The United States is known for many amazing things, perhaps one of the most underrated being its phenomenal and gorgeous range of different terrains. Not only does the United States have a tremendous geological playground, it’s got the climate diversity to match.
In this post, we’ll be looking at the US’s top 5 ski resorts, complete with pertinent details.
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in Wyoming
Jackson Hole is considered the best place to ski on the entire american continent. Despite the fact that the resort’s seen an increase in visitors up to the amount of half a million, Jackson Hole remains free of the crowds that would make a popular skiing resort an overcrowded nightmare.
Anther welcome peculiarity is the fact that Jackson’s most popular season is summer, making lodging choices more varied and significantly lower than other ski resorts.
Jackson’s magnificent ski lift rises 4,139 feet within a short 9 minutes. The lift’s capacity is 100 passengers and as mentioned before, the lines are not only short, but fast moving. This is the stuff of skiing dreams.
While already boasting one of the best lifts in North America, Jackson is expanding its lift locations with plans for a lift near the crags, a popular, but challengingly accessible to visitors. Another change will come from the construction of a second gondola close to the Casper lift. This would give skiers access to intermediate terrain near the northern end of the resort and clear up the fracas.
If you plan to visit Jackson, allow us to make a couple of lodging and dining recommendations. Hotel Terra is strategically located within two minutes from the tram, take advantage of this spot. If you’d like to have an amazing all-american burger or buffalo sliders, visit the Spur Restaurant & Bar.
Alta, Utah
Jackson may be number one for its sheer genius infrastructure, but Alta will always remain the favorite among the hardcore skiers.
Alta is one of the most unique places to visit and fun places to ski for its ingenuity in scraping every single snowflake its microclimate can pluck out of the atmosphere. Like an ocean full of waves, Alta provides a wide expanse of fresh snow and choice lines for skiers to choose from. There are plum snowy pickings from nearly any direction and more powder than any other skiing resort in the United States.
I f you want to be greedy (or picky ), come to Alta in December or April. This will ensure you have a heaven of fresh snow all to yourself- okay, you’ll have to share with the dozen other people who know and have the leisure to come during these times of the year.
Since we’d like to show you the full experience, we also recommend that you stay anywhere near Snowbird. If you’re traveling during the off-season, couch surfing with a local is the best (and cheapest) deal. There aren’t a lot of places to eat at Alta, so we recommend bringing some good trail mix and deli meats.
Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort, Utah
For the third resort on our list, we’re still stuck in Utah- oh, but believe us, it’s a good place to stay.
The second best tram on the american continent (and yes, this includes Canada and Alaska) is in Utah, at the Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort. The tram, positioned in all the glory of Utah’s beautiful geographic vision, is perched just on top of Little Cottonwood Canyon, one of Snowbird’s main snow-producing little microclimates.
Designed after the grand European ski resorts, Snowbird boasts top notch infrastructure reminiscent of Austria or Switzerland. The unique experience of traversing a mountain via tunnel is in itself one of the most thrilling experiences to be had here.
With many secret spots scattered throughout a seemingly never-ending surprise game, Snowbird has skiers coming back to find yet another unexplored place year after year. With phenomenal exposure on nearly every extremity, Snowbird is not only surprising for its modern infrastructure and geographic location, but also for its dynamic skiing terrain.
A great place to stay while visiting Snowbird is the historic and quaint Cliff Lodge. As for food, look no further than The Forklift, within steps of the tram and a great place to wait out the lines.
Vail, Colorado
As if Colorado could get any better in terms of outdoor greatness, Vail is home to one of North Americas largest ski resorts. Flaunting nearly 6,000 acres of skiing terrain, Vail’s size is not even it’s best feature- that would be the snow, considered some of the best quality snow any resort can boast.
Vail is strategically located in an opportunistic snow-stashing interval. During its late season, it can still muster up enough snow to create the kind of powder that draws in the skiers like flies, especially in areas near Game Creek, Orient Express and High Noon Express.
Colorado’s best skiing resort happens to hold that title for a reason and that reason is adaptation. Lately, the adaptation has been huge bouts of college students. With lodging choices that range from student-stuffed condos to Ritz Carlton, the place precisely the place you’d like to mix snow with fun.
We’ve already mentioned your lodging options, so for eats, nothing beats The Little Diner.
Telluride, Colorado
Does Colorado seem like a great place to live yet?
The last, but most definitely not the least of ski resorts on our list is Telluride. Like a tiny mountain town/ ski-resort hybrid, this jewel of a place is the spot every skier should visit at least once- and if you’re a first-time skier, well then this is the place you should visit.
Telluride was designed to be the very essence of the skiing experience. While the place does unfortunately have the lowest snow accumulation and dump expectancy, pretty much any line is easily accessible and the entire place was made to make a beginner feel at home (all while not boring the pro to death).
One of the most charming qualities of Telluride is that you can ski right into town, witnessing the mountain top turn into the bar countertop in one long, neat glide. That being said, the resort also offers pretty extreme terrain, especially anywhere near Palmyra Peak.
One note for the “hardcore” skiers rolling their eyes: while Telluride does tend to attract a fairly new crowd, this means that the more challenging terrain is often wide open just for you. The Plunge, the Peaks, and the Double Diamond Bump are places to have some great fun out here.
If you do visit Telluride, we recommend staying at Lost Creek. As for food, this is a town and there are plenty of great recommendations including The Butcher & Baker Cafe, Alpino Vino, Allred’s, and anywhere along Colorado Avenue.