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The
Hottest Ski and Winter Vacation Destinations
by Beth Garcia
As
snow begins to collect on mountainsides
across the country, skiers are packing
up their gear and hitting the hottest
U.S. ski resorts from coast to coast.
From
the fluffy power and blue skies of Colorado
to the elegant, East Coast mountainsides
of Vermont, winter sport enthusiasts are
taking to the slopes, half pipes and ski
jumps of the country's most popular ski
resorts. Both amateur and expert skiers
can enjoy the snow at these ski locations
that offer the best of skiing, lodging
and winter fun.
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Carving
some powder in Vail |
Vail,
Colorado
Nestled inside the Central Colorado Rocky
Mountains, Vail is one of the most popular
ski destinations in America. The mountain
offers visitors 5,289 skiable acres, three
ski areas, four terrain parks and seven
bowls. With a maximum elevation of 11,570
feet and a width of 7 miles, Vail is home
to America's largest ski resort Vail
Mountain Ski Resort. The resort
offers visitors beginner, intermediate
and expert trails, along with more than
100 restaurants and 250 shops. Vail sees
348 inches of snow each year, and with
its nearly 300 days of sun, the mountain
continues to be Colorado's largest ski
attraction.
Sundance, Utah
Founded by Academy Award-Winning actor
and director Robert Redford in 1969, the
Sundance Resort sits quitely
near the base of Utah's Mount Timpanogos.
The pristine resort offers the area's
best skiing with a focus on environmental
conservation. The resort is known for
its eco-friendly efforts including a cultural
preserve, nonprofit institute and world-famous
independent film festival.
Skiers
visiting Sundance can enjoy the 12,000-foot-tall
Mount Timpanogos and its 500 acres of
skiable terrain. Sundance offers its visitors
41 ski runs suitable for both beginners
and experts. The Utah resort also provides
nearly 26 kilometers of cross country
skiing trails. While staying at Sundance
dine at its fresh, organic restaurants
or celebrity watch at the annual Sundance
Film Festival hosted every January
in nearby Park City, Utah.
Jackson
Hole valley, Wyoming
A skier's wilderness dream, the valley
is located between the Tenton and Gros
Ventre mountain ranges. Known as some
of the most difficult skiing terrain in
the country, Jackson Hole valley is home
to the respected Jackson
Hole Mountain Resort. The 2,500-acre
resort offers skiers two mountains —
Rendezvous and Apres Vous — 50 percent
of which are covered with expert runs.
With its more than 450 inches of snowfall
each year, the Jackson Hole resort is
also home to some of the country's best
snowboarding. The entire Jackson Hole
resort is open to snowboarders and offers
a super pipe with rope tow and two terrain
parks. While staying at Jackson Hole take
advantage of its first class mountain
sports schools, which teach athletes
of all ages how to enjoy the snow.
Stowe,
Vermont
The small village of Stowe is home to
one of the East Coast's most popular and
scenic ski resorts, Stowe
Mountain Resort. Resting near
the 4,395-foot Mount Mansfield, the resort
offers skiing, sledding
and snowmobiling. Mansfield, and nearby
Spruce Peak mountain, provide a combined
118 ski trails, 59 percent of which are
intermediate. Nordic skiers can enjoy
Stowe's four interconnected ski centers
— Edson Hill Manor, Topnotch, Stowe
Mountain Resort Cross-Country Center and
Trapp Family Lodge.
The
four centers are available through one
ski ticket and offer 200 miles of trails.
While visiting Stowe, make sure to spend
some time at the Trapp Family Lodge, made
famous in the 1965 film "Sound of
Music." The ski destination also
offers lodging for every traveler including
luxury accomodations and family-friendly
rooms.
Sun
Valley, Idaho
Tucked inside South Central Idaho's Sawtooth
Mountain Range is one of the nation's
first ski destinations, Sun
Valley. Established in the early
30s, Sun Valley offers the elegance of
European ski resorts at the heart of Idaho's
Mount Bald, affectionately known as "Baldy."
The 9,150-foot mountain gives skiers more
than 2,000 skiable acres with a total
lift capacity of 26,780 skiers per hour.
The adjacent Dollar Mountain offers visitors
some of the best beginner slopes in the
area. With more than 200 instructors on
hand, Sun Valley nutures beginner skiers.
While
at Sun Valley take time to visit the infamous
Ram restaurant, the old stomping ground
of author Ernest Hemingway. Once known
as the ski hot spot for old Hollywood
players including Clark Gable and Adam
West, Sun Valley still remains the go
to spot for skiers looking to experience
skiing at the country's original ski resort.
Aspen,
Colorado
The historic ski city of Aspen and its
sister city Snowmass Village offer a winter
lover's dream with four ski areas —
Aspen Mountain, Snowmass, Aspen Highlands
and Buttermilk. With a combined total
of more than 5,000 acres of skiable terrain,
the four moutains offer the most concentrated
ski land in Colorado. The mountains include
plenty of runs for not only beginners
but expert skiers. Additionally, Aspen
visitors can also take part in other winter
activities offered through companies like
the Aspen
Skiing Company. In addition to
activities catered toward children, families
and individual skiers, Aspen Snowmass
directs travelers to the area's more than
100 restaurants, bars and shops. Known
to have attracted celebrities and famous
visitors like the late singer/songwriter
John Denver or current residents Goldie
Hawn and Kurt Russel, Aspen is not only
a ski destination but also a cutural stopping
point.
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Catching
air on Crystal Mountain |
Thompsonville,
Michigan
The small, northern Michigan ski town
offers some of the best slopes in the
Midwest, especially at the the snowsport
destination Crystal
Mountain. The family-owned ski
resort offers not only 45 downhills runs,
but also half pipes and terrain parks
for snowboarding and miles of cross-country
trails. The resort offers the best in
winter fun, with family friendly ski activities
and fine dinning, plus a luxurious spa
for more romantic excursions. The variety
of winter weather activities in Thompsonville
make it a quiet, yet exciting, ski destination
tucked along Michigan's coast.
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