Liftopia, which operates the largest online and mobile marketplace and resort technology platform serving the ski and mountain activity industry, has revealed its winners of the 2017-18 Best in Snow Awards.
The top winner of Overall Best in Snow, as voted by skiers in the Liftopia community, is Vermont’s Magic Mountain for the second year in a row. Magic Mountain also kept its No. 1 position in the Most Challenging in the Northeast and North America categories, with customers saying that it is a “hidden treasure” that boasts an “old school vibe” with “people who genuinely care,” offering a “massive variety of trails” for “true, untouched skiing” and “terrain you can grow with.”
Magic Mountain ski; image courtesy of Liftopia
Coming in second is Utah’s Alta, a “big playground” because of its “laid-back feel” limited to “skiers only” with Utah’s famous “light and feather-like snow” there’s “always fresh powder somewhere,” along with “incredible terrain” that “makes everyone happy.” Additional winners in the Overall Best in Snow category across North America are No. 3 Mad River Glen, Vermont; No. 4 Snowbird, Utah; No. 5 Arapahoe Basin, Colorado; No. 6 Powder Mountain, Utah; No. 7 Jay Peak, Vermont; No. 8 Mount Bohemia, Michigan; No. 9 Jackson Hole, Wyoming; and No. 10 Bald Mountain, Idaho.
Best in Snow by Region is a new category, with accolades for Best in Snow going to Revelstoke Mountain Resort in British Columbia, Canada for West Coast (which also won for Most Challenging for West Coast); Alta in Utah for High West; Canaan Valley in West Virginia for Southeast; and Mount Bohemia in Michigan for Midwest.
The top 10 winners in each category are ranked by region, with select category winners including:
- Best Snow Consistency and Quality: Bretton Woods, New Hampshire won for Northeast; Anthony Lakes, Oregon for West Coast; Alta for High West; Canaan Valley for Southeast and Cascade Mountain, Wisconsin for Midwest.
- Most Challenging Ski Area: Jackson Hole kept top spot in High West for the second year.
- Beginner-Friendly Ski Area: Bretton Woods kept its position as most beginner-friendly in North America.
- Most Family-Friendly Ski Area in North America: Titus Mountain, New York, made it debut at No. 1 on the rankings.
- Beginner Friendly, Family Friendly and Best Value: Bald Mountain, Idaho, swept three categories as winner in the High West region.
- Least Crowded: This category was carefully calculated using data from visits, skiable acreage, lift capacity and voter feedback, with winners including Snow Ridge, New York, in the Northeast; Yosemite Ski & Snowboard Area, California, for West Coast; Soldier Mountain, Idaho, for High West and Canaan Valley for Southeast.