Winter Sports

Often when folk think of snowsports in the USA, they think of Colorado. With its fresh mountain air and the highest mean altitude of any of the 50 states, the state boasts 26 fantastic ski and snowboard areas. Scenic Aspen sits high up on the central Rocky Mountain Range and offers challenging terrain and smart, plush resorts which attract guests from all over the globe. Also worth checking out are Vail to the West and Colorado Springs to the South.

Utah claims to have “the greatest snow on earth” in its state slogan, and there can’t be many better places to get involved in snowsports. Utah boasts a light champagne powder that covers the slopes every winter and, handily, 11 of the state’s 14 resorts are within an hour of Salt Lake City (host of the 2002 Winter Olympics - indeed, check out the US Olympic Park - it’s is open to the public) International Airport. Among the most popular resorts are Snowbird, Deer Valley and Powder Mountain. Park City is the resort in which many Olympic events took place and a great place to try something different: how about watching ski jumpers hone their technique or the ride of a lifetime on the comic bobsled or the steepest zipline in the world? We dare you!

Wisconsin is another state full of great places to don the skis or the board, with over 1,100km of groomed trails. Try Granite Peak in Wausau, Cascade Mountain between Madison and Wisconsin or Devil’s Head in Merrimac. In February, the Birkebeiner (or Birkie), North America’s largest cross country ski marathon heads to the state, while in January Eagle River, snowmobile capital of the world, plays host to the World Championship Snowmobile Derby.

California, believe it or not, is not all beaches and jet-skiing. The Golden State is also a top destination for skiing and snowboarding, with world-class resorts at Mammoth Mountain, Bear Mountain and the 15 resorts dotted around Lake Tahoe.

There are also brilliant places to ski in Wyoming, including Jackson Hole Mountain resort, which was named the top ski resort in the USA by Forbes in 2013, ’14 and ’15 for its amazing tracks, lack of queues and abundant snow. Grand Targhee in Wyoming also consistently features high on that list.

Elsewhere, there’s great skiing all across the country - from Alyeska in Alaska to Vernon, New Jersey to Marquette Mountain in Michigan to Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico. Come enjoy all kinds of winter sports in all kinds of places right across the USA.