Region Category

Top Most Challenging Ski Areas in West coast

These are the ski areas that respondents said offer the most difficult runs. Participants took into consideration vertical drop, terrain variety and difficulty including glades and off-piste and snow conditions.

#1 Magic Mountain, VT
#2 Bald Mountain, ID
#3 Titus Mountain, NY
#4 Mad River Glen, VT
#5 Jackson Hole, WY
#6 Eagle Point, UT
#7 Pebble Creek, ID
#8 Mount Bohemia, MI
#9 Snowbird, UT
#10 Treetops Resort, MI

Kicking Horse, BC

So much open terrain, and never a big crowd.

Image courtesy of Kicking Horse

Revelstoke Mountain Resort, BC

The world doesn't know how amazing this place is.

Image courtesy of Revelstoke Mountain Resort

Mission Ridge, WA

Image courtesy of Mission Ridge

Kirkwood, CA

Good vibes, great staff, never too crowded.

Image courtesy of Kirkwood

Squaw Valley, CA

Just awesome!

Image courtesy of Squaw Valley CA

Alyeska, AK

Best in Alaska. Deep powder, expert terrain and beautiful views.

Image courtesy of Alyeska

Whistler Blackcomb, BC

The resort is HUGE. Lots of options on where and what terrain to ride.

Image courtesy of Whistler Blackcomb

Yosemite Ski & Snowboard Area, CA

Easygoing, beautiful hill, affordable prices, great teachers.

Image courtesy of Yosemite Park

Crystal Mountain, WA

Even on powder days, the crowds are small and lift lines quick.

#10

Mt Baker, WA

Baker gets the goods.

Discover the resorts that skiers and riders are most passionate about in North America.

Frequently Asked Questions

Discover the resorts that skiers and riders are most passionate about in North America.

How is the 2018-19 Best in Snow Awards, Powered By Liftopia different than other ski rankings? Customers told us they want a ranking system that is new and different and doesn‘t simply reward the same, large resorts. Because Liftopia has an unparalleled dataset of resorts and ski information, we knew we could come up with a ranking system that would be the most useful for skiers and riders, new and old.

Who participated in the survey? We collected thousands of responses from consumers of every skill level (beginner, intermediate, advanced, expert). Participants said they normally ski or snowboard anywhere from 1 to 15+ days every season.

Why these categories? These are the categories our customers said were most important to them, and would be most helpful in their search for new ski and snowboard experiences.

I am surprised that there aren’t many big resorts in the list, why is this the case? When we look at the sheer volume of ratings, all of the great large resorts that we know and love are in the list. The resorts that made the top 10 Overall Best in Snow when weighted by our algorithm (skier and snowboarder visits annually, acreage, average true cost of skiing, and uphill capacity) were the ones that have an outsized group of passionate customers.

What is interesting about this list? At Liftopia we personally know so many ski areas, and know that each ski area has its own soul and value proposition regardless of how big it is. We were excited to see some of the resorts we love best rise in the rankings based on how much other skiers/riders love them too. The results also proved how valuable our dataset is to our customers and our ski area partners. Winners like Magic Mountain in Vermont and Mt. Bohemia in Michigan show what we already believed to be true - that customers do have amazing passion for ski areas of all sizes.

2019 WINNERS