While I sipped my first cup of morning coffee, I found myself thinking, “what are the best ski resorts in the world“? I might quickly answer, “Any good resort with great backcountries in Europe, such as La Grave in France or the Tatry mountains in Slovakia. That is a limited view though. I am totally forgetting Valdez in Alaska, Whistler, Kamchatka and the Caucasus mountains, and even Mount Cook in New Zealand. So I just don’t know enough..
So, where are the best resorts to ski in the world? What are the TOP 10 ski resorts? Let’s find out. Let’s see what other people say. I searched “top 10 ski resorts” in Google and found a few sites doing the same ranking. I picked one I agree with pretty much. I’ll review that list and add my own personal thoughts and opinions.
TOP 10 Ski Resorts – #10 Aspen, Colorado
I am surprised. I expected Aspen to get closer to position #1 because so many people enjoy resorts like Aspen. Most of the people don’t go skiing in the backcountries, they prefer easy skiing and good nightlife. I prefer the other extreme but I definitely would like to ski and see Aspen.
TOP 10 Ski Resorts – #9 Cortina, Italy
Again I am surprised! Cortina is much like Aspen but less known. I expected it to be closer to position #1. Cortina is a beautiful ski resort with no traffic in the streets. It is really stylish. I strongly recommend Italian ski resorts and Cortina if you’re planning a ski trip during Christmas.
TOP 10 Ski Resorts – #8 Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, Eastern Canada
Well, I must say this is a ski resort I have ever heard of. You might say I have lived under a rock, but truly I know nothing about this resort. I know something about British Columbia, but the eastern side of Canada doesn’t say much to me. If this resort is ranked to position 8, I should know something about it.
TOP 10 Ski Resorts – #7 Stowe, Vermont, Eastern United States
I have heard about this resort a little. They say it has been renowned and there is pretty good skiing in there. This is based on word of mouth. I better find out more about this interesting resort.
TOP 10 Ski Resorts – #6 Chamonix, France
I went to Chamonix for the first time in 1997. Since those days Chamonix has developed tremendously and the number of tourists has increased very much. Nowadays Chamonix is absolutely too crowded. I used to spend seasons with my friends in Chamonix and ski the best powder in my life so far. Chamonix offers great backcountry skiing but it requires high mountaineering skills. Chamonix is not just for backcountry skiers, it offers great skiing for families too. I was there last year with my son and we got very good skiing without going to backcountries at all. And yes, there is Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in Europe. This is one good reason to see Chamonix at least once in a lifetime.
TOP 10 Ski Resorts – #5 Banff/Lake Louise, Alberta, Western Canada
They say this is the most scenic mountain resort in North America. I believe this when looking at the pictures of Banff/Lake Louise! It is absolutely awesome! Banff/Lake Louise is a stunning resort located in the Canadian Rockies. The resort has three different ski areas that are 50 kilometers apart.
TOP 10 Ski Resorts – #4 Vail, Colorado, Western United States
The very first time I heard about Vail was when watching those impressive, early ski movies of Seth Morrison, around 15 years ago (Oh man.. am I that old?). Vail is absolutely a great ski resort with a huge number of places to ski. Vail is the most popular resort in North America and it is actually much more than just a ski resort. There are art galleries, museums, ice skating, hockey, dog sledding, etc.
TOP 10 Ski Resorts – #3 Zermatt, Switzerland
Sounds good, I agree with this. Zermatt is a fabulous ski resort close to the Italian border. There are Gstaad and St. Moritz, those “Aspen-like-resorts” close to Zermatt, but still Zermatt seems to be ranked higher. Zermatt offers fantastic skiing with spectacular views. Zermatt is traffic-free, meaning all cars are left in a garage a few kilometers away from the town. Planning a ski trip at Christmas? Go to Zermatt, you will like it.
TOP 10 Ski Resorts – 2# Kitzbuhel, Austria
Once again, I am srpprised! Kitzbuhel is a great place to ski but honestly I did not expect to see it as second best in the world. This resort is known from the Alpine Cup track, Hahnenkamm.
TOP 10 Ski Resorts – 1# Whistler/Blackcomb, British Columbia
What can I say? Nothing. This is exactly the right one to be on he first place. I agree 100%. Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia provides the biggest vertical drop, very good powder skiing and fabulous nature surrounding it. It is the best.
What do you think? Disagree? Say what you think in the comment field.
Comments
Powered by Facebook Comments
About the Author
As an avid skier who considers himself knowledgeable on this subject I’d like to add a thought or two.
First, there is no doubt in my mind that Whistler is the best mountain in North America, possibly the world. Its world class skiing, founded on its gigantic size and challenging runs, is complemented by a world class village. Growing up in Vancouver may have made me biased, but there is no where else I’ve ever skied that tops Whistler
Second, within the United States Vail is the mountain to beat. Its size and village rival Whistler, in addition the 300+ days of sunshine ensure fabulous, enjoyable skiing even when new snow is scarce. If you’re trying to find rentals in Vail, CO or its neighbor Beaver Creek, <a href=”http://www.vailskivacations.com”target=”_blank”.Vail Ski Vacations is the place to contact. Their local expertise and friendly staff are perfect for finding the best deals in town on world class luxury properties.
Finally, its disappointing not to see Alta/Snowbird up there, my year living in Utah was phenomenal and if you’re looking for powder there is no where in the world that can top Utah. Not a single day in March wasn’t spent choking on powder, I’m not even exaggerating here.
Good read,
Graham Swalling
hmmm…link didn’t work once more I’ll try because I was very impressed with their work and how they helped me find a rental Vail Daily
Thanks for you comments, Graham.
As said Marko’s article was based purely on some google searchs…so this was VERY subjective view on the issue.
You might want to check the article of our “wish list” too:
http://homeboyski.com/2008/03/18/top-ten-ski-resorts-wed-like-to-visit/
This is a great list of resorts. All the good ones are on here. Whistler Blackcomb is number one and can you imagine the rankings now that the new peak to peak gondola is coming online in Dec 2008.
http://www.whistlerluxurycondos.com/peak-to-peak-chairlift.htm
Hi ,
I got some great rentals on some ski in/out resorts if anybody is interested , 2009 Jan ski in/out of the cliff club at snowbird . $1500.00 goes for almost $400.00 night – studio for 2-4people.
or club intrawesrt during last call spring break for great skiing during april 5 -12th 2009 1 bedroom at whistler. $1500.00
or cooper mountain square
or steamboat grand for 2010 studio for 2-4 Jan.
E-mail at henniquinl@bellsouth.net
kewljf aspen is number one
U MUST BE KIDING ME MERIBEL FRANCE IS DEFENITELY THE BEST PLACE TO SKI THIS THING SUCKS
Aspen and Meribel are great ski resorts, but this is how we see it and this is just our opinion. Thanks guys for pointing out your opinions. Btw, I would love to ski Aspen this season..
With all due respect, this list is incomplete and lacks credibility by not having some of the world’s best resorts included. Stowe, Vermont, Cortina D’Ampezzo, Italy, and Mont Tremblant, Candada are not world class resorts and don’t belong in the top 20. Kitzbuhel doesn’t belong in the top 10. I have been skiing for over 30 years, having skiied competitively as a downhill ski racer and freestlye skiier around the world. Now I dedicate most of my descents in search of pow on fat boards in the backcountry globally. Three resorts that rank in the global top 5 are:
Jackson Hole, Wyoming, has the most vertical in the US and is home to some of the most challenging backcountry terrain in the world.
Trois Valee, France (Courchevel, Meribel, Mottaret) provides skiiers with access to over 230 interconnected lifts and one of the best apres ski scenes anywhere.
Val D’Isere/Tignes, France. Tremendous mountain and great variety of terrain. Excellent back country and fine apres ski.
Alta/Snowbird, UT and Squaw Valley, CA should also be considered.
I strongly recommend Alta/Snowbird!
Stowe VT is not anything really special. Nothing on the east coast USA really is. If you want the best snow and glades in the east go to Jay Peak VT, its far north in VT and gets lake snows 350″ of them 100 more then anywhere else in VT
I hate it when Jay fans bag on Stowe. I have nothing against Jay, there are some great pitches on that mountain and I’m sure that if you’re local and you know the mountain, there is some sick backcountry out there.
But Jay is pretty much in the same weather system as Stowe. Stowe claims 333″ a year to Jay’s 350″ (for what either of those numbers are worth). The trails at Stowe have sustained pitches and there is a ton of gnarly, technical backcountry.
Jay is a great mountain, no doubt. But as a ski town (ie a resort), I think that Stowe is one of the best in the country.
Your site contain a many useful information. I look for a lot of this experience. Thanks!
i love skiing! fabulous list of ski resorts! i particularly prefer to ski in Aspen!it is a great place for skiing! I really want to visit this place as soon as possible for me!
Nice list. Vail is awesome…if you know where you’re going. Just watch out for getting stuck in big lift lines with a large number of inexperienced tourists. The terrain is seemingly endless and you can easily get lost in the trees (in a good way).
Great list! Agree with most of the picks in the list but would take out Mt Tremblant and Cortina and replace with Fernie Alpine Resort in Southeastern, British Columbia and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The new list would highlight more of the amazing terrain, Huge Alpine Bowls and deep natural powder! Don’t think we should have too many resorts on this list that depend on snow-making to open. Found some great information on Skiing in the Canadian Rockies and Ski British Columbia at http://www.skircr.com/matts-blog
Very nice website I will study it. Your suggestions were very helpful, Thanks!
Dude. Come on, there is no way one much less two east coast US ski resorts should be in the top 10. Are you kidding me? The list that you drew from appears to be from a poorly traveled author. Or perhaps not a great skier, someone who prefers hanging out in the lodge wearing their shiny new one piece ski wear and talking the talk…
For true Skiiers mountains, I think the list is dreadfully remiss and offer the following corrections.
Replace Stowe with Jackson Hole, WY or Squaw Valley, CA or Mt. Hood, OR and replace Mont Tremblant with Innsbruck, AUS or Valle Nevado, CH or Mt Hutt, NZ.
I grew up in Colorado, the son of a commercial pilot so I got free travel where ever I wanted for the first 25 years of life. As such, I am qualified to say that Courcheval, FR and Valdez, AK are both deserving of Aspen’s spot. Aspen is not even the best mountain in Colorado, I would give it to Telluride or perhaps even Copper Mtn before Aspen. Aspen is so full of the Hollywood Cocaine Cowboy crowd on their Iphones in liftline that it’s tough to actually ski.
If anyone is in California and wants a skibuddy, email me.
Sky Minor
Hard to have a top ski resorts list without at least one of Trois Valee, Val D’Isere/Tignes and Chamonix. Is there an anti-French and a pro-American bias here? St Anton must also tick a lot of boxes, more than Kitzbuehl. Zermatt as the sole representative from Switzerland is crazy, although Zermatt/Cervinia definitely tops my list. With no Trois Valee and Val D’Isere, perhaps Verbier is not such a surprising omission, but maybe it is best to keep quiet about Andermatt, Val d’Anniviers and Flims otherwise everyone will want to go! The Engadin is much more impressive than the glitz of St Moritz would lead you to believe. Stowe is an odd inclusion, OK but hardly world class.
It is hard to rank ski resorts because our perceptions will vary wildly based on skill levels, snow conditions etc. Plus, there is no industry standard that designates trail difficulty which makes ski rankings an apples-to-oranges comparison.
And there is no way Stowe is #7….It is a nice resort but it should not be compared to Vail, Zermatt, Wistler Blackcomb.
Snowbird / Alta Utah are my favorite resorts. 3,000 ft of vertical and 600+ inches of snow last year. I have never skied Switzerland, Austria, or even Whistler Blackcomb, but I have skied Telluride and Steamboat Colorado and check their snow reports and Utah gets more snow than Colorado.
Eastern US mountains have plenty of vertical but the snow conditions are severly lacking compared to out west. Have to give it to the Easterners though, they take their skiing very seriously. The lift line is packed by 8 am waiting for the lifts to open for 5 inches of fresh powder, that turns to ice by 12:30 pm.
In Utah, we get excited when we get 2, 3 , or even 5 feet of fresh powder.
Although, I must admit, I am a freestyle mogul skiier and do better to stay in the moguls than the powder.
So please tell me what other resorts boast 600+ inches of snow last year and only 30 minutes from an international airport with 700 flights per day.
The readers of Ski Magazine raked Deer Valley, Utah #1 resort in the US, 3 years running. Deer Valley has world class lodges, lifts, and food. The people there are classy. I taught skiiing there last year for the Wasatch Freestyle Team. Love teaching such cute kids who are all super shreaders by the age of 8 yrs old.
Someday I will ski the Global top ten list and then let you know how the rest match up to Utah: “The Greatest Snow on Earth”
I observe that your review has a significant North American bias. After spending a lifetime of skiing in Europe and North America, only 2 resorts from North America will get into the top 10. The bottom line is Europe’s top resorts are huge with great snow while most North Ameriacn resorts are relatively small.
Here is my top 10.
1. Zermatt, Switzerland – great scenery, beautiful village, amazing skiing. Linked with Cervinia in Italy
2. Les Arcs / La Plagne (Paradiski), France – huge ski area with more than 2,000m of vertical in 1 run (Aguille Rouge to Villaroger)
3. Verbier, Switzerland – great scenery, huge and challenging ski area, great back country skiing.
4. Val Disere / Tignes, France – high altitude and massive ski area.
5. 3 Valleys, France – Courcheval, Meribel and Val Thorens – simply a huge ski machine.
6. Chamonix, France – the home of alpine skiing in France, most spectacular with great skiing.
7. Whistler / Blackcomb – Canada – great fall line skiing, the best resort in North America….despite at times being a bit wet.
8. Dolomites, Italy – very spectaular ski area with the Sella Ronda as the feature.
9. St Anton, Austria – great skiing, great nightlife, shares a lift pass with Lech And Zurs
10. Vail, Colorado, USA – extensive ski area, a shame about the interstate running through the middle of the village.
Aspen, Colorado, USA would be in my top 10 if they linked all 4 ski areas, but as it is it is an inconvenient place to ski if you want to ski more than 1 mountain each day.
Ant Sales, you think that 4 out of the top 6 are in France? If you think there was North American bias before you might be right but you are definitely bias if that’s what you think. Whistler Blackcomb has been voted number 1 almost every year by multiple ski magazines. It has over 8,000 acres of skiable terrain and more than 200 trails, and not to mention the peak to peak gondola which is untouched by any in the world. The snow up there is incredible and rarely does more than a day go by without it getting some fresh powder. The majority of people say that Whistler Blackcomb is the best, you may disagree but the majority is the majority.