Today, nearly every state with semi-annual snowfall and a slightly bumpy terrain boasts at least one ski resort, but for those people for whom skiing is as much a sport as a pastime, only the best will do. Some of the best include:
Whistler Mountain, British Columbia, Canada
With a combined total of more than 200 beginner, intermediate and expert trails, Whistler and Blackcomb are about the closest North American skiers can get to the Alps without leaving the continent. The two slopes, known collectively as Whistler Resort, boast the world's most extensive high-speed lift system, with 12 of their 29 lifts being high-speed models. Each mountain recorded nearly 1 million skier visits last year. Snowboarders flock here, as well, thanks to Whistler Resort's policy of welcoming them with open arms when other slopes shun them.
Originally called London Mountain, Whistler was renamed in the early 1960s in honor of one of its residents, the hoary marmot, known for its distinctive high-pitched whistle. The first lifts opened to the public in 1966, at a time when the only road to Vancouver was a narrow gravel byway that took five hours to travel. Word spread quickly, and today Whistler is one of the top-ranked ski resorts in the continent.
St. Moritz, Switzerland
Possibly the world's most famous ski resort, St. Moritz can legitimately claim to be the birthplace of winter sports holidays. In 1864, the owner of the Kulm hotel offered two English tourists a "free stay" if they dared to spend the winter there. The rest, as they say, is history.
St. Moritz's many claims to fame include hosting the Winter Olympics of 1928 and 1948. It is the site of the famous Cresta Run and the town has a long association with the jet set who have access to unrivalled facilities at the best hotels. Some imagine St. Mortiz to be a quaint alpine village, which it isn't, but the lakeside setting in the Engadin Valley is stunning.
It is not widely reported that, although a genuine traditional settlement, St. Moritz is a high altitude resort with a modern infrastructure. While many other famous names in skiing have been content to rest on their reputations, St. Moritz has invested heavily in state-of-the-art lifts and is now served by a host of highspeed detachable triples and quads.
The Engadin ski pass, which includes St. Moritz's ski areas and several others, covers 350 KM of terrain, with 80 km of "local" St Moritz terrain and the three ski areas of Corviglia, Corvatsch and the Diavolezza Glacier area.
Chamonix, France
One of the few serious contenders for the title of "world's most famous ski resort," Chamonix Mont Blanc has the world's biggest lift-served vertical drop of 2807 metres (9209 feet) and one of the world's longest runs through the Vallée Blanche at 22 km (13.7 miles). Chamonix hosted the world's first Winter Olympic Games in 1924.
Chamonix is located at the foot of Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps and the second highest in Europe (top elevation 4,810 m/15,771 ft).
Vail, Colorado
The largest single ski area in the USA with over 4000 acres of skiable terrain, and the most high-speed detachable quads on one mountain in the world, Vail markets itself as 'America's favorite resort.' It is certainly regarded by many as one of the world's top five all-around ski resorts.
Vail's ski area is legendary. Stretching for 7 miles (11km) and served by 25 lifts, eight of them express quads; it has over 120 named trails. Expert skiers and powder fanatics have plenty of challenging terrain on Vail's Frontside as well as the seven legendary 'Back Bowls.' For intermediates there's a huge variety of groomed cruising runs. There are numerous beginners slow skiing areas around the mountains and special family skiing areas. The longest run is from Flap Jack to Riva Ridge, a total of 4.5 miles (7.3km). The Frontside terrain is unusually well balanced with almost a third of the skiing for each category of skier. The resort receives an average of 27 feet of light powder snow each year.
