Ski Mag's Resort Rankings Are Out.

[ski diva]

Every year they do this, based on a reader's poll.

Any comments?

The top 10 resorts:

1. Deer Valley, UT
2. Vail, CO
3. Whistler/Blackcomb, B.C.
4. Aspen, CO
5. Snowmass, CO
6. Park City, UT
7. Breckenridge, CO
8. Beaver Creek, CO
9. Steamboat, CO
10. Sun Valley, Idaho

The top 10 resorts in the East :

1. Tremblant, Que.
2. Smugglers Notch, VT
3. Whiteface, NY
4. Stowe, VT
5. Holiday Valley, NY
6. Sugarloaf, Maine
7. Sugarbush, VT
8. Killington, VT
9. Bretton Woods, NH
10. Okemo, VT

 

[sibhusky]

Glad we're not listed. It's nice not being as commercialized as those places.

BUT, I fear it's coming. :Cry:

 

[RachelV]

Deer Valley #1, eh? That tells you everything you need to know about Ski's target audience. I don't mean that in a snotty way, either - I like Deer Valley. But it's crazy that you can have a list of top 10 resorts and not have Snowbird/Alta on there.

 

[ski now work later]

Yay for Smuggs (my husband and I own a week timeshare there for late March)! It's a great resort, and though the lifts are slow (which isn't bad in March when it's warmer), the terrain is immense and very varied. To me Smuggs is old Vermont, with mid-mountain stops on 2of the lifts and a very safe place for kids to go off on their own in groups.

That said, everytime I drive by Stowe I drool at the mountains and the long runs, and I want to ski there too. I plan to ski there for ESA Stowe in December, but I realize that only a few runs are likely to be open at that time of year....

 

[Ski Spirit]

Top Ten Resort

Deer Valley #1, eh? That tells you everything you need to know about Ski's target audience. I don't mean that in a snotty way, either - I like Deer Valley. But it's crazy that you can have a list of top 10 resorts and not have Snowbird/Alta on there.

I have to agree with rachelv. Deer Valley is one of the few resorts I've been to outside of Tahoe. But it wouldn't be my choice for #1...which does clear say something about target audience........

Interesting to note that 6 of the top 10 are in Colorado.
Have heard various great things about those resorts.....

 

[Sheena]

I don't put too much stock in the resort ratings by any of the ski magazines.

I do have to say though, while I would not rate Deer Valley as the #1 ski resort, I think it is a pretty fantastic vacation spot.

A few years ago, on our first ski vacation to Utah, we decided to try Deer Valley for a day. We were both amazed at the service, hospitality and food-which was phenomenal for ski area food. The customer service there is outstanding - right after we got our tickets, one of the mountain hosts came up to us and asked us if we had ever been there before, he then asked us what terrain we liked, and the directed us to where the best snow was, and the best time of day to hit certain areas. Deer Valley is certainly known for their grooming, but we were able to find some fun trees to ski through that were completely untracked.

I can't speak to any of the other resorts as I have not skied there, I do think Deer Valley is a pretty top-notch resort. Granted, there is more challenging terrain elsewhere, and I like Solitude, Alta and Snowbird over Deer Valley, but I think people are not thinking of terrain when they rank resorts (at least for the Ski Magazine primary demographic).

 

[abc]

It's family stuff, looking at the list. All the top listed resorts are family oriented resorts. It's like the survey result saying the best Italian restuarant are Olive Gardens!

That also explains why Alta/Snowbird isn't on it. It's not friendly to intermediates at all. What surprise me is Heavenly isn't on it either. It's a big resort with fantastic view, pretty family friendly and intermediate friendly as well. I bet Ski Magazine doesn't have too many California readers!

Since when Aspen and Snowmass being two seperate resorts? Can someone correct me? And Vail and Beaver Creek seperately? But Whistler and Blackcomb is one? Is Ski Mag based in Colorado? Are they "rigging" the survey?

 

[abc]

What's the appeal of Steamboat? Anyone's been there?

I've never tried it because it's not that close to the airport. And once you're there, you're THERE. There's no other resort nearby. So you ski THERE. And that's a little disturbing...

Don't get me wrong, I would stay a week in a few single resort that I know well, Vail, Alta/Snowbird, Heavenly. But Steamboat isn't nearly as large as any of them. A week there...

So, what's so special about Steamboat?

 

[Ski Spirit]

I haven't been to Colorado but I was guessing that it something to do with the size of the mountains and snow quality, maybe also the services offerred, quality of the ski school, etc. As mentioned, I don't know from personal experience...but have read things along those lines.

 

[ski diva]

What's the appeal of Steamboat? Anyone's been there?

I've never tried it because it's not that close to the airport. And once you're there, you're THERE. There's no other resort nearby. So you ski THERE. And that's a little disturbing...

Don't get me wrong, I would stay a week in a few single resort that I know well, Vail, Alta/Snowbird, Heavenly. But Steamboat isn't nearly as large as any of them. A week there...

So, what's so special about Steamboat?

I've been to Steamboat three times. And one of the charms about it is that it IS a bit out of the way. A lot of people will hit the resorts on the I-70 corridor and stay away precisely because of the reason you gave. So it doesn't get as crowded as some of more accessible resorts.

But apart from that, SKI's poll results are based on a variety of factors: night life, food, accomodations, family programs, etc. etc. So a resort may get high rankings for a wide range of reasons, not all of them related to skiing (weird, I know). I don't think proximity to other resorts even enters into it.

Also, I think the greater the number of people who go to a resort, the higher its ranking; more people are familiar with it, so that's what they vote for. It's important to keep that in mind, too.

Steamboat has a lot going for it. The snow quality is really good -- powdery and dry (they even trademarked the term "Champagne powder.") The mountain -- though not as large as say, Vail -- has a great variety of trails and is a lot of fun. And the area retains the local, cowboy feel that places like Aspen lack (though this, too, has changed some since my first trip there). I think there's something to be said for that.

Each time I've been to Steamboat, I've been there for a week without getting bored. While hitting a few resorts in one trip has its appeal, sometimes it's nice to stay put, too.

You'll just have to give Steamboat a try sometime!

 

[abc]

You'll just have to give Steamboat a try sometime!

You know there's a reason for my asking!

There's a quiet invitation in Epic for an informal gathering in Steamboat in mid-Dec. Since it's low season (not the best to get good snow, on the other hand), I might give it a try if I can find someone to carpool/room with.

(Part of the reason I've been going to Europe and avoiding the US is I don't have to pay double for room in Europe. They have a wonderful concept call "single room" at 50-60% of a double rate. -- and over there the generally lower lift ticket price pretty much off-set the slightly higher airfair -- so I, a singleton, actually come out ahead).

 

[Ski Spirit]

Hi abc,
A guy I know keeps saying the same thing about Europe. He goes every year (from CA). He says the same kind of things about lift ticket prices, lodging, finds great airfares when you know how to find them, etc.
Where in Europe do you usually go?

 

[abc]

Switzerland.

More reason: reliable train to just about every single resort => no need for rental cars (another saving of $100-200).

Austria is also a good destination but there're less flights to choose from, which often translate to longer ground transfer. My best experience of skiing in Austria has little to do with skiing. There're a lot of Italians skiing in Austria. I met one on the chair and end up spending some fun time together.

Although from CA, the flight is more expensive no matter how clever you're, and the flight time long.

When I used to live in CA, I go to Canada instead. Short flight time, cheap airfair, cheaper everything else (except lift ticket), even with the pathetic exchange rate.

 

[ISki]

Yeah, but isn't Canada super cold?

I've never skied there. Just wondering.

 

[sibhusky]

Cold = good snow.

 

[Ski Spirit]

The thing I've heard about Whistler is that weather can be very tricky. If weather is great, it's fantastic but I've heard weather can be very dicey!!

 

[abc]

There's more to Canada than Whislter...

 

[sibhusky]

My favorite ski area is Lake Louise. Back when we had money (aka I was working) we had enough bucks to stay at the Post Hotel two different Easter trips. I think I fell in love with log homes back then. Lake Louise has got to be up there with some places in Austria (where I learned to ski) for most beautiful spot on earth.

 

[Ski Spirit]

Haven't been to Banff/Lake Louise in the winter but we were there last summer and it was spectacular. Would love to go there some winter.

 

[Lilgeorg]

I agree that Lake Louise is a wonderful place and when we were there it was not too cold. And , just down the road is Sunshine Village which was even better. We had our most memorable experiences at Sunshine.

We also enjoyed Tremblant. There is lots more to Canada than whistler