20 Best Ski Resorts in North America in 2023

Whistler Blackcomb is a powerhouse resort and should be on every skier or snowboarder’s bucket list. You’re looking at 8,171 skiable acres of terrain spread across two peaks on the scenic West coast of Canada.

This low elevation, big mountain resort that stretches from the sea to the sky is the biggest ski area in North America. With over 200 marked runs and almost 40 feet of snow annually, one could spend a whole season out at Whistler Blackcomb and still find new ways down the mountain.

With the inclusion of the awesome town of Whistler nestled between the two peaks, you’ll have a lively apres scene, a huge selection of accommodations, and no shortage of fun activities to fill up a rest day. Whistler Blackcomb is a resort for everyone.

Just across the way from Breckenridge, nestled in the Ten Mile Range, lies Copper Mountain Ski Resort. Known for being one of the best family friendly resorts in Colorado, Copper Mountain offers up great riding for all skill levels, good times, and an incredible value.

Copper mountain is a relatively large ski area, with 2,465 acres of skiable terrain spanning across four distinct mountain areas that are naturally separated into skill level appropriate areas. This mountain area’s high elevation means you’ll be treated to blower powder and stunning views. And with an average of 300 sunny days per year at Copper, bluebird powder days are a likelihood.

Visiting Copper means you can find your perfect area on the mountain and spend days tearing up the terrain without ever worrying about getting in over your head. Freestyle riders won’t be left out either with a wide selection of terrain parks that range in difficulty from beginner to professional.

While skiing may not come to mind when one thinks of skiing, Mammoth Mountain, located in Eastern California, is certainly one of North America’s best resorts.

Located near Yosemite Valley, Mammoth Mountain is quite the opposite. Mammoth is a high altitude Sierra Nevada peak (the highest elevation California ski resort!), with huge vertical drops, absurdly deep snowfall totals, and a massive 3500 acres of skiable terrain.

Mammoth mountain brings you all the best parts of the nicest resorts, with none of the snobbery! Mammoth has perfectly crafted its relaxed California vibe, while still providing upscale resort amenities.

150 marked trails whisk you down the mountain through drifts of high-alpine snow, all the while you’re basking in the California sun. Beginners are delighted by almost 30% of the hill being green, and experts are right at home in the chutes and glades at the top of the mountain. Park riders are in their element as well, as Mammoth has multiple world class terrain parks that range from beginner to professional!

Jackson Hole is the bucket list resort for many skiers, and rightfully so. In the Teton range of Northeastern Wyoming lies Jackson Hole. A resort that boasts 2500 acres of skiable terrain with a continuous vertical drop of 4000 feet, Jackson Hole is an icon of the skiing world.

The resort itself is likely one of the most popular ski resorts in the entire world, renowned for it’s hair-raising expert steeps, world-famous couloirs, and one-of-a-kind winter sports culture. Intermediate, which feels more advanced, and expert terrain make up a staggering 90% of the 132 marked runs. Mandatory air, cliffs, tight glades, and slopes of 50 degrees or more are just the start of a normal day at Jackson Hole. It’s true that Jackson is not a great mountain for beginner riders. Even the easy blues feel like hard blues, and the hard blues would be blacks anywhere else.

This isn’t even considering the fact that if you like getting into the backcountry, Jackson Hole’s skiable acreage bumps up to around 5000 acres of terrain. The sidecountry experience at Jackson Hole is not to be missed by those who are comfortable taking on the backcountry.

That being said, intermediate riders and up should not delay in making a pilgrimage to the skiing mecca of Jackson Hole. What you lose waiting in the lift lines, you gain in the only-at-Jackson-Hole riding experience you are guaranteed to get.

Telluride is home to one of North America’s best all-around ski resorts. Some say the name came from the joke “to-hell-you-ride”, but that was in reference to the dangers of mining when the town was developed. The only place you’ll ride in Telluride these days is back to the gondola for another lap!

Once you ski Telluride, it’s easy to see how this resort got its spot on the list. Telluride offers you 2000 acres of skiable terrain and 148 marked runs, letting you rip through almost 4000 feet of lift served vert. Telluride’s 13,000 foot peak is nestled in amongst Colorado’s highest density of 14ers in one geographic area, making for stunning scenery as you explore the area.

The skiing isn’t the only attraction! Telluride is a quaint, but tastefully modern, Colorado mining town. Whilst walking the streets of downtown Telluride you can feel the history of the American West. Stop in at one of several museums, or take in some of the 19th century western architecture as you search for apres! That is of course unless you’re staying in Telluride’s beautiful mountain village, in which case look no further! Everything you could possibly want is mere minutes from the slopes.

Aspen… Where the beer flows like wine! All jokes aside, Aspen is a top notch destination for skiers and snowboarders alike. We think the coolest thing about Aspen is the fact that one ticket gets you access to four resorts. You can Ski at Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, and Snowmass, with just one pass. They’re all so close to each other you could ski them all in the same day if you’re so inclined!

Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, and Buttermilk are all right on top of each other, and getting between mountains is easy. However, they’re all fairly small in terms of skiable acreage. Those three resorts combined still aren’t as large as Snowmass, which is why Snowmass got it’s own spot on the list!

When it comes to Aspen, though, acreage is irrelevant. Aspen Mountain is an intermediate rider’s delight, Aspen Highlands has steeps that will keep experts on their toes,  and last but not least, Buttermilk offers up beginner riding that’s as smooth and mellow as the name of the resort would suggest.

It’s worth noting that Aspen is not a budget endeavor. The town and resorts have embraced their reputation as high end, and a visit to Aspen comes loaded with all the glitz and glamor you might expect (including the price tag)!

Crested Butte is a ski bum’s dream. This mountain resort is located just a few miles from the old Colorado town of the same name: Crested Butte, Colorado. Offering a laid back skier culture and incredible riding, it should come as no surprise that Crested Butte is on this list.

Crested Butte delivers. It has 1,547 acres of skiable terrain, 121 marked runs, and that classic high-alpine Colorado powder. Most of the riding here is for solid intermediates to experts, with only 6% of the mountain being geared toward beginners. In fact, the mountain skips over advanced for the most part. Crested Butte really shines in the expert category, the steeps here are truly next level.

The great riding in Crested Butte is bolstered by its old-school vibe. While Crested Butte is pretty close to Aspen, you’ll quickly find that they share no relationship except in geography. The culture of Crested Butte is down to earth and “ski-bummy”. Many have called it the last “real” Colorado ski town.

Forty-five minutes from any town, Kirkwood Ski Resort holds secrets of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, getting comparatively more snowfall in the Lake Tahoe Region than other mountains in the Lake Tahoe Region. The powder days are abundant at Kirkwood, measuring snowfall in feet, not inches.

This resort seems to be only for gnarly senders, as 88% of the runs are for advanced riders. But, regardless of the limited beginner terrain, Kirkwood’s Ski School is recognized as a top ski school in North America.

At Kirkwood, no one is in a hurry, and everyone wants you happy. Slowly but surely, the facilities are continuing to be upgraded. Meanwhile, there are reasonable lodging options, satisfying restaurants & bars, spas & hot tubs, and public lunch-room spaces and bathrooms.

Kirkwood is a part of the Epic Pass, which provides savings on lift tickets when skiing more than one day. Otherwise, a single day pass will cost an adult a little more than $100.

Alta is a Utah gem.

Alta Ski Resort provides you with plentiful terrain in a big mountain setting, but only 26 miles southeast of Salt Lake City. It’s always a plus to know you won’t have to go far to find world-class terrain!

Alta is one of North America’s oldest resorts. The lifts started turning in 1939 and haven’t stopped since. Many visitors find that they love the old charm and nostalgia of Alta that remains present amongst its more modern resort amenities.

Unless you happen to be a snowboarder. Unfortunately, Alta is one of 3 remaining resorts in America that doesn’t allow snowboarders! You’ll hear mixed opinions from the locals. Some believe Alta should open its doors to our single-plank friends, while others are stout in their stance that keeping boarders off the hill is best for the mountain. Despite the debate, it doesn’t look like things are changing any time soon!

For those of you who stick to skis, though, Alta is a paradise. Huge terrain and deep snow in a historic resort setting await!

Park City Ski Resort, known as the City of Champions, should be your dream ski destination if it is not already. Producing Olympic athletes like it’s their job, Park City’s terrain, facilities, and instructors will reinforce why Olympians are made here.

After combining with Canyons Ski Resort through a gondola in 2014, it grew to over 7,000 skiable acres. The United State’s largest ski resort welcomes you.

Located in the Wasatch Mountains in Utah, USA, Park City Ski Resort challenges you to be a big-mountain ripper, but also indulge in the 150+ dining options. Feeding your adrenaline appetite at the double-blacks, littered with chutes and cliffs, and then appeasing your food appetite directly afterward will be difficult NOT to do.

If visiting the Utah Olympic Park and learning to ski as a family is your vision for a perfect holiday, Park City bestows spectacular beginner terrain, good facilities, and an excellent rental experience.

The Ski School has world-class instructors and aims to be one of America’s finest and most progressive ski and snowboard programs– ready to grant your wish to learn to ski or take you to the next level.

Due to this resort being world-renowned, the crowds flock in! Book your Park City adventure in advance. Prepare for heavy traffic on and off the slopes during most days of the season, especially holidays.

Opened to the public in the 1939-40 season, Winter Park has been a major player in the American ski scene for quite some time.

Winter Park was once the City of Denver’s idea for a literal “winter park” for its residents. Though, the Winter Park we know and love today isn’t much of a “park” at all! Nowadays visiting Winter Park means access to thousands of acres of high elevation, lift serviced skiing!

Winter Park is known for having successfully cultivated a down-to-earth and unpretentious culture while also continually modernizing and updating the resort. In fact, Winter Park has been called one of America’s best ski resorts by many!

This is due largely to a combination of the rich history, the terrain, and the fun and family friendly culture of the Ski Area!

Home to beginners and Olympians alike, Winter Park is a great place to cut your teeth on Colorado skiing!

Breckenridge is one of Colorado’s hallmark resorts. The state of Colorado houses 26 different resorts, each with its own style of terrain and personality. What makes Breckenridge the monument that it is?

Breckenridge ski resort explodes upwards from a historic mining town at 9,600 feet to almost 13,000 feet of elevation. Known for its huge amount of terrain spread out over 5 distinct peaks. Breck has 2,908 acres of skiable terrain, with options for everyone from first timers to seasoned experts.

Big mountain views abound in the heart of Summit County, Colorado, as you fly down one of the 187 marked runs or go big at one of Breck’s 4 award-winning terrain parks. When you combine huge and diverse terrain, laid-back attitude, endless apres, and great location, it’s easy to see why Breckenridge deserves a spot in the top 10.

Vail is in a class of its own. It’s a name that every skier knows. As the namesake resort for ski industry conglomerate Vail Resorts, Vail is in many ways the cream of the crop.

Sitting at number 4 on the list of largest ski resorts in America, Vail has a whopping 5,317 skiable acres of terrain. That makes for 195 marked trails, and a seemingly unending amount of terrain to explore. From beginners to experts there is something for everyone amidst the massive terrain at Vail. You can go from cruising manicured groomers in the morning, to skiing trees at lunch, and finish up with some puckeringly steep alpine bowls.

The town of Vail, which is more of a pseudo-European Alps village, is seamlessly integrated with the resort. Walking, or skiing, from your hotel straight onto the slopes takes mere minutes. After cruising the immaculate slopes at Vail for the day, you can walk down the idyllic streets of the Vail village to find some classic, or elegant, apres!

Snowmass is like the big brother to the other three Aspen resorts. Larger than the other three Aspen resorts combined, Snowmass is a huge mountain with diverse terrain.

Presenting 3,362 acres of skiable terrain, Snowmass is categorically massive amongst Colorado resorts. 98 runs take you from the high elevation peak to the base area, with over half the available terrain rated intermediate. Beginners don’t get a ton of terrain, at only 6% of the mountain, but there’s still enough to start learning the ropes. Advanced and expert riders will also find a huge portion of the mountain suited to them. There are even three terrain parks that have features ranging from beginner to expert.

This massive amount of intermediate and advanced riding makes Snowmass a favorite amongst families that want to stick together on the mountain, and not deal with the hassle of moving between resorts.

Located just 20 minutes from Aspen, you won’t be walking onto the slopes from downtown Aspen, but a great shuttle system in Aspen makes getting to the mountain a breeze. Choosing to stay in the Snowmass Village makes life easier still!

Heavenly Mountain Resort is located at the base of beautiful Lake Tahoe. The mountain is the largest and highest in the Lake Tahoe region, with an impressive 4,800 skiable acres and 3,500 ft skiable vertical. Heavenly Resort rests in the city of South Lake Tahoe on California and Nevada’s stateline. Heavenly has a mountain peak in each state, so if your girlfriend starts fighting with you on this ideal ski holiday, you can quickly ski to the other state.

Unique to Heavenly Mountain is that it is an “upside down mountain,” which means the peaks are not the steepest part of the mountain; instead, the base is. Due to this, all abilities of skiers and riders have the opportunity to summit the peaks and unlock the stellar views of Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. 

No worries about the way down, as Heavenly offers beginner ski routes that cut across the runs at the mountain’s base, allowing skiers to reach the bottom safely without tackling the 31-degree pitch of the perpendicular slopes. Or, skiers have lift options to “down-load,” meaning you can ride the lift down to the base. Normally, this could be viewed as being a chicken because you decided not to ski down the run, but here it is just another fun-filled activity to indulge in.

Taos Ski Valley is New Mexico’s favorite resort. This should be your go-to destination if you live in the southwest of the United States and are looking for pristine ski conditions. Be warned, Taos will give you a nature spankin’ if you’re not careful; the extreme terrain is gnarly.

Nestled in the Sangre de Cresto Mountain Range, dry and deep powder, a 3,281ft vertical, and limited crowds should rope you in. If that doesn’t, the friendly country folk sure will.

This mountain has terrain for every level of skier or boarder. Half the mountain is labeled as difficult, a quarter is intermediate, and the other quarter is easy. Taos mountain is at a high altitude, north-facing, steep, and shaded, so the snow conditions are preserved excellently.

Located 30 minutes from the town of Taos, New Mexico, Taos Ski Valley crowds stay sparse. The off-the-beaten-path location makes sure this stays true regardless of the overcrowding problems at ski resorts like Vail, Cooper Mountain, or Whistler over the past couple of years.

The facilities at Taos Ski Valley have it all. The Ski Valley is prepared to offer its visitors ski-in / ski-out restaurants, lodging, spas, and shopping. If you cannot find everything you need at the base village, the town of Taos will have you covered.

Palisades Tahoe: Olympic Valley, formally known as Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, is a bucket-list ski destination. The former 1960 Olympic host mountain spends millions of dollars on its facilities to give you the grandeur-Esque atmosphere of your dream ski resort.

No ski resort in California stands a chance against Palisades Tahoe: Olympic Valley, especially since sister ski resort Alpine Meadows was connected by a cable tram, and you can now ski both on the same lift ticket. All levels shred here, and shredders will be tested to their max level. Whether this is your first ski trip or a regular stop for your snowboard competition team, Olympic Valley brings it on.

Views of crystal blue Lake Tahoe will be caught throughout your ski day; breathe it in. The mountain has a perfectly split mix of beginner, intermediate, and advanced terrain. The grooming and snow-making at Palisades are first-class.

The world knows they must visit, as this resort attracts 600,000 visitors a season. So planning this trip a year in advance or more is necessary. Crowds are manageable here due to the massive acreage and high-speed lifts. Expect heavy traffic on and off the slopes on weekends. The spectacular resort reminds you why the crowds are here.

Sitting at 10,350ft, Ski Santa Fe is one of the highest ski resorts in North America. The snow stays light and powdery. Located in the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range, the ski resort is 30 minutes outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The southernmost major ski resort of the Rocky Mountains has radical ski sessions in stock. The diverse terrain holds stoke for all levels of riders. If you think Ski Santa Fe doesn’t pack a punch, think again. The glade (tree) skiing, steeps, and cornice will get daredevils buzzing.

Beginners will also find this resort too tempting to stay away from. There are a variety of green novice runs, along with beginner terrain located at high altitudes. All skiers and riders can reap the benefits of the mountain’s altitude and behold spectacular views.

The privately owned resort is relatively busy for a New Mexican resort due to its proximity to the state capital. Still, compared to major commercial ski alternatives, crowds are few and far between at Ski Santa Fe.

Facilities here are sparse but good. On the mountain, you will find restaurants and bars, equipment rentals, and a gift shop. There are no on-mountain lodging or spas. In Santa Fe, gyms, spas, accommodation, yoga studios, and shopping can all be found.

Angel Fire Resort holds excellent opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts. Earning your turns at this resort in the Southern Rocky Mountains will stoke out all levels of snow-turners.

This ski resort has laid-back groomers, slopeside restaurants and lodging, a reasonably priced ski school, and night skiing. The cute family-oriented resort will bring glowing memories to last a lifetime.

Unique to Angel Fire, each lift provides access to beginner terrain, letting new riders explore the entire mountain. Yardsales (type of ski fall causing ejection from skis, dropping poles, and losing other accessories) will be found here. Novice riders love this beginner-friendly mountain.

This off-the-beaten-path ski resort harbors dry, powdery snow and sunny days. Angel Fire’s 560 skiable acres offer opportunities for skiers and riders to keep improving their skills. Be on the lookout for people sending it here too.

The apres-ski scene and lodging options at the mountain’s base welcome all. And the “everything’s good” local mentality surrounding Angel Fire Resort will surely ease your soul on your vacation here.

The birthplace of modern-day destination skiing, the Northern Rockies hold a gem of a resort, Sun Valley Resort. Voted North America’s Top Ski Resort by SKI Magazine three years in a row, we think there is something here worth visiting.

Sun Valley has unmatched elegance. The skiing is excellent, but it isn’t what makes this place #1. The glamor on and off the slopes pulls visitors in from all around the world.

The lodging, dining, customer service, apres ski, and nightlife are top-notch. Picture everything a perfect ski holiday contains; you will find this at Sun Valley Resort. Spas, pools, fitness centers, entertainment, daycare, galore.

The Resort has two mountains to shred; Bald Mountain and Dollar Mountain. Find rippable, fun terrain, perfect groomers, zero chair lift lines, nice on-mountain facilities, and an authentic mountain town.

Crowds are handled impeccably well due to the lift systems placing people in far corners of the mountain. Bottlenecks and congestion are avoided, and so are lift lines. People do visit, so booking your holiday in advance is essential.