Top Ten Ski Resort Towns

Our favorite ski towns. A good ski town has to have accommodations, stores, restaurants, nightlife, pubs and character. A good mountain helps.

1) Telluride Colorado (US)

Great terrain, great town, great time! It still has the charm of an old Colorado mining town without the men in gruffy beards. They love dogs here.

2) Aspen Colorado (US)

Lots of shopping and very exclusive and unique stores. Fun town even if you don't ski. The shopping, restaurants and bars can keep one busy while the rest ski. Aspen has the architecture of an old Colorado mining town turned upscale with 5th avenue and Rodeo Drive blended in.

3) Saint Anton (Austria)

Its the Austrian ski village others try and emulate. Vail tries to emulate the character of the town but nothing beats authentic.

4) Stowe Vermont (US)

This town is too cute not to be in the top ten list. It is the quintessential cute New England ski town. It's cute both day and night.

5) Steamboat Springs Colorado (US)

Our favorite ski towns. Steamboat has a cowboy, western town feel.

See our review of Steamboat Springs CO for more.

6) Banff / Lake Louise Alberta (Canada)

Stay in Banff (great town) and ski in Lake Louise (better skiing than in Banff). Banff is larger than most ski towns thus offering more of everything, more shopping, more restaurants and more resources in general.

7) Whistler Mountain British Columbia (Canada)

Great night life, snow and mountain. I prefer to ski the Blackcomb side as it is more challenging and party on the Whistler side. Of the 2000 work visas Canada issues to Australians each year as a "Commonwealth exchange", over 1200 park themselves in Whistler to work the resort and party crazy at night.

See our review of Whistler-Blackcomb for more information.

8) Heavenly Valley California (US)

This resort is located in South Lake Tahoe which is located on the California-Nevada border. At night the casinos come alive.

9) Sun Valley Idaho (US)

While the Sun Valley resort has a recognizable name, few are familiar with the town of Ketchum Idaho. Many of the rich and famous who park themselves for parts of the winter like it that way. A complete ski town and mountain resort with all the terrain to make any skier happy.

10)Mammoth Mountain California (US)

This crowd travels from Los Angeles where it continues its beach party style and attitude. Check out the Yodler for "apres ski". The "Village" is a nice shopping, restaurant and bar district with gondola access to the mountain. The actual town of Mammoth Lakes provides more of the same.

See our review of Mammoth Mountain for more information.