Liftopia Awards: Best Skiing and Snowboarding in North America

Image Source: Alta, Utah

Choosing a ski or snowboard area just became easier: Liftopia, the largest online seller of lift and related snowsports tickets, released its first-ever Best in Snow Awards for North America.

In the Overall Best in Snow category, Vermont’s Magic Mountain came in as the number one resort, Michigan’s Crystal Mountain ranked second, and Vermont’s Mad River Glen placed third.

Smaller, regional mountains, some of which attract more day visitors than overnight guests, earned top rankings in several Best in Snow categories, pushing better-known destination resorts lower on or off the winners’ lists. Whatever the reason -- skier preference and/or a possible, slight skew in Liftopia’s methodology -- the best rankings, top-heavy with local finds are good for snowsports. Enthusiasts can add the award-winning gems to their mountain musts.

To come up with ratings, Liftopia combined survey responses from more than 10,000 of its customers with its dataset on skier and snowboarder visits.

“For years people have told us they wanted a ranking system that wasn’t based simply on which resorts were the biggest or relied on a handful of ‘expert’ opinions or advertising dollars. They want to find their next favorite ski area and to know which resorts are most beloved by other skiers and snowboarders,” said Evan Reece, co-founder and CEO of Liftopia.

Liftopia divided North America into five regions -- Northeast, High West, Southeast, Midwest and West Coast. Within each geographical region, Liftopia designated winners for seven categories that customers deemed most useful in selecting a resort. In addition to Overall Best, those categories were Beginner Friendly, Family Friendly, Most Challenging, Least Crowded, Best Value and Snow Consistency and Quality.

Related: Two Top Options for Family-Friendly Skiing, Snowboarding; Bargain Ski Resorts for Families

Overall Best in Snow 2016-2017

• Magic Mountain, Vermont
• Crystal Mountain, Michigan
• Mad River Glen, Vermont
• Alta, Utah
• Jay Peak, Vermont
• Bretton Woods, New Hampshire
• Wildcat Mountain, New Hampshire
• Powder Mountain, Utah
• Snowbird, Utah
• Sugarloaf, Maine

Image Source: Bretton Woods, New Hampshire

Top Beginner Ski Areas by Region

• Northeast: Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, rated number one
• High West: Eagle Point, Utah
• Southeast: Canaan Valley, West Virginia
• Midwest: Crystal Mountain, Michigan
• West Coast: Anthony Lakes, Oregon

Image Source: Magic Mountain, Vermont

Most Challenging Ski Areas by Region

• Northeast: Magic Mountain, Vermont, rated number one
• High West: Jackson Hole, Wyoming
• Southeast: Canaan Valley, West Virginia
• Midwest: Mount Bohemia, Michigan
• West Coast: Kirkwood, California

Top Family Friendly Ski Areas by Region

• Northeast: Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, rated number one
• High West: Sipapu, New Mexico
• Southeast: Canaan Valley, West Virginia
• Midwest: Crystal Mountain, Michigan
• West Coast: Tahoe Donner, California

Best Value Ski Areas by Region

• Northeast: Arrowhead, New Hampshire, rated number one
• High West: Powder Mountain, Utah
• Southeast: Canaan Valley, West Virginia
• Midwest: Mount Bohemia, Michigan
• West Coast: Anthony Lakes, Oregon