Everyone has their own favorite ski resort or snow-centric destination, so it’s always fun to compare notes with fellow ski enthusiasts. Who knows? You might find a new snowboarding, cross-country or downhill place to love. That’s the thinking behind Ski Magazine’s annual reader survey.
The snow-focused magazine recently released a ranking of the top 30 ski resorts in the West. (And if you’re a Tahoe devotee who’s thinking, how many ski resorts could there even be? The answer is 209.)
Two Tahoe resorts made the top 30, including Palisades Tahoe at No. 24 and Heavenly Mountain Resort at No. 27. Palisades got shout-outs from readers for the variety of its terrain, which includes some jaw-dropping extreme challenges, and the village après scene, while Heavenly reaped praise for its beautiful snowscapes, incredible views and last year’s epic snowfall.
The rest of the list covers the entire West, from British Columbia and Whistler Blackcomb to New Mexico’s Taos Ski Valley. The big surprise to the Ski team was the resort that topped the rankings: Utah’s Powder Mountain.
It’s a “diamond in the rough,” editors said, that won’t appeal to anyone looking for a big après scene — there isn’t one — or speedy lifts. Pow Mow’s lifts are old and slow. But it’s “a true throwback to how skiing used to be, with uncrowded slopes, great snow and prices that let everyone in on the fun.”
Here’s the top 10. Get the details on all 30 Western ski resorts and more around the globe at www.skimag.com/ski-resort-life/.
Top 10 Ski Resorts in the West
1 Powder Mountain, Utah
2 Snowbasin Resort, Utah
3 Sun Valley, Idaho
4 Aspen Snowmass, Colorado
5 Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico
6 Mammoth Mountain, California
7 Alta Ski Area, Utah
8 Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Wyoming
9 Deer Valley, Utah
10 Big Sky Resort, Montana