Arapahoe Basin, Colorado is #5 on the Best In Snow List of Family Friendly Resorts in the High West. Photo: Arapahoe Basin.
When Liftopia announced their 2017 Best in Snow Awards in mid-December, I didn’t pay attention. I simply assumed it would be the usual cast of characters, fantastic resorts that many of us know and love.
Last week, when I finally checked the lists, I was shocked to discover I had not skied a single resort on the Overall Family Friendly Top 10 list.
Among the regional lists, I’d skied only a few, notching Buck Hill in the Midwest and Arapahoe Basin, Sunlight, Solitude and Powder Mountain in the High West.
Curious to see how many of these family resorts you’ve skied? Read on.
And then, if you’ve skied or snowboarded at any of them, please let us know if you agree with the rankings and what makes any one of these resorts especially family friendly.
2017 Best in Snow Overall Family Friendly Resorts
- #1 Titus Mountain, NY
- #2 Bald Mountain, ID
- #3 Magic Mountain, VT
- #4 Bretton Woods, NH
- #5 Yosemite Ski & Snowboard Area, CA
- #6 Bolton Valley, VT
- #7 Ragged Mountain, NH
- #8 Smugglers’ Notch, VT
- #9 Cascade Mountain, WI
- #10 Black Mountain Ski Area, NH
When you take a look at this list, a few things stand out.
- There is only one West Coast ski area on the list and it’s in a National Park.
- With the exception of Bald Mountain, Idaho, there are no Rocky Mountain resorts on this list. None.
- The list is heavily skewed toward New England.
Here’s how Liftopia came up with the winners.
They surveyed skiers and snowboarders, asking them to nominate their favorite resorts according to each resort’s strengths. Categories included Family Friendly, Beginner Friendly, Most Challenging, Least Crowded, Best Value, Snow Consistency and Quality and Overall Best.
Liftopia took these responses and added hard data: total skiable acres and lift ticket pricing. Then they applied a proprietary algorithm to negate the difference between large and small resorts and presto! out came a list of the winners.
It’s All About Value
Because larger resorts are not given an advantage just for being big or well-known, these awards emphasize value. The average cost of a one-day lift ticket for resorts on the Overall Family Friendly list is just $29.00 (available on Liftopia.com as of December 29, 2017)
Cynically, one might think that Liftopia skewed this list to sell more discounted lift tickets. Perhaps they did. Still, it’s a good reminder that skiing and snowboarding fun can be found across North America, at resorts small and large.
And most importantly, in direct contradiction to one of ski movie pioneer Warren Miller’s famous aphorisms, “the family that skis together, need NOT go broke together.”
Family skiing at Bretton Woods, NH. Photo: Omni Mountain Washington Resort
Family Friendly Resort Winners By Region
West Coast
- Yosemite Ski and Snowboard Area, CA
- June Mountain, CA
- Anthony Lakes, OR
- Tahoe Donner, CA
- Diamond Peak, NV
- Homewood, CA
- Snow Valley, CA
- Bear Valley, CA
- Boreal Mountain, CA
- Sun Peaks Resort, BC
Learning to ski at Snow Valley. Photo: Snow Valley, CA.
High West
- Bald Mountain, ID
- Eagle Point, UT
- Snowy Range, WY
- Solitude Mountain Resort, UT
- Arapahoe Basin, CO
- Powder Mountain, UT
- Sundance, UT
- Echo Mountain, CO
- Grand Targhee, WY
- Sunlight Mountain, CO
Lots of room for families to ride at Powder Mountain, UT. PowMow is one of the largest resorts in the U.S.
Midwest
- Cascade Mountain, WI
- Crystal Mountain, MI
- Caberfae Peaks, MI
- Shanty Creek Resorts, MI
- Buck Hill, MN
- Tyrol Basin, WI
- Treetops Resort, MI
- Sir Sam’s, ON
- Boyne Highlands, MI
- Lutsen Mountains, MN
A Twin Cities ski area where little ones learn to ski and can grow up to be Olympians. Buck Hill, Minnesota.
Southeast (only 9 winners in this region)
- Canaan Valley, WV
- Timberline Four Seasons Resort, WV
- The Omni Homestead Ski Resort, VA
- Snowshoe, WV
- Winterplace, WV
- Cataloochee, NC
- Wolf Ridge, NC
- Beech Mountain Resort, NC
- Wisp, MD
Cataloochee, North Carolina. Convenient, with a “community feel.” Photo: Cataloochee Ski Area.
Northeast
- Titus Mountain, NY
- Magic Mountain, VT
- Bretton Woods, NH
- Bolton Valley, VT
- Ragged Mountain, NH
- Smugglers’ Notch, VT
- Black Mountain Ski Area, NH
- Cranmore Mountain, NH
- Bromley Mountain, VT
- Jay Peak, VT
Share Your Opinions, Please!
We want to learn more about these resorts! If you have skied or snowboarded at any of them, please comment telling us whether you agree or disagree with the ranking and what you think makes each resort special for families.
Thanks!
Liftopia’s 2017 Best In Snow Awards include overall winners and regional winners in the categories of Family Friendly, Beginner Friendly, Most Challenging, Least Crowded, Best Value, Snow Consistency and Quality and Overall Best Resorts.
© 2018 – 2017, braveskimom. All rights reserved. Any use or publication of content, including photos, requires express permission.
I’m guessing that Liftopia’s survey is biased by which areas are their subscribers, or, they did not do their homework. The fact that not a single Montana area got into the beginner or family friendly or best value or best snow conditions categories can only mean they have never been there, or those areas are so old school they’re not using Liftopia. Montana has numerous gems in all these categories, best in class family ski areas. Pity.
Similar, only one Idaho ski area and one Oregon area, no Washington, in the 4 categories above?? Poor research IMHO.
Methinks folks surrounded by “ski resorts” aren’t aware that there are also numerous and authentic “ski areas” where people don’t go to stay in fancy condos and eat expensive foods and party in the head pounding bars, but instead just go skiing to have fun and hang out with their family and friends, & maybe have a beer after skiing in the likes of a “BierStube, T-Bar or Polar Bar”.
Liftopia, and by extension, the Brave Ski Mom, appears to have missed this aspect of skiing. Old school ski hills and ski areas, where I learned, where my kids learned, and where you can get fresh tracks the next day or even several days after the storm. I prefer them and I seek them out. They don’t have the largest acreage or longest vert, just good skiing. If you want to know more, please ask.
Thanks Mark! I appreciate the time you took to respond.
A couple of comments.
First, without a doubt Liftopia is in the business is selling lift tickets. I mention this in my article.
Second, I would hazard a guess that the bulk of the people Liftopia surveyed are their customers. As with any random survey, it will skew toward highly populated urban areas. Hence, lots of New England resorts are on the list.
Third, I grew up skiing and still ski at an under the radar Colorado resort, Powderhorn Mountain Resort. Being in the western slope, far from Denver, many fewer people in Colorado are familiar with it and don’t realize how great it is. I suspect not very many people are as familiar with smaller Montana ski areas as they are high-budget large resorts, even within Montana itself. BTW, have you read my article on Showdown Montana? https://braveskimom.com/family-skiing-traditions-montana-style
My purpose in sharing these lists stems from my utter surprise at how few famous resorts were listed. Whether or not Liftopia sells tickets to all of these ski areas (and they do not), these lists are heavily skewed toward “mom and pop” mountains. Precisely the type of experience you are endorsing.
Please leave specific suggestions for ski areas you believe should be on the list!
That would be very helpful and of interest.
Thanks again.
Kristen
Thanks for elevating this survey, it was under the radar for me. After reading the Family Friendly segment and the Methodology section I wrote the following email to Liftopia:
From your publication:
https://bestinsnow.liftopia.com/#/winners/north-america/family
“These are the ski areas that respondents said are the best for families. Participants considered quality of instructors; terrain variety; on- and off-slope activities, amenities and attractions; and cost of lift tickets, rentals and programs.”
I speculate that the 6 attribute areas were pre-selected by Liftopia as important aspects to measure ‘Family Friendly’. So my question to Liftopia is this: where is Safety?
It is notable that a quote (presumably from a respondent) for the #1 says; ““Titus is a great confidence builder! They keep safety first and have incredible snow conditions.”
Seems that respondent has Safety in mind.
I suggest that in future ‘Safety’ per se be among the attributes for respondents to consider. Most parents endorse Safety as the #1 most important. In my ski lessons delivered to families, we speak of Safety, Advancement and Fun. Parents always say safety is #1.
Respectfully
Randy White, retired ski Instructor.
I’ll keep you posted on replies.
Thanks Randy! Safety is always important!