 Poster: A snowHead
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Six of the top 10 ski resorts in SKI Magazine's annual "Top 50 Resort Guide" are in Colorado, according to the October issue which hits newsstands on Sept. 25.
The ranking of North American ski resorts named Deer Valley, Utah as the No. 1 resort. Deer Valley returned to the top spot after being ranked second in last year's survey.
Vail, came in at No. 2, leading the group of six Colorado resorts in the top ten, more then any other state.
Whistler Blackcomb, B.C., moved up one spot to No. 3 on the list.
Aspen saw the largest increase of any of the resorts in the top ten, moving up three spots to No. 4 with sister resort Snowmass coming in at No. 5.
Beaver Creek, Steamboat, and Sun Valley, Idaho maintained their previous top ten rankings at No. 8, No. 9 and No. 10 respectively.
The top 10 resorts according to SKI Magazine's readers:
1. Deer Valley, Utah
2. Vail, Colo.
3. Whistler/Blackcomb, B.C.
4. Aspen, Colo.
5. Snowmass, Colo.
6. Park City, Utah.
7. Breckenridge, Colo.
8. Beaver Creek, Colo.
9. Steamboat, Colo.
10. Sun Valley, Idaho
Nearly 7,000 SKI Magazine subscribers responded to the "Top 50 Resort Guide" survey, which was conducted by an independent research firm. It is the most comprehensive and longest-running ski resort survey in the winter sports industry.
Resorts are ranked in 18 categories: Overall Satisfaction, Access, Aprčs Ski, Dining, Family Programs, Grooming, Lifts, Lodging, Off-Hill Activities, On-Mountain Food, Scenery, Service, Snow, Terrain/Challenge, Terrain/Variety, Terrain Parks, Value and Weather by SKI subscribers who have skied the resorts for the past two seasons, skiing an average of 23 days a year. |
http://cbs4denver.com/business/local_story_250151852.html
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Any top 10 list that is headed by Deer Valley and has Vail, Apen, Park City, Beaver Creek and Park City in it says a lot about the criteria by which it was (paid for by advertisers). Ski magazine from what I have seen is mainly property porn with "lifestyle" features and a bit of skiing thrown in.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Absolute tosh isn't it. I have skied 7 of them and I am sure that at least 3 of them (Snowmass, BC and Breck) don't belong there, and I rather suspect one of the Utah resorts doesn't either. No JH, Telluride or Lake Louise... total tosh.
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Sat 8-09-07 21:36; edited 1 time in total
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I assume this was Top North American Resorts rather than Top Resorts?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| fatbob wrote: |
| Any top 10 list that is headed by Deer Valley and has Vail, Apen, Park City, Beaver Creek and Park City in it says a lot about the criteria by which it was (paid for by advertisers). Ski magazine from what I have seen is mainly property porn with "lifestyle" features and a bit of skiing thrown in. |
What do you have against Vail?
Not that I agree with the whole list. (I actually think it's total trash) But the one resort that DO belong to ANY top N. America list is VAIL.
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Top North American Resorts and based on a bucket load of criteria not just snow and terrain.
To be honest if people read this report before posting on here 'want to ski in the US or Canada, where to go?' it would remove a lot of useless threads.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Marketing budgets can account for this phenomenon.
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Roy Hockley, 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| abc wrote: |
| fatbob wrote: |
| Any top 10 list that is headed by Deer Valley and has Vail, Apen, Park City, Beaver Creek and Park City in it says a lot about the criteria by which it was (paid for by advertisers). Ski magazine from what I have seen is mainly property porn with "lifestyle" features and a bit of skiing thrown in. |
What do you have against Vail?
Not that I agree with the whole list. (I actually think it's total trash) But the one resort that DO belong to ANY top N. America list is VAIL. |
Don't really have anything against it - the skiing is fine. They (Vail Resorts) obviously have a considerable marketing budget though: Vail, Breck & BC in the top 10. I do think some of the prestige associated with it is slightly laughable as the town is bascially a lay by on the motorway & the faux Alpine architecture is funny.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Never skied in the USA. From what I have read, if I did go, it'd be Jackson Hole for me. The only North American resort I have skied at is Fernie - wouldn't mind going there again in a good powder year.
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achilles, Going to Fernie and JH this year. I 'll send you a postcard..,
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You know it makes sense.
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stoatsbrother, don't forget to do Corbetts 
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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The thing that puzzles me is Aspen and Snowmass get a spot each when noramlly they are mentioned together Now I know they are seperate mountains but was Highlands to be included as part of Aspen in the vote ?
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Same goes with Vail and Beaver Creek as "seperate" resorts. They're right next to each other and you can get to one or the other by free shuttle bus. Meanwhile, Whistler and Blackcomb is listed as one, presummably becasue you can ski from one to the other.
As a skier and nothing else (don't care about apres ski drinking party nor non-skiing diversion), I'm happy Alta/Snowbird does NOT make the top 10. I wouldn't be too happy to see A/S turn into another Vail. (Vail being my second favorate resort, shared with Taos) I'm glad the non-drinking law of Utah works in my favor to help keep the Little Cottonwood Canyon the way they're, for skiers only, for a long time to come.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I do think some of the prestige associated with it is slightly laughable as the town is bascially a lay by on the motorway & the faux Alpine architecture is funny
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Isn't 90% of towns in US all just "lay by on the motorway"? 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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It's basically a magazine subscriber poll. Subscribers who care vote and resorts that attract a lot of visitors are much more likely to receive votes. It's not really much about the quality of the skiing.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| roga wrote: |
| this is the USA we're talking about, home of the so called World Series |
Interesting point. And when they took on the world, they lost.
To Japan.
And Cuba were runners-up.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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They get the broad trends about right.
The left side of North America has the best mountains.
CO, UT and BC are mostly where the top resorts are found.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Whitegold wrote: |
They get the broad trends about right.
The left side of North America has the best mountains.
CO, UT and BC are mostly where the top resorts are found. |
They need a survey to know THAT???
Next thing you need to run a survey to find snow condition in Florida is crappy???
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The survey segregates North American. Most folks in the SKI magazine demographic live in North America. Occasionally, they'll do an international resorts special, but that's pretty rare. I do think that the Rockies have the best snow anywhere.
I happen to like the Colorado and Utah resorts, but then I'm biased. I live less than 2 hours' drive from Vail, ski Copper about 20-30 times a season, and generally enjoy Rocky Mountain powder whenever I can. Not a bad life... 
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abc,
By virtue of your definition, most resorts would not exist as 'separate' resorts due to their proximity to each other, linked or otherwise.
The CO resorts of Vail Resorts Inc. - Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone & Vail - tick most of the boxes for what 'most' skiers are looking for from a ski holiday experience.
Quality of snow, variety of terrain, accommodation, access, ski & snowboard school, rental, dining, shopping to name just a fraction of the criteria in this survey.
Plus they have an interchangeable lift pass between the 4 resorts.
In my experience spending a winter at Park City and a winter at Keystone I had far more untracked turns after a storm at the Vail Inc resorts than I did at Alta /Snowbird.
Alta/Snowbird is a zoo on a powder day. The Vail inc resorts in comparison have a smaller number of advanced skiers skiing the off groomed making the untracked available for longer.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Mike Pow,
Since Vail is my second favorate resort (tied with Taos), I'm not going to argue why I prefer Alta/Snowbird over Vail. It's bit of hair splitting.
But where does Beaver Creek fit in? Or for that matter, Breckenridge and Deer Valley? That's not counting Steamboat Spring, which is very isolated and only moderate in size. While fine holiday destinations they all are, I don't believe they're "better" than a dozen other.
I can think of a lot more resort that are better than those. Heavenly being the top resort that I would put WAY ahead of any of 2nd half of the "top 10"! Mammoth is another one, according to people who's been around different places. I've not skied there so can't say for sure. But judging from what I saw in summer, I'd put it ahead of the "other 5" in my "to try" list.
Granted, Alta/Snowbird (together with Taos) was what inspired me to become a better skier -- so I can actually enjoy them, with relaxed confidence! So, I do understand those who only wanted a "holiday" for not particularly liking it. It's not exactly 'friendly' to skiers below solid intermediates level.
I'm still of the opinion that Colorado does a much better marketing job than the rest. California, as far as I can tell, doesn't bother attracting out of state skiers. There's a feeling there they prefer the rest of the world stay away so they get to enjoy it without the out of state holiday makers getting in their way!
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Any place that I ski is the best in the world. If it weren't, I wouldn't have chosen to ski there. If someone's taking a survey, I'll tell them that the resort was amazing. If I said anything else, I'd be admitting that my judgement was flawed. But I know that my judgement is perfect, so the holiday must have been perfect. Especially if I've seen a few glossy brochures and that tell me just how perfect my judgement was.
Big resorts with big visitor numbers and big marketing budgets will always do well in these types of survey. It's inevitable. It also kinda helps the relationship between the ski magazine and its advertisers. But it is fun to snipe
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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abc,
Alta/Snowbird are better than Solitude but I prefer going to Solitude because it lives up to it's name. So know where you're coming from on preferences.
Can't speak about California, never been there to ski. Would like to though.
IMHO Beaver Creek is better than Vail. More consistent pitch, snow's the same, and even less people tracking the off-piste pow.
Same with Deer Valley. Powder day in Park City and I would head to Deer Valley. Better terrain, less people skiing it.
And for both of these, the cost of tickets and lunch was not significantly different from it's neighbours.
Agree with you on Breckenridge. Totally overrated for what I'm looking for. But for a holiday maker it does very well.
Only skied Steamboat once, but would definitely go back. Better then Breck, Park City and Snowmass from this list for me.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Mike Pow wrote: |
| IMHO Beaver Creek is better than Vail. More consistent pitch, snow's the same, and even less people tracking the off-piste pow. |
You have a very good point! The "luxury" image distracts from the actual skiing. I would add: less people tracking the nice out-of-bounds options ("Alta Chutes", "Bald Spot" "Ace of Spades") although the previously excellent Upper Stone Creek has now been made in-bounds since I was last there.
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Breck has some exceptional terrain... if you know how to get to it. Finding a local to guide you around can make a world of difference there. When I started skiing it with someone who had worked there for a decade it became a different resort. Same with Keystone; there's some amazing tree skiing there. The bowl is nice, too, of course, but everyone knows about that.
Vail is huge... for the States. Interesting, too, I was thinking about the difference between on- and off-piste in the US and Europe. Many people may not realize that you can ski virtually anywhere inside the resort boundaries of most resorts here. There are sometimes a few roped off areas, but they are rare. If you can see it, it's usually controlled and you can ski it (without a guide). It makes the sensation of space and size a bit different.
Vertical doesn't compare, I understand, but for actual skiing, I think that there's a lot of great terrain around here. Keeps me happy, anyway...
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You know it makes sense.
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ssh,
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Many people may not realize that you can ski virtually anywhere inside the resort boundaries of most resorts here.
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Even though I've skied a bit in North America, it took becoming a snowHead to learn that! It's a while since I was there, but I guess I must have thought that there were simply an awful lot of trails which resorts didn't bother to groom. That's sort of true, it's just a different perspective on things!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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but I guess I must have thought that there were simply an awful lot of trails which resorts didn't bother to groom
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That's rather funny! 
Same for N. Americans skiing in the Alps. They all wonder why everyone stick to a few groomed piste when with all those open terrain right next to it!
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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stuarth, how's the new Lionshead coming along?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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The best ski resorts in the world are in The Alps without any doubt.
In the rockies they have the snow, but the terrain, the vertical drop, the freeskiing (only Verbier and Stn Anton have better area that in every North America).
And in NA the best with great difference is Whistler.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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metalhead132, best fow whom?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Bold statement metalhead132.
Skied much in N America?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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metalhead132, The Alps and the Rockies bring different things to the table. I like both and ski both.
If you get in to "the biggest vertical makes the best ski resort" then the Alps and Whistler will win, but that is a really simplistic view.
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All you can see in this pic, is skiable terrain:
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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You're right, metalhead. everyone should stick to Europe. It's got everything you could ever want. No need to go anywhere else.
So, please, everyone, stay away from north America. It's for your own good, and nothing to do with me wanting to continue to enjoy being unblinkered.
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| stoatsbrother wrote: |
metalhead132, The Alps and the Rockies bring different things to the table. I like both and ski both.
If you get in to "the biggest vertical makes the best ski resort" then the Alps and Whistler will win, but that is a really simplistic view. |
I agree. But in my opinion Alps are better overall...but not in all aspects.
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FAQ
Now I know they are seperate mountains but was Highlands to be included as part of Aspen in the vote ? 
, except for the construction and oh the lack of snow 
