Palisades Tahoe not only came in as the runner-up overall, but is the best in the U.S. PHOTO: WALL STREET JOURNAL
Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia was rated first in a Wall Street Journal story on the 100 best ski resorts in the U.S. and Canada. The paper crunched numbers based on snow score (50 percent), terrain score (40 percent) and apres score (10 percent). Scores were compiled based on quality and quantity of natural snowfall, visitor impressions compiled by onthesnow.com website. Resorts had to have at least 100 skiable acres, 50 inches of snowfall annually and at least one operating chairlift to be considered.
Palisades Tahoe (CA) was second, Jackson Hole Mtn Resort (WY) third, Snowbird Ski Resort (UT) fourth, Mt. Bachelor (OR) fifth, Aspen Snowmass (CA) sixth, Mammoth Mtn Ski Area (CA) seventh, 8 Winter Park Resort. (COL) eighth, Big Sky Resort, (Montana) ninth, Blackenridge (CO) tenth. Eight of the ten were IKon pass resorts.
Top-rated resort in the East was Jay Peak Resort (VT), 37. No SE resorts were listed and only about a dozen from the East were included.
They included Stowe Mountain (VT) 40, Killington Resort (VT) 44, Smugglers Notch Resort (VT) 45, Sugarbush (VT) 58, Sugarloaf (Maine) 61, Whiteface Mtn (NY) 72, Mount Snow (VT) 75, Okemo Mtn Resort (VT) 83, Stratton Mtn (VT) 90, Sunday River (Maine) 92, Bretton Woods (NH) 97.
Best For Families was Deer Valley Resort, Utah, 16; Best for Beginners, Winter Park Resort, CA, 8; Best for Intermediate Skiers, Heavenly Ski Resort (CA/NV) 11.