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By Sam Collentine, Meteorologist Posted 6 years ago December 7, 2017

Best Snow Ski Resorts in the United States

There's more than a few things that go into evaluating ski resorts' snow profiles. According to our friends at Zrankings, the evaluation includes True Annual Snowfall, Days with 6+ inches, and the Terrain Orientation, among others. 

Below is the breakdown of the Best Snow Ski Resorts in the United States, with all ski resort information courtesy of Zrankings.

Featured Photos: Resort Facebook Pages


Alta, Utah

True Annual Snowfall: 519 inches

Days w/ 6+ inches: 22.2%

Months w/ 90+ inches: 51%

Terrain Orientation 

North-facing: 53%

East-facing: 17%

West-facing: 29%

South-facing: 1%

Total Snow Score w/ Preservation: 100.0

Ski Pass: Mountain Collective

Snow Forecast & Report: Alta

Daily Snow: Utah


Snowbird, Utah

True Annual Snowfall: 466 inches

Days w/ 6+ inches: 18.9%

Months w/ 90+ inches: 40%

Terrain Orientation

North-facing: 50%

East-facing: 16%

West-facing: 21%

South-facing: 13%

Total Snow Score w/ Preservation: 94.7

Ski Pass: Mountain Collective

Snow Forecast & Report: Snowbird

Daily Snow: Utah


Grand Targhee, Wyoming

True Annual Snowfall: 465 inches

Days w/ 6+ inches: 20.3%

Months w/ 90+ inches: 42%

Terrain Orientation

North-facing: 20%

East-facing: 0%

West-facing: 60%

South-facing: 20%

Total Snow Score w/ Preservation: 91.7

Ski Pass: N/A

Snow Forecast & Report: Grand Targhee

Daily Snow: Grand Targhee


Brighton, Utah

True Annual Snowfall: 431 inches

Days w/ 6+ inches: 18.5%

Months w/ 90+ inches: 36%

Terrain Orientation

North-facing: 43%

East-facing: 15%

West-facing: 32%

South-facing: 10%

Total Snow Score w/ Preservation: 86.9

Ski Pass:  M.A.X. Pass

Snow Forecast & Report: Brighton

Daily Snow: Utah


Wolf Creek, Colorado

True Annual Snowfall: 392 inches

Days w/ 6+ inches: 15.8%

Months w/ 90+ inches: 28%

Terrain Orientation

North-facing: 65%

East-facing: 35%

West-facing: 0%

South-facing: 0%

Total Snow Score w/ Preservation: 86.3

Ski Pass: N/A

Snow Forecast & Report: Wolf Creek

Daily Snow: Colorado


Solitude, Utah

True Annual Snowfall: 400 inches

Days w/ 6+ inches: 16.9%

Months w/ 90+ inches: 28%

Terrain Orientation

North-facing: 55%

East-facing: 27%

West-facing: 15%

South-facing: 3%

Total Snow Score w/ Preservation: 84.6

Ski Pass: M.A.X. Pass

Snow Forecast & Report: Solitude

Daily Snow: Utah


Mt. Baker, Washington

True Annual Snowfall: 648 inches

Days w/ 6+ inches: 29.1%

Months w/ 90+ inches: 66%

Terrain Orientation

North-facing: 50%

East-facing: 25%

West-facing: 25%

South-facing: 0%

Total Snow Score w/ Preservation: 83.9%

Ski Pass: N/A

Snow Forecast & Report:  Mt. Baker

Daily Snow: Northwest


Alyeska, Alaska

True Annual Snowfall: 494 inches

Days w/ 6+ inches: 22.8%

Months w/ 90+ inches: 51%

Terrain Orientation

North-facing: 35%

East-facing: 0%

West-facing: 40%

South-facing: 25%

Total Snow Score w/ Preservation: 82.8

Ski Pass: Rocky Mountain Super Pass

Snow Forecast & Report: Alyeska

Daily Snow: N/A


Kirkwood, California

True Annual Snowfall: 463 inches

Days w/ 6+ inches: 21.7%

Months w/ 90+ inches: 46%

Terrain Orientation

North-facing: 65%

East-facing: 25%

West-facing: 10%

South-facing: 0%

Total Snow Score w/ Preservation: 82.5

Ski Pass: Epic Pass

Snow Forecast & Report: Kirkwood

Daily Snow: Tahoe


Winter Park, Colorado

True Annual Snowfall: 348 inches

Days w/ 6+ inches: 13.4%

Months w/ 90+ inches: 10.6%

Terrain Orientation

North-facing: 50%

East-facing: 10%

West-facing: 38%

South-facing: 2%

Total Snow Score w/ Preservation: 81.9

Ski Pass: Rocky Mountain Super Pass

Snow Forecast & Report: Winter Park

Daily Snow: Colorado


Visit Zrankings.com to see the full list of 'Best Snow' for North America. 

Sign up for an OpenSnow account to follow your favorite mountains and never miss another powder day with our forecast & snow alerts. 

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About The Author

Sam Collentine

Meteorologist

Sam Collentine is the Chief Operating Officer of OpenSnow and lives in Basalt, Colorado. Before joining OpenSnow, he studied Atmospheric Science at the University of Colorado, spent time at Channel 7 News in Denver, and at the National Weather Service in Boulder.

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