Statistically Wolf Creek appears to be a fairly average ski area. It’s 1600 acres, which places it solidly in the middle of the pack for rideable terrain. It has seven lifts to serve that terrain and a vertical of just over 1,600 feet. There’s no terrain park at all.

There is one statistic, however, that sets Wolf Creek apart from other resorts: an average annual snowfall of 465 inches, which gives it more snow than any other ski area in Colorado.

Although that doesn’t top some other hills, like Jackson Hole or Snowbird, it’s still quite impressive.

Wolf Creek also has some qualities that set it apart from other ski areas. There’s the hill’s dedication environmental stewardship, which has resulted in a very low proportion of cut runs and a very natural-feeling on-hill experience.  Wolf Creek is also quite community-oriented, and that is reflected in the friendly atmosphere.

Then there are the proposed Wolf Creek expansion plans, which would open up 1000 acres of new, powder-covered terrain — and 700 of those acres would be all-natural black and double-black diamond chutes, gullies, and cliffs.

What do you think? Could Wolf Creek be the Best Ski Resort in the USA?

Would the proposed expansion affect your opinion?

Vote now! 

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We left Salt Lake City to visit Wolf Creek in February, excited to see how Colorado’s best snow stacks up against Utah’s self-proclaimed “best snow on Earth”.

It was impressive.

While there we got to ask the locals and visitors what they liked about Wolf Creek. Some people mentioned the super-chill small town atmosphere. Mentions of the hot springs in nearby Pagosa Springs were unavoidable. But, one thing was universal: Wolf Creek’s 465 annual inches of snow, which is the largest annual snowfal of any hill in Colorado.

Who wouldn’t love that?

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Telluride has always held a certain mystique for me. Growing up we watched ski and snowboard videos every year in the months before the snow fell, while dreaming of the winter to come.  I lived in a small town in British Columbia. The exotic names of the ski resorts we saw always got jumbled together, Vail, Squaw Valley, Chamonix, but one always stood out — Telluride.   

I don’t know why, but it seemed that Telluride held a special place in the hearts of the narrators on the television. It was always spoken of with a particular reverence. When I finally visited, I found out why.

Mountains surround the town on three sides. Without a serious four-wheel drive vehicle and intimate knowledge of the back roads, there is only one road in and one road out. The ski runs rub up against one side of the town so that any resident can walk to a ski lift in around fifteen minutes.

Telluride is a small town in a box canyon at the end of highway 145. It’s a town with an anti-establishment tradition that started when Butch Cassidy staged his first robbery at the San Miguel Valley Bank and continued when hippies flocked there in the sixties. At one point, there was a serious movement to ban cars. These days, when the moon is full and the snow is deep, locals gather at a cabin in the bottom of a valley north of the resort. They drink, play music, and then hike up the broad pristine slope. Telluride backwoods counterculture is like none other.

My trip to Telluride lived up to the legend. My days on the hill were filled with steeps and powder and our nights were spent in local halls dancing to funk with grizzly-bearded hiking booted locals.

On paper, Telluride is not as big as some other ski areas. It also doesn’t get as much snow. But acres and inches are not a measure of history, culture, and passion.

Telluride, no doubt, is one of the purest ski areas in the West.

Do you think Telluride could be the best ski resort in the USA?

Vote now!

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This is how it was: legendary.

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Telluride is a town named after a rare exotic metal that became a rare — and in it’s own way exotic — destination.

Telluride has been a mythical place for me ever since I heard about it in the ski movies that my family watched each year in the weeks leading up to opening day. Narrators always spoke about Telluride with deep reverence. It was a legend.

When I finally visited in 2013 the resort it lived up to my ideas about it as a young boy. Pretty much every house in Telluride is a ski-in ski-out if you’re willing to walk a few blocks in your boots. Tourism development has been kept largely separate from the old mining town itself, helping to maintain it’s old mountain town charm. The mountains are as epic as any I’ve seen.

When we visited we asked the locals how they felt about it. This is what they told us.

Do you think Telluride could be the best ski resort in the USA?

Vote now!

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When I opened up the Crested Butte trail map for the first time in my hotel room I was awestruck. I had never seen so much black on a trail map. Black and double-black diamond runs appeared to occupy more than half of the resort. About one-third of the Crested Butte’s 1,547 acres was, it turned out, was in fact extreme double-black diamond terrain.

“Could this be my dream hill?” I wondered.

It was one of the most hardcore-looking ski resorts I’d ever seen. This was confirmed when two of the locals took me down Rambo, the steepest man-made run in North America, and when we had to skirt around several in-bounds areas that were permanently roped off because they’re simply too steep and extreme to allow public access to them.

Crested Butte has called “the last great Colorado ski town” but, although it is a great ski town with all the charm and character that one could desire, I didn’t see any reason to place it above some of the other small out-of-the way ski towns.

Crested Butte certainly surpasses most resorts for ski culture and authenticity, probably because of the hardcore brand of skiers and riders that it attracts.

The other side of that coin is that, while Crested Butte has all the extreme terrain a guy could want, that terrain only receives 300 inches of snow on average annually, which is 200 inches less than some of the other hills we visited.

So, while Crested Butte offers some of the most hardcore terrain in the country, fresh tracks are not be as easy to come by as at some other resorts.

How important is that to you?

Do you think Crested Butte could be the best in the west?

Cast your vote now!

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I went on a mission to find the best ski and snowboard vacation experience in the USA. During my trip, I visited Crested Butte, and then compiled what I learned into this micro guide.

The video above contains lots of useful information, but, if you want to carry have this information on the hill where it will really come in handy, bookmark this guide on your phone.

Crested Butte Micro Guide Part 1: The Hill

Whenever I show up at a hill, I never know where to go. The map doesn’t tell you enough. So, we’re created annotated maps of each hill explaining the terrain, so that you know where to go. Here’s our annotated map of Crested Butte.

DOWNLOAD A FULL-SIZED VERSION OF THE MAP TO YOUR DESKTOP OR PHONE

Here are the highlights:

For the hardcore:

Crested Butte was made for you. It’s hard to choose one single highlight for thrill-seekers. This mountain has a higher-proportion of double-black diamond terrain than I’ve ever seen anywhere else. It’s a big-mountain dream. The north face is is a great place to go looking for cliffs and steep pitches, the Headwall has several serious chutes, and the Teocalli Bowl is magnificent.

For bragging rights you must do Rambo at least once, so you can tell your friends you slayed the steepest man-made run in North America.

For the park rats:

Unfortunately, although there are several parks for people of different abilities, there’s no central park area on Crested Butte where they can all hang out. Those looking for big features will want to hit spend their time in the DC Superpipe and DC Terrain Park off the Paradise Express Chair. Skiers and riders looking for something a bit smaller will want to visit the Smith Hill Terrain Park and Jib Park accessed by the Red Lady Express, and the youngsters can fool around in the Kids’ Park off the Painter Boy lift.

For the groomer cruisers:

If you’re looking to make your eyes water and lay some nice carves into well-groomed corduroy, you can’t beat International (accessed by the Silver Queen Express), Ruby Chief off of the Paradise Express, and the all the runs around the Gold Link Lift.

For the snowplowers:

Both the Peach Tree Lift and the Red Lady Express access nothing but nice rolling green runs, perfect for learning.

Crested Butte Micro Guide Part II: Where to Eat

The following restaurants came highly recommended by the locals we spoke to:

Uley’s Cabin
Named after a famous local bootlegger, this elegant restaurant located just off the International run serves signature cocktails, has an ice bar, and even offers a sleigh ride dinner.
Off the International Run
Crested Butte, CO 81224
(970) 349-2275

Django’s
This restaurant and wine bar prides itself on it’s southern European influence and fresh ingredients. Intimate, romantic, and great for dates.
Mountaineer Square Courtyard
620 Gothic Road C-130 (courier)
Mt. Crested Butte, CO 81224
970-349-7574

View a Map

Secret Stash
Like the name suggests, a great local secret with pizza and wings that have been voted the best in the city every year since it opened.
21 Elk Ave
Crested Butte, CO 81224
(970) 349-6245

View a Map

Ginger Cafe
If you’re looking for curry, there’s nowhere better in town than than the Ginger Cafe, which specializes in both of the main varieties of the dish: Indian and Thai.
425 Elk Ave
Crested Butte, CO 81224
(970) 349-7291

View a Map

Avalanche Bar and Grill
A true ski bar, this is truly THE place for après drinks on the hill.
15 Emmons Rd
Crested Butte, CO 81225
(970) 349-7195

View a Map

Maxwell’s
The best choice in downtown Crested Butte for upscale pasta and steak.
226 Elk Ave
Crested Butte, CO 81224
(970) 349-1221

View a Map

9380 Prime
With outdoor fireplaces, an extensive wine list, and refined menu this is the classy apres-ski alternative.
Elevation Hotel & Spa
500 Gothic Rd
Crested Butte, CO 81225
(970) 251-3030

View a Map

Crested Butte Micro Guide Part III: What to do Off the Hill

Crested Butte is heralded as “the last great Colorado ski town”. As such, one of the main attractions is simply the atmosphere. It’s just a great place to be. The Nordic Center has an ice skating rink and many miles of cross-country ski runs. There are also numerous festivals throughout the year.

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The saving grace of the trip was the opening of the High Lift T-Bar, which accessed previously closed terrain. So, although there was no fresh snow, there were some fresh tracks, and the local pros lit it up. This is what it looked like.

What do you think? Could Crested Butte be the best ski resort in the USA?

Vote for your favourite ski area now!

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Crested Butte was a great surprise for me on this tour. I had heard little about the mountain before we arrived. When I opened up a map of the hill at the hotel desk I was pleasantly surprised by the swaths of black and double-black diamond runs blanket the north face of the mountain.

I was also very stoked about the small ski-town charm. Crested Butte is a perfect example of a small ski town, just like the one I grew up in. Authenticity like that can’t be bought or replicated. Those were all things that the locals told us they loved.

What do you think? Could Crested Butte be the best ski resort in the USA?

Vote for your favourite ski area now!

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Heavenly certainly has a lot going for it. At 4800 acres, it’s one of the biggest ski resorts in the United States. It also stands above two unique landscapes — Lake Tahoe and the Nevada desert — which makes for beautiful views unlike those found anywhere else. Heavenly is a Vail Resorts property, and as such the mountain has photographers stationed strategically at particularly beautiful spots to take visitors’ photos, which are then sent to them via the Epic Mix app.

Do those qualities make Heavenly the best ski resort in the United States? 

Beyond the slopes, visitors to Heavenly also reap the benefits of staying in South Lake Tahoe, one of the most popular vacation destinations in the United States, where one can gamble in the casinos, dine in 5-star restaurants, and party until dawn in the Nevada nightclubs.

For all of the reasons that I mentioned above, Heavenly provides it’s visitors with a ski vacation experience that can’t be had anywhere else.

Personally, I can only see three drawbacks to visiting Heavenly.

First, while the experience at Heavenly is unlike any other, you do have to pay for it. Heavenly’s lift tickets are among the priciest in the country. And, as a busy tourist destination, accommodations in South Lake Tahoe are also more expensive than those that can be found near smaller and more out-of-the-way resorts. This makes Heavenly a bit of a tough destination for ski vacationers trying to get by on a small budget.

Second, with an average annual snowfall of 360 inches, Heavenly certainly has it’s share of powder days. It’s not, however, a powderhound’s dream, like Jackson Hole, Grand Targhee, and Sugar Bowl, all of which often receive 500 inches in a season.

The last drawback is more of a personal preference than a deficiency of the resort. Heavenly is a huge, corporate-owned resort. This isn’t a problem for many people. I, however, find that I prefer the character and small-townish warmth of smaller resorts. But, that’s just me. I’m a small town kind of guy.

Heavenly has several qualities that you can’t find anywhere else in the world. There’s a massive amount of terrain, you can basically ski right into a casino and hit the tables without taking off your boots, and, in the words of longtime local Mike Frye, “the views definitely don’t suck.”

On the other hand, it’s pricey and doesn’t get as much powder as some other notable ski areas.

What do you think? Could Heavenly be the best ski resort in the USA.

What do you think? Could Heavenly be the best ski resort in the USA?

Vote for your favourite ski area now!

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