Mount Hood, OR

If Norman Rockwell had lived in Oregon, he'd have painted the panoramic view of skiers and snowboarders swooshing down the big open bowl that funnels down to the rustic Cooper Spur ski lodge. Nestled into the northeastern slopes of Mount Hood, Cooper Spur Ski Area is synonymous with affordable ...

Copper Mountain, CO

If the Gods of Winter were looking for the perfect model for future ski resorts, Copper would be their template. The stats listed below paint part of the picture, but the geographical composition of the mountain itself, which naturally segregates skiers of different levels, really elevates ...

Despite its remote location—a three-hour drive from Venice via steep and winding mountain roads—Cortina d' Ampezzo is Italy's most fashionable luxury resort. The ski area itself is spread over three mountains with more than 50 lifts. The town of Cortina sits in a valley at less than 4,000 ...

France's fabled Three Valleys comprise some of the world's best-known ski resorts. The high-elevation ski stations of Courchevel, Miribel, Les Menuires, and Val Thorens are the most famous in the area, but there are also small, intimate satellite villages tucked into the valleys ...

On the Italian side of Mont Blanc is Italy's premier resort. With lifts running as high as 11,000 feet, one can always find skiable snow, and there is a wide choice of runs, although most are best suited for strong intermediates. Courmayeur is split into two major sections, the biggest stretching ...

North Conway, NH

Visiting this resort is to journey to the historical legacy of the New England alpine scene. Set just outside of downtown North Conway, Cranmore has been operating for more than 60 years, but don't let that cast the impression that the resort is in any way antiquated. The resort's original ski ...

Mt. Crested Butte, CO

Long known as one of the friendliest and most charming towns in the Rockies, Crested Butte has a way of making any outdoor activity unsurpassable. More than 100 years of rich history and diverse terrain, ranging from pancake-flat fields to Everest-steep inclines, have afforded this little ...

Crystal Mountain, WA

Believe it or not, Crystal Mountain, 76 miles southeast of Seattle, is Washington state's only destination alpine ski resort, with base area lodging that accommodates 700 visitors.

When the sun is out, the snow is deep, and avalanche danger is minimal, hardcore skiers from all over the ...

Park City, UT

As if wrapped in the latest zany installation of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Deer Valley is a lattice of metaphorical red carpet: trails groomed to perfection, multimillion-dollar lodges peppering the promontories, polite liftees who'd give palace butlers a run for their money, ...

For a small ski area, Diamond Peak is surprisingly big, standing at 1,840 vertical feet. What I like about Diamond, however, are the views of Tahoe. Stay in nearby Incline Village, ski downhill at Diamond Peak in the morning, and maybe tackle some cross-country in the afternoon at Spooner Lake's ...