Best US ski slopes

Montana's Big Sky, courtesy of Wikimedia With the Winter Olympics dominating British Columbia’s best skiing starting this weekend, we thought we’d look just south to the USA’s best ski slopes. (Apologies to the slopes of upstate New York or Vermont out east, but the best US skiing is a truly Western matter.) Jackson Hole, Wyoming Big, fast, deep — Jackson Hole is not for beginners. It features epic fall line runs that weave through pines. It’s real cowboy country too — expect Stetsons and big jackets, sometimes seen upside down and spilling into the marshmellow landings that soften any mistakes. Even cowboy mistakes. Aspen, Colorado All its four slopes (Aspen, Buttermilk, Highlands and Snowmass) are high class. And the stylish town is no ordinary ski-bum place, though plenty are to be found around its bars (no surprise: Hunter S Thompson who once did readings here.) Mammoth Mountain, California In name and physique, this mountain rides on a truly grand scale. New Highways lead to the front doors of ritzy lodges and local buses whip you to the start of an adventure — helped on by 30 feet (about 9m) of annual snowfall and a classic SoCal vibe. Alta, Utah In the Wasatch Mountains of the north, Alta was the first of the big US resorts to say ‘yes’ to snowboarding, it’s relatively cheap, and renowned as a purist ski/snowboard town, with Utah’s famously dry powder and over 40 feet (about 13m) of snow a year. Big Sky, Montana Big Sky earns its names atop the lonely gondola, about 4500 feet (1372m) of vertical standing — amidst the series of untouched bowls — between you and your lodge way below. One leg goes six miles through trees and down cat tracks. ————————————————————— The best of US skiing is one of the 100 Top 10 lists in Lonely Planet’s dream-trip planner, 1000 Ultimate Experiences .

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Best US ski slopes