The Best Ski Resorts for Hitting the Slopes

By Jessica Plautz
December 28, 2016
Don Landwehrle/Getty Images
Winter has its downsides, but it also has perks—like powder-covered slopes and ski resorts with cozy fireplaces.

On Wednesday, lift ticket website Liftopia announced its “Best in Snow” Awards, recognizing the best resorts for your next ski or snowboard trip in North America.

To determine the rankings, Liftopia collected more than 10,000 survey responses from its readers and combined that information with its own data, collected over the past 10 years, on North American ski areas. The awards are weighted to consider both ratings from skiers and snowboarders and the sizes of the resorts, in order to equally recognize small- and medium-sized resorts.

“People have told us they wanted a ranking system that wasn’t based simply on which resorts were the biggest or relied on a handful of ‘expert’ opinions or advertising dollars,” said Liftopia co-founder and CEO Evan Reece. “They want to find their next favorite ski area and to know which resorts are most beloved by other skiers and boarders.”

There are seven categories of rankings, including overall best in snow, beginner-friendly ski areas, most-challenging ski areas, family-friendly ski areas, ski areas with the best snow consistency and quality, least-crowded ski areas, and ski areas with the best value.

On the West Coast, British Columbia's slopes scored as the most challenging and least crowded, while California was home to beginner-friendly and family-friendly areas. In the Northeast, New Hampshire was recognized as beginner-friendly and family-friendly, Vermont was most challenging, and New York and Maine were least crowded. Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, scored a No. 1 ranking in Beginner Ski Area, Family-Friendly Ski Area, and Ski Area with the Best Snow Consistency and Quality.

To see the 10 ski areas in North America that ranked overall “best in snow” according to Liftopia, scroll down.
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10. Sugarloaf, Maine

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9. Snowbird, Utah

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8. Powder Mountain, Utah

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7. Wildcat Mountain, New Hampshire

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6. Bretton Woods, New Hampshire

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5. Jay Peak, Vermont

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4. Alta, Utah

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3. Mad River Glen, Vermont

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2. Crystal Mountain, Michigan

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1. Magic Mountain, Vermont

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By Jessica Plautz