In 2023, there were over 11.6 million active skiers or snowboarders in the US, meaning that around 3.5% of the American population participated in winter sports, which is ever-growing. The geography and climate of the country are perfectly set up for skiing, as low winter temperatures and high snowfall in mountainous areas create the natural base to get out on the slopes. Unlike many other sports and recreational activities, skiing can form the basis for an entire holiday.

Many dedicated resorts nationwide cater to skiers of all ages and abilities, so it’s an excellent choice for a family holiday. You can experience stunning mountain views, stay in a mountainside chalet, and, most importantly, get out on the slopes and enjoy some snowy fun.

But where in the country is it best to visit for a ski trip? By compiling data across several factors, we can reveal the most popular US ski resorts for 2024.

In this guide:

The Top 5 Skiing Locations

We looked at key factors to determine the best skiing locations in America for the 2022/23 season. We analyzed the following and calculated an overall score out of 10.

Google searches (Dec ’22 to Nov ’23)
Year-on-year temperature difference (ºF)
Instagram posts
Average high temperature (ºF)
Average low temperature (ºF)
Average annual snowfall (inches)

Infographic showing the top 5 ski resorts in America for the 2022/23 season, with Breckenridge Resort in Colorado taking the top spot, followed by Jackson Hole in Wyoming, Copper Mountain in colorado, Whiteface Mountain in new york state and crested butte in Colorado.

1. Breckenridge, Colorado – Ski resort score of 8.97/10

Breckenridge is the best-rated ski resort in America for 2024. The Colorado resort is in the Rocky Mountains’s picturesque Tenmile Range. It is a large resort covering five mountains boasting 35 total ski lifts and 187 total runs today, growing exponentially since the resort opened in 1961.

In the last year, interest in Breckenridge increased massively, as there was a 198% increase in Google searches by Americans for the resort, suggesting that many more want to hit those slopes in 2024!

It is one of the coldest resorts in this study, as the average low temperature is just 19.67°F; visitors find the location very picturesque as it has almost a million hashtag mentions on Instagram.

Crazy for Colorado? Read our other guides on The Centennial State:

2. Jackson Hole, Wyoming – Ski resort score of 7.70/10

Jackson Hole in Wyoming is the second-best-rated US ski resort. Named after the valley in which it is located, Jackson Hole is well known for its striking landscape of steep alpine slopes surrounding it.

Ski lift cable car moving over snowy mountain in Jackson Hole

The resort has 116 runs, of which 50% are hardcore black runs, showing that Jackson Hole is a challenge for even the most experienced skiers. The picturesque Jackson Hole had just over a million hashtags on Instagram, the second highest of any resort.

Wondering why you should visit Wyoming with the kids? Read our expert’s Wyoming Family Travel Guide: Everything You Need To Know Before Visiting.

3. Copper Mountain, Colorado – Ski resort score of 7.48/10

A third Rocky Mountain ski resort at the top of the rankings cements the Rockies as offering the best skiing options in the country. Copper Mountain is the third highest-ranked of all US resorts.

As it is less than a 2-hour drive from Denver International Airport, the Copper Mountain resort is very easy to travel to, and with almost half of its 140 runs being easy or intermediate, it is an excellent resort for those getting into the sport.

People skiing downhill in Colorado, the sky is blue and snowy mountains are in the distance.

Although Copper Mountain did not top any one category, it ranked in the top ten for all but two categories, indicating that you will have a well-rounded experience when visiting.

4. Whiteface Mountain, New York – Ski resort score of 7.41/10

Whiteface Mountain is one of the most famous resorts in the US because it hosted the alpine skiing events at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. The mountain has an elevation of 4,867 ft, making it the 5th highest mountain in the state, boasting views of the northeast United States and southern Canada.

The ski resort covers most of the mountain’s east slope, with 87 ski runs. Whiteface has some of the most snow, as 244 inches fall annually; this, combined with good performances in many other categories, makes it the only East Coast ski resort to feature in the top five best.

It’s so good they named it twice, but what else does the state of New York have to offer? Find out here:

5. Crested Butte, Colorado – Ski resort score of 7.38/10

Crested Butte is a prominent stand-alone mountain in the Elk region of the Rockies, towering over the small city that shares its name. The ski resort occupies the mountain’s north side, which has 121 runs and 16 ski lifts across the 1,547-acre site.

Crested Butte is the coldest ski resort on average in this index, with an average low of just 17.75°F, the only resort below freezing. On top of this, there is an average annual snowfall of 217 inches, the most of any resort in the Rockies.

The Top 10 Skiing Locations in America

We’ve looked at the top 5 skiing locations, but what about the top 10? Here are our results for the 10 best ski spots in America.

The top 10 skiing locations in the US for the 2022/23 season, based on Google search numbers, Instagram posts, average high and low temperatures, and average annual snowfall. — Table showing the top 1o ski resorts in America for the 2022/23 season, with Breckenridge Resort in Colorado taking the top spot.

Rank	Resort	State	Google Searches (Dec ’22 to Nov ’23)	YoY Search Difference	Instagram Posts	Average High Temperature (ºF)	Average Low Temperature (ºF)	Average Annual Snowfall (in)	Overall Ski Resort Score /10
1	Breckenridge	Colorado	189,800	198%	981,183	51.08	19.67	108	8.97
2	Jackson Hole	Wyoming	132,900	47%	1,050,842	54.75	24.17	67	7.70
3	Copper Mountain	Colorado	24,190	10%	180,325	51.17	23.58	189	7.48
4	Whiteface Mountain	New York	74,000	-4%	63,983	42.00	27.83	244	7.41
5	Crested Butte	Colorado	22,110	-15%	399,405	49.67	17.75	217	7.38
6	Stowe	Vermont	116,800	-10%	109,524	42.00	27.83	244	7.34
7	Telluride	Colorado	36,580	-3%	705,455	53.58	22.00	175	7.30
8	Vail	Colorado	42,700	-11%	265,548	51.17	23.58	189	7.16
9	Beaver Creek	Colorado	33,360	24%	3,919	51.17	23.58	189	6.88
10	Keystone	Colorado	32,790	-8%	63,720	51.08	19.67	108	6.78

Ready to hit the slopes? Plan your perfect skiing holiday by reading out expert’s other guides to the best ski destinations and resorts in the US:

Methodology

A list of fifty of the most popular US Ski Resorts was created from various articles, such as www.timeout.com/usa/things-to-do/best-ski-resorts-in-america.
Google Keyword Planner was used to find the total number of Google Searches for the resort across the country between December 2022 and November 2023; this was compared to the same figure between December 2021 and November 2022 to calculate the increase or decrease in searches.
Instagram hashtags were searched to find the total number of posts for each resort on the social media platform. For some resorts that share a name with other things, we used more specific hashtags.
www.usclimatedata.com was used to find the average high and low temperature each month, and we then calculated the mean average for the year. The same source was used to find the annual snowfall. Not all ski resorts had weather data, so the nearest available location was used.
Each resort was given a normalized score out of ten for each factor before an average of these scores was calculated.

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James Brockbank

Founder at The Family Vacation Guide

A seasoned traveller, Dad, and avid sports tourist, James foundered The Family Vacation Guide to share his expert vacation experiences- especially when it comes to being a travelling family man.

Featured in Travel articles such as Travel + Leisure, TripSavvy and SFGate, you know you're reading some of the best vacation tips online.

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