Calling all powder hounds: The numbers are out, and the jury has decided — there’s one U.S. ski resort that tops the bill when it comes to snow surety this year, and it’s a vintage, well-established name in the world of American winter sports. Yep, there are lots of reasons why Colorado has the absolute best skiing in the country, but one rather large reason among them goes by the name of Vail.
Although locals love to hate the iconic resort town of Vail, the destination offers some of the best ski resorts in the world. In fact, Vail took the top spot on the latest Ski Resilience Index by Savills. What’s ski resilience, you ask? It’s a metric that reflects how well-suited particular ski destinations are to climate fluctuations, measuring everything from overall season length to the depth of snowfall across the whole winter, taking into account the place’s temperature and altitude.
Vail shot right to the top globally, placing it above France’s Les Trois Vallées, the largest ski area in the world, and the home of Val Thorens, and Zermatt, the enchanting ski town beneath the Matterhorn. While the final statistics showed that Vail’s season lasted less than half as long as Zermatt’s, the popular Colorado gem far outshone its Swiss compadre when it came to snowfall and snow reliability. That was enough to lift it into first place, a full three rankings ahead of the next U.S. ski town, Aspen.
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The enduring popularity of skiing in Vail
A sign on the side of a spa hotel in Vail, Colorado – Ryan J Long/Shutterstock
There’s a lot of love out there for Vail. The website Skiresort.info, which bills itself as “the world’s largest test portal for ski resorts,” lists it as the second-highest-rated ski field in the country. Although there are only about 5,300 permanent residents, the area sees around 2.8 million annual visitors! The resort is especially renowned for its advanced skiing terrain, which culminates in the so-called Back Bowls, a series of seven snow-filled valleys that Vail Mag has called the “snow-sports equivalent of Disney World.” They’re an off-piste odyssey through aspen glades and couloir-carved runs with names like Rasputin’s Revenge.
The truth is that Vail appeals to ski abilities across the spectrum, with almost half of all the runs within its 5,317 skiable acres being dedicated to beginners and intermediates. There is one common denominator, though — this is a place of luxury. The town is split into two sides: one is Lionshead Village, a smaller hub with direct access to the slopes, and the other is the classic Vail Village, where you’ll find traditional alpine vibes and a lively atmosphere. It’s one of those places in America that will make you feel like you’re in Europe, having been expressly established back in the 1960s to mimic the enchanting towns of the Austrian Tyrol.
There’s also not a car to be seen in the heart of the resort, as everything is enjoyably walkable or accessible via bus. The place really looks the part, too, with Bavarian-style facades lining the downtown streets. Oh, and there’s plenty of five-star pampering to be had — just check out the private ski lounges at the elegant Sonnenalp Hotel, a 112-room lodge that prides itself on its European hospitality.
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Read the original article on Islands.