The World's Best Ski Resorts
10. Aspen,
Colorado,
Western United States
Want to ski with the rich and famous? If yes, then Aspen is the place to
be. Aspen is known for its steeps and its four mountains that are not linked.
This Colorado ski resort accommodates all by featuring excellent terrain for all
skier levels.
Filled with steeps and bumps, Aspen Mountain has fantastic groomed
intermediate runs as well. The mountain is also a great choice for experts, who
can access hundreds of acres of terrain off the backside of the mountain. As the
resort-of-choice for the "better off," Aspen has a tendency to get
slightly expensive.
9. Cortina, Italy
Cortina matches any resort in the Alps and served as the host of the
Olympic games in 1956. Similar to Zermatt in Switzerland, life revolves around a
trafficless street. One of the world's first ski resorts, Cortina is also
Italy's most stylish.
8. Mont-Tremblant,
Quebec,
Eastern Canada
French Canadian joie de vivre meets North American service standards.
Tremblant, Eastern Canada's best-known resort, has been given a facelift thanks
to a $1 billion investment.
Open since 1939, Tremblant was the first resort to open in Canada and the
second in North America. What makes Tremblant even more special is that it is an
hour away from Montreal. An alternative would be Mont-Sainte-Anne, which is a
nicer mountain and a short trip away from Quebec City, perhaps North America's
most historic city as the gateway into the "New World."
7. Stowe,
Vermont,
Eastern United States
One of the most renowned and picturesque ski resorts on the map, Stowe
offers traditional New England charm and the biggest vertical drop in the area.
Stowe's two ski areas are Mount Mansfield and Spruce Peak.
The latter actually backs onto Smugglers' Notch's terrain. As a result, Stowe
is amongst a handful of American resort that has a lift-link to another resort.
Stowe offers over 90 shops and 60 restaurants to make sure that visitors do not
trek too far away.
6. Chamonix
Mont-Blanc, France
Host of the world's first Winter Olympic games in 1924, Chamonix ranks
among the elite of contenders for the title of "world's most famous ski
resort." Located at the foot of Mont-Blanc, it's the highest peak in the
Alps and the second highest in Europe (top elevation 4,810 m/15,771 ft).
Chamonix Mont-Blanc holds bragging rights both for its lift-served vertical
drop of 9209 feet and for having one of the world's longest runs (Vallée
Blanche), at 13.7 miles.
5. Banff/Lake
Louise, Alberta,
Western Canada
Located in the heart of Canada's Banff National Park, Lake Louise ranks
as one of the most scenic mountain resorts in North America, if not the entire
world. Banff/Lake Louise has three different ski areas (Mount Norquay/Mystic
Ridge, Sunshine Village, and Lake Louise) that are roughly 30 miles apart.
4. Vail,
Colorado,
Western United States
Legendary Vail markets itself as "America's favorite resort"
and deserves to be ranked amongst the world's top five all-around ski resorts.
As the largest single ski area in the United States, Vail offers roughly 5,300
acres of skiable, terrain.
Let's not forget the fastest high-speed detachable quads on one mountain.
Vail offers much more with several art galleries, museums, ballooning, dog
sledding, ice skating, hockey, snowmobiling, and much more.
3. Zermatt, Switzerland
While neighboring Gstaad is one of the world's top resorts with its three
five-star hotels and St. Moritz is more popular, most rank Zermatt as
Switzerland's top resort. A remarkably peaceful getaway, the village is peaceful
thanks to its car-free environment. Amazingly picturesque, Zermatt holds the
world's second biggest lift-served vertical drop and receives huge snowfalls
thanks to its altitude.
2. Kitzbuhel, Austria
While St. Anton holds the crown of "Europe's liveliest ski
resort," and Innsbruck is home to one of Europe's liveliest and most
beautiful cities, Kitzbuhel is considered the "Pearl of the Alps" and
is the most famous holiday resort in the Austrian Tyrol. This 700-year-old
village offers visitors the charm of an alpine village. Skiing began in the
winter of 1892.
1. Whistler/Blackcomb,
British
Columbia
These two towering mountains provide the best skiing in North America,
with the biggest vertical drop. It's funny what a difference 30 years and $600
million can make. Yet there was not much there but a mountain for courageous
hikers.
Whistler's charming village offers everything snowboarders and skiers crave;
cafes, international stores and over 100 restaurants that cater to all tastes
including Chinese, French, Greek, Italian, Mediterranean, Mexican, and Thai
cuisine.
Food is key after partaking in the activities that really make Whistler
legendary. Whistler quickly rose through the ranks to become one of the
strongest contenders for the much-disputed title of "world's greatest ski
resort." Over the past decade, Whistler was consistently voted "Best
North American Ski Resort" by North Americans & the Japanese repeatedly
rank it as their favorite international destination.
