USA Ski Holidays
USA Ski Holidays
Holidays
Aspen's Hollywood glamour, Vail's 5,317 acres, Utah's legendary dry powder, Jackson Hole's extreme terrain and the most iconic ski resort towns in the world — America does skiing on a grand scale
Search USA Ski Holidays Holidays
Flight Time
10–11h to Denver (Colorado); 10h to Salt Lake City (Utah); 10h to Jackson Hole (Wyoming)
Best Time
December–March for best snow; January–February for deepest powder
Country
United States
Suppliers
our travel partners ·
USA Ski Holidays Holiday Guide
The United States offers some of the finest ski resorts in the world — vast, well-groomed resorts with world-class facilities, extraordinary powder snow (particularly in Utah and Colorado), iconic resort towns and a ski culture that is uniquely American. The main ski regions are Colorado (Aspen, Vail, Breckenridge, Steamboat Springs, Telluride), Utah (Park City, Deer Valley, Alta, Snowbird, Solitude) and Wyoming (Jackson Hole).
Colorado is the most famous ski state in America — home to Aspen (four mountains, the most glamorous resort in the USA), Vail (the largest single ski mountain in the USA, 5,317 acres), Breckenridge (the most visited ski resort in the USA), Steamboat Springs (famous for its 'Champagne Powder' snow) and Telluride (the most beautiful ski town in America, in a dramatic box canyon). Colorado receives an average of 10–12m of snow per year and the altitude (most resorts are above 2,700m) ensures excellent powder conditions.
Utah's 'Greatest Snow on Earth' slogan is not marketing hyperbole — the Great Salt Lake effect produces an extraordinary quantity of light, dry powder snow (average 12–15m per year at Alta and Snowbird). Park City hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics and is home to two world-class resorts (Park City Mountain and Deer Valley). Deer Valley is ski-only (no snowboarders) and consistently rated the best ski resort in America for service and grooming. Alta and Snowbird are also ski-only and are famous for their deep powder and challenging terrain.
Jackson Hole in Wyoming is the most extreme ski resort in the USA — a resort with a vertical drop of 1,262m, 2,500 acres of skiable terrain and a reputation for challenging, ungroomed terrain that attracts expert skiers from around the world. The Corbet's Couloir (a near-vertical entry into a narrow couloir) is one of the most famous and feared ski runs in the world.
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Average Temperatures
Jan
-9°C
Feb
-8°C
Mar
-4°C
Apr
2°C
May
8°C
Jun
14°C
Jul
18°C
Aug
17°C
Sep
11°C
Oct
4°C
Nov
-4°C
Dec
-8°C
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Call 01282 960 460Top 8 Things To Do in USA Ski Holidays
The glamour, the powder, the extreme terrain and the iconic resort towns that make the USA one of the greatest ski destinations in the world.
Aspen — The Most Glamorous Ski Resort in America
Aspen is the most glamorous ski resort in America — a Victorian silver-mining town at 2,438m in the Elk Mountains of Colorado, with four ski mountains (Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk and Snowmass), 5,527 acres of skiable terrain and a reputation for celebrity sightings, luxury hotels and extraordinary restaurants. Aspen Mountain (Ajax) is the most challenging of the four mountains — no beginner terrain, steep and demanding runs. Snowmass is the largest and most family-friendly. The town of Aspen is extraordinary — Victorian architecture, world-class restaurants, art galleries and the most expensive real estate in Colorado.
Vail — The Largest Single Ski Mountain in the USA
Vail is the largest single ski mountain in the USA — 5,317 acres of skiable terrain, 195 marked runs, 31 lifts and the legendary Back Bowls (2,703 acres of open, ungroomed bowl skiing that are among the finest in North America). The resort was purpose-built in 1962 and is one of the most sophisticated in America — an Austrian-inspired village (Vail Village and Lionshead) with excellent restaurants, shops and hotels. The skiing is excellent for all levels — extensive beginner and intermediate terrain on the front face, challenging expert terrain in the Back Bowls and Blue Sky Basin.
Park City — Olympic Legacy and Two World-Class Resorts
Park City is the most accessible ski destination in the USA — a historic silver-mining town at 2,103m in Utah, 45 minutes from Salt Lake City International Airport (the closest major airport to any ski resort in the USA). The town is home to two world-class resorts: Park City Mountain (7,300 acres — the largest ski resort in the USA by acreage, created by the merger of Park City and Canyons in 2015) and Deer Valley (2,026 acres — ski-only, no snowboarders, consistently rated the best resort in America for service and grooming). Park City hosted the alpine skiing, bobsled and ski jumping events of the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Deer Valley — America's Most Pampered Ski Resort
Deer Valley is the most pampered ski resort in America — a ski-only resort (no snowboarders permitted) at 2,918m in Utah, consistently rated the best ski resort in the USA for service, grooming and food. The resort is famous for its immaculate grooming (the pistes are groomed to a standard that is unmatched in North America), its ski valets (who carry your skis from the car to the lift), its extraordinary mountain restaurants (the Snow Park Lodge and Empire Canyon Lodge serve food that would not be out of place in a Michelin-starred restaurant) and its limited daily ticket sales (to prevent overcrowding). Deer Valley is the most civilised ski resort in the world.
Utah Powder — The Greatest Snow on Earth
Utah's 'Greatest Snow on Earth' slogan is not marketing hyperbole — the Great Salt Lake effect produces an extraordinary quantity of light, dry powder snow at the resorts in the Wasatch Mountains east of Salt Lake City. Alta and Snowbird (both ski-only resorts in Little Cottonwood Canyon) receive an average of 12–15m of snow per year, with some of the driest and lightest powder in the world. Alta is one of the oldest ski resorts in the USA (opened 1939) and is famous for its deep powder, challenging terrain and no-frills atmosphere. Snowbird is more modern and has some of the most challenging terrain in Utah.
Jackson Hole — The Most Extreme Ski Resort in the USA
Jackson Hole in Wyoming is the most extreme ski resort in the USA — a resort with a vertical drop of 1,262m (the greatest in the USA), 2,500 acres of skiable terrain, a reputation for challenging, ungroomed terrain and the legendary Corbet's Couloir (a near-vertical entry into a narrow couloir that is one of the most famous and feared ski runs in the world). The resort is 50% expert terrain; it is not recommended for beginners or timid intermediates. The town of Jackson (15km from the resort) is a charming Western town with excellent restaurants and bars. The Grand Teton National Park (adjacent to the resort) is one of the most beautiful in the USA.
Breckenridge — The Most Visited Ski Resort in the USA
Breckenridge is the most visited ski resort in the USA — a historic gold-mining town at 2,926m in Summit County, Colorado, with 2,908 acres of skiable terrain on five peaks (Peaks 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10), 187 marked runs and the highest chairlift in North America (Imperial Express SuperChair at 3,914m). The resort is excellent for all levels — extensive beginner and intermediate terrain on the lower peaks, challenging expert terrain on the upper peaks and in the Imperial Bowl. The town of Breckenridge is one of the most charming in Colorado — a Victorian main street with excellent restaurants, bars and shops.
American Ski Resort Food — From Mountain Burgers to Fine Dining
American ski resort food ranges from the casual (mountain burgers, hot dogs, nachos and craft beer at on-mountain cafeterias) to the extraordinary (Aspen and Vail have some of the finest restaurants in the Rocky Mountains). The classics: green chilli (a Colorado speciality — a thick stew of roasted green chillies, pork and potatoes, served over everything), Rocky Mountain oysters (deep-fried bull testicles — a Colorado delicacy, best approached with an open mind), craft beer (Colorado and Utah have outstanding craft beer scenes — Breckenridge Brewery, Wasatch Brewery) and après-ski cocktails (the Bloody Mary is the traditional American ski resort morning drink).
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Key areas, beaches and attractions across the island.
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