The ski resorts in the USA at a glance

Beautiful lighting at the Powder Mountain Resort in Utah – it is the second largest ski area in the USA. Photo: Paul Bundy / Powder Mountain Resort / dpa-tmn

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An unusual front runner

Surprisingly, neither Colorado nor California have the most ski resorts in the United States, even if the most famous locations are there. Utah, with some of the largest resorts and its dry powder snow, is also at the lower end with 14 areas.

the state of New York is actually ahead – with 51 territories. Michigan on the border with Canada has 40, Wisconsin and Colorado each have 31.

In total, winter sports enthusiasts can hit the slopes in 470 areas and resorts in the USA – some of them are even in the southern states of Alabama, Missouri and Tennessee.

Take advantage of the ski pass advantages

In addition to New York and the Rockies, New England is a good starting point for skiers. Territories are in all six states: Massachusetts (13), Connecticut (5), Rhode Island (1), Vermont (23), New Hampshire (30) and Maine (18). It is interesting to know who owns the ski areas. Because sometimes the ski pass is not only valid for the area in which you buy it, but also in other resorts of the operator. It is also always worth taking a look at the website of the ski area to take discounts with you, because ski passes in the USA are significantly more expensive than in the ski areas in the Alps.

in Idaho, raised by businessman and politician W. Averell Harriman in the late 1930s. In addition to being beginner-friendly, Dollar Mountain was also the first mountain to have chairlifts installed.

Lots of snow and frequent weather changes

The ski areas in the USA are not always particularly high, especially on the east coast. In Arctic Alaska, you can even drive down to almost sea level. However, many areas are experiencing immense snowfall. The front runner is Mount Baker in Washington State, which has an average of 16.8 meters of snow per year. Further inland, however, in Colorado or Utah, the snow is drier and therefore more pleasant to drive.

In general, the US ski areas are exposed to different weather phenomena than their European counterparts. There are only two large mountain ranges, the Rocky Mountains in the west and the Appalachians in the east. Both run from north to south. Only a small ridge in the state of Utah, the Uinta Mountains near Salt Lake City, runs in an east-west direction. The temperatures also change faster. While it rains one day, the weather can change in a very short time and it snows through for days.

The giants of Utah

in Utah, since the Park City Mountain and Canyons areas were connected with a lift several years ago. The huge area is around 2100 meters above sea level, the air is thin and cold all winter long. The highest point in the ski area is 3,056 meters.

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Ski fun from Alaska to Hawaii

The northernmost ski area is in the largest state. At the beginning of the 1960s, Chris von Imhof from Garmisch-Partenkirchen came to Alaska, what he called a “developing country for winter sports”. There was a chair lift and a kind of hut, nothing else.

, from which one has a wonderful view of the Cook Inlet, the North Pacific and the mountains and glaciers, has been continuously developed – as has the hotel, whose boss Imhof for many years. Today it is the largest winter sports area in Alaska, with 76 runs and lots of acres of backcountry.

Probably the most exotic way to glide over snow in the USA is in the youngest state, Hawaii. However, there is no infrastructure on the extinct Mauna Kea volcano on the Big Island.

You need a four-wheel drive to get to the top at 4207 meters. You should also be a good skier or snowboarder, because on the White Mountain – so the translation – the conditions can change quickly. In the winter half-year the temperatures are between minus and plus four degrees, but the often strong wind also causes cold ears on the tropical island. And for good snow.

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210208-99-354468 / 2 (dpa / tmn)

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