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Best Resort in the World?????

3K views 29 replies 18 participants last post by  mixie 
#1 ·
Hello

I would like to know what you guys think are the best resorts in the world? If you could go to any for a season which would you pick?

I am looking for overall not just the best in one area.

I did this in a UK forum and Whistler and Mammoth came out on top so what do you guys think?
 
#26 ·
I rode about 40 days at Mammoth last season and well over 50 this season. I rent a place up there for the winter.



Even this year with record LACK of snow they're still going to be open til Memorial Day. Last year I made my last turns on June 13th but they remained open until July 4th. They keep em spinning 7 days a week too. I actually was in Mammoth the entire month of May last season We had a few powder days, it's awesome up there. There's tons to do besides board and you're close to Yosemite as well.

Last May/June I met a lot of people on the gondi that were from utah/colorado/tahoe that came to mammoth for the lift served and the back country. Once the Tioga Pass opens that pretty much opens up anything in Yosemite for hiking. I am hoping next season to have the gear to go BC.



OP-anything specific you'd like to know about the resort or town?
 
#7 · (Edited)
The time I went to Crescent we went at night and had alot of drugs and booze. Thats standard kit for Counciltucky.

To the OP: best resort in the world? Your own helicopter. Heli AK/NZ year round would be the ultimate. Otherwise everybody takes it in turns, like this year Japan seemed to have a nice solid season from start to finish. Summit county, CO got shit, but last year was epic.
 
#24 ·
Ugh, Iowa does not claim Council Bluffs:laugh:.

Although I think Seven Oaks near Boone might have Crescent beat! 30 acres, and a VERY VERY VERY generous black diamond run. It would be lucky to be rated a blue elsewhere, and in some places in CO could even be classified as a steeper green :laugh:
 
#8 ·
Trouble is that's a really subjective question. What is the best for me might not be the best for you or the next guy. Here's what I would want my resort to have in order of importance:

- Great snow (lots of powder days)
- Challenging terrain (chutes, glades, cliffs, steeps, etc.)
- Many/all lifts high speed
- 2500+ ft vertical
- Long season
- Short lift lines
- Well designed traverses limiting the number of flat areas
- South facing slopes (in the northern hemisphere) so they are lit up during the end of Dec early Jan
- Fun night life/decent town/good accommodations without being too expensive
- Good terrain park

I guess it's sort of self explanatory. There's no point in having 2500+ feet of vert if there's no good snow and/or you're stuck on slow lifts all day.

I've heard people that boarded in the French alps say that the Canadian Rockies were way more exciting to board, some people love the north American east, some people hate it. It would be hard to get bored at a place like Jay Peak.

Revelstoke has the most vert in North America. I think Whistler/Blackcomb has the largest total skiable area in North America. I think the entire PNW and Canadian Rockies have had some record snowfalls this season, but Japan seems to have some great powder porn too. I think unless you've boarded all over North America, Japan, the alps, Norway, South America, etc. you can't really vote one way or another.

Of course I'm going to say something like Lake Louise is the best, for it's south facing slope, challenging terrain, relatively short lift lines, etc. but then I go have powder days at Fernie that kill it. I think it's really hard/impossible to say what resort is "best". I think if I had to ride one resort every day for a year, Fernie would keep me the least bored.
 
#9 ·
Depends on what you want. I want a solid terrain park, long season, sunny days and enough pow sprinkled in to change it up. Based on that, I'd choose somewhere in South Lake Tahoe like Sierra and have a manageable drive to Squaw and Kirkwood for pow days. That or Mammoth Lakes so I could do Mammoth and June Mountains.

A complete pow hound who wants good back country options might pick Fernie, Revelstoke, Whistler or Jackson over that. Someone who wants good all around conditions, a big number of resorts to choose from and access to an airport for trips might take SLC.

I think Mammoth, SLC or Whistler probably provide the most complete experience but it still depends on what you want.
 
#10 ·
Sorry but its a stupid question unless you got money rolling out your ass and you want that kind of scene.

My favorite mountain in colorado is still loveland, I call it the ghetto mountain cause you have every race and color of people there is, its just like a normal place without all the I am better than you bullshit. It has a good vibe.
 
#13 ·
Where I live because I can go board before work. I wish it would have been a better snow year and I would not have broken a leg but I still got 38 days. Son is up to 140ish. Plus I get to enjoy the mtn after that.

Best resort is the one you get to enjoy the most.... mine just happens to fit most of the criteria listed above.
 
#15 ·
I agree with grafts. I work evenings so I can get fresh tracks every morning.

Living in central CO gives fairly good access to other places. Jackson is 8 hours, Aspen 2 hours, telluride/Durango/silver ton/wolf creek 3-4 hours, copper 15 min, beaver creek 15 min, breck/abasin/keystone 30-40 min, steamboat 2 hours, Tahoe 10 hours..... Vail village or lions head village is 2 minutes if I drive or 8 on the bus that stops outside my condo.......
 
#16 ·
Hello everyone, thanks for the replies.

Yes i do realise that it is a bit of a silly question but i didn't want to bore you all with the details of my situation and preferences and thought i would just put it out there as a general one.

There doesn't seem to be a general consensus for the best overall resort, perhaps unsurprisngly, however i thought there would be some stronger resorts in people's minds!

I mean Whistler has to be pretty good right? Mammoth does sound great to me too but then i want good lifts, good runs, great park(s), minimal queues and of course powder (but who doesn't!)

It is fine to say smaller resorts for one or two days but ask yourself where you'd want to be for a season and surely the smaller places don't cut it right?
 
#17 ·
I mean Whistler has to be pretty good right? Mammoth does sound great to me too but then i want good lifts, good runs, great park(s), minimal queues and of course powder (but who doesn't!)

It is fine to say smaller resorts for one or two days but ask yourself where you'd want to be for a season and surely the smaller places don't cut it right?
You have the question turned around...it should be...what do I want to ride/learn and then select the resort based on your answer. All resorts if riding a whole season every day can be ugg, for instance Whistler can be shit for expense, lift lines and rain/heavy wet.
 
#18 ·
Yes a very good point!

I would say that i am looking for the following:

- powder at least some of the time
- a good park and by good i mean one that has plenty for intermediates, is well maintained, has its own lift ideally and one where you don't queue for ages to hit a feature!
- A livable town not just one full of seasonnaires or holiday makers (Fernie was great for this but i didn't rate the rest of the place that highly - no park either!)
- Enough terrain for a season
- good number of tree runs for those bad weather days

There must be some resorts that tick these boxes?

Of course i realise that a great resort in bad snow is just terrible and a great park that is full all the time is rubbish too (trust me i board in Europe a lot!).

So with those criteria what suits?
 
#19 ·
Yes a very good point!

I would say that i am looking for the following:

- powder at least some of the time
- a good park and by good i mean one that has plenty for intermediates, is well maintained, has its own lift ideally and one where you don't queue for ages to hit a feature!
- A livable town not just one full of seasonnaires or holiday makers (Fernie was great for this but i didn't rate the rest of the place that highly - no park either!)
- Enough terrain for a season
- good number of tree runs for those bad weather days

There must be some resorts that tick these boxes?
Fernie does have a park but it's rails only. There are LOTS of off-piste jumps all over the place though.

In the area here I think only Lake Louise and Sunshine have decent parks. Even then they're sort of an afterthought. Must be low demand for them here. To be honest with you I prefer off-piste jumps anyway. I guess a park is good for working on a skill and mastering it, but I like the unpredicatble nature of off-piste riding.
 
#21 ·
if your looking for good terrain, i would say Vail or Breckenridge. The only downside to those two resorts is that they are ridiculously expensive (at least vail is, not sure about breck).But if you want great snow, Utah stomps Colorado. Even Ski Utah's slogan is the greatest snow on earth, which is 80% true.
 
#22 ·
i will narrow my search to the best NATURAL terrain. what resort has the biggest lines, most vertical, and the best pow.

i think its a very valid question. If you could go to only one resort (for natural terrain btw)which one would be the best.
 
#23 ·
Gotta say I'm pretty happy living in Vancouver. Sure, I have to drive to ride but I have good options both in Canada and the States nearby. It's not 'resort living', but it's pretty good. Living on any hill is gonna have it's pros and cons. Nothing's perfect!
 
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