Aspen Skiing Company mountains dominate Conde Nast Traveler’s reader’s choice rankings of North American ski resorts for 2023, led by Snowmass, which received top honors in the annual voting. Aspen Mountain was voted fifth and Aspen Highlands was 14th.
Telluride was the only other Colorado resort in the top 15, ranking 11th. Eight other Colorado resorts placed in the top 40.
The five Colorado resorts owned by Vail Resorts all placed in the top 30. Breckenridge was 17th, Beaver Creek 18th, Vail 20th, Crested Butte 22nd and Keystone 27th. Other Colorado resorts placing in the top 40 include Steamboat (32), Winter Park (35) and Purgatory (38).
Last year, Snowmass placed second behind Whistler-Blackcomb, a resort in British Columbia, and Aspen was third. Breckenridge was 12th.
Of Snowmass, Conde Nast wrote:
“The most expansive of Aspen Snowmass’s four mountains also has the most lift-served vertical feet of terrain in the U.S., with a 4,406-foot elevation drop and enough variation to make it an all-around hit with families. Investments in the Snowmass Base Village have turned it into a social hub complete with an ice-skating rink and great dining venues. On-mountain dining options rival what you’d find in Europe.”
Noting that Aspen Mountain is only one fourth the size of Snowmass, Conde Nast observed that those who know their way around it say it skis like a much bigger mountain.
“And the new Hero’s terrain expansion — the first significant addition to Aspen Mountain since the opening of the Silver Queen Gondola in 1985 — increases Aspen Mountain’s skiable acreage by more than 20 percent,” Conde Nast said. “A new, high-speed quad chairlift will access the more than 150 acres of challenging new runs.”
