have to say your knowledge of many of these and how spot your analysis is seems impossible. Good work
Great list. Mammoth is so underrated.
Some good and accurate information in here. I strongly agree that SnowBird is the best ski mountain NA. One downside to Vale is how freaking difficult it is to get from car to mountain. Maybe I'm just doing it wrong, but it feels like a half-mile walk on hard surfaces, which nobody wants to do in ski boots. Though I could say the same for Deer Valley, I think my biggest complaint is that you did Deer Valley dirty -- I think it's a little unreasonable to say Breckenridge is better, let alone this many places higher. How on earth could you give it a 4/10 asthetic score? The view from Bald peak down towards the lake is possibly the best thing I've ever seen in my life.
I disagree and think Deer Valley is a series of nipples. Vail secret is lift six. Enough said, you'll have to figure the rest.
I was at Snowbird last February. We missed the snow storm by about ten days so it was all icy and shredded out. I much preferred Brighton because it had untouched powder tree runs and the lift tickets were about $150 cheaper.
If you're going on a family trip with multiple families I'd say steamboat is the spot, if you get an ikon pass.
Love the ranking! But beaver creek is a 1:50 drive no traffic 😂
As someone who has run trips for a ski group, this is a useful video for me. However, Heavenly has a lot of lodging and entertainment and should be ranked higher.
It’s also supremely beautiful.
I remember when Alta was $25 for an adult day pass. We could stay in SLC cheap and take the kids. I’ll be 80 this year. I hope to make at least one run with a free lift ticket. On a sunny day it’s my favorite spot on earth.
Why do you have an image of Crested Butte but it’s not included in this list?
Because it does have 2000+ skiable acres everything on the list does
I’ve been waiting a long time for this video!
As a season skier who has epic, ikon and indy passes, skied 110 days and did 27 resorts last season. peak rankings did a great job. the best among many lists! It was not a popularity contest. well done
Would love to see a video about affordable ski areas across the country. I'm not willing to buy a pass product or pay over $150 per day to ski. Thus, I no longer ski much anymore. Corporate greed killed the ski industry for me. Its not fun to pay over $10 per run, $30+ for mediocre lunch and a beer, then sit in hours of traffic on the way home.
Only way to ski in the US is with a pass and go at least ten days. Then it's semi-reasonable. Or take trip to Europe. Better skiing and much cheaper.
@@edwardkiernan Not true at all. There are some decent places still that aren't part of of the pass systems - But that's what makes them so great. I'm not going to even mention them here because the more people ignore them is for the better. You just need to look at places that aren't part of the two big passes. This top twenty list is almost a joke because most of these have been ruined for over a decade now due to Disney theme-parking them and the huge crowds thanks to the mega-passes. The list doesn't at all account for cost, and crowds (lack of).
@@aoamchartfacts!
In effect the big resorts are forcing people to go to one of the passes if they don't want to feel overcharged for a lift pass.
That's true. It suits people like me that are serious skiers who want to travel but it hurts people just trying to get started in the sport.
@@bearclaw5115that’s why it’s important to go non ikon, epic resort. Most ppl don’t have to. And Many are still very affordable.
@@newagain9964 Yep. There aren't many left, but there are still some left that rival many of these places but don't have the crowds, the theme parkification, and still have reasonable lift ticket prices.
Thanks for featuring the fish!!
Day 4 of asking for a sugarloaf mountain review video
When you got to #2 and hadn't called out either Alta or Snowbird, I was about to call BS! How could either not be top ten. Then you combined them, and I was like, 'ahh, balance in the force has been restored.'
You've got my #1 and 2, 1 And 2, nice video and rankings.
Bro. I lived in CO for a while and keystone shouldn’t even sniff the top 10 for more reasons than I can list. It’s an opinion , I understand but there’s a reason CO locals call it “fleastone” 😂
keystone is really not a great mountain. just average in every way. nothing that gets you excited.
As a Winter Park local; go somewhere else, please. You'll love it
Alta Snowbird, Vail Beaver Creek, Killington, Waterville Valley, Wolf Creek, Grand Targhee, Bachelor and Winter Park offer me the best destinations.😊
On Big Sky having some slow lifts in weird places: Most of those lifts give access to terrain that most resorts wouldn't even consider having in-bounds. For advanced/expert, Big Sky is world-class
You are making a great content
I love it and truly.😊😊😊😊😊
Seeing several videos on regional ski atea comparison would be fun. Obviously other forms of data collection would be needed. There are too many for the crew to visit all of them.
as a seattle skiier, it's cathartic to hear you roast crystal that hard
Holy cow prices have climbed up!!!
I ski and snowboard at a place that has more terrain than Alta, jackson, beaver creek, vail, and big sky... in fact all of those can fit inside the resort at the same time!
Condo /chalet rental could be as low as 200usd per day for 4pp.
Lift prices about 70usd per day
Excellent on hill food destroys most ski area food anywhere... for less $$$ than most... or at least same brutal prices.
Usually goood warm weather. Good snow.
No lines
Weaknesses... short season and occasional rain... it is a warm place.
If you fly from east coast usa, it may even be similar price for travel compared to colorado... dunno. But money saved on lifts and accomodation goes a long way to flights.
Portes du soleil Switzerland.
203 lifts.
Over 200,000 acres of terrain some is not skiable but... perhaps ski terrain os 140,000 acres then.. including 9 small towns.
After a direct flight, take a train with one transfer from geneva.
Or get there via france and direct bus
Love Beaver Creek. I've only skied/stayed at Keystone, Breck, Copper and Beaver. And my list would be:
Beaver Creek
Breck (it's close between Copper)
Copper
Keystone
Haven't been to Vail, Snowmass or Telluride yet.
We are looking at Jackson Hole or Snowmass for next season.
Every skier or boarder should go to Jackson Hole at least once. If you like all the moguls at Beaver Creek you will feel right at home at Jackson Hole. Vail is too crowded for me. JMO.
The guy that waxed our skiis last year at Vail, a true ski bum, when I asked him his favorite ski area in Colorado he said Beaver Creek. I wanna visit. I have never been. Could not coonvince my ski party to go even though the hotel we were staying at had a shuttle from Vail to Beaver Creek.
@ yall should check it out. It's way less crowded. Incredible diverse terrain. Relaxed, yet classy vibes
@@wilmoore5259 Also, besides last year skiing at Vail and Breckenridge I skiied at Mammoth. Loved it. Free parking. Tons of snow. When possible try to ski midweek and avoid weekends. Wanna say it was Saturday one day we skiied. It was like skiing on an ant hill there was so many people.
Wow, Deer valley seems like my personal version of a skiing hell.
so cool! Thank You for creating this video!
Great video but I think one thing you may have gotten wrong is putting every aspect of grading on the same scale. For example, I think for most people, having good quality snow is way more important than having fast lifts. I'd much rather have a mountain with extremely good snow quality/quantity and crappy lifts than one with extremely fast lifts but crappy snow, so rating them both out of 10 doesn't feel super honest. Other than that super good info though
US folks should pay a trip to some of the EU ski resorts and taste much better experience for far less $$$....1- day lift tickets in the US are insane , for a family of 4, a week ski vacation to Europe is the better deal out there, including the airfair
, great vid! well dones! I actually had an unbelievable time at Steamboat though, I would add that if you want to ski fast, Sun Valley is unsurpassed.
Good to know!!! That's my gig.
@@MrSpartanPaultop to bottom constant pitch. Ketchum is also my favorite ski town. Snow is the huge issue there, so be aware.
The only drawback to Sun Valley is snowfall, but they have the largest capacity of snow making in the U.S. Other than that it’s hard to beat. Getting there is better than most anything in CO (you won’t spend four hours on I-70), the mountain is....wow, prices are lowish, lift lines almost nonexistent, top notch facilities, parking is free, Ketchum is a great ski town.
@@mhurbi I also think Sun Valley is pretty lacking in expert terrain, however it still is possible to find some with good snow conditions if you know where to look
Love the video! Could you guys make an updated review of deer valley resort, pre & post mega expansion!
I’ve skied most of the resorts on the list. My top four in no particular order are: Jackson Hole, Big Sky, Sun Valley, Alta/Snowbird. Any resort in CO I-70 corridor on a powder day and the traffic/lift lines will ruin your day. At these four you’ll be able to ski your legs off although you might get traffic/avalanche delays at Altabird as there is not much near mountain lodging.
Snowmass is like someone looked at a mountain and tried to build as many runs across the fall line instead of down it as possible. I always felt like I was going somewhere to get to something else instead of just going down. The good terrain isn't lapable. My least favorite mountain in Colorado.
Nope, def got #1 wrong. No town, no snowboarders at one side, very steep and narrow runs, back bowl only one lift out. Not the best complete resort. And Mammoth needs to move up list, stayed for two weeks once and had best time. Good quick reviews of many resorts though. Well done. Thx. 🏂
I find it cool I’ve ridden my mountain bike at 5 of the top 11 but only snowboarded at 2.
#1… you guys keep it 💦💦💦⛷️
Awesome video. The position of Snowmass and its score is slightly misleading - Aspen should be considered holistically as a destination, like you did with Altabird. While Aspen isn't interconnected the same way, Altabird is a premium option vs Alta or Snowbird alone, meaning it should be weighed the same way as the Aspen day pass that includes all 4 mountains. I say this because if you compare Vail to Snowmass alone, I get why Vail scores higher, but few are going to Aspen just to go to Snowmass. This video is titled "Ski Destinations". Vail you can ski other mountains nearby on an Epic pass, but a day pass is only good at Vail.
I thought so too, it is a destination but the price to go to the Aspen’s is just not viable for majority of people along with the kind of people the aspens attract may not be what some want, so it isnt the best. I think the fact its become so expensive should make it lower by a lot
That’s a fair point-there are plenty of valid ways to define these resorts. Ultimately, we had to decide where to draw the line. For instance, one could argue that Vail and Beaver Creek could be considered a single destination, just as all four Aspen mountains are. After all, the drive between Snowmass and Ajax is about the same as between Vail and the Beav.
Agreed Aspen should be treated as a 4 pack. Very few destination skiers are taking a trip just to go to Snowmass the whole time. It gets murky with the distinction between "different mountains with one ticket/brand" and "different mountains on the same multi pass like Vail/BC" but there's a reason 95% of people who go say they are going skiing in "Aspen" and don't specify Highlands, Buttermilk, Ajax (although Jerrys wouldn't know that term) or even Snowmass.
@@PeakRankings That's a reasonable point I had considered, but with Vail/BC there's no option to go to both unless you have an Epic pass. Part of the perk of Aspen is that everyone has access to every mountain, no questions asked. For example if your has a place near the town of Aspen, you can ride Snowmass all morning then meet people at one of the other three mountains for a couple hours later. Vail/BC isn't quite as seamless and friendly for the less initiated who haven't bought into Epic. Someone pointed out, very few people really say their destination trip is Snowmass, it's generally perceived and even branded by the corp as "Aspen Snowmass", meaning all four.
@@SpruceTreeThree Yeah the crowd is definitely not for everyone, I can understand that. In terms of cost, it's not easy to pull off but I've skied Aspen successfully at a reasonable price if you look closely enough. There's no question it's expensive, but a good rule of thumb is if you really wanna go somewhere with traveling, there might be a way to swing it that isn't immediately obvious.
You guys should go to sunlight mountain resort in Glenwood springs
uphill skiing is what the locals in aspen called it haha no its really good there
Park City: The mountain for rich people who like to buy ski gear and have a “Ski Picture” on their wall, but don’t actually like skiing. If you like listening to people wearing $5k ski suits trade stocks on the lift, then riding a ridge line cat track for a mile, then skiing a 600 foot run for 30 seconds, then riding a flat, crowded valley cat track for a mile to the lift… then Park City is for you!
No Grand Targhee???????
The video definitely implies an undisclosed minimum amount of hotels/services for a resort to be considered to have proper “on-site lodging”, which Targhee likely doesn’t meet
@@ovation1k Brighton & Solitude don't have lodging though
@@ovation1k That's a good thing...
Mammoth: Some ski seasons can last till August! I don't think they ever closed before June.
That shouldn’t necessary make it top 5. That’s an asterisk note. In *BOLD*
@@newagain9964 Yeah, just a note. Nothing to do with ranking.
@ yeah. I’m hoping to go there after march, when ikon 2025-26 pass goes on sale with spring days.
Keystone: Has a lot of charm, and is the closest big ski resort to Denver, driving wise. The ski town at the bottom is also special. A must visit in my opinion.
I’m sorry, did the northeast recently secede from the USA?! Some peak ice conditions are only a few months away!
lol. Seriously tho for Jan-Feb NE (US and Montreal) skiing what’s your top 3-4 places.
@ Stowe, Jay, Killington
Solitude´s honeycomb canyon stands out as they have super expert terrain and unique snow.
Great video.
Have you thought of doing this same video but including some Canadian resorts? Like whistler or revelstoke
Yep! We just need to get a few more resorts under our belt for that video.
Awesome!
Quick recap below...but 100% worth watching or listening to entire video
25 - Northstar (California)
24 - Crystal (Washington)
23 - Powder Mountain (Utah)
22 - Kirkwood (California)
21 - Heavenly (California/Nevada)
20 - Schweitzer (Idaho)
19 - Park City (Utah)
18 - Brighton/Solitude (Utah)
17 - Deer Valley (Utah)
16 - Whitefish (Montana)
15 - Steamboat (Colorado)
14 - Sun Valley (Idaho)
13 - Palisades Tahoe (California)
12 - Mammoth (California)
11 - Winter Park (Colorado)
10 - Keystone (Colorado)
9 - Copper (Colorado)
8 - Breckenridge (Colorado)
7 - Big Sky (Montana)
6 - Beaver Creek (Colorado)
5 - Telluride (Colorado)
4 - Snowmass (Colorado)
3 - Vail (Colorado)
2 - Jackson Hole (Wyoming)
1 - Alta/Snowbird (Utah)
Wow great video!
Not sure how Deer Valley got on this list though…
Was honestly surprised Taos wasn’t on there (not number one, just on there)
question, why is price such a big category? every resort day ticket is expensive..
Yep... With only a couple of exceptions all the resorts on this list have expensive walk-up lift prices. The real cost variables that should be considered is lodging and air.
I would have put one more Utah spot on this list, Snowbasin
I live 15 minutes from Snowbird so I’m glad Snowbird/Alta are #1 😊
Nice! I wish I could have visited more before the Ikon and work from home crowd took over.
@@je5406 I’m retired, so only go on weekdays. I don’t like the crowds and the traffic in the canyon, but i still think getting there is generally better than ALL of the Colorado resorts from Denver any day of the week. Also, I think Ikon has only ruined Solitude not Snowbird/Alta. Just my opinion. You should come back!
The reason to stay at northstar is if you can afford the slopeside Ritz Carlton.
Seeing more & more of this Have / Have Not accessibility in the ski industry.
@@SteveThompson-li2fcit’s not much much diff at the beaches. This is the system we live in.
FYI. There are public transportation and private shuttles to North Star from nearby towns.
Did Arapahoe basin miss the cut due to acreage?
Looking forward to trying whitefish in 2025-26 season!
maybe it's just me, but I genuinely don't understand why everyone always says that Deer Valley has short lines and impeccable grooming. I've been there at least 6 times, on weekdays, holidays, and weekends, in all weather conditions, and there are always long lines in the mornings. The grooming is destroyed by like 11am as well, leaving everything super choppy.
Solitude, for example, always had much shorter lines and much better grooming, much of which lasts well into the afternoon, and yet it's always ranked lower and everyone gets told it's always crowded. Don't get it.
Completely agree. Don't understand how DV is ranked above Park City, and certainly not better than Solitude which gets twice the snow DV gets.
So Jackson Hole #1 for snowboarders, then? Snowbird is about the same size as Crystal, which knocks two points off right there. Guessing it might lose another point or two elsewhere with Alta off limits. And then of course one has to factor spite into the equation…
Yep - especially with the new Sublette chair coming in.
Snowboarding IMO saved the ski industry, not just with additional lift ticket sales but also with that deep side-cut people now enjoy in their skis. I get tired of the general resentment, but I can’t blame skiers for bemoaning the change in culture some boarders brought and continue to bring to the mountain.
That caught me off guard when i heard it in the video as a European. Why do some resorts in the US not allow snowboarders?
thx for the list
Alta snowbird being 1 is spot on
Are those ski resorts two isolated ski 🎿⛷?
Snowmass/Aspen! My fav!!
Love Snowmass and Ajax, I go there after Telluride closes.
i remember living in aspen in the 70s going to school there you could ski for 3 dollars a day 10 dollars a day would by lunch and skiing together
@davidyork8020 Somehow I got front row parking directly in front of the Ajax gondola. Love it there. The mtn hosts even gave me free coffee!
Well I can’t wait to see this !
I live in Sweden but still great and interesting video
Go to Kirkwood if you want to get blasted by wind all day.
I've skied in Alta and Snowbird multiple times You are dead on right with your selection of them those two as number one their number one in my book for sure
"Kirkwood is fantastic for experts who don't need a fancy resort experience."
LOVE KIRKWOOD
Great State of Montana you got that right.
Do one of these but only for the east. Most of the population lives east of the Mississippi
Coming up once we have Quebec fully covered!
Earliest I've been. Next step to my Peakrankings addiction.
Any chance you organize the list by the mega passes?