Ski Magazine's Top 10 Resorts:
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Deer Valley, Utah
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Vail, Colo.
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Whistler/Blackcomb, Canada
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Snowmass, Colo.
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Park City, Utah
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Beaver Creek, Colo.
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Breckenridge, Colo.
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Aspen, Colo.
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Mammoth Mountain, Calif.
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Sun Valley, Idaho
Sun Valley Resort may have lost some of its glitter and prestige since it opened 70 years ago, but a recent survey suggests it is still among the most elite ski destinations in North America.
In the October issue of Ski magazine, released this month, Sun Valley was ranked 10th best in the West, placing it on a privileged Top 10 list that includes Vail, Aspen and Whistler/Blackcomb.
The Top 10 ranking came in the Colorado-based magazine's annual "Reader Resort Survey," which asks magazine readers to rate North America's ski resorts based on categories that include snow conditions, nightlife, grooming and terrain.
The new 2006 ranking for Sun Valley is two slots above last year's 12th place ranking. In the 2004 survey, the resort was ranked seventh.
In the survey, Sun Valley earned very high marks in several categories, including on-mountain food, service, regional dining, lifts, lodging, grooming and off-hill activities.
Sun Valley's four primary day lodges are called "awesome."
However, as in previous Ski magazine surveys, Sun Valley earned less-favorable marks for natural snow conditions and accessibility. Nonetheless, the Ski article praises Sun Valley's overall ski experience, citing excellent weather, superior snowmaking, a lack of lift lines and an abundance of long, cruiser ski runs.
"Old-school Sun Valley lets you ski like water flows," the article notes. "Runs like Canyon and Warm Springs lure you down, making you wish there wasn't a thing called lactic acid."
According to Ski, one reader called Sun Valley's Bald Mountain "the monarch of skiable mountains."
First in the reader survey was Deer Valley, Utah, a posh resort near Park City also praised for its grooming, food, lodging and weather.
Vail, Colo., with its vast 5,000-plus acres of ski terrain, slipped to second place, after being ranked first overall by Ski readers for two years in a row. Aspen, Colo., was ranked eighth and long-popular Whistler/Blackcomb, in British Columbia, placed third.
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Sun Valley's competitor in western Wyoming, was ranked 13th by Ski readers. It earned high marks for its challenging terrain and fine views but was criticized for plans to shut down its aging tram lift.
