Spending your day on a white-sand beach and sipping margaritas can be a lot of fun, but have you ever considered the kind of fun that you could be having on a ski resort? Sometimes a snowy adventure is exactly what you need to experience paradise. So bundle up because below we are going to talk about the top 10 ski resorts in the world and why you should visit them.
10. Sky Hotel: Aspen, Colorado
Are you someone who would like to ski with the rich and the famous? If so then Aspen is definitely the place to be. It is known for its four steep mountains and it can accommodate all levels of skiers and snowboarders. The city itself is groomed for excellence and does tend to be quite expensive.
9. Rosa Alpina: Cortina, Italy
The Rosa Alpina ski resort can match almost any other in the world and also happens to be the area where the 1956 Olympic Games were held. This doesn’t mean that it has declined in popularity since then. Quite the contrary, this legendary ski resort has year round traffic and offers one of the best skiing experiences in the world. Most people would agree that Cortina is one of Italy’s most luxurious places to spend a vacation.
8. Mont-Tremblant, Quebec
This is a French Canadian resort that is also a skier’s paradise- and has been since 1939. It is one of the more popular ski resorts in Eastern Canada and is really a sight to see. This resort is great for both experienced and inexperienced skiers alike and also happens to be the second ski resort to ever open in North America. If you’re really looking for a one-of-a-kind experience while skiing, this is the resort to be at.
7. Stowe Mountain Lodge: Stowe, Vermont
The Stowe Mountain Lodge offers a New England charm that you simply can’t find in most areas. It has one of the biggest vertical drops in the United States and contains two distinct ski resorts. As a result, the area is jam packed with fun and exciting things to do. There are over 100 different shops and 70 different restaurants to spend your time and money at. Needless to say, you won’t become bored as a visitor here.
6. La Vallee Blanche: Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France
The Olympic Games were hosted here in 1924 and it has been a prized ski resort ever since. It ranks among the best in the world and is located at the foot of one of the highest peaks that the Alps have to offer. It’s the second highest elevation in Europe at a staggering 16,000 feet. It can definitely hold the bragging rights to holding one of the largest vertical drops of nearly 10,000 feet and has the longest runs in the world of nearly 14 miles. All in all, this is a really unique ski resort with many record setting runs.
5. Banff Aspen Lodge: Alberta, Canada
Located in the Banff National Park, this ski resort is probably one of the more scenic options on the list. It is located in North America and there are several other ski resorts that surround it. Each one is roughly 31 miles apart but it can be agreed upon that each one boasts unique features and fun for all levels of experience.
4. Lion Square Lodge: Vail, Colorado
Vail, Colorado is a legendary ski spot and is definitely deserving of this spot on the list. It happens to have the largest ski resort area in all of the United States. It covers roughly 5,000 aces of terrain that you can ski on and let’s not forget that you have the option of taking a high speed quad up and down the mountain. Aside from the skiing, you can enjoy several art galleries, museums, and even partake in hockey and ice skating.
3. Zermatt, Switzerland
While it neighbors Gstaad, Zermatt holds some of the best ski resorts in the world. It can be a remarkably peaceful getaway that you can take, mainly because there are few cars in the area. If you love huge snow falls with huge vertical drops then you will love it here. There are slopes for both beginners and advanced skiers and there is also a lot to do outside of the resort including dining at fine restaurants and shopping in unique shops.
2. Best Western Premier, Kaiserhof: Kitzbuhel, Austria
This is considered one of Europe’s “Liveliest Ski Resorts” by many. To begin, it sits in a beautiful city that hosted the Winter Olympic Games in 1964 and 1976. It is probably one of the more prominent holiday resorts in the area and the village itself is said to be more than 700 years old. People have been skiing here since 1892 so it goes to show how much of an impact this ski resort has made on the world. Whether you’re a newbie or a veteran, you’ll find the slopes here challenging as well as fun.
1. Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia
It is fun how half a billion dollars and a third of a century can transform a regular mountain slope into one of the best ski resorts in the world. Whistler’s village has everything that a skier or snowboarder would ever need: international stores, cafes, and over 100 restaurants. They cater to a majority of languages including Italian, French, Greek, and Chinese. The food happens to be one of the more popular features about this ski resort. While the dispute over the best ski resort in the world has been around forever, this one consistently receives the “World’s Greatest Ski Resort” year after year and if you were to visit here, you would quickly see why.