What is the best ski resort in North America? It’s a divisive debate among skiers and riders, but it really depends on what you want from a ski trip. For luxury travelers, a familiar set of names pop up.
Last week, Condé Nast Traveler released its annual U.K. reader’s choice list of the best ski resorts in North America and Europe. This is a reader’s choice list, meaning readers rated their top ski resort, not the writers or editors. A key thing to note: this is a U.K. reader’s choice list. There’s a separate list made by U.S. travelers, with Big Sky taking the top spot.
Deer Valley took home the number one spot, partially thanks to its ongoing expansion. Sun Valley, Vail, Whistler Blackcomb, and SilverStar rounded out the top five.
The top North American resorts are as follows:
- 15. Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada. Score 84.68
- 14. Alyeska Resort, Alaska, United States. Score 85.14
- 13. Killington Resort, Vermont, United States. Score 85.33
- 12. Palisades Tahoe, California, United States. Score 88.67
- 11. Crested Butte, Colorado, United States. Score 90.67
- 10. Jackson Hole, Wyoming, United States. Score 91.67
- 9. Mount Washington, British Columbia, Canada. Score 92.43
- 8. Whiteface Lake Placid, New York, United States. Score 92.57
- 7. Telluride, Colorado, United States. Score 92.94
- 6. Solitude, Utah, United States. Score 93.12
- 5. Silver Star Mountain, British Columbia, Canada. Score 93.26
- 4. Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia, Canada. Score 93.48
- 3. Vail, Colorado, United States. Score 95.00
- 2. Sun Valley, Idaho, United States. Score 96.67
- 1. Deer Valley, Utah, United States. Score 97.78
Here are the readers’ choice top 20 for European ski resorts:
- 20. Avoriaz, France. Score 82.14
- 19. Andermatt, Switzerland. Score 82.47
- 18. Courmayeur Mont Blanc, Italy. Score 82.52
- 17. Kitzbühel, Austria. Score 82.67
- 16. Zell am See-Kaprun, Austria. Score 83.22
- 15. Courchevel, France. Score 83.33
- 14. Tignes, France. Score 84.29
- 13. St.Moritz, Switzerland. Score 85.00
- 12. Val Thorens, France. Score 85.56
- 11. Les Deux Alpes, France. Score 88.33
- 10. Val d’Isère, France. Score 88.54
- 9. St Anton, Austria. Score 88.89
- 8. Les Arcs La Plagne, France. Score 89.00
- 7. Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. Score 90.00
- 6. Corvara Alta Badia, Italy. Score 91.11
- 5. Obergurgl, Austria. Score 91.67
- 4. Val Gardena, Italy. Score 91.68
- 3. Méribel, France. Score 94.17
- 2. Verbier, Switzerland. Score 95.00
- 1. Zermatt, Switzerland. Score 98.33
Takeaways
Overall, the list reflects the ski resorts luxury travelers from the U.K. like. Some surprises include Killington and Whiteface in the Northeast, and Silver Star and Mt. Washington in Canada. While the list highlights ski resorts that offer luxury experiences, it also shows that skiers value terrain variety. The most surprising omission is Big Sky, which suggests some people across the pond haven’t discovered it yet. Maybe Big Sky needs to add a fish-and-chips restaurant?
The Europe list has not many surprises, as ski resorts with expansive terrain, interconnectivity with other resorts, varied lodging options, and a lively après scene ranked well.
Image/Video Credits: David Klein, Deer Valley Resort
