Ski Areas

Contents
N. America West N. America East USA Midwest International World Rank Other sources	Top Family Resorts Top Areas for Steeps Longest Runs Most Vertical Highest Winter Olympics
Ski Resorts at Yahoo, Google, About, Other sources.

Top Rated Ski Areas West USA
1 Whistler/Blackcomb, BC 2 Alta/Snowbird, UT 3 Jackson Hole, WY 4 Vail, CO 5 Squaw Valley, CA 6 Mammoth Mountain, CA 7 Aspen/Aspen Highlands, CO 8 Fernie, AB 9 Big Sky, MT 10 Snowbasin, UT 11 Park City, UT 12 Kirkwood, CA	13 Steamboat, CO 14 Crested Butte, CO 15 Kicking Hourse, BC 16 Mt. Baker, WA 17 Telluride, CO 18 Heavenly Valley, CA 19 Grand Targhee, WY 20 Bridger Bowl, MT 21 Snowmass (Aspen), CO 22 Red Mountain, BC 23 Breckenridge, CO 24 Alpine Meadows, CA	25 Solitude, UT __ Lake Louise, AB __ Taos, NM __ Crystal Mountain, WA __ Alyeska, AK __ Deer Valley, Utah __ Sun Valley, Idaho __ Big Mountain, MT __ The Canyons, UT __ Beaver Creek, CO
Lake Louise to Beaver Creek were in top 30 in 2002 - Mountain Stats More Detail for 60+ areas
(Ranks 1-25 from Nov. 2006 Skiing Magazine, which is based on a combination of objective statistics and subjective opinions from editors, writers and professional skiers. 26-30 from Oct. 2002 Ski Magazine survey sent to 20,000 readers. In several cases there was a big difference e.g. Alta is rated #2 in the Nov. 2002 Skiing , and #27 in the Oct. 2002 Ski Magazine Reader Poll) East USA (Rank: Skiing/Ski/TimesUnion)
1 Stowe, VT (2/3/1) 2 Mount Tremblant, Que (/1/6) 3 Killington, VT (6/5/2) 4 Sugarloaf, ME (4/7/3) 5 Sunday River, ME (5/10) 6 Whiteface Mountain, NY (10/2/8) 7 Jay Peak, VT (1//6) 8 Smugglers' Notch, VT (3/) 9 Mad River Glen, VT (7//4) 10 Sugarbush, VT (/12/4) 11 Stratton Mountain, VT (/4) 12 Loon Mountain, NH (/6)	13 Cannon, NH (8/18) 14 Waterville Valley, NH (/20/9) 15 Okemo, VT (/9) 16 Seven Springs, PA (/13) 17 Attitash Bear Peak, NH (/8) 18 Wildcat, NH (9/16) 19 Holiday Valley, NY (/11/10) 20 Bretton Woods, NH (/14) 21 Bromley, VT () 22 Mount Snow, VT (/17) 23 Ski Windham, NY (/19) 24 Hunter Mountain, NY ()	Others Mont Sainte Anne, Quebec Tuckermans Ravine, NH Poconos, Pennsylvania Blue Mountain Camelback Ski Resort Jack Frost Big Bolder Shawnee Mountain Elk Mountain Montage Mountain Creek, NJ See: Pennsylvania Ski Area Guide
(Ranks based on a weighted average of several rankings the most recent of which were Nov. 2002 Skiing Magazine Rankings and Oct. 2002 Ski Magazine Reader Survey. The Albany Times Union ratings were done in 2000) See New England Ski Areas
Midwest USA
1 Nub's Nob, Mich. 2 Boyne Highlands, Mich. 3 Crystal Mountain, Mich. 4 Shanty Creek, Mich. 5 Giants Ridge, Minn. 6 Lutsen, Minn.	7 Boyne Mountain, Mich. 8 Big Powderhorn, Mich. 9 Indianhead, Mich. 10 Whitecap Mountains, Wis 11 Cascade Mountain, Wis
See Also: AtPlay International Areas See Below

Ratings by Category
Best Family Resorts * Ski Magazine Jan. 2003 \| † Skiing.about.com 2002
West Steamboat, CO * † Northstar, CA * † Grand Targhee, WY * Winter Park, CO † Whistler-Blackcomb, BC † Keystone Resort, CO † The Canyons, UT †	East Smuggler's Notch, VT * † Bretton Woods, NH * † Okemo, VT * Mont Sainte Anne, Quebec †

Most Vertical

Source: verticalfeet.com

West
Total (ft.)	Cont.¹	Area
6,200		Valdez Heli-Ski Guides, AK
6,000		Mike Wiegele Heli Skiing, BC
5,280	5,280	Blackcomb/Whistler, BC
4,180	3,400	Big Sky, MT
4,139		Jackson Hole, WY
4,131		Kicking Horse, BC
4,040	3,400	Beaver Creek, CO
3,800		Panorama, BC
3,723		Snowmass, CO
3,590		Mt. Hood, OR
3,530	3,250	Telluride, CO
3,514		Sunshine - Banff, AB
1. Continuous Skiing

East
Total (ft.)	Cont.	Area
3,216		Whiteface, NY
3,150	2,000	Killington, VT
2,820		Sugarloaf, ME
2,650		Sugarbush, VT
2,610		Smugglers' Notch, VT
2,360		Stowe, VT
2,340	2,000	Sunday River
2,153		Jay Peak
2,146		Cannon
2,131		Mont Tremblant, Que

Europe
Chamonix - Mount Blanc, FR	9,212
Méribel, Fr	7,707
Zermatt, Switz	7,216
Interlaken, Switz	6,888
Verbier, Switz	6,002
Neustift, Aust (Stubai glacier), Aust	5,167
St. Anton (Arlberg area), Aust	4,944
Val d'Isère, France	4,290
Val Gardena, Italy	4,234
Davos, Switz	4,212
Kitzbühel, Austria	3,936

Southern Hemisphere

Top Steeps

Nov. 2002 Skiing Magazine - Areas with best steeps and steepest run listed in area summaries.

West
Area	Run	Pitch
Jackson Hole	Alta Shutes	55°
Whistler Blackcomb	Exhilaration	55°
Alta/Snowbird	North Rustler	46°
Aspen Highlands	Low Y-Zones	48°
Squaw Valley	Palisades	45°
Alyeska	New Year's Chute	45°
Crested Butte	Dead End Chutes	50°
Taos	Stauffenberg	49°
Kirkwood	Chamoix	33°
Telluride	Genevieve	34°
Mammoth	Huevos Grande	59°
Big Sky	Castro's Shoulder	50°

East
Area	Run	Pitch
Smuggler's Notch	Freefall	54°
Sugarbush	Rumble	38°
Sugarloaf	White Nitro	52°
Mount Snow	Ripcord	37°
Cannon	Avalanche	59°
Stowe	Starr & Goat AVI Movie	35-40°
Tuckermans		55° *
Note: Pitches are reported values. There are no rules for over what distance the measure is averaged. The stepest spot on most double diamond runs are 30-35°. * Most of Tuckermans is 35-40°.

Longest Runs

Europe
Zermatt, Switz	10 mi.
Chamonix - Mount Blanc, FR	9 mi.
Interlaken, Switz	9 mi.
Davos, Switz	8 mi
Verbier, Switz	6.5 mi
St. Anton (Arlberg area), Aust	6.3
Neustift (Stubai Gletscher), Aust	6.2
The longest run in most areas is from 4.5-6 mi.

N. America
Area	Longest	Vertical
Killington, VT	10 mi.	3,150'
Whistler, BC	7 mi.	5,280
Big Sky, MT	6 mi.	3,400
Heavenly Valley, CA	5.5 mi.	3,500
Taos, NM	5.2 mi.	2,612
Jackson Hole, WY	4.7 mi.	4,139
Snowmass, CO	5 mi.	4,406
Tremblant, Qe	3.8 mi.	2,131
Stowe, VT	3.7 mi.	2,360
The longest run in most areas is from 2.5-3.5 mi.

Notes:
The most famous off-piste run in all the world is the Aiguille du Midi at Chamonix, a 12-mile thriller that begins at the top of a cable car unloading at 12,606 feet and ends in the valley, at about 3,500 feet. It is long, steady, incredibly dramatic but not terribly challenging (except for the crevasse-avoidance on the glacier called the Mer de Glace, which is why you need a guide). It's the snow-sliding excursion of a lifetime.

Highest Top Elevataion

International
Area	Highest Lift *
Chacaltaya, BOL 1 rope tow. May be worlds fastest rope tow.	17,790
Mérida, Venezuela four-stage cable car ride	15,634
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Yunnan, China (Hengduan Mountains) world's highest operational gondola	14,816
Gulmarg, Kashmir, India (Himalayas) Highest chair in the world	13,576
Tochal, Iran	13,008
Breckenridge ,CO	12,999
Valle Manantiales, Argentina	12,796
Zermatt, SWI	12,796
Loveland, CO	12,701
Chamonix, FR	12,606
Aspen/Snowmass, CO	12,514

Area	Highest Lift
Arapahoe Basin, CO	12,458
Copper Mountain, CO	12,360
Telluride, CO	12,264
Crested Butte, CO	12,163
Winter Park, CO	12,048
Valle Nevado, Chile	12,041
Pucón-Villarrica, Chile	12,041
Santa Fee, NM	12,002
Keystone, CO	11,982
Taos, NM	11,818
La Parva, Chile	11,812
Saas-Fee, SWI	11,812
Mike Wiegele Heli Skiing, BC	11,600
Jungfrau Region, SWI	11,333
Neustift (Stubai Gletscher), AU	10,960

* Top of Highest Lift
See: SkiResort Svc. International and GoSki Experts

International

Europe
Top Ranked (Nov. 2002 Skiing magazine)
1. Chamonix, France;
2. Verbier, Switzerland;
3. St. Anton (Arlberg), Austria
* Other top 10 (Source Gorp.away.com)


France
 Haute Savoie
  |* Chamonix Areas
  | Chatel
  | Megeve
 Savoie Region
  |* Trois Vallées, France
  |  (Méribel, Courchevel, Val Thorens,
  |   Les Ménuires, Grand Belleville)
  |* Val d'Isère Areas
  |  Tignes
* Portes du Soleil, France/Switz.

Switzerland
  Davos Areas (Klosters)
* Jungfrau Region Areas
    (Grindelwald, Interlaken, Murren, Wengen) 
  St. Moritz Areas
* Verbier Areas
* Zermatt Areas

Austria
  Tyrol
   * Kitzbühel Areas
   * St. Anton (Arlberg) Areas
   Sölden
   Innsbruck Areas
     Innsbruck
     Neustift (Stubai Gletscher)
  Salzburg Areas
    Bad Gastein
    Saalbach

Italy
 Dolomites
   * Cortina D'Ampezzo Areas
   Val Gardena Areas (Sella Ronda)
 Aosta Valley
   Courmayeur Areas
   Cervinia 
 Turin Area
   Vialattea in Sestrière
   
Germany
  Bavarian Alps
    Garmisch - Partenkirchen
  Oberstaufen, Bayern

More Detail for Europe
Other areas in Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Greenland, Iceland, Iran, Latvia, Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Yugoslavia at Budget Travel

Europe (cont.)
Norway
   Lillehammer 
   Oslo
Sweden
   Are
   
 Asia
Japan
  Nagano
  Sapporo

China
  Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Yunnan, China
  The world's highest operational gondola
  in the Himalayas, made up of 25 six-seater
  gondolas on a 2900 metre long cable way.
  Availability of winter sports is uncertain
  but snow cover is year round. 
Southern HemisphereNew Zealand
Coronet Peak Areas
Mt. Hutt Areas
The Remarkables Areas
Treble Cone Areas
(WELLINGTON)
(CARDRUNA)

Australia
Perisher, New South Wales
Thredbo, New South Wales
Falls Creek, Victoria
Mt. Buller, Victoria
Mt. Hotham, Victoria

Argentina
Las Leñas Areas las lenas [12 lifts; 9,200 sph *]
Valle Manantiales [5 lifts; 4,800 sph]
Cerro Catedral (San Carlos de Bariloche) [30 lifts; 22,000 sph]
Cerro Chapelco [12 lifts; 12,000 sph]

Chile
Portillo Areas [5 lifts]
Termas de Chillan Areas
Valle Nevado Areas [11 lifts; 34 runs]

Bolivia
Chacaltaya 17,790' 1 surface lift

Venezuela
Mérida, 15,634' no trails,
 ski with guide from top of cable car

* sph - Skiers per hour.

See lists at:
wikipedia.org

World Rankings Note: These seem to vary from individual region rankings and are very subjective. They tend to rank areas (e.g. Lake Tahoe) rather than individual resort (e.g. Squaw Valley.)
Aspen Chamonix Zermatt St Anton (Arlberg area) Lake Tahoe	Whistler Verbier Val d'Isère Kitzbühel Breckenridge	Trois Vallées Snowbird Innsbruck Jackson Hole Bad Gastein

Winter Olympics
1924 - Chamonix, FRA 1928 - St. Moritz, SWI 1932 - Lake Placid, USA 1936 - Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER 1940 - Sapporo, JPN 1944 - Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA 1948 - St. Moritz, SWI 1952 - Oslo, NOR 1956 - Cortina d'Ampezzo, ITA	1960 - Squaw Valley, USA 1964 - Innsbruck, AUT 1968 - Grenoble, FRA 1972 - Sapporo, JPN 1976 - Innsbruck, AUT 1980 - Lake Placid, USA 1984 - Sarajevo, YUG 1988 - Calgary, CAN	1992 - Albertville, FRA 1994 - Lillehammer, NOR 1998 - Nagano, JPN 2002 - Salt Lake City, USA 2006 - Turin, ITA 2010 - Vancouver, BC Canada (Whistler) 2014 - Russia (tentative)

Sources

Ski Resorts at About, Yahoo
& Google
World
OnTheSnow.com
GoSki
Destinations-2000
ifYouSki at complete-skier.com
All Mountain Vacations (EuroSki)
SkiEurope 
Ski Central
US Ski Areas at Tripod.com
Tahoe Ski Areas
More links below.

Skiing Magazine
Ski Magazine
Ranked by Vertical Feet

Ratings by Category

Most Vertical

Top Steeps

Longest Runs

Highest Top Elevataion

International