Snow @ Ski Cooper.
Snow @ Ski Cooper. Credit: Ski Cooper on Facebook

The ‘highest elevation ski resort’ debate can get a bit sticky. Do you go off the highest lift accessed terrain? Do you go off the highest in bound terrain, counting stuff that’s hike access only? Or do you go off the highest point on the resort’s mountain, even if you’d have to pass through gates to get there?

Powder Day at Loveland Ski Area

Considering the highest base elevation doesn’t usually have the same problem. That’s a pretty set in stone number. While some areas may have more prominent ski mountains, starting at a lower elevation and still ending quite high, nobody does high base elevations quite like the Rocky Mountains.

So would you really be surprised to learn that almost every single ski resort with a base elevation above 10,000 feet is in Colorado? These seven ski resorts don’t necessarily have the highest summits or lifts in North America, but their high bases can leave you huffing and puffing before you even leave the parking lot.

7. Wolf Creek Ski Area, Colorado – 10,300 feet

6. Ski Santa Fe, New Mexico – 10,350 feet

5. Silverton Mountain, Colorado – 10,400 feet

4. Ski Cooper, Colorado – 10,500 feet

3. Arapahoe Basin, Colorado – 10,520 feet

2. Monarch Mountain, Colorado – 10,790 feet

1. Loveland Ski Area, Colorado – 10,800 feet

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