USA TODAY 10Best
This is the third win for Winter Park Resort
Best Ski Resort (2021)
Ski areas all across the USA and Canada have been excitedly preparing for their winter season. We wanted to find the best of the best in North American ski resorts, so we asked a panel of skiing and snowboarding experts to nominate their favorites—mountains that offer serious snowfall, varied terrain, lots of lift access and so much more. Then we invited our readers to vote for the 10 best.
The top 10 winners in the category Best Ski Resort are as follows:
- Revelstoke Mountain Resort - Revelstoke, B.C.
- Lake Louise Ski Resort - Lake Louise, Alberta
- Stowe Mountain Resort - Stowe, Vt.
- Brundage Mountain Ski Resort - McCall, Idaho
- Copper Mountain - Copper Mountain, Colorado
- Kirkwood Mountain Resort - Kirkwood, California
- Mount Bohemia - Lac La Belle, Michigan
- Palisades Tahoe - Olympic Valley, Calif.
- Sunshine Village - Banff, Alberta
- Winter Park Resort - Winter Park, Colo.
Photo courtesy of iStock / stockstudioX
No. 10:
With North America's greatest vertical — 5,620 feet — Revelstoke Mountain Resort offers 3,121 skiable acres, in addition to cat skiing and heli skiing, making it one of Canada's best. Combine that with the area's big powder dumps, and you have a giant playground worthy of any powder hound's bucket list. With 93 percent of the terrain rated for intermediate and advanced skiers and riders, this is certainly a resort for adrenaline junkies.
Photo courtesy of Lake Louise Ski Resort
No. 9:
The biggest ski resort in the Canadian Rockies boasts 4,200 acres of skiable terrain, 145 marked runs and back bowls, 10 lifts (including one gondola) and a 3,250-foot vertical drop. The vast and varied terrain is all easily accessible, with runs for all levels from every chair.
Photo courtesy of iStock / DonLand
No. 8:
Divided over two mountains, Stowe Mountain Resort offers East Coast residents and visitors 116 named trails spread out over 485 acres of terrain, much of it geared toward intermediate and advanced skiers. Six terrain parks keep freestylers happy, while four interconnected Nordic areas attract cross country skiers from around the globe.
Photo courtesy of Brundage Mountain - John Webster Photography
No. 7:
This independently-owned resort in Central Idaho gets more than 320 inches of snow at its base each year. That means skiers and snowboarders enjoy powdery glades and wide groomed runs along 69 named trails spanning 1921 lift-accessible acres. An additional 18,000 acres of backcountry terrain is accessible via the resort’s guided Snowcat Adventures.
Photo courtesy of Copper Mountain
No. 6:
Copper Mountain offers 140 trails serviced by 23 lifts covering 2,490 acres of skiable terrain. The parks and pipes at Copper Mountain put their focus on progression, allowing newbie freestylers to move from easy features to larger, more difficult ones. March is typically the snowiest month — perfect for some spring skiing.
Photo courtesy of Kirkwood Mountain Resort
No. 5:
At Kirkwood, skiers and boarders enjoy 2,000 feet of vertical drop and more than 2,300 acres of terrain with something for every ability level. The mountain receives an annual average of 354 inches of snowfall, creating excellent conditions throughout the season. The resort’s five peaks all top out at over 9,000 feet.
Photo courtesy of Joey Wallis / Mount Bohemia
No. 4:
Michigan might not be the first place that comes to mind when you think skiing, but Mount Bohemia is a hidden gem for extreme mountain sports. Located on the Upper Peninsula, this resort features some of the longest runs, highest verticals and deepest powder in the Midwest, with 273 inches of average annual snowfall.
Photo courtesy of Ben Arnst / Palisades Tahoe
No. 3:
Three-time winner of the Readers' Choice award for Best Ski Resort sits between Truckee and Tahoe City, where skiers and riders enjoy some 6,000 acres of terrain, including 16 bowls, 270 trails and 42 lifts ferrying visitors to the top of the dual resorts, accessible on the same lift ticket.
Photo courtesy of Sunshine Village
No. 2:
Skiers and snowboarders at Sunshine Village in Banff are treated to Canada’s only heated chairlift. The resort’s three mountains — Goat’s Eye, Lookout and Mount Standish — offer more than 3,500 acres of skiable terrain.
Photo courtesy of Winter Park Resort
No. 1:
The 3,081 acres of terrain at Winter Park is divided into seven distinct territories — glade skiing in Eagle Wind Territory, bowls in Parsenn Bowl, jumps and jibs in Terrain Park Territory, steeps and deeps in Cirque, the bumps of Mary Jane, black diamonds of Winter Park and the powder stashes of Vasquez Ridge. Skiers and riders have 166 named trails to choose from, accessed by 25 lifts.
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
Kristen Lummis
Kristen Lummis is a freelance writer based in... Read More
Kristen Lummis is a freelance writer based in Western Colorado. The mom of two now-adult sons, Lummis broke into her writing career through snowsports, founding the website braveskimom.com in 2010 to provide family-friendly tips across a full range of winter topics. And while skiing is Lummis’ first true outdoor love, she grew up camping, hiking, biking, kayaking and traveling extensively with her family — pursuits that she continues today. She prides herself on unbiased opinions, based on activities and destinations she’s visited and experienced. Lummis is honored to be considered an “expert” for 10Best. Follow her @braveskimom on Instagram and Facebook.
Kristen Lummis
Kristen Lummis is a freelance writer based in Western Colorado. The mom of two now-adult sons, Lummis broke into her writing career through snowsports, founding the website braveskimom.com in 2010 to provide family-friendly tips across a full range of winter topics. And while skiing is Lummis’ first true outdoor love, she grew up camping, hiking, biking, kayaking and traveling extensively with her family — pursuits that she continues today. She prides herself on unbiased opinions, based on activities and destinations she’s visited and experienced. Lummis is honored to be considered an “expert” for 10Best. Follow her @braveskimom on Instagram and Facebook.
Lyndell Keating
Lyndell Keating is one of the directors of Read More
Lyndell Keating is one of the directors of Powderhounds, a ski and snowboard travel website that reviews snow destinations around the world to facilitate readers in their pursuit of the perfect powder stash. Lyndell has skied at 200-plus ski resorts and a multitude of cat skiing, heli skiing and backcountry bucket list areas.
Lyndell Keating
Lyndell Keating is one of the directors of Powderhounds, a ski and snowboard travel website that reviews snow destinations around the world to facilitate readers in their pursuit of the perfect powder stash. Lyndell has skied at 200-plus ski resorts and a multitude of cat skiing, heli skiing and backcountry bucket list areas.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original,... Read More
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
