The 25 best ski resorts in America according to skiers and snowboarders
- Podium.com has ranked the 25 best ski resorts in the United States.
- The ranking is based on data from Facebook, Google, and other top review sites.
- Beaver Mountain Ski Area in Garden City, Utah was rated as the top ski resort in the country.
After skiers and snowboarders pull on many layers of clothing, strap up their boots, and make their way to the slopes, they know that the quality of a resort can make or break their experience.
Podium.com - a startup that has revolutionized customer reviews for local businesses - has used data from Facebook, Google, and other top review sites to identify the 25 best ski resorts in the United States.
In order to qualify, ski mountains had to be a public resort that is open for the 2018-2019 season and has more than 500 online reviews. Podium then consolidated that review data for more than 350 resorts across the country through its platform to produce the following rankings of the top 25 ski resorts in the nation:
25. Copper Mountain Resort
Location: Frisco, Colorado
Overall star rating: 4.5993
Total number of reviews: 806
2018-19 maximum daily lift ticket cost: $158
One thing to know: With a summit elevation of 12,441 feet, 2,490 acres of skiable terrain, and 23 chair lifts, skiers and boarders never get tired of tearing up Copper Mountain. You may recognize the resort from ski scenes in the 1994 movie Dumb and Dumber that were filmed there.
24. Solitude Mountain Resort
Location: Solitude, Utah
Overall star rating: 4.5998
Total number of reviews: 2249
2018-19 maximum daily lift ticket cost: $109
One thing to know: Solitude Mountain Resort is located close to some of the biggest and most famous ski areas in the nation, but it's a great mountain in its own right. It has 1,200 acres of skiable terrain and a summit elevation of 10,035 feet but is best known for having the some of the best powder in the country thanks to its location in the Big Cottonwood Canyon.
23. Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe
Location: Washoe County, Nevada
Overall star rating: 4.6009
Total number of reviews: 654
2018-19 maximum daily lift ticket cost: $135
One thing to know: As one of the most prominent ski areas in the Lake Tahoe area, Mt. Rose is a quick 25-minute drive from Reno and an easy trip from the airport.
53 FEET of SNOW already and it's only February 😮 pic.twitter.com/mjiFczSG5P
— MtRoseSkiTahoe (@MtRoseSkiTahoe) February 22, 201722. Whiteface Mountain Ski Resort
Location: Wilmington, New York
Overall star rating: 4.6020
Total number of reviews: 814
2018-19 maximum daily lift ticket cost: $96
One thing to know: Located near Lake Placid, Whiteface Mountain is one of the highest peaks of the Adirondack Mountains and was home to many of the events during the 1980 Winter Olympics.
21. Bretton Woods
Location: Bretton Woods, New Hampshire
Overall star rating: 4.6199
Total number of reviews: 542
2018-19 maximum daily lift ticket cost: $99
One thing to know: Bretton Woods is one of the smaller ski areas on this list, but it's still the largest in all of New Hampshire with 464 skiable acres.
20. Mt. Lemmon Ski Valley
Location: Summerhaven, Arizona
Overall star rating: 4.6267
Total number of reviews: 884
2018-19 maximum daily lift ticket cost: $47
One thing to know: Mt. Lemmon is the southernmost ski destination in the entire United States.
19. Stowe Mountain Resort
Location: Stowe, Vermont
Overall star rating: 4.6297
Total number of reviews: 875
2018-19 maximum daily lift ticket cost: $134
One thing to know: Stowe's gondola transports guests between Mount Mansfield — the highest peak in the state — and its "sister" mountain, Spruce Peak.
18. Mt. Baker Ski Area
Location: Glacier, Washington
Overall star rating: 4.6297
Total number of reviews: 1,093
2018-19 maximum daily lift ticket cost: $60
One thing to know: With an average snowfall of 641 inches, Mt. Baker Ski Area is famous for (unofficially) getting more snow than any other ski resort in the entire world.
17. Killington Ski Area
Location: Killington, Vermont
Overall star rating: 4.6348
Total number of reviews: 1,246
2018-19 maximum daily lift ticket cost: $124
One thing to know: Known as the "Beast of the East," Killington is the largest ski resort on the East Coast and has a 3,050-foot vertical drop — the largest in New England.
16. Loveland Ski Area
Location: Georgetown, Colorado
Overall star rating: 4.6395
Total number of reviews: 1,362
2018-19 maximum daily lift ticket cost: $79
One thing to know: Loveland Ski Area is the closest mountain to Denver. Historically, the resort has prided itself on becoming one of the first ski areas in North America to open each year. This season, opening day was October 20.
15. Sundance Mountain Resort
Location: Provo, Utah
Overall star rating: 4.6398
Total number of reviews: 3,184
2018-19 maximum daily lift ticket cost: $85
One thing to know: Actor Robert Redford founded Sundance Mountain Resort in 1969 to promote "the careful growth of a community committed to the balance of art, nature, and community," according to the resort's website.
14. Deer Valley Resort
Location: Park City, Utah
Overall star rating: 4.6418
Total number of reviews: 2,200
2018-19 maximum daily lift ticket cost: $169
One thing to know: With more than 2,000 acres of skiable terrain, Deer Valley is one of the largest resorts on our list. It's also one of the most luxurious, complete with beautiful lodges, renowned fine dining, and relaxing spas.
13. Crested Butte Mountain Resort
Location: Crested Butte, Colorado
Overall star rating: 4.6443
Total number of reviews: 700
2018-19 maximum daily lift ticket cost: $125
One thing to know: Located in southwestern Colorado, Crested Butte has such a reputation for being an authentic, western resort that it is known to many as "Colorado’s Last Great Ski Town."
12. Snowbasin Resort
Location: Ogden, Utah
Overall star rating: 4.6589
Total number of reviews: 2,835
2018-19 maximum daily lift ticket cost: $115
One thing to know: Snowbasin opened in 1940, making it one of the oldest continuously operating ski areas in the nation.
11. Monarch Mountain
Location: Gunnison, Colorado
Overall star rating: 4.6597
Total number of reviews: 670
2018-19 maximum daily lift ticket cost: $89
One thing to know: Smaller than many of its behemoth Colorado neighbors, Monarch Mountain is an independently owned ski area that boasts 800 skiable acres.
10. White Pass Ski Resort
Location: Naches, WA
Overall star rating: 4.6647
Total number of reviews: 665
2018-19 maximum daily lift ticket cost: $69
One thing to know: With a 6,500-foot summit, White Pass has a stunning view of Mount Rainier from many of its trails.
9. Brighton Resort
Location: Brighton, Utah
Overall star rating: 4.6777
Total number of reviews: 4,210
2018-19 maximum daily lift ticket cost: $89
One thing to know: Brighton Resort is the only ski area in Utah where skiers and boarders can take high-speed quads to every trail, so visitors aren't likely to spend much time standing in line for the lift.
8. Aspen Snowmass Ski Resort
Location: Aspen, Colorado
Overall star rating: 4.6997
Total number of reviews: 1,199
2018-19 maximum daily lift ticket cost: $159
One thing to know: Aspen is one of the most well-known ski resorts in the world with a reputation for catering to the rich and famous. With four different areas and 5,303 acres of skiable terrain, skiers and snowboarders would be hard pressed to find a better complete package.
7. Arapahoe Basin Ski Area
Location: Dillon, Colorado
Overall star rating: 4.7001
Total number of reviews: 1,784
2018-19 maximum daily lift ticket cost: $85
One thing to know: Arapahoe Basin is known as "The Legend," and maybe that's because the mountain routinely stays open well into the summer thanks to its high altitude.
6. Steamboat Ski Resort
Location: Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Overall star rating: 4.7071
Total number of reviews: 1,229
2018-19 maximum daily lift ticket cost: $179
One thing to know: Steamboat is most famous for its "Champagne Powder" snow that is exceptionally light and fluffy due to its unusually low water content.
5. Sugarloaf
Location: Carrabassett Valley, Maine
Overall star rating: 4.7153
Total number of reviews: 3,667
2018-19 maximum daily lift ticket cost: $99
One thing to know: Located on Maine’s second highest peak, Sugarloaf is the only ski resort on the East Coast to offer visitors lift-serviced skiing and snowboarding above the treeline.
4. Telluride Ski Resort
Location: Telluride, Colorado
Overall star rating: 4.7311
Total number of reviews: 848
2018-19 maximum daily lift ticket cost: $115
One thing to know: For such a well-known mountain, Telluride is a relatively quiet mountain with small crowds — if any at all — situated in a quaint town that has been labeled a National Historic Landmark. It's high altitude also allows for an extended season.
3. Wolf Creek Ski Area
Location: Pagosa Springs, Colorado
Overall star rating: 4.7325
Total number of reviews: 673
2018-19 maximum daily lift ticket cost: $72
One thing to know: Wolf Creek gets dumped with a whopping 430 inches of natural powder each season, good enough to get the unofficial title of the ski resort with "The Most Snow in Colorado."
2. Powder Mountain
Location: Eden, Utah
Overall star rating: 4.7533
Total number of reviews: 1,443
2018-19 maximum daily lift ticket cost: $88
One thing to know: Powder Mountain — or "Pow Mow" as it is known to locals — boasts the most skiable terrain of any mountain in the United States. Between its 8,464 skiable acres and over 500 inches of annual snowfall, Powder Mountain is undoubtedly one of the best ski resorts in the country.
1. Beaver Mountain Ski Area
Location: Garden City, Utah
Overall star rating: 4.8140
Total number of reviews: 586
2018-19 maximum daily lift ticket cost: $50
One thing to know: One of the oldest ski mountains in the country, Beaver Mountain is known as one of the most affordable and most family-friendly ski resorts in Utah. It boasts a cozy 828 skiable acres and 400+ inches of snow each year that attract many locals to come "Ski the Beav."