Stephen Regenold
Pros pick the best downhill slopes
From the top of Whistler Mountain, a toothy, glacier-strewn peak 7,160 feet up in the coastal mountains of British Columbia, the immensity of Whistler Blackcomb Mountains Resort becomes quickly and distressingly apparent. A high, white wilderness unfolds all around, 360 degrees of alpine absoluteness. Chutes drop off below, precipitous and fast. Wide powder bowls, glaciers and double-black-diamond slopes funnel into an oblivion of trees far below.
"Whistler Blackcomb is one of those areas that seem to provide an unlimited amount of mountain terrain," says Rob DesLauriers, a 41-year-old former professional skier from Jackson, Wyo., who has skied on all seven continents. "It was love at first sight for me."...
Pros pick the best downhill slopes
From the top of Whistler Mountain, a toothy, glacier-strewn peak 7,160 feet up in the coastal mountains of British Columbia, the immensity of Whistler Blackcomb Mountains Resort becomes quickly and distressingly apparent. A high, white wilderness unfolds all around, 360 degrees of alpine absoluteness. Chutes drop off below, precipitous and fast. Wide powder bowls, glaciers and double-black-diamond slopes funnel into an oblivion of trees far below.
"Whistler Blackcomb is one of those areas that seem to provide an unlimited amount of mountain terrain," says Rob DesLauriers, a 41-year-old former professional skier from Jackson, Wyo., who has skied on all seven continents. "It was love at first sight for me."...
Stephen Regenold
Pros pick the best downhill slopes
From the top of Whistler Mountain, a toothy, glacier-strewn peak 7,160 feet up in the coastal mount... more
UNRANKED
CURRENT SCORE
less stats more stats4.64
Rank
(best ever)
49
Score
(all time)
2096.00
Created
06/10/08
Views 2046
Votes [disabled]
Comments 0
1
Whistler Blackcomb Mountains
British Columbia
"For every level of skier, this mountain is incredible," says Rob DesLauriers, a 41-year-old former professional skier from Jackson, Wyo. Located 70 miles north of Vancouver in British Columbia's snowy coastal mountains, Whistler Blackcomb is one of the biggest and best ski resorts on the planet. Indeed, it has 8,171 acres of skiable terrain, a vertical drop of 5,280 feet, more than 200 trails and an average annual snowfall of 402 powdery inches.
2
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort
Wyo.
From the top of 10,450-foot Rendezvous Mountain, skiers at Jackson Hole pick from bowls, chutes, couloirs and meandering cat-tracks that course downhill for thousands of feet to the valley below. Indeed, at 4,139-feet, Jackson Hole's vertical drop is among the longest on the continent. Our panel raved about the area's expert terrain: "This resort has so much epic terrain packed into one mountain that even hardcore locals find new lines every season," says two-time World Extreme Skiing Champion Chris Davenport, a 35-year-old professional skier from Aspen, Colo.
3
Alta
Utah
Alta averages 568.19 inches of snow per year. That's 41 powdery feet of the white stuff, if you're counting. And the resort, high in the Wasatch Mountain's Little Cottonwood Canyon, is known to have some of the lightest and fluffiest—read: most fun—powder snow on earth. Not surprisingly, our panel gave Alta top marks for snow quality. "Year to year and week to week, storms just pummel Alta," says Sage Cattabriga-Alosa, a 26-year-old professional skier from nearby Salt Lake City.
4
Stowe Mountain Resort
Vt.
Flanking Mount Mansfield, the highest peak in the state of Vermont, Stowe offers big-mountain-type stats, including a 2,160-foot vertical drop and 118 trails, some nearly four miles in length. Stowe is known for its precipitous double-black-diamond runs as well. "I have never had a bad day at Stowe," said Greg Grip, the 45-year-old executive VP of Marker USA, who hails from Hanover, N.H.
5
Squaw Valley USA
Calif.
A classic California resort, Squaw Valley USA hosted the Olympic Winter Games way back in 1960. Today the 4,000-acre resort, which includes six distinct peaks and 2,850 feet of vertical drop, caters to several ski demographics, with wide-open alpine meadows for beginners and intermediate skiers alongside tight chutes, moguls and terrain parks for the expert crowd. Says C.R. Johnson, a 22-year-old professional skier, "Squaw has the best terrain that is accessible by chairlift."
6
Mammoth Mountain
Calif.
C.R. Johnson, a 22-year-old professional skier from Truckee, Calif., says Mammoth Mountain has "the best terrain park in the United States, and possibly the world." In addition to its rails, jumps and half-pipes, this gargantuan Sierra Nevada resort provides 3,500 acres of terrain for every skill level. Expert runs flank its 11,059-foot summit and alpine meadows provide easy but exciting skiing terrain at high elevations.
7
Aspen Mountain
Colo.
Long a favored destination for the Hollywood set, Aspen Mountain has reemerged in recent years as a true skier's mountain, with impeccable grooming and great snow conditions all season long. But there are still no beginner runs on this steep and classic Colorado ski hill, which boasts a 3,267-foot vertical drop and 76 distinct trails. James Curleigh, president of ski manufacturer Salomon North America, picks Aspen as one of his favorites for the "diverse terrain and best snow conditions."
8
Red Mountain Resort
British Columbia
This little-known Canadian resort is like Jackson Hole 15 years ago, said Rob DesLauriers, a 41-year-old former professional skier. "It's laid-back and relatively undiscovered, but the terrain is tremendous and the snow is superb." Both peaks at Red Mountain Resort are skiable 360 degrees around, providing 1,685 acres of terrain and a 2,919-foot vertical drop.
9
Crested Butte Mountain Resort
Colo.
Crested Butte's namesake mountain is an angled and sky-scraping 12,162-foot alpine archetype. The resort, located 230 miles southwest of Denver, boasts 1,167 acres of terrain and a 3,062-foot vertical drop. "Crested Butte is in many ways the ultimate ski town," says Chris Davenport, a 35-year-old Aspen-based pro skier. "It's got history and heritage, gorgeous surroundings and one heck of a sweet mountain."
10
Snowmass
Colo.
"Snowmass is probably the most underappreciated ski area in the United States," says Chris Davenport, a two-time World Extreme Skiing Champion. "It is huge, and it has fantastic free-skiing terrain all over the mountain." Snowmass' mountain stats alon—3,132 acres of terrain, 91 trails and a 4,406-foot vertical drop—make it a must-visit. To boot, the area has runs that are more than five miles long.
Not watching this list (get updates on this list).
(all people watching this list)
).
RECOMMENDED LISTS
COMMENTS
