Top 10 Ski Resorts In United States

By Zoran Krstin, http://www.travelsito.com/

To help you pick a ski resort for your next winter trip in United States, we looked to pro skiers, snowboarders and ski industry experts for their recommendations of the top ski resorts to visit in United States in 2015/2016. These top skiing resorts have everything you need for your ski vacation: plenty of snow, great terrains, gorgeous scenery, fine accommodation, excellent ski schools and offer great variety of winter activities.

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort

(Photo: jacksonhole.com)

Located in Teton Village, Wyoming, just south of the Grand Teton National Park, Jackson Hole is home to some of the most hair-raising slopes in United States. The resort is notorious for steep terrain and amazing scenery, the perfect stomping grounds to many of the world’s best freeskiers. The ski area receives an average of 450 inches of snowfall each year and boasts a vertical of more than 4,000 feet.

Alta

(Photo: Alta.com)

Located southeast of Salt Lake City, Alta Ski Resort is one of the oldest ski resorts in America (opened back in 1939) and has a high altitude with a base elevation of 8,530 ft. Whatever your ability, Alta Ski Resort has skiing terrain for you. Deep powder snow, soft groomers and gorgeous scenery help to create a memorable skiing experience. While known for expert powder slopes, Alta also has great beginner and intermediate terrain.

Snowbird

(Photo: snowbird.com)

Snowbird, Utah, a four-season resort located up Little Cottonwood Canyon, just 6 miles east of Salt Lake City, Utah. All of Snowbird’s 3,240-foot vertical can be conquered in one lift ride via the resort’s aerial tram. This is the place where snow, luxury and terrain come together in a balance nearly unmatched anywhere else.

Vail

(Photo: vail.com)

Vail is the ultimate Colorado ski resort. Its base elevation is modest for Colorado standards, at 8,120 feet, but that keeps oxygen a little plentiful for skiers pouring in from elsewhere. Vail Ski Resort is home to seven legendary back bowls spanning seven miles across the backside of the resort. The resort has great terrain options, excellent ski schools, and a large assortment of shopping and dining options.

Telluride Ski Resort

(Photo: tellurideskiresort.com)

Telluride Ski Resort is a ski resort located in Mountain Village, Colorado right next to the Town of Telluride. Mountain Village, which is effectively mid-mountain at Telluride, is at 9,545 feet, and the highest lift takes skiers to an elevation of 12,255 feet. All that altitude keeps snow cold and dry, fighting warming events well into mid-spring months. Averaging more than 300 inches of snow annually to match its 300 days of sunshine each year; Telluride is a Colorado ski bucket list classic.

Alyeska Resort

(Photo: alyeskaresort.com)

Alyeska Resort is a ski resort in Girdwood, Alaska, some 27 miles from the city of Anchorage. Mount Alyeska is part of the Chugach mountain range and the Alyeska Resort is the largest ski area in the state. Alyeska Resort has built its reputation on steep terrain and deep snowpack, as the resort receives 650 inches of snow at the summit annually and offers 1,610 acres of accessible terrain.

Aspen Snowmass

(Photo: aspensnowmass.com)

Aspen Snowmass is a winter resort complex located in Pitkin County in western Colorado in the United States. Anywhere else, this would be considered four separate vacations, but not in Aspen, where skiers will find more than 5,300 acres of terrain between Snowmass, Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk.

Grand Targhee

(Photo: grandtarghee.com)

Grand Targhee runs a cat skiing operation out its backdoor, which gives skiers access to over 600 acres of terrain that’s often untracked powder. Riders get an average of 12,000 to 15,000 vertical feet per day, with 2,000 vertical feet per run. The resort offers a long list winter activities including snowshoeing and fat biking.

Park City Mountain Resort

(Photo: parkcitymountain.com)

Park City Mountain Resort is a ski resort in the western United States in Park City, Utah, United States. Park City offers top ranked ski and snowboard facilities, with 7300 acres of terrain. During summer of 2015, the resort undertook the largest resort improvement project in the history of American skiing, linking it with neighbor Canyons Resort to create the United States’ largest ski area. 

Taos Ski Valley

(Photo: skitaos.org)

Taos Ski Valley is located in the Sangre De Cristo Mountains in Northern New Mexico,United States. The resort grants access to nearly 1,300 acres of skiable terrain and receives an average 300 inches of snowfall annually. The ski area has a great mix of terrain providing trails for all ability types and is home to one of the country’s highest rated ski schools.

10 Of The Best Destinations For Eco-Travel

With the World Responsible Tourism Awards in their 11th year, leading ethical agent Responsible Travel rounds up 10 award-winning destinations.

These go-to spots will not only give you the holiday of a lifetime, but where your travels will also make a real, positive difference to local people and conservation efforts. Here are our top 10 best destinations for eco-travel.

10. The Lake District National Park, UK

Jaw dropping scenery, crystal lakes and enough outdoor activities to keep adventurers of all ages happy, the Lake District National Park offers a real retreat into nature. And with so many of its tourism businesses partnering with conservation organisations, a stay here really does contribute to keeping the Lakes as beautiful as they are now, for years to come.

9. Aspen, Colorado, USA

Leading the field in environmentally-friendly skiing, this mountain resort has a whole host of green accolades to its name. Be stunned by its towering mountains and summer hiking trails, and in winter know that the snow here is about as green as it gets.

8. St Kilda, Outer Hebrides, UK

Isolated St Kilda, in the remotest part of Scotland’s Outer Hebrides may not be the top of everyone’s travel bucket list, but these tiny islands are the UK’s only Dual UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognised for both its natural and unique cultural significance. This 7 day wildlife cruise costs £1390 per person and will get you up close and personal with the islands’ sea-birds and marine life. http://www.responsibletravel.com/holiday/15754/st-kilda-wildlife-cruise-in-scotland

7. Tobago

A world away from the all inclusive resorts, feel the rhythm of the real Caribbean in Tobago. And nowhere else in the Caribbean offers such a diversity of wildlife and habitats in such a compact area.  Try this 16 day nature tour for forest forays, snorkelling, turtles and birdlife, from £2,095 including flights.http://www.responsibletravel.com/holiday/6833/trinidad-and-tobago-nature-tours

6. The New Forest National Park, UK 

Tucked away on the South Coast of the UK, this family friendly area of 900 year old woodland, walking trails, quaint villages and ubiquitous New Forest ponies won the award for Best Destination in the 2007 World Responsible Tourism Awards. Excellent bus connections and gentle cycling routes makes it easy to go car-free. http://www.responsibletravel.com/holidays/new-forest

5. Cape Town, South Africa

Vibrant and diverse, South Africa’s culture is often an afterthought to its animals. Cape Town offers a unique, complex combination of history and modernity, culture and scenery as well as innovative, informative township tourism projects. Find a holiday which immerses you in this cultural melting pot at http://www.responsibletravel.com/holidays/south-africa.

4. The North York Moors, UK

Conjuring up images of wild, remote landscapes and atmospheric adaptations of Bronte novels, Winner of the best Protected Area in 2004, the North York Moors are a spectacular mixture of coastline, open moorland and quaint, Georgian spa towns. Take the waters in Harrogate, or take to two wheels to explore the open, heather-filled expanses.

3. Roros, Norway

Take a step back in time in this unique former mining town and UNESCO World Heritage Site, which has been using tourism to preserve local heritage for over 85 years. Come here for culture and wilderness, cycling, hiking and canoeing in summer, and snowshoeing, husky-sledding and to see traditional reindeer herders in winter.

2. New Zealand

Overall winner of the World Responsible Tourism Awards 2008 for its nationwide efforts to use tourism to make better places to live and visit, New Zealand is an adrenalin-fuelled outdoor playground. Mountains, trimmed by glaciers roll into staggering coastlines and lush forests offer walking and hiking trails galore. Try this 3 week taste of active adventuring including hiking, glacier walking and jet boating from £5,999 per person including flights. http://www.responsibletravel.com/holiday/10908/new-zealand-adventure-holiday

1. Bonito, Brazil

This wonderland of caves, crystal clear water, mountains and forests is little known outside Brazil, but has an enterprising and innovative approach to sustainable tourism which won it the Best Destination in the 2013 World Responsible Tourism Awards. So while you are snorkelling through its kaleidoscopic caverns, and marvelling at its wildlife, you’ll also be helping protect them for generations to come.http://www.responsibletravel.com/holidays/brazil

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Travelore Tips: 10 Recommended Must See & Do's In January

A club marching in the Mummers Parade in Philadelphia (Photograph by iriskh, Flickr)

There are some amazing events on tap all over the world, all the time. Here’s a taste of what you can see and do in January:

• Celebrate the coming of a new year and the oldest folk festival in the U.S. at the Philadelphia Mummers Parade (January 1). Local clubs take to the streets to compete in one of four categories: comics, fancies, string bands, and fancy brigades in the City of Brotherly Love’s take on a British Isles tradition.
• Ring in a second new year at Cape Town‘s longest-running street party, the Cape Minstrel Carnival (January 2). The annual festival features music and dance, and culminates with a parade of colorfully garbed minstrels.
• You don’t have to be an Aussie to commemorate Australia Day (January 26) in Sydney Harbour. Join in on a group swim, watch the parade of ships sail by with flags flying in the 178th Australia Day regatta, and more at this family-friendly event–at an even friendlier price (free). 
  

  Australia Day celebrations in Sydney Harbour (Photograph by Phillie Casablanca, Flickr)
• Experience winter, French-Canadian style at the Carnaval de Quebec (January 31-February 16), the largest winter carnival in the world. Snow sculptures, a parade, and dogsled races are only a fraction of the fun you can expect during this truly bucket-list worthy event.
• If you’re looking for the ultimate après-ski extravaganza, toast the winter season at Wintersköl (January 9-12) in Aspen, Colorado. The four-day Nordic celebration, now in its 63rd year, includes a snow sculpture competition, live music, and fireworks.
• Feel the beat at Glasgow‘s annual folk, roots, and world music festival, Celtic Connections (January 16-February 2) as more than 2,000 artists come together to celebrate Celtic music and how it has found form in other cultures across the globe. 
• Witness the melding of traditions at the Ati-Atihan Festival (January 10-19), the “mother of all festivals in the Philippines.” Locals clothed in traditional tribal costumes vie for attention–and prizes–in a festive parade through the streets of Kalibo on Panay Island. The music and dancing seem to never end–in the best way possible.
  

  Australia Day celebration in Sydney Harbour (Photograph by Phillie Casablanca, Flickr)
• Every year, thousands of luminaries, ingenues, and cinephiles converge on Park City, Utah for ten days of movie magic at the Sundance Film Festival (January 16-26). Why not join them? With 200 independent film screenings across all genres there’s something for everyone. 
• Embrace cultural differences of all kinds and admire Pre-Columbian artistry at the annual Carnaval de Negros y Blancos (December 28-January 6) in Pasto, Colombia. But don’t wear white: Festival-goers mark the occasion with brightly colored face paint and talcum powder that seem to find their way onto everything and everyone in spraying distance. 
• It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a…kite! Train your gaze skyward during the Kite Festival Jaipur (January 14-16) as thousands of brightly colored kites hover over Rajasthan’s capital city. The festival, which coincides with the Hindu harvest festival, Makar Sankranti, features food and craft stalls, cultural performances, and special night displays of illuminated kites.
• Contributed by Intelligent Travel