Photo credit: Colorado Tourism Office
Snow 101
For the novice, the notion of strapping a board or a pair of skis to your feet may seem like one of the most foolish things you can do on a snow-covered mountain.
Here are a few resorts that specialize at lessening the overall learning curve with solid ski schooling, segregated beginners-only slopes, and well-groomed conditions that'll let you snowplow all you want.
Top Ski Resorts for Beginners
Photo credit: Jackson Hole Mountain Resort/Thomas Annerby
A Black-Diamond Bonanza
Big air, vertigo-inducing pistes, narrow chutes where four-foot drops are de rigueur. Yeah, we know your passion. And whether you've mastered Jackson Hole's Corbet's Couloir and are looking for the next hardcore pitch or you're edging up to your first beyond-double-black run, these resorts dare you to be your best and will mete out the punishment if you come up short.
Top Ski Resorts for Experts
Photo credit: Winter Park Resort
Hip-Hopping Mogul Action
For some, a mogul run is more torture than treasure. But if you love the hip-hopping glee of flying down a mogul-laden black-diamond slope without a pause, then the bump-ridden pistes at these resorts will turn your legs to jelly, put some loving strain on your knee ligaments, and test your entire skill set. Just remember to keep your legs together, plant your poles, and leave the rest of us in your wake.
Top Ski Resorts for Bumps
Photo credit: Index Stock/Tom Campbell
Behold the Mountains that Make the Magic Happen
Skiing and mountain vistas naturally go hand in mitten, so first a disclaimer: almost every resort out there qualifies as scenic. Accordingly, we narrowed down what could've been a massive list to our ten personal favorites, along with a list of honorable mentions. So feast your eyes on our top picks, but we then advise you to keep exploring and find your own stash of scenic wonders.
Top Ski Resorts for Scenery
Photo credit: Corbis
Snorkel Your Way Through the Best Dump-Filled Glades
Mmmmmmm, powder. The downy, dreamy, winter-wonderland white stuff. Where would skiing be without it? East Coasters know (read: unforgiving hard pack and ice…lots of ice), but if you long to carve through literal feet of champagne powder, your tracks swallowed up by more snow moments after you pass, then these resorts will put you smack-dab in the center of the continent's most rewarding secret stashes.
Top Ski Resorts for Powder
Photo credit: Copper Mountain Ski Resort
Where Everybody Can Play
The perfect family ski resort may run counter to your kids'expectations: It's a vacation, but we have to go to school? However, education begets liberty when it comes to the white stuff, so a good ski school should be as much part of your planning as what outfits to wear. Resorts like Vermont's Okemo and Copper Mountain in Colorado operate top-notch ski academies where patient (bless 'em) instructors will make the rigors of skiing fun, pain-free, and rewarding.
Top Ski Resorts for Family
Photo credit: Aspen/Snowmass Resort
Après-Ski Indulgences After Perfect Powder Days
There's something about the ski vibe that carries easily over into the wee hours. Maybe it's the on-slope fashion. Perhaps it's the need to brag about your exploits long after the lifts close. Whatever, let's just say the need to party after the slopes is best surmised by the mantra, If you work hard, you can damn well play hard, too.
Top Ski Resorts for Nightlife
Photo credit: Eyewire
Break Free from the Bindings!
When 'boarders first carved onto the alpine scene, the sport was greeted with the same scorn a security guard reserves for a skateboarder. Fast-forward to the 21st century. The sport's been around for over four decades and its various incarnations are now a signature inclusion at the winter Olympics, not to mention that the sport has revitalized the ski industry and introduced urban-chic slope-side fashion sense.
Top Ski Resorts for Snowboarding
Photo credit: Winter Park Resort
Hit the Slopes for Gay Ski Weeks!
With over a dozen gay ski weeks worldwide, it's not easy picking the perfect winter getaway from among so many great options. Gay ski weeks have long outgrown their "circuit party on the slopes" reputation and truly offer something for everyone these days - from wine tasting to comedy nights to sleigh rides. Orbitz proudly sponsors several of the most popular gay ski week so book your vacation today!
Top Gay-Friendly Ski Resorts
