In this article I am going to write about some of the more popular places that you can go for a ski holiday.
Skiing is one of America’s most popular pastimes and it therefore caters well to those who want to try out winter sports. If you live in the United States, or are planning to go there at some point during the winter season, here is a list of ski resorts that you should visit if you want your trip to be truly memorable.
US Ski Resorts To Go On A Holiday
While Yosemite National Park offers breathtaking views throughout most of its hiking trails, the Tenaya Lake Ski Hut Trail is the best place to admire them while skiing. The hut, which can accommodate up to 12 people, rests on top of a platform at about 10,000 ft above mean sea level.
At this altitude, you are unlikely to see another soul. It sits about 1 mile away from the trailhead and offers a 360-degree view of mountains and large bodies of water. The hut can be reached either by a 5-mile hike or a short ride on a snowmobile that the park’s staff operates.
If you’re going to ski in America, then it should definitely be at Aspen Mountain. If the picturesque views from the top of the slopes aren’t enough to get you excited, then the après ski party at its base should do it.
Avalanche forecasters work here and they give excellent recommendations about daily conditions for skiing. This is because the ski area has some of the best snow in America thanks to its high altitude and close proximity to a large glacier.
The best part about Aspen Mountain is that it has a nice terrain, making it snow-friendly for every type of skier. Experts can explore the 55 runs available on its steep slopes, while beginners can try their hand at 37 blue cruises and 10 green cruises to get used to skiing before they move up to more challenging slopes.
In 1739, a French-Canadian priest discovered the first traces of winter sports in America on Whiteface Mountain. It was not until 1885 that it opened as a ski resort and became one of the first places to offer skiing as a recreational activity for tourists from different parts of North America.
The mountain has 48 runs with a wide spectrum of difficulty levels and it can be accessed by two main ski areas: the Summit and The Face. Whiteface, which is close to Lake Placid in New York State, has a vertical drop of 1,400 ft and offers skiing opportunities in every month of the year. It is also home to Alpine Skiing’s oldest continuously operating ski school.
The mountain has snowmaking equipment that is used to artificially make snow for the ski slopes after fresh snowfall, but because its elevation is close to 3,400 ft above sea level, Whiteface can also deal with warm temperatures. This means that you will only be denied access to its slopes if it’s too hot or too cold.
Whiteface also hosts a number of ski races, such as the Biathlon World Cup and Cross Country Skiing World Cup. It has seen several Olympic competitions in the past and was recently considered for an alpine skiing event at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, but it lost to Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia.
If you want breathtaking views of large bodies of water and forests, then you should go to Mount Baker. It is known for its snowboarding opportunities but it also offers skiing facilities. The mountain’s Summit at 8,078 ft above sea level usually receives the most snowfall in Washington State because it is within range of precipitation that comes from Pacific storms.
This mountain has about 60 runs and it is the only one within a 3-hour driving distance from Seattle, which makes it an ideal ski destination for residents of that city.
Cascade Pass Ski Area offers another stunning view of Mount Baker and offers skiing opportunities to every type of skier. Because it’s not as popular as other famous ski areas in America, it is ideal if you want to avoid the crowds and enjoy unspoiled surroundings.
The resort offers 19 easy blues and 7 lifts on its slopes. It has a vertical drop of 1,175 ft and receives about 20 feet of snowfall per year under normal conditions. The area also has two lodges that have dormitories, a quaint chalet café and a ski shop that sells the latest equipment.
Americans love skiing and there are more than 500 resorts in America. Some of these offer facilities for cross-country skiing while others cater to snowboarders. In this article, we have identified the best places to go skiing in America ranging from Whiteface Mountain in New York to Mount Baker in Washington.
In the mid 1970s after I learned how to ski, my family and I would travel from Philadelphia to Aspen each winter for a few weeks of skiing. The place has world-class skiing at half the cost you’d pay in Europe or Japan. In retrospect, if we had to do it over again we would pick a different location. But at the time, Aspen seemed like a good choice. We stayed in an apartment and there were several restaurants near where we lived as well as many great bars and movie theaters. The skiing was world class! I can’t think of anywhere that had more challenging pistes or better powder. The town was cosmopolitan and it had an interesting mix of old-timers, skiers, rich people, intellectuals and socialites. I think there were also lots of beautiful women.
The one issue with Aspen is that you feel like you want to go back home after just a few weeks. The place became too expensive for average people after the economy picked up. If you have a million or two to spend then maybe Aspen is the place for you. But if you are just an average guy, which I guess describes me, then it’s just not worth staying there longer than a few weeks.
I remember one year when I was skiing with my kids in Colorado Springs. The whole family had gotten into the act. My wife was just learning to ski but she picked it up quickly, as did my kids. We were all enjoying ourselves until I took a fall on an icy slope and broke my knee, which required surgery. It had been a long time since I had had any serious skiing injuries so this one really hurt. My wife was terrified, my children were sad and I was in pain. It took me two years to get back on the slopes again after that incident but I did heal properly. I learned my lesson though; skiing is not something you should take up while you’re getting older!
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