10 Best Ski Resorts

Here´s a list of the 10 best ski resorts in the world. Choosing where to ski can get tough if you are not geographically limited. A wide variety of types of slope, infrastructure, snow qualities and quantities and cultural elements define places not to miss in the five continents.

1. Whistler Blackcomb, BC, Canada. With an added surface of 4,757 skiable acres and a maximum drop of 5,135 ft, Whistler Blackcomb is the biggest ski resort in North America. If you add that the village has been designed and built specially for receiving and treating skiers, you get the best skiing experience in the continent. Even though during the 2010 Winter Olympics the resort had really poor snow conditions, it´s regularly one of the places that gets the most snow.
2. Las Leñas, Mendoza, Argentina. Just one hour and a half flight from Buenos Aires to Mendoza, plus another couple of hours on the road will get you to this awesome place. Most of the terrain is for experts, and there´s a lot to do in the back country. Just don´t mess with the Andes. Hire a guid will be less expensive than paying for a rescue chopper. Anyways, the most extreme resort in the world would be worth the money.
3. Vail, Colorado. The luxury ski capital of America, and one of the great mountains of the world. Outstanding views of the heart of the Rockies, with the added of the most advanced lift technology and a guest service second to none position Vail amongst the big guys in the industry.
4. Cortina D´Ampezzo, Italy. You can´t die without having skied the legendary Ski World Cup Course in Cortina. This resort in the heights of the Dolomites is home to some of the most prominent Italian skiers.
5. Chamonix-Mont Blanc. Right below the amazing Mont Blanc lies this Resort, that offers the usual and picturesque European style, blended with some of the most amazing downhill runs in the continent. It´s definitively not just the views, but also the history (the first Winter Olympics were celebrated here in 1924) that make this place special.
6. Portillo, Chile. High on the west face of the central Andes, Portillo offers the driest and most wonderful snow in all Chile, with the addition of a very proficient lodging structure and the world renowned ski school instructors, most of whom do the back to back season.
7. Aspen, Colorado. It´s not only the X-Games, or the rich and famous, or the great mountains or the latest generation lifts, or the high end lodging. It´s the perfect blend of those elements that put this resort on the list.
8. Heavenly Mountain, Lake Tahoe, California. Being so close to San Diego, this resort offers great skiing at a short distance. Hassle free travelling most of the season, getting to the slopes is as easy as it gets, and the mountain offers a wide variety of runs for all skiing levels.
9. Lake Louis Mountain Resort, Alberta, Canada. High on the Canadian Rockies, Lake Louise offers more than 4,000 acres for skiing in mostly difficult terrain, but also some intermediate and easy runs to hold the whole family. Just a couple of hours drive from Calgary will take you to this Resort that has all the structure to receive world class tourism; budget conscious skiers can find lodging and dining too.
10. Sunlight Mountain Resort, Glenwood Canyon, Colorado. Not as fancy or big as it´s famous neighbor Aspen, this tiny ski resort offers plain ski. A good reasonably price lodge with traditional mountain stews and rustic charm awaits skiers at the base, and the chance to spend the night at a cozy thin mattress barrack to be the first one up the hill in the morning.