The Colony
This is kind of an amendment to my on going Top Ski Destinations posts. We were just in Utah and skied The Canyons for the first time. The mountains have the best and worst characteristics of any resort I’ve skied. The place is huge (I hear it’s the second biggest in the US outside Big Sky/Moonlight Basin) and the terrain is spectacularly varied. But the size leads to its downfall. It took us a good hour to start skiing from the time we got on the first lift which incidentally was a people mover just to transport passengers from the parking lots and bus stop to the resort. There are also issues with smoothly routing skiers. There seemed to be more dead ends than most resorts making confusing lift riding necessary in order to navigate the mountains. Not to mention that there is only one way to ski back to the base. The results are slopes that felt much more crowded than much smaller mountains.
But we had plenty of quality skiing. The below photo is of a mountain area called The Colony resembling the Deer Valley community on roids. The trails twist and turn with roads and obscenely overgrown private residences in a quite graceful dance. Skiers shoot through tunnels, race under steep road overpasses and cross bridges with rustic wood log railings. It really creates a spectacular setting and a very very different skiing experience from the standard downhill mountain kind.
TOP NORTH AMERICAN SKI DESTINATIONS – Authenticity
Ski resorts often spring up in mountainous areas where once thriving mining communities gave way to devastating emigration and boredom. Skiing was often all these locales had left. Depending on their location however, tourism can transform ski towns into sprawling theme destinations. And quickly resorts realize that if they cater to children then parents will promptly flock. While parents sip hot totties fire-side in peace and leisurely cruise slopes, little Timmy and Sally can be kept out of trouble by Dora and Diego on skis.
Every once in a while we’ll stumble on a less common ski destination that seems oblivious to the draw of the activity elsewhere. Though resisting the spoils of popularity is getting harder and harder in an ever shrinking world. Only here are we reminded how great the sport is when experienced in it’s more pure form.
- Telluride, Colorado- It helps that Telluride is simply difficult to get to. This dead-end mining town was only kept alive by their skiing possibilities. With no room for expansion it has resisted the throngs of development for the most part but I don’t know how long it can be able to remain at the top of my list. The now idyllic grassy valley floor is being aggressively pursued by developers. A feisty contingent of preservationists have fended off the attackers with great success however and Telluride remains largely unchanged since its Victorian era golden age.
- Jackson Hole, Wyoming- Even though the town of Jackson has embraced it’s old west roots and exercised more kitch than I prefer it is quite true to it’s ancestry. This authenticity can nearly entirely be attributed to the local residents that continue to go about their business. It’s not rare to see cowboys moseying over actual boadwalks, dusty pickups with Blue Healers in the back and evidence of horse-back transportation on dirt roads. There are a number of surrounding burgs that are untouched by tourist dollars and the resort itself is just far enough away from town that it hasn’t developed as a gingerbread Alpine replica.
- Park City, Utah – Park City is quite different than the first two on the list. With such close proximity to a major metropolis and being a bonafied classic ski Mecca it is busy and rapidly developing. And hosting the Olympics doesn’t help. But even with all this, restrictions against chain businesses and other preservation efforts have left Park City relatively in tact. Amazingly, it wasn’t long ago that Park City appeared on a registry of American ghost towns.
- Breckenridge, Colorado – With the high traffic of Summit and Eagle counties towns like Frisco, Dillon and Vail have sprawled out with strip malls, gas stations and chain restaurants and no longer bare resemblance to their former days. But Breckenridge has somehow kept its original character and is still one of America’s first ski towns.
- Big Sky, Montana -Number 5 is where I started running out of ideas. I’ve heard great things about the original ski destinations like Sun Valley or Taos but I just haven’t been to them. Big Sky comes next on my list for the simple fact that it’s the destination you’re most likely to hit a deer driving to, that evening entertainment is a Bud at the bar with true locals and where breakfast is wild boar pate on toast. Even their local celebrity is everyone’s favorite redneck billionaire Ted Turner.
Up next: Charm
TOP NORTH AMERICAN SKI DESTINATIONS -Terrain
You don’t have to be Shaun White to have a great time skiing or boarding. It’s not like tennis where not only do you have to consistently get the ball over the net but you need a partner that can do the same. Otherwise you’ll be chasing balls all day and not actually playing tennis. Whether you’re doing sick Chicken Salad Air or just trying to keep your feet a good time can be had by all on the slopes. So, I’m not about to judge a skier’s enjoyment based on terrain as nearly all the top destinations have something for everyone. But that doesn’t mean that all terrain is created equal. Some resorts are so diverse and expansive that it’s impossible to not put them at the top of the list. That is just statistics and statistics don’t lie. But I have some personal favorites that I think need to be recognized for producing unique skiing experiences.
- Alta, Utah- Alta is unlike any other mountain I’ve skied. Typically, you get off the lift, look up at a cluster of big blue signs, choose your path and repeat. Not at Alta. Well, they still have the big blue signs but runs quickly lose shape and melt together like water running downhill. What the skier is left with is a fluffy sandbox of rolling hills, sudden drops and rocky outcrops. It’s a smorgasbord of craft-your-own terrain that will be different every trip off the same lift. Now throw in 43 feet of, literally, the best and driest snow in North America, the fact that they stick by their no snowboarders mantra and the cheapest lift tickets of the Rockies and you’ve got an unbeatable skiing experience.
- Whistler Blackcomb, BC, Canada- Not only have I not skied Whistler but I’ve never even been to Vancouver. But the stats and rave reviews don’t lie. It has 8,100 skiable acres, more than 200 trails, 12 bowls and a 1 mile vertical. Everyone should be able to find their perfect line there.
- Deer Valley, Utah – Deer Valley gets much deserved credit for the spectacularly groomed and manicured runs but it actually has great diversity as well. The terrain is designed more like a world class golf course than a ski resort with runs lined with multi-million dollar homes that expertly compliment the landscape. Crowds are never an issue do to lift ticket limits and the dry Utah snow makes for some of the smoothest skiing around. Deer Valley is like riding the newest high-engineered metal roller coaster making everything else feel like 60-year-old wooden filling rattlers.
- Telluride, Colorado- Telluride is another personal favorite. “See Forever” precariously balances the mountain ridge and cruises for miles down the mountain while a variety of terrain shoots off it’s side. It’s the Via Sacra of Telluride.
- Vail, Colorado – There may be some swearing at me right now but I’m going to stand by this one. Vail has great terrain and it’s simply huge. The back bowls vault Vail into the top 5 alone. But there is one thing that is holding this giant back that can’t be overlooked: crowds. I mean really. You’ll spend a good portion of your day standing around and avoiding on-slope collisions with designer ski-bunnies. This mountain resort more resembles an amusement park with it’s shoulder-to-shoulder snaking ski lift lines. Warning: patience required.
Up next: Authenticity
TOP NORTH AMERICAN SKI DESTINATIONS – Terms and Conditions
So, I was admiring Ski Magazine’s top 30 resorts of 2008-2009, as I do every year, and while I actually have few complaints with the results I thought why not come up with my own from my personal experience. I mean, their list is based solely on reader votes and I’m a reader but why not make my vote gospel? This is my blog and around here I’m CEO, Commander in Chief, Czar, Premier and Chancellor and if you don’t like it then you can . . . well . . . leave a comment because in the Republic of The Travel Companion blog we certainly have freedom of speech and encourage dissent.
I understand that there is a problem however. You may ask “Brian, how are you going to rank the top ski destinations when certainly you have only been to a handful of the hundreds on the continent?” I know it’s not perfect and while I will be able to comment on places I’ve been I will do some scientific expert speculation on those that I haven’t been. Remember, around here I’m all knowing. Kinda like Kim Jong Il shooting a modest 18 on his first ever round of golf, certainly at one of North Korea’s world class golf courses. But of course that’s where objectors can so dutifully challenge my misjudgments.
We first must establish what constitutes a top ski destination. This is where I will take issue with Ski Magazine. Evidently, to them, ease of accessibility, fine dining and ratio of on-slope hosts to skiers decides best resorts. I vigorously cry foul! It is true that they rank “resorts” and I’m addressing “destinations” and I may not technically be able to complain. But what makes a true skiing experience great? Close proximity to an airport that hosts several airline hubs makes for great headache-free vacations but lends nothing to the skiing experience itself. Skiing is about adventure, exploration and nature, man vs wilderness and the elements. It’s about the need to conquer something unfathomably larger than we are, not spas and Prada. That is why there will be no east coast destinations on my list. Americans have an undying desire to connect to the west and to expand into the unknown.
I will be developing my list based on 4 categorical areas. There will be 4 posts, one for each category, followed by a with final conclusions. The 4 categories are described as follows:
Location and setting – This covers everything from global location down to local geography and natural features such as wildlife, flora and fauna. The very important and vain question of scenery falls in this category.
Terrain – This addresses all aspects of the skiable mountain including difficulty, variety, vertical feet, quality and maintenance and grooming.
Authenticity – This addresses, what I call, the Disney Factor. Has this ski location developed naturally and remained true to it’s original demographic or has it metastasized with Applebee’s and urban sprawl.
Local charm – This follows closely after Authenticity. Who calls the destination home? Cowboys or seasonal staff from the nearest metropolis.
As a disclaimer I reserve the right to change my mind at any time for any reason.
DECISIONS DECISIONS
Well, it’s that time of year again. The fifth annual Hoffsis family ski trip. We’re really late planning this year. Where to go, where to go? Thus far we’ve managed to have no repeat visits but it’s getting a lot more difficult. We’ve covered lots of territory in the last 4 years. From the popular to the locals-only and the easily accessible to the remote across three Rocky Mountain States. So what are the priorities this year? Do we want to sacrifice sick après-ski for skier free slopes and non-existent lift lines? Or maybe trade in pole-less darting children for moose and mountain goats?
One thing is certain we will be enjoying late spring skiing this year. Possibly, snow conditions will be a factor. In this photo the old man is surveying Alta’s map which arguably has the best and most snow in North America. It has something to do with low humididty in the Little Cottonwood Canyon off the flats of the Great Salt Lake. Alta certainly is a temple to no-frills, back-to-basics skiing and a local favorite. Lift tickets are half the price of the other elitest area resorts, snowboarders are staunchly barred from entering the front gate, “BOGUS!,” and there’s a 1960′s base “lodge” with only lockers and a cafeteria, reminicent of my good old Ashville Elementary days, packed to the gills with tough old senior citizens who ski for free.
Now let’s see, “Devil’s Way” or “Easier Way?”
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