Whistler/Blackcomb is the biggest ski area in North America. Photo / Supplied
Whistler/Blackcomb is the biggest ski area in North America. Photo / Supplied
Dave Watts and Chris Gill pick their favourite resorts in the US and Canada for beginners, experts and those in between.
Frequent dumps of snow on quiet - often deserted - mountains that offer immaculate piste-grooming operations, efficient lift systems and few queues are just some of the attractions of the slopes of North America. The resort villages have high-quality accommodation, and high standards of service and courtesy.
For those who enjoy powder, there is another huge attraction - the knowledge you can safely play in it without paying for a guide or carrying avalanche safety equipment. In North America every ski area boundary is marked by signs or a rope - and all the terrain within, however steep and gnarly, is avalanche controlled.
Here's our guide to the best of North America's snow resorts.
Breckenridge's ski area is divided into five lift and piste-linked sectors - Peaks 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 - and there are few nursery slopes in the world to rival the long, wide, gentle run at the foot of Breckenridge's Peak 9. (In fact, a couple of those rivals are at the foot of next-door Peak 8.) With beginner-friendly chairlifts and magic carpets, the nursery areas make an ideal launch pad.
The ski school offers good-value packages of lessons, lift pass and equipment hire.
Due to its high altitude (3000m), some visitors to Breckenridge suffer altitude sickness. If possible, rather than travelling straight from Denver Airport to the resort, stay a night or two in the city first to acclimatise.
The Victorian-style town of Breckenridge is relatively good value for America, with many shops, bars and restaurants, and there is usually snow on the streets to add to the charm.
Some visitors to Breckenridge experience altitude sickness. Photo / NZ Herald
Most of the resorts listed here are well suited to intermediates, but Park City is one of the best. Its ski area, directly above the town, is laced with blue runs, and there are plenty of easy blacks, plus tempting, ungroomed gladed tree runs.
In addition, there are two other resorts close by. The immaculate slopes of upmarket Deer Valley (no snowboarding allowed) are separated from those of Park City by nothing more than a fence - crossing the divide is banned and you can access its runs only from base level - while Canyons features lots of steep terrain and is a free bus ride away. Add these areas together, and they offer more terrain than anywhere in North America.
Park City has a cute, compact centre around historic Main St, with lively restaurants, bars and shops, but its lodgings sprawl over a vast area.
Jackson does a great job of projecting a macho image - you may have seen pictures of daredevils jumping into the resort's signature run, Corbet's Couloir - a narrow chute with an initial pitch of 50 degrees that can normally be accessed only by taking off into the air. However, Corbet's isn't typical of the runs here. There is even beginner and intermediate terrain, but the ski area isn't vast, so it's best for those who are up to the steep stuff.
The extensive steep terrain gets a prodigious amount of snow, however, the slopes aren't high, and they get plenty of sun, so snow can deteriorate quickly, especially on the lower mountain. But there's usually another snowstorm brewing.
The town of Jackson, a 15-minute drive from the slopes, promotes a Wild West image with its wooden footpaths, cowboy saloons and pool halls, and is an amusing place to stay. Alternatively, Teton Village at the base of the slopes has a number of comfortable hotels. You can catch the bus to town for a night out - the last one back is at 11pm.
Whistler's two linked mountains (Whistler and Blackcomb) add up to the biggest ski area in North America, which puts the resort on the shortlist of most transatlantic visitors - and certainly intermediates who like to rack up the miles without repeating the same slopes.
For beginners, there are extensive nursery slopes and long green runs. For experts, the high open bowls offer a range of possibilities, with frequent dumps of powder streaming in from the nearby Pacific. And there are world-class terrain parks.
The resort village is big and busy, with bars and restaurants, a lively apres scene at the lift base from midafternoon onwards, and a wide range of shops. There is also plenty for non-skiers to do, from ziplines to eagle-watching tours.
These linked resorts are the powder capitals of the world - the snow here is as plentiful, frequent and light as it comes.
On average, they receive more than 12m of snow a year, twice as much as some Colorado resorts and about 50 per cent more than nearby Park City. Most slopes are left ungroomed, but there are some groomed runs for intermediates. Boarding is banned on Alta's slopes, but allowed in Snowbird.
Both resorts are tiny, quiet collections of hotels and apartments. Alta, a previously bustling mining town, has a more old-fashioned, friendlier feel than Snowbird, whose modern, concrete, purpose-built base village lacks resort charm. There are few bars or restaurants, and little to do off the slopes, unless you drive the 40km into Salt Lake City.
Banff offers some of the best-value skiing in North America. Photo / Supplied
Banff doesn't offer the lowest on-the-spot prices, but it has one key advantage over other Canadian resorts - tour operators offer great-value package holidays here.
The town sits at one end of a fabulously scenic drive through mountainous national parks, and there is a lot of lodging to meet summer demand - in winter, the accommodation is fairly cheap.
Banff is a tourist town, with more than 100 bars and restaurants, and countless souvenir shops. It is served by three ski areas, covered on the Tri-Area lift pass, each a free bus ride from town. Norquay is only a few minutes away, but tiny, with just 77ha of terrain; Sunshine Village, 20 minutes away, has 1360ha and enjoys the most snowfall; and Lake Louise, 45 minutes away, is the largest, with 1700ha and nine lifts.
Winter Park may lack the glamour of better-known Colorado resorts, but the absence of weekday lift queues (weekends tend to be busier because of visitors from nearby Denver) and the growing range of affordable accommodation around the lift base give it family appeal, as will the facilities for beginners.
The Sorensen Park beginner zone at the base of the mountain has gentle slopes and magic carpet lifts, while the Discovery Park at midmountain is the jewel in the crown. This 10ha dedicated beginner area is served by two chairlifts, and as well as a nursery area it has longer green runs to progress to and an adventure trail.
If you want to enjoy Winter Park's powder - it's the snowiest of all major Colorado resorts, receiving about 8m annually - without the children in tow, Wee Willie's Child Care at the base area offers day care for youngsters aged from two months to six years.
The lift base makes an ideal place for families to stay, with easy access to the slopes, and a number of family-friendly restaurants, as well as a handful of bars and shops. Off-slope activities for children include tubing and ice skating.
During the 1880s Aspen enjoyed a brief silver-mining boom and then, after decades of neglect, its historic core was brought back to life thanks to the skiing boom of the late 20th century.
This is a delightful place to stroll around in the evenings, enjoying window shopping and the resort's variety of restaurants and bars.
Aspen/Snowmass encompasses four separate ski areas - Buttermilk, Snowmass, Aspen Highlands and Aspen Mountain - all covered on one lift pass. Aspen Mountain is accessed from town by gondola, while the other three are reached by free shuttle buses.
Buttermilk is the smallest and least challenging area. Aspen Mountain has long cruising blue runs and short, steep blacks, while Aspen Highlands has easy intermediate slopes, steep black runs and Highlands Bowl, reached by hiking from the top lift and featuring pitches of up to 48 degrees. Snowmass is the most extensive area, with terrain for all, and is a self-contained resort, worth considering as a base if you're less concerned with charm.
