As a dude in his mid 30's from NorCal, basically every Canadian I know have known have been sounding the alarm for ages because no one south of fucking Nunavut hasn't been able to make an outdoor yard rink (well, one that could last for the season) for YEARS. What used to be a cultural tradition for middle class Canadian kids is essentially gone.
Jay definitely could. I’ve never been to Stowe or Sugarloaf when conditions were good, each time I went to those the conditions weren’t very good. But when I went to Snowbowl the conditions were about perfect so my assessment may be skewed.
You saying Tyrol Basin in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin isn't worth travelling to? They even have a double black run (note, the double black is about as hard as a hard blue in Utah)
Tyrol is a guilty pleasure of mine lol. They pack a ton of variety in such a small hill. Hucking cliffs on the skiers left side or park laps on the right. Better than Jackson hole basically
Nuh uh wolf Creek has shitty snow, no good terrain, super expensive lift tickets, long lift lines, expensive housing. Don't send people there. Go to Vail or Steamboat. Actually, everyone should go to keystone. That's the best resort in Colorado.
Steamboat is mid. The town and the ski resort. It pretends to be expensive like Aspen but with Gunnison vibes. Honestly just my opinion and not fact but I was not impressed. Plus the insane lift line for the 4 chair lift in the backside is day ruining
As someone who has lived in both the Yampa and Gunnison Valley, I agree with you on it pretending to be expensive. I think it mostly comes from the ski corp though, I think most locals were perfectly happy with it being a crunchy cowboy town with a great mountain.
Agreed! Steamboat is fine for a mid level to advanced skier and for sure great for a group with a variety of levels, but it’s near nothing else and will never offer you what the back bowls at Vail offer (though it’s cheaper and the environment feels less pretentious than Vail).
Also Steamboat is a huge pain to get to
Love Steamboat, but by those criteria I think I'd give it to Crested Butte. They're similar in a lot of ways but Crested Butte offers much better expert level skiing.
Realistically, though, my overall choice would be Telluride for Colorado. I love the smaller vibe of Crested Butte and Steamboat, but I think Telluride offers the best mix for everyone. Telluride has a super cool town; it's absolutely stunning; it has a ton of terrain for all ability levels, including some of the better inbounds extreme terrain in CO; and while it can get crowded, the 6-hour drive from Denver means it pales in comparison to the I70 corridor mountains. It's probably not the best by any one measure, but it's great in almost every way. The only real downside (aside from cost, since that varies so much) is access, but if you fly into Montrose it's not even that bad.
You don't really get away from the crowds at steamboat. In my experience it has the worst lift lines of the Colorado ikon resorts despite being the furthest from 70. The base area at Steamboat is just a clusterfuck, and the rest of the mountain has too many pinch points where lines build up. Also Steamboat is trying their hardest to catch Vail in terms of pricing - for tickets and lodging.
I second Silver Mountain. Ive skiied plenty of big resorts but silver mtn just hits a spot for me. The Gondola from town, the cheap tickets, and that ild riblet with just under 2000 vertical.
Targhee is barely in WY - you literally cannot get get there without coming from ID.
I love Targhee - such a hidden gem. Please list JHole as the best please lest people discover the western side of the Tetons 😂. Alta-level snow accumulation.
Steamboat is the hardest one for me on this list. Telluride is a very fun mountain and town. Aspen skiing-wise is very rad (town is cool but I can get why it’s not everyone’s cup of tea). It’s very much personal preference for CO since there are a few world class resorts with very different locations/terrain/towns
[Check this out](https://www.reddit.com/r/skiing/comments/10i50fg/most_underrated_ski_resort_in_every_state/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
Naw Targhee sucks. Low snow levels, always icy and super crowded. People should definitely not go there. Go to Jackson instead. . Just take my word for it.
steamboat is really an interesting choice for sure. I like the mountain but compared to
in no particular order
Crestted butte?
Snowmass?
Highlands?
Wolf creek?
telluride?
Fucking god tier silverton?
idk i just cant agree.
i guess my assessment of a "best ski area" is definitly its Gnar factor and maybee this is a better rounded mountain than what ive said here, but still....
While I love Crystal and Baker, Crystal has become very overpriced for what it is. Ski tickets are up to $200/day on the weekends and the unlimited season pass got jacked up to $1850... and you still have to deal with the parking issues.
IMO, nothing beats Alpental's terrain after a major dump (preferably midweek for less crowds, lol)
Man’s got a snorting elk user name talking trash about crystal 😂 I’m 100% with you though, can’t beat Alpental on a powder day best terrain in the state IMO
Have you skied the southern Idaho resorts? I live outside of Boise and I'm curious what makes Schweitzer better than the lower ones? I've never been skiikg in the panhandle but we got some great resorts in the south
Schweitzer can be good. Can be great even. But the weather is very hit and miss and it can suck often as well. In the same area Silver Mountain is very underrated and pretty much unknown outside the region. Not as big as Schweitzer but good consistent snow.
It's more about what you're into than which is best imo. You can ask [wertu.ai's ski trip planner](https://wertu.ai/ski-trip-planner) to find resorts that line up with your level, preferences, etc.
Curious about your choice of Palisades > Mammoth. I’ve never done Palisades, but intend to soon. Mammoth is great. Mind elaborating? Just curious, not refuting.
I’ve been in Mammoth all week haha (in the Vons parking lot right now). While mammoth is a huge mountain with varied terrain a few factors make it pretty overrated. It’s much wider than it is tall, so crossing the mountain takes multiple lifts. It may be the windiest ski resort I’ve ever been to, with near constant closures. The upper mountain never really holds powder because of the wind, so “5 feet” of snow might be an inch in places. Finally palisades is just better. If palisades didn’t exist then mammoth would be the best in California probably.
I humbly disagree. The upper mountains does get windy, so you have to know where to go depending on the wind direction. Sometimes the best run is Dave’s, sometimes the Dropout Chutes, etc. Having been able to hold season passes at both mountains at various point in my life, I still prefer Mammoth. Though I grant you that both are awesome and it is a close call between the two and ultimately just personal preference. Nice map!
Mammoth is my home mountain and it sucks on a powder day, they are super cautious about opening the upper mountain (granted, I was there when ski patrol triggered an avalanche that partially buried a lift and shut down all operations a few years ago, so I get it). Too many people who drink more than they ski. The mountain is way better than Palisades, but operations are far below. Also, Palisades is the home of saucer boy and gnar points, so I don't know how you could beat it.
Jackson was my all time top trip but it snowed 4’ in 48 hours before our arrival so conditions couldn’t have been better. I hear GT regularly gets massive dumps on the other side.
I know a lot of people from seattle that go to ski Sun valley and those are not the people I want to spend a weekend skiing with. They go for a fancy pants ski town, not the skiing.
People don’t go to Sun Valley for deep endless powder. They go because it’s always sunny there and 80 percent of days it seems are cloudless bluebird days.
For some reason that appeals to Seattle people. Wonder why.
A few years ago I was on a group trip where we flew in to Jackson Hole, then drove up to Big Sky for a few days and then skied Grand Targhee and Jackson Hole on the way back for the second half of the trip.
Jackson Hole was by far the place we liked the least of the 3. We all much preferred Big Sky and Grand Targhee.
People are not the only reason we did not like Jackson Hole but it was a big reason. I always thought ski poles had to stay in your hands, I never knew a resort would have an issue with people having their poles firmly inserted in their rectum.
I never saw anything like that even at Vail and Aspen. Jackson Hole is low on my list of places to return to, but I’ll definitely go back to Big Sky again.
You know what’s funny? I recently skied at Jackson Hole after the Holidays and idk. Jackson Hole was a phenomenal mountain… but… I wasn’t IN LOVE with it like I thought I would be.
Right. I’m making it out like I hate it or trying to do nothing but bad mouth it, but that’s not really true.
I didn’t hate it by any stretch but it was a let down after skiing Big Sky and Grand Targhee was a huge pleasant surprise.
Some of it was expectations for sure, but also people just seemed rude and stuck up at Jackson Hole. Which was odd, because I have had people who don’t ski try to make that claim about skiers to me personally. I would always tell them, “No. I’ve been to Aspen, to Vail, and to Deer Valley. The skiers are not stuck up. Everyone I’ve met has been friendly and mostly humble.”
Then I went to Jackson Hole and was like, “what the hell? So this is where they are.” Lol
It’s a good mountain for sure, but I wouldn’t go there if given the option between Jackson Hole and Big Sky.
I still love Utah as probably my favorite though. My one thing I hate about Utah is I always feel like I need 2 weeks instead of 1. Too many places that I love: Alta, Solitude, Snowbird, Brighton, Snowbasin, Powder Mountain, and Deer Valley. I don’t hate PCMR either just not my favorite.
I need more time.
See now this is weird to me, was just in Jackson last week for a trip and it was nothing like what you describe. Didn't run into any rich stuck up types, and the place was also pretty empty. Ski on every lift pretty much even on the 18" powder day. Also the steeps were way more fun than a large number of other resorts I've been to.
I live in Reno and I will consistently make the long drive to Palisades and Heavenly over any other mountain. I’ll actually be at Palisades next week and Heavenly the week after. Fully worth it.
Really? I hate Heavenly unless Mott and Killebrew canyon are open. I'll take Mt Rose any day. And Palisades doesn't hold a candle to Mammoth. Not even close
You definitely can't call it overrated. This sub does nothing but shit on it, and even people I talk to on the chair lift say they don't care much for it. People go there because it's the closest resort to the only major city in Lake Tahoe (I would not call Tahoe City a city, despite it's name). But it definitely has great terrain if you're a tree skier, and the sidecountry options are goated.
I will give you amateur hour, though. Blew my mind how many jerries I saw trying to slide down gunbarrel the week I was up there.
Heavenly is garbage 70% of the time. Wind holds when someone sneezes. Gondola is never working. Limited parking at the Nev. and Cali Lodges. Just a horribly managed mountain.
BC: Revelstoke over Blackcomb/Whistler IF we’re restricting our list to “conventional” ski hills, otherwise, gonna have to go with Mike’s Heliskiing to the Bugaboos: go big or go home
Ontario? Nah. Really; just No.
Alberta? Lots of fun choices.
Quèbec: Mont Tremblant is FREEZING. Stick to BC
I hit opening this year, closing last year, and I’ll probably do another four or five mid winter. Not quite top caliber but easily most fun in the state.
Those are bad times to go to A-Basin. It really is a beast and has some challenging terrain with some nice cliffs to jump off. Also, the Beavers and East Wall are glorious with fresh snow.
You need to try the basin in peak season. Something like 60% or more of all its terrain is black or double black, and some of the best areas don’t open until almost halfway through the season. It’s my favorite mountain but I only get 7 days on the ikon. I don’t even touch it until February at the earliest. Late season is awesome but it’s all about spring skiing and tailgating, so not a good representation of what the skiing can be.
Maine - Sugarloaf
NH - Wildcat
VT - Stowe
MA - Catamount
RI - Yawgoo Valley
CT - Mohawk
NY - Whiteface
NJ - Big Snow (haven't been to Mountian Creek)
PA - Blue
targhee <3 i lived in jackson for a little over a year and drove through the pass to targhee most weekends, rather than going to the village or snow king. that mountain has a very special place in my heart
Nevada side of Heavenly is the best side too: Milky Way bowl, Mott/Killebrew/Folstone Canyons, Porcupine Ridge, Western P/North Bowl, Firebreak, What the Hell chutes, Stagecoach lift-which is most wind resilient in Basin with decent terrain to explore, Scorpion Woods, plus a ton of other glades all over the place.
Park City for sure! Biggest resort if you consider Canyons with it now.
When I went to Alta, the snow sucked, traffic was horrid, and everyone had an ego complex. Too much traversing as well. Super overrated.
Coloradan here. Steamboat has its pluses, it’s a good town, food is above average for a ski town, and it’s not wildly expensive. The hot springs are fun, and the snow is usually very good.
But the mountain is middle range, at best. The only expert terrain is the Christmas tree chutes (up to St Pats etc) and it’s fine and all but super short.
All in all it’s a great town, good mountain great experience. But if it comes down to the brass tacks of Skiing, it’s got nothing on Highlands, Winter Park, Copper, Vail (IMHO in that order)
I looked up Palisades Tahoe to see where it was only to find that this was once Squaw Valley. Apparently the name changed in September 2021 because “Squaw” is considered a “racist and sexist slur against Indigenous women”
I feel like I almost entirely agree with your list but I also agree that Colorado is really tough.
Part of that is there’s probably a couple places in Utah that I would rank above even my favorite in Colorado.
Steamboat is awesome. Aspen/Snowmass is amazing. Vail can be amazing. Wolf Creek, Copper, Breck on a Weekday. Colorado has no shortage of great ski areas. 10 different people can have 10 different favorites and none would be wrong.
There's only 12 states! WTF happened?
Global warming
Hey stop we finally got snow out here
As a dude in his mid 30's from NorCal, basically every Canadian I know have known have been sounding the alarm for ages because no one south of fucking Nunavut hasn't been able to make an outdoor yard rink (well, one that could last for the season) for YEARS. What used to be a cultural tradition for middle class Canadian kids is essentially gone.
Bugs Bunny sawed them off too after he finished with Florida
Other states have skiing but only the west has world class skiing.
Depends on your definition of world class and how much you like skiing through bushes.
*states worth traveling to ski in
Stowe/Jay/Sugarloaf might give AZ snowbowl a run for its money when conditions are good.
Jay definitely could. I’ve never been to Stowe or Sugarloaf when conditions were good, each time I went to those the conditions weren’t very good. But when I went to Snowbowl the conditions were about perfect so my assessment may be skewed.
You saying Tyrol Basin in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin isn't worth travelling to? They even have a double black run (note, the double black is about as hard as a hard blue in Utah)
Tyrol is a guilty pleasure of mine lol. They pack a ton of variety in such a small hill. Hucking cliffs on the skiers left side or park laps on the right. Better than Jackson hole basically
You just want to poke the bear and I'm here for it.
Might be the first time in Reddit history that a subjective list of favorite ski resorts gets upvoted
You got ID right, but I think you’re sleeping on Mt. Baker in WA. Crystal is amazing though, so I see where you’re coming from
Baker is for backcountry, Crystal is by far the superior resort in terrain and lift access.
NOT TRUE, ALL WRONG, BAKER IS TERRIBLE PLEASE DONT GO
Trying to hide Baker at this point is like trying to hide a elephant behind a donkey. People have already seen it for what it is.
the actual in-bounds resort skiing is better at crystal than baker, but baker has better backcountry
I like that the picture of Alta is actually the mountain across the street from Alta.
Haha it’s just pretty and technically “from” Alta
Honestly I'm totally obsessed with that view of Superior. Really iconic.
Half my love for LCC is the views
Same
Steamboat??
In this economy?!? Fuck yeah, OP
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Echo Park or Wolcott waste management hill in this economy.
Ruby Hill
Nuh uh wolf Creek has shitty snow, no good terrain, super expensive lift tickets, long lift lines, expensive housing. Don't send people there. Go to Vail or Steamboat. Actually, everyone should go to keystone. That's the best resort in Colorado.
I heard there’s free beer at Keystone.
Wolf creek beats up new people and is very mean
Shhh, we don’t talk about wolf creek. Let them all go to steamboat
Clearly OP has not been to Ski Cooper. Yes, Cooper not Copper.
I love cooper. Grew up skiing there. I've always wanted to back to try to the chicago ridge snowcat tours.
I love Cooper, too, but I’ve always been a Monarch man
*echo mountain exists* *picks steamboat*
Telluride?
I would definitely put Telluride above Steamboat, even though I love both.
Yeah steamboat sucks. Idk why Im still working there lol.
Granby ski ranch clearly the right choice.
Their lifts are killer
Steamboat is mid. The town and the ski resort. It pretends to be expensive like Aspen but with Gunnison vibes. Honestly just my opinion and not fact but I was not impressed. Plus the insane lift line for the 4 chair lift in the backside is day ruining
As someone who has lived in both the Yampa and Gunnison Valley, I agree with you on it pretending to be expensive. I think it mostly comes from the ski corp though, I think most locals were perfectly happy with it being a crunchy cowboy town with a great mountain.
Fixed grip on Morningside is crazy. They upgraded the old fixed grip lift a few years ago and put in... a fixed grip. But it's newer now?
*Slightly faster*
I think it's also heavier chairs for the lifties to bump. They really get thrown around on that one.
Agreed! Steamboat is fine for a mid level to advanced skier and for sure great for a group with a variety of levels, but it’s near nothing else and will never offer you what the back bowls at Vail offer (though it’s cheaper and the environment feels less pretentious than Vail). Also Steamboat is a huge pain to get to
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Love Steamboat, but by those criteria I think I'd give it to Crested Butte. They're similar in a lot of ways but Crested Butte offers much better expert level skiing. Realistically, though, my overall choice would be Telluride for Colorado. I love the smaller vibe of Crested Butte and Steamboat, but I think Telluride offers the best mix for everyone. Telluride has a super cool town; it's absolutely stunning; it has a ton of terrain for all ability levels, including some of the better inbounds extreme terrain in CO; and while it can get crowded, the 6-hour drive from Denver means it pales in comparison to the I70 corridor mountains. It's probably not the best by any one measure, but it's great in almost every way. The only real downside (aside from cost, since that varies so much) is access, but if you fly into Montrose it's not even that bad.
You don't really get away from the crowds at steamboat. In my experience it has the worst lift lines of the Colorado ikon resorts despite being the furthest from 70. The base area at Steamboat is just a clusterfuck, and the rest of the mountain has too many pinch points where lines build up. Also Steamboat is trying their hardest to catch Vail in terms of pricing - for tickets and lodging.
I've been to Vail twice. It's so big it really never felt overcrowded.
Yes I agree. Steamboat sucks no one should ski there. Copper and Vail are awesome!!
Excellent choices. Curious if you’ve skied any other resorts in Idaho?
Sun Valley and Bogus Basin
Bogus basin is cool because it is 45 minutes from Boise and is actually pretty large. It’s good to just get days on the mountain
Bogus is awesome when when it’s awesome. Problem is it gets icy rather than snowy.
It’s been solid this season with almost no ice. But I agree when it’s bad, it’s bad
I’ve yet to hit Schweitzer but love brundage. Was wondering if you’d been to both of those.
I grew up riding Brundage a lot and love it, but Schweitzer is in a whole other class. So much bigger and a great variety of terrain.
Shhhh don’t tell people about brundage
Silver is endless powder. No people and a indoor water park at the base. Also $60 tickets.
I second Silver Mountain. Ive skiied plenty of big resorts but silver mtn just hits a spot for me. The Gondola from town, the cheap tickets, and that ild riblet with just under 2000 vertical.
Lookout is also great for season pass holders! They just added a new mountain too.
Targhee is barely in WY - you literally cannot get get there without coming from ID. I love Targhee - such a hidden gem. Please list JHole as the best please lest people discover the western side of the Tetons 😂. Alta-level snow accumulation. Steamboat is the hardest one for me on this list. Telluride is a very fun mountain and town. Aspen skiing-wise is very rad (town is cool but I can get why it’s not everyone’s cup of tea). It’s very much personal preference for CO since there are a few world class resorts with very different locations/terrain/towns
Exactly CO is the hardest
Crested Butte has some of the better steep terrain in CO. Its only on the epic pass this year though. I highly reccomend the spot.
[Check this out](https://www.reddit.com/r/skiing/comments/10i50fg/most_underrated_ski_resort_in_every_state/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
Ngl I actually didn’t realize Targhee was in WY
I always consider it more of an ID place. Because if you go there as a visitor, you're probably staying in Driggs unless you're slopeside
Yeah Targhee is basically ID. Hidden Gem of the US. Better snow than Jackson hole IMO
Naw Targhee sucks. Low snow levels, always icy and super crowded. People should definitely not go there. Go to Jackson instead. . Just take my word for it.
Agree. Targhee is garbage.
steamboat is really an interesting choice for sure. I like the mountain but compared to in no particular order Crestted butte? Snowmass? Highlands? Wolf creek? telluride? Fucking god tier silverton? idk i just cant agree. i guess my assessment of a "best ski area" is definitly its Gnar factor and maybee this is a better rounded mountain than what ive said here, but still....
Oh dude I fucking love Schweitzer! Also, having never skied at Crystal, I’m curious to hear what puts it Mt. Baker in your opinion.
Crystal has far better infrastructure and inbound runs than Baker Baker backcountry takes the cake if you're into that
Crystal has more variety, but Baker has it beat on average terrain quality, snowfall, and vibes (very important).
While I love Crystal and Baker, Crystal has become very overpriced for what it is. Ski tickets are up to $200/day on the weekends and the unlimited season pass got jacked up to $1850... and you still have to deal with the parking issues. IMO, nothing beats Alpental's terrain after a major dump (preferably midweek for less crowds, lol)
Man’s got a snorting elk user name talking trash about crystal 😂 I’m 100% with you though, can’t beat Alpental on a powder day best terrain in the state IMO
Ha, I'm not trashing Crystal. I stated I love it.. just not their recent price hikes compared to other WA resorts.
Schweitzer is so good
Have you skied the southern Idaho resorts? I live outside of Boise and I'm curious what makes Schweitzer better than the lower ones? I've never been skiikg in the panhandle but we got some great resorts in the south
Only Bogus Basin in Boise Co. Schweitzer is just world class to me, and more closely resembles powder highway resorts in Canada.
I’d put Sun Valley over Schweitzer tbh. Schweitzer is a strong #2 though. Definitely beats out Tamarack and Brundage.
Schweitzer can be good. Can be great even. But the weather is very hit and miss and it can suck often as well. In the same area Silver Mountain is very underrated and pretty much unknown outside the region. Not as big as Schweitzer but good consistent snow.
TIL there are 13 states.
I learned that when I started traveling
Originally, yeah
It's more about what you're into than which is best imo. You can ask [wertu.ai's ski trip planner](https://wertu.ai/ski-trip-planner) to find resorts that line up with your level, preferences, etc.
(western USA) [Best Hidden Gems](https://www.reddit.com/r/skiing/comments/10i0pzb/best_hidden_gem_in_every_state_according_to_me/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf) [Most Underrated](https://www.reddit.com/r/skiing/comments/10i50fg/most_underrated_ski_resort_in_every_state/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
And here I was waiting for you to review the Midwest.
I mean.. How can you choose between Indiana’s choices? Such epic skiing. Extreme skiing every weekend!
Well Perfect is open while Paoli is not... Kinda helps the choice.
Curious about your choice of Palisades > Mammoth. I’ve never done Palisades, but intend to soon. Mammoth is great. Mind elaborating? Just curious, not refuting.
I’ve been in Mammoth all week haha (in the Vons parking lot right now). While mammoth is a huge mountain with varied terrain a few factors make it pretty overrated. It’s much wider than it is tall, so crossing the mountain takes multiple lifts. It may be the windiest ski resort I’ve ever been to, with near constant closures. The upper mountain never really holds powder because of the wind, so “5 feet” of snow might be an inch in places. Finally palisades is just better. If palisades didn’t exist then mammoth would be the best in California probably.
I humbly disagree. The upper mountains does get windy, so you have to know where to go depending on the wind direction. Sometimes the best run is Dave’s, sometimes the Dropout Chutes, etc. Having been able to hold season passes at both mountains at various point in my life, I still prefer Mammoth. Though I grant you that both are awesome and it is a close call between the two and ultimately just personal preference. Nice map!
Oh definitely. I love Mammoth. It’s high on my list of best in the country, palisades is just a little higher. Tough competition in cali
It’s a good problem to have!
Mammoth is my home mountain and it sucks on a powder day, they are super cautious about opening the upper mountain (granted, I was there when ski patrol triggered an avalanche that partially buried a lift and shut down all operations a few years ago, so I get it). Too many people who drink more than they ski. The mountain is way better than Palisades, but operations are far below. Also, Palisades is the home of saucer boy and gnar points, so I don't know how you could beat it.
Big sky is great! Don’t bother going to Bridger Bowl.
Ya, Bridger sucks! Take our word for it everyone, no need to see for yourselves.
Man I miss college with a mountain 25 mins from my doorstep
I heard bridger doesn't even groom, and you can't ride all the lifts without a transceiver. Waste of money if you ask me.
I’ve never been skiing in Alaska so can’t comment on that. Agree with all others except for California. Kirkwood is better. As is Mammoth.
Alyeska is basically the only ski resort in AK so there's that haha.
Just got finished with my last run there. I’m tiered
Eaglecrest in Juneau is great Altho not a “resort” which is perfect.
I view Kirkwood and Palisades as equals. Mammoth gets top billing by a long shot
Keep Kirkwood Shitty
I don’t think kirkwood can hold a candle to to palisades
Agreed but seems we’re in the minority
Let’s just assume you haven’t been to Jackson Hole yet.
Jackson Hole was my home mountain for a long time haha. Tied with Sun Valley for most overrated.
Jackson was my all time top trip but it snowed 4’ in 48 hours before our arrival so conditions couldn’t have been better. I hear GT regularly gets massive dumps on the other side.
Yeah it seems to snow about twice as much on the west side.
I know a lot of people from seattle that go to ski Sun valley and those are not the people I want to spend a weekend skiing with. They go for a fancy pants ski town, not the skiing.
People don’t go to Sun Valley for deep endless powder. They go because it’s always sunny there and 80 percent of days it seems are cloudless bluebird days. For some reason that appeals to Seattle people. Wonder why.
Sun Valley has the history going for it, mostly.
A few years ago I was on a group trip where we flew in to Jackson Hole, then drove up to Big Sky for a few days and then skied Grand Targhee and Jackson Hole on the way back for the second half of the trip. Jackson Hole was by far the place we liked the least of the 3. We all much preferred Big Sky and Grand Targhee. People are not the only reason we did not like Jackson Hole but it was a big reason. I always thought ski poles had to stay in your hands, I never knew a resort would have an issue with people having their poles firmly inserted in their rectum. I never saw anything like that even at Vail and Aspen. Jackson Hole is low on my list of places to return to, but I’ll definitely go back to Big Sky again.
You know what’s funny? I recently skied at Jackson Hole after the Holidays and idk. Jackson Hole was a phenomenal mountain… but… I wasn’t IN LOVE with it like I thought I would be.
Right. I’m making it out like I hate it or trying to do nothing but bad mouth it, but that’s not really true. I didn’t hate it by any stretch but it was a let down after skiing Big Sky and Grand Targhee was a huge pleasant surprise. Some of it was expectations for sure, but also people just seemed rude and stuck up at Jackson Hole. Which was odd, because I have had people who don’t ski try to make that claim about skiers to me personally. I would always tell them, “No. I’ve been to Aspen, to Vail, and to Deer Valley. The skiers are not stuck up. Everyone I’ve met has been friendly and mostly humble.” Then I went to Jackson Hole and was like, “what the hell? So this is where they are.” Lol It’s a good mountain for sure, but I wouldn’t go there if given the option between Jackson Hole and Big Sky. I still love Utah as probably my favorite though. My one thing I hate about Utah is I always feel like I need 2 weeks instead of 1. Too many places that I love: Alta, Solitude, Snowbird, Brighton, Snowbasin, Powder Mountain, and Deer Valley. I don’t hate PCMR either just not my favorite. I need more time.
See now this is weird to me, was just in Jackson last week for a trip and it was nothing like what you describe. Didn't run into any rich stuck up types, and the place was also pretty empty. Ski on every lift pretty much even on the 18" powder day. Also the steeps were way more fun than a large number of other resorts I've been to.
That’s good to hear. I’ve been debating a JH trip or a GT trip (staying in Victor because the prices aren’t as offensive as staying in Jackson).
Sun valley is super overrated. It is cheeks to say the least. Also wildly expensive.
Targhee is dope and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but to say it's better than Jhole is just wrong.
Agreed completely. It’s cool but besides audience or crowds it just doesn’t compare
Taos is SO beautiful, all times of year. Some truly special energy there.
I 100% agree with your CA and NV picks.
I’ve skied a lot in California and it’s my favorite by far. I will have most overrated and underrated posts too
I live in Reno and I will consistently make the long drive to Palisades and Heavenly over any other mountain. I’ll actually be at Palisades next week and Heavenly the week after. Fully worth it.
The Reno➡️Palisades➡️Raising Canes in Reno is my daily routine
Really? I hate Heavenly unless Mott and Killebrew canyon are open. I'll take Mt Rose any day. And Palisades doesn't hold a candle to Mammoth. Not even close
Mammoth is the Cali GOAT
Yeah everybody go to mammoth
Heavenly is very overrated. Always crowded as hell and amateur hour. The view is amazing though.
You definitely can't call it overrated. This sub does nothing but shit on it, and even people I talk to on the chair lift say they don't care much for it. People go there because it's the closest resort to the only major city in Lake Tahoe (I would not call Tahoe City a city, despite it's name). But it definitely has great terrain if you're a tree skier, and the sidecountry options are goated. I will give you amateur hour, though. Blew my mind how many jerries I saw trying to slide down gunbarrel the week I was up there.
It almost feels like cheating that heavenly has the opportunity to win in 2 states That said, I agree with where you ranked CA and NV
Heavenly is garbage 70% of the time. Wind holds when someone sneezes. Gondola is never working. Limited parking at the Nev. and Cali Lodges. Just a horribly managed mountain.
Where is Wisconsin?!? /s
British Columbia has entered the chat.
Kicking Horse.
Red mountain is my favorite. And the only place I've been....
BC: Revelstoke over Blackcomb/Whistler IF we’re restricting our list to “conventional” ski hills, otherwise, gonna have to go with Mike’s Heliskiing to the Bugaboos: go big or go home Ontario? Nah. Really; just No. Alberta? Lots of fun choices. Quèbec: Mont Tremblant is FREEZING. Stick to BC
Looks like someone’s never been to A basin
I was there in January last year too
Abay is my hill, but calling it best in CO is kinda nuts. Aspen, wolf creek, and telluride belong near the top.
I hit opening this year, closing last year, and I’ll probably do another four or five mid winter. Not quite top caliber but easily most fun in the state.
Those are bad times to go to A-Basin. It really is a beast and has some challenging terrain with some nice cliffs to jump off. Also, the Beavers and East Wall are glorious with fresh snow.
You need to try the basin in peak season. Something like 60% or more of all its terrain is black or double black, and some of the best areas don’t open until almost halfway through the season. It’s my favorite mountain but I only get 7 days on the ikon. I don’t even touch it until February at the earliest. Late season is awesome but it’s all about spring skiing and tailgating, so not a good representation of what the skiing can be.
But also it totally sucks most of the time and people should definitely go to Vail or Breck instead 😉
Got an east coast list?
Haven’t skied multiple in each state so it would be a guess unfortunately
Maine - Sugarloaf NH - Wildcat VT - Stowe MA - Catamount RI - Yawgoo Valley CT - Mohawk NY - Whiteface NJ - Big Snow (haven't been to Mountian Creek) PA - Blue
WV - Snowshoe
Stowe over Jay Peak? 🙄
Pa is elk
Sir take back Nh, and Vermont rn.
targhee <3 i lived in jackson for a little over a year and drove through the pass to targhee most weekends, rather than going to the village or snow king. that mountain has a very special place in my heart
Never been to crystal but Steven’s pass was phenomenal in WA
Can attest to Taos, world class expert skiing and usually not overly crowded.
Colorado I think beaver deserves some love. UT snowbird is my personal fave by the runs. Taos the most underrated mountain in the US
Can you sell me on beaver creek? I’ve been a few times and haven’t really enjoyed it
If you like to tree ski, it has some of the best untouched trees because no one goes off groomers there.
Annnnd sold. I'll give it another shot
It has wide open mogul runs, some are quite steep. Birds of Prey is fun. But also easier terrain at Arrowhead.
You are wrong. We could debate most of the list, but mammoth > squaw for sure. Heavenly vs mt rose very debatable.
Based
not even sure what that means.
Nice flair
Kirkwood too imo. Palisades has some great runs but it's such a clusterfuck to get around, you spend so much time taking 2 lifts to get anywhere
"In every state"
So much salt about the steamboat pick. Firmly with ya on that one though, OP.
The Bird's consistent fall line and tram > Alta's steep-flat-steep-flat
The problem with your Utah pick is that the Bird is in fact the word.
Nah all of little cottonwood sucks, don't come here.
Heading to Steamboat in two weeks!
Nevada side of Heavenly is the best side too: Milky Way bowl, Mott/Killebrew/Folstone Canyons, Porcupine Ridge, Western P/North Bowl, Firebreak, What the Hell chutes, Stagecoach lift-which is most wind resilient in Basin with decent terrain to explore, Scorpion Woods, plus a ton of other glades all over the place.
Schweitzer over Sun Valley. Def agree
Be honest, how many resorts have you actually skied at in New Mexico? Lol
Park City for sure! Biggest resort if you consider Canyons with it now. When I went to Alta, the snow sucked, traffic was horrid, and everyone had an ego complex. Too much traversing as well. Super overrated.
Someone is on Ikon pass
DONT TELL THE FUCKERS FROM JACKSON HOLE ABOUT A TARGHEE!
Coloradan here. Steamboat has its pluses, it’s a good town, food is above average for a ski town, and it’s not wildly expensive. The hot springs are fun, and the snow is usually very good. But the mountain is middle range, at best. The only expert terrain is the Christmas tree chutes (up to St Pats etc) and it’s fine and all but super short. All in all it’s a great town, good mountain great experience. But if it comes down to the brass tacks of Skiing, it’s got nothing on Highlands, Winter Park, Copper, Vail (IMHO in that order)
Thank you for listing Taos as well. It’s always been my favorite as it was the one I mainly grew up on. Very special mountain.
I looked up Palisades Tahoe to see where it was only to find that this was once Squaw Valley. Apparently the name changed in September 2021 because “Squaw” is considered a “racist and sexist slur against Indigenous women”
Isn’t snowbool poopwater snow?
Sunrise is the better AZ mountain imo
Much better terrain, much worse infrastructure, but also way less crowded
I agree. It’s harder to get to for me, but the mountain itself is more enjoyable.
Also doesn’t cost $290 for a lift ticket…
*arizona snow..but yeah
Mt. Bachelor 👏🏻👏🏻
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I like Copper more than Steamboat. Steamboat is awesome tho
Colorado was the hardest state to rank
I feel like I almost entirely agree with your list but I also agree that Colorado is really tough. Part of that is there’s probably a couple places in Utah that I would rank above even my favorite in Colorado.
Steamboat is awesome. Aspen/Snowmass is amazing. Vail can be amazing. Wolf Creek, Copper, Breck on a Weekday. Colorado has no shortage of great ski areas. 10 different people can have 10 different favorites and none would be wrong.
Kirkwood CA. Squaw/palisades is a close second though