With a wink, Utahns often disparage the state’s ski and snowboard resorts. If asked on social media and elsewhere where the best skiing in North America is, a chorus of voices will inevitably answer with some form of “Utah sucks. Colorado is so much better.”
Now, a poll is asking them to back up that stance with votes.
Five Utah resorts and six Colorado resorts have been selected as finalists for USA Today’s 10 Best in the Ski Resorts category. The rest of the 20 nominees are located in California, Canada, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana and New Hampshire.
“A panel of experts” picked the finalists out of more than 800 ski areas on the continent because they, according to the publication, “offer mountains with serious snowfall, varied terrain, lots of lift access, and so much more.”
Utah’s best, according to USA Today, include: Alta Ski Area, Deer Valley Resort, Park City Mountain, Snowbasin, and Snowbird.
Some might argue that list doesn’t even capture the best the state has to offer.
Powder Mountain, which was named Ski Magazine’s Best in the West last year, didn’t make the cut (The 2024 rankings are expected later this month). Neither did either of Big Cottonwood Canyon’s resorts, Brighton and Solitude Mountain Resort. According to Powder, both were among the five snowiest resorts in North America last season.
Solitude did make the list of 20 nominees for best ski school, though, as did Alta, Deer Valley, Park City and Snowbird. Only four Colorado resorts made the cut in that category.
Voting in both categories is open through 10 a.m. Nov. 11. One vote per category can be cast per person per day. Winners are expected to be announced Nov. 20.
Don’t be surprised if a Utah resort doesn’t rise to the top, though. As much as skiers and snowboarders inside and outside of Utah enjoy the skiing here — the state has seen record visitation the past two seasons — they’re still doing their best to keep it a secret.
Case in point: In 2023, the only ski area in the state to reach the Top 10 in USA Today’s poll was Alta. The Little Cottonwood Canyon resort was coming off a 2022-23 season when it led the nation with 903 inches of snow, a state record, yet it brought up the bottom of the rankings. Meanwhile, Mount Bohemia in Lac La Belle, Mich., took the top billing last year. According to OntheSnow.com, it saw 100 inches of natural snowfall in 2022-23.
