Condé Nast Traveler has released their Readers’ Choice Awards for 2023, including a category for best ski resorts. After reviewing their top picks, I have to wonder who is doing the voting at Condé Nast. Sure, there are some heavy-hitters on the list that make sense (such as Snowmass for #1, which is pretty consistent with Ski Mag’s annual top list). Overall though, there were some insane choices. Here are some call outs that I noticed:

  • Colorado’s rankings are all over the place. Keystone ahead of Winter Park? Aspen Mountain ahead of Aspen Highlands? No Copper Mountain? And who even refers to Purgatory as a part of “Durango Mountain” anymore?
  • I’m all for you East Coasters getting some love, but Bretton Woods in the top 10? Ranking just above Killington and Telluride? What?
  • Anyone willing to put Deer Valley over Alta or Snowbird for the best of Utah tells you exactly what the demographic is. Bougie amenities over real skiing…
  • Why are Park City and The Canyons listed separately?
  • Camelback in Pennslyvania ranked 26th. That’s right, a resort in PA outranks places like Steamboat, Taos, and Alta.

Anyway, I have more questions than answers. Apparently, this isn’t the first time the rankings have left readers confused. I guess they are consistent in being strange? Here is the full list of top 40 with their scores:

  1. Snowmass 90.27
  2. Deer Valley 89.81
  3. Smugglers’ Notch 89.69
  4. Aspen Mountain 89.65
  5. Sun Valley 88.91
  6. Bretton Woods 88.83
  7. Killington Resort 88.19
  8. Telluride 88.11
  9. Jackson Hole 87.67
  10. Aspen Highlands 86.77
  11. Waterville Valley 86.49
  12. Whitefish Mountain Resort 86.36
  13. Breckenridge 86.35
  14. Beaver Creek 86.21
  15. Vail 85.52
  16. Park City Mountain 85.33
  17. Crested Butte 85.09
  18. Big Sky 84.73
  19. Okemo Mountain Resort 83.91
  20. Palisades Tahoe 83.57
  21. Sunday River 83.05
  22. Keystone 82.96
  23. Wildcat Mountain 82.66
  24. Mt. Bachelor 92.96
  25. Stowe Mountain Resort 82.66
  26. Camelback Mountain Resort 82.09
  27. Steamboat 81.90
  28. Heavenly Mountain Resort 81.61
  29. Taos Ski Valley 81.55
  30. Winter Park 81.52
  31. Whiteface Lake Placid 81.26
  32. Snowbird 81.16
  33. Purgatory at Durango Mountain 80.36
  34. Mammoth Mountain 80.07
  35. The Canyons 79.84
  36. Stevens Pass 78.44
  37. Alta 78.15
  38. Schweitzer Mountain 77.35
  39. Northstar California 77.33
  40. Mt. Baker 77.14

Photos Courtesy of Condé Nast Traveler and skiingsolo, Gifs Courtesy of GIPHY & GIPHY

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