This story originally ran in the October 2008 issue of Freeskier (V11.1).

Photo: Damian Cromwell

ABOUT THE TOP TEN

Picking the top ten resorts in North America is never an easy task. There are so many factors to consider that the easiest way to do it is to just sit down with all the editors and discuss what we like and don’t like about each resort until we’re satisfied.

On the next five pages, we present to you our objective list of the best ten resorts in North America. Enjoy!

01 WHISTLER BLACKCOMB, BRITISH COLUMBIA

TICKET PRICE: $81
VERTICAL DROP: 5,280’
ANNUAL SNOWFALL: 402”
SKIABLE ACRES: 8,171

Surprise, surprise! Whistler Blackcomb comes in at the number one resort in North America once again. But how couldn’t it? With a vertical drop of 5,280 feet, an astounding 8,171 acres of lift-accessed terrain and an above- average 400 inches of annual snowfall (which it far surpassed last season), the skiing at this world-class resort is as good as it gets. There’s a little bit of everything, from super-steep, balls-to-the-wall chutes, to mellow powder, to glades, to moguls, and some of the longest, fastest groomers on the planet.

But the epic natural terrain is not the only attraction. There are also the massive terrain parks where you can get your learn on in the baby park, or get a park pass and train on the big features in the Nintendo Highest Level Park. There are parks and a pipe on each mountain, so no matter where your day starts off, you can do it all.

Speaking of starting your day out on one mountain, coming this December, you can ski Whistler for half the day and take the Modern Marvels-worthy Peak 2 Peak Gondola over to Blackcomb. This amazing feat of engineering spans from the Roundhouse on Whistler to the Rendezvous on Blackcomb, setting multiple world records such as the world’s longest unsupported span and the highest elevation off the ground (at 1,427 feet). Records aside, the lift allows you to mountain hop from one of the best peaks on the continent to the other.

whistlerblackcomb.com

02 ASPEN/SNOWMASS, COLORADO

TICKET PRICE: $87
VERTICAL DROP: 4,406’*
ANNUAL SNOWFALL: 300”
SKIABLE ACRES: 5,280†

Aspen/Snowmass is the one collection of mountains that poses any real threat to dethroning Whistler Blackcomb from the top spot. The resort’s four mountains — Ajax, Snowmass, Highlands and Buttermilk — present such an eclectic mix of terrain, there’s something interesting for everyone to do day in and day out, without ever getting bored.

Snowmass is the largest of the four mountains, with a vertical drop of over 4,000 feet. It plays home to the best steeps in Aspen, with technical cliff zones lining the upper portions, which play home to the Colorado Freeride Series Championships. Snowmass also has the best terrain park of the four, with a pipe that regularly challenges the X Games pipe on Buttermilk for the resort’s pipe title. If you don’t have much time to spend in the area, Snowmass will give you the best bang for the buck from pow to park.

Highlands offers the best powder skiing in the Aspen area with Highland Bowl resting like a star atop a Christmas tree. This hike-to terrain is easily accessible from the top of the Deep Temerity and Lone Peak lifts and offers a pure bowl skiing experience. The new Deep Temerity lift on Highlands opened up more expert terrain in 2005/2006, and helped set Highlands apart from the other Aspen mountains as the pow-shredding-hero’s dreamland.

When the skiing shuts down at the end of the day, the fun is only getting started in the town of Aspen. Unlike pre-planned resort villages, Aspen is a real town, with everything from a century-old opera house to elementary schools to Prada stores. Bars like Belly Up play host to world-class music acts, and the entire bar scene gets rowdy late into the night. The prices can sometimes make you cringe, but as the late Aspen local Hunter S. Thompson often said, “Buy the ticket, take the ride.” ASPEN / SNOWMASS, COLORADO

aspensnowmass.com

*Snowmass
†Combined skiable acres

03 MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN, CALIFORNIA

TICKET PRICE: $64
VERTICAL DROP: 3,100’
ANNUAL SNOWFALL: 400”
SKIABLE ACRES: 3,500

Widely lauded as a park paradise, Terrain Park Manager Oren Tanzer and the park crew have built one of the biggest and most diverse parks out there. Attracting ski and snowboard pros from the world over, Mammoth is a must-hit resort if you’re anything from a park and pipe expert to mini-park enthusiast. But exploring the exceptional park and pipe will only scratch the surface, as Mammoth plays host to heaps of great terrain.

High-speed quads litter the giant mountain, waiting to transport you to runs like Grizzly and Shaft. And make sure you hit those lifts early when it dumps (and, oh, does it dump) as the SoCal weekend warriors will be flocking to Mammoth. Thankfully Mammoth is big enough that you can escape some of the crowd.
Also, take advantage of Mammoth’s late spring season. When all the other resorts are closed, the party is just getting started at Mammoth. But when it gets crowded and the pros — and pro hos — are out in full force, park it in a prime location on the deck and watch the majesty that is the Southern California ski and snowboard scene.

mammothmountain.com

04 BRECKENRIDGE/KEYSTONE, COLORADO

TICKET PRICE: $86
VERTICAL DROP: 3,398’*
ANNUAL SNOWFALL: 300”
SKIABLE ACRES: 5,506†

The Summit County cluster of resorts is primarily focused on the standouts of Breckenridge and Keystone. With two of the best parks in North America, Keystone and Breck are constantly on the radar of park and pipe contests and beginner and pro riders alike. This year the Dew Tour is opening its winter series at Breckenridge and the North American Open is returning for year two. Keystone is gearing up for the all new Friday Night Lights concert series at the base of the resort’s updated River Run Gondola, and focusing on making A51 an even better terrain park than it already is.

With the close proximity of the two resorts, it’s easy to go back and forth in a day. When Breckenridge is cold and windy, rally over Swan Mountain Road to Keystone where, chances are, it’s far less miserable in A51. But after a few
laps of night skiing at Keystone, be sure to head back to Breckenridge for the night life as there’s far more to do on Breck’s Main Street. Pick up a Sicilian deep dish-style pizza at Giampietro’s or head over to Downstairs at Eric’s for a few rounds of pinball and beer.

breckenridge.snow.com

keystone.snow.com

*Breckenridge
†Combined skiable acres

Photo: Matt Harvey

05 VAIL, COLORADO

TICKET PRICE: $92
VERTICAL DROP: 3,450’
ANNUAL SNOWFALL: 350”
SKIABLE ACRES: 5,289

Rounding out our top five for 2009, Vail dominates on consistency across the board. The fact that the mountain has something for everyone, even non-skiers, makes it a unique destination, where everyone from park rat to powder
junkie to your mom can have fun.

The mountain’s park and pipe offerings are served by a speedy quad, with easy access from the Gold Peak base area. The location and set-up allow for plenty of laps and the area becomes a sunny and warm playground in the spring,
where the lower mountain location means that it warms up fast and stays nice until the end of the day.

For those who don’t spend their time in the park, Vail is a sprawling giant, seven miles from end to end, with all sorts of terrain. Trees, bumps and Vail’s steepest in-bounds skiing (Prima Cornice), can be found off of Chair 11, while the Back Bowls offer up a feast on powder days and pockets of more challenging terrain. But as famous as the Back Bowls are, the relatively mellow pitch points out the resort’s only weakness: if you want steeps, you’d best go elsewhere… or, at least, go out of bounds.

Still, steeps aren’t everything. The thriving village scene at the base of the resort has both the finest dining and cheap pizza slices. And you won’t go thirsty here, bars and clubs rock late into the night, and the mountain’s proximity to (and popularity with) Denver residents means that there’s also plenty of the opposite sex, something that is sorely missing at “hardcore” resorts. If you want a bit of everything, with a slice of the good life thrown in, Vail won’t let you down.

vail.com

06 JACKSON HOLE, WYOMING

TICKET PRICE: $77
VERTICAL DROP: 4,139’
ANNUAL SNOWFALL: 459”
SKIABLE ACRES: 2,500

The coldest days of skiing can be found in Jackson Hole. But they are also some of the best. That dichotomy between pain and pleasure neatly sums up this resort, which has some of the steepest in-bounds terrain in North America, some of the coldest weather and, fortunately, some of the deepest snow.

There’s no doubt that Jackson is for hardcores. The mountain is known for runs that are terrifying when conditions are hard, but that turn into feathery elevator drops when epic Teton storms coat the hill. The weather is prone to inversions, making the wait for the tram at the base excruciating on early mornings, while things may be sunny and warm up top. And the nearby town of Jackson is busier in the summer when tourists flock to Yellowstone, than in the winter, . It’s a resort that, while making an effort to have a legit terrain park, is really one giant natural terrain park that’s way better than anything built by the hand of man.

But what draws skiers to the mountain isn’t an obsession with paradoxes, it’s the pura vida existence of skiing at a mountain that asks for no forgiveness and gives none. Throw in acres and acres of backcountry, hike-to skiing off of Teton
Pass and no-nonsense locals, and you have a big-mountain skier’s paradise with few of the distractions found at our other top-ten resorts.

jacksonhole.com

07 SQUAW VALLEY, CALIFORNIA

TICKET PRICE: $77
VERTICAL DROP: 2,850’
ANNUAL SNOW FALL: 450”
SKIABLE ACRES: 4,000

With a multitude of resorts to check out in the Lake Tahoe area, why choose Squaw? Simply put, because it has some of the best terrain around. With over 4,000 acres of rugged terrain that have managed to keep pros like Shane McConkey, Ingrid Backstrom, Scott Gaffney and CR Johnson locked down, you know it’s the real deal.

Squaw’s lift system is fast, allowing you to quickly access some of the best terrain in North America. Start at the legendary KT-22 lift and then utilizing said extensive lift system, you’ll be skiing steep and deep in places like the Palisades and the Granite Chief in no time.

In the past, park and pipe may not be more than an afterthought, but remember, Squaw has played host to the Ski Tour and 48Straight halfpipe events the past two winters. Translation: Squaw has a ballin’ halfpipe. One of the only downsides to Squaw is its nightlife. There is a solid après offering in the base village, but don’t expect the wine and women that flow in Aspen. At least you won’t be hungover waiting in the KT-22 line Saturday morning.

squaw.com

08 PARK CITY, UTAH

TICKET PRICE: $81
VERTICAL DROP: 3,100’
ANNUAL SNOWFALL: 355”
SKIABLE ACRES: 3,300

With consistently one of the best parks in the country and an amazing town to boot, Park City has long been home to many a pro skier and a favorite vacation spot of those not lucky enough to call it home. For the ‘08-’09 season, Park City is shelling out some serious coin and expanding terrain, adding new runs, renovating the mid-mountain lodge and replacing the old Ski Team lift with a new high-speed quad.

As always, the nightlife in Park City is stellar. For a wild party complete with go-go dancers on the bar, check out Harry-O’s. Plenty of live entertainment comes through the club, including the likes of Diddy, Common, Nelly, Akon and a slew of others during Sundance. Locals tend to frequent O’Shucks more often, gathering some free peanuts and the many beers on tap. Additionally, the kitchen is open until 1 a.m. so you can eat your buzz away.

But beyond the parties, Park City gets hammered with the champagne powder that only Utah sees and provides ample terrain in which to enjoy the goodness. A quick hop, skip, and a jump from the SLC airport, Park City is a great place to enjoy some skiing and drinking.

parkcitymountain.com

Photo: Alex O’Brien/The Massive

09 TELLURIDE, COLORADO

TICKET PRICE: $92
VERTICAL DROP: 4,425’
ANNUAL SNOWFALL: 309”
SKIABLE ACRES: 2,000

Big news for Telluride this year: The terrain that has until now only been a dream for those standing on the top of Gold Hill looking backward is now being opened as Revelation Bowl. The wide-open bowl is above treeline and will be accessed by a new quad lift. Revelation Bowl is consistently hit with the area’s westerly storms, and now skiers have the opportunity to easily access all that goodness. Undeniably, Telluride wasn’t light on terrain in the first place, and now this opening adds to the resort’s already stacked chips.

And once the sun sets on the new terrain, the town and village of Telluride have long been favorites for visitors and locals alike offering some of the best après anywhere. This year, the new T Bar and Grille is set to open at the base of Lift 4 in the Mountain Village, complete with a beer garden and a wide variety of after-ski food options. After, Fly me to the Moon Saloon and the Last Dollar Saloon (a.k.a. The Buck) have great beer options and entertainment on the weekends to stay up long past bedtime.

tellurideskiresort.com

10 ALTA/SNOWBIRD, UTAH

TICKET PRICE: $90*
VERTICAL DROP: 3,240’**
ANNUAL SNOWFALL: 500”
SKIABLE ACRES: 4,700†

Way back in the good old days, when it snowed so much that everyone had to walk through snowdrifts over their heads to get to school, you couldn’t ski both Alta and Snowbird on the same ticket. Now, of course, you can. The combo easily vaults the one-two punch of AltaBird into our top ten because as much as things have changed in Little Cottonwood Canyon, the best things are still the same: the snowdrifts are still over your head, and both mountains still have their separate identities despite being joined at the hip.

Snowbird will always feel a bit more hectic, on account of the tram, which races up 2,900 vertical feet in 10 minutes. And Alta will always be a bit sleepier and slower, despite the installation in 2004 of the Collins quad, which turned a
two-lift ride to the top into a single ride of less than nine minutes.

But regardless of which lift you ride, or what base area you ski out of, the cliffs, chutes and trees at both resorts are all covered by the same Wasatch nectar. It’s this combination of deep powder and rowdy terrain that make AltaBird
home to some of the best big-mountain skiers in North America. Throw in outrageous backcountry, a vibrant community of like-minded individuals who take advantage of cheap housing and easy access from Salt Lake and the backcountry jumping opportunities of Chad’s Gap and other nearby hits and its easy to see why AltaBird is one of North America’s top destinations. Go for a week, and you may stay for a lifetime.

alta.com
snowbird.com

*Combined Alta/Snowbird ticket price
**Snowbird
†Combined skiable acres