Skiing in North America
Skiing and snowboarding in North America, from Colorado and Utah to Whistler and Vermont.
North America is home to some of the finest skiing on the planet, with a well-earned reputation for deep, dry powder, superbly groomed pistes and a slick, family-friendly resort experience. The great mountain ranges of the West, from the Rockies to the Sierra Nevada and the Coast Mountains, catch enormous snowfalls and hold the season from late November well into spring.
The resorts themselves are famous for their scale and polish: fast lifts, immaculate corduroy, reliable snowmaking and lively base villages full of restaurants, bars and hot tubs. What North America may lack in the Alps’ vertical drama it more than makes up for in snow quality, tree skiing and sheer dependable comfort.
From the glamour of Colorado and the record snows of Utah to Canada’s vast, snow-sure wilderness and California’s sun-drenched Sierra, there is a mountain here for every kind of skier and snowboarder, whether you are chasing steep couloirs or gentle, sunny beginner slopes.
North America's Best Ski Resorts#
Whistler Blackcomb, Canada North America’s largest ski resort, a colossal, snow-sure playground of two linked mountains north of Vancouver that hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics. Endless terrain, a car-free pedestrian village and the record-breaking Peak 2 Peak gondola make it a bucket-list destination for every level of skier.
Aspen, Colorado, USA A glamorous former silver-mining town spread across four distinct mountains, from beginner-friendly Buttermilk to the fearsome bumps and chutes of Aspen Highlands. Light Rocky Mountain powder, a genuine historic town and a celebrated apres-ski scene make it one of the world’s best-known ski resorts.
Vail, Colorado, USA One of the largest single ski mountains in North America, famous for its vast, wide-open Back Bowls that fill with untracked powder after a storm. A sprawling, Bavarian-styled village and impeccable grooming have long made it a benchmark for the full resort experience.
Park City, Utah, USA The largest ski resort in the United States, rising straight from a charming, walkable former mining town just 40 minutes from Salt Lake City airport. Utah’s famously light, dry snow and easy access make it one of the most convenient world-class ski trips going.
Steamboat Springs, Colorado, USA The home of ‘Champagne Powder’, a ranching town whose tree-lined slopes are perfect for gliding through fresh snow. A relaxed Western atmosphere, natural hot springs and superb intermediate terrain give it a friendly, unpretentious character.
Lake Tahoe, USA A ring of resorts around a stunning alpine lake straddling California and Nevada, offering huge terrain, long seasons and abundant Sierra Nevada sunshine. Palisades Tahoe, birthplace of freeskiing, anchors a region where you can ski with the deep-blue lake glittering below.
Mammoth Lakes, California, USA A giant, high-altitude resort on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada, blessed with some of the deepest snowpack and longest seasons in the country, sometimes lasting into summer. Wide-open bowls, dramatic scenery and reliable sunshine are its hallmarks.
Lake Louise, Canada One of the most scenic resorts anywhere, set within Banff National Park amid glaciers and turquoise lakes in the Canadian Rockies. The vast, varied terrain and postcard mountain backdrop make skiing here feel genuinely wild.
Sun Valley, Idaho, USA America’s first purpose-built ski resort and the birthplace of the chairlift, an elegant destination with beautifully groomed runs on Bald Mountain. Reliable sunshine, short lift lines and a touch of old Hollywood glamour endure to this day.
Telluride, Colorado, USA A jaw-droppingly beautiful resort in a box canyon deep in the San Juan Mountains, its Victorian mining town linked to the slopes by a free gondola. Challenging terrain, a remote setting and a strikingly scenic backdrop set it apart.
Revelstoke, Canada A rising star in British Columbia with the greatest vertical drop of any resort in North America and legendary quantities of snow. Long, uncrowded runs and world-famous cat- and heli-skiing on its flanks draw serious powder hunters.
Stowe, Vermont, USA The classic New England ski town, its slopes on Mount Mansfield backed by a picture-perfect village of white church spires and covered bridges. Reliable Eastern conditions, tree skiing and cosy charm make it the jewel of the northeast.
Killington, Vermont, USA Known as ‘The Beast of the East’, the largest resort in the eastern US, spread across six peaks with some of the longest seasons anywhere on the continent. A powerful snowmaking system keeps it skiing when nature falls short, and its apres-ski scene is legendary.
Kelowna, Canada The gateway to British Columbia’s Okanagan skiing, where nearby Big White and Silver Star deliver reliable dry powder, ski-in wineries below and a sunny, family-friendly atmosphere. It is a superb, less-crowded alternative to the big-name resorts.