Forbes Magazine recently ranked the top 20 ski resorts in the USA for 2014. They use an “algorithm” they call the Pure Awesomeness Factor (PAF). Here’s how they break it down:
“This year’s rankings: We spent a good deal of the summer greatly widening the data set we use to inform the PAF calculations. Our improved database includes more than 30 categories of data for 182 U.S. resorts. It was a long summer of toil, but we’re now prepared to release this emission of awesomeness to the world. Even better, in addition to the top 10 listed here, the entire rankings set—182 resorts worth of data, and rankings for regions, snow, expert mountains, family mountains and travel ease—now resides at ZRankings.com, the most comprehensive ski rankings site on the web.
We’re more confident than ever that the Forbes Top 10 U.S. Ski Resort List is the best one in the industry.” – Forbes
TOP 20 SKI RESORTS in the USA for 2014:
| Resort | Snowfall | Acreage | Vertical Drop | Summit Elevation | Lifts | PAF Score | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jackson Hole WY |
475 in | 2500 acres | 4139 ft | 10450 ft | 12 | 94.6 | more |
| 2 | Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort UT |
500 in | 2500 acres | 3240 ft | 11000 ft | 11 | 92.8 | more |
| 3 | Alta Ski Area UT |
500 in | 2200 acres | 2020 ft | 10550 ft | 11 | 88.6 | more |
| 4 | Alyeska Resort AK |
650 in | 1500 acres | 3689 ft | 3939 ft | 9 | 86.4 | more |
| 5 | Squaw Valley CA |
450 in | 3600 acres | 2850 ft | 9050 ft | 30 | 86.2 | more |
| 6 | Vail Ski Resort CO |
348 in | 5289 acres | 3450 ft | 11570 ft | 31 | 86.1 | more |
| 7 | Mammoth CA |
400 in | 3500 acres | 3100 ft | 11053 ft | 14 | 84.5 | more |
| 8 | Grand Targhee WY |
500 in | 3000 acres | 2592 ft | 10000 ft | 5 | 83.8 | more |
| 9 | Telluride Ski Resort CO |
300 in | 2000 acres | 3845 ft | 13150 ft | 18 | 82.1 | more |
| 10 | Solitude Mountain Resort UT |
500 in | 1200 acres | 2047 ft | 10035 ft | 8 | 81.7 | more |
| 11 | Beaver Creek Resort CO |
310 in | 1815 acres | 3340 ft | 11440 ft | 25 | 81.6 | more |
| 12 | Big Sky Resort MT |
400 in | 3832 acres | 4350 ft | 11166 ft | 21 | 80.0 | more |
| 13 | Brighton Ski Resort UT |
500 in | 1050 acres | 1750 ft | 10500 ft | 6 | 79.8 | more |
| 14 | Aspen Mountain – Ajax CO |
300 in | 675 acres | 3267 ft | 11212 ft | 8 | 79.7 | more |
| 15 | Snowmass Ski Resort CO |
300 in | 3132 acres | 4406 ft | 12510 ft | 20 | 79.4 | more |
| 16 | Arapahoe Basin Ski Area CO |
350 in | 900 acres | 2270 ft | 13050 ft | 7 | 79.2 | more |
| 17 | Breckenridge Ski Resort CO |
366 in | 2358 acres | 3398 ft | 12998 ft | 31 | 79.2 | more |
| 18 | Canyons Resort UT |
355 in | 4000 acres | 3190 ft | 9990 ft | 19 | 79.1 | more |
| 19 | Kirkwood CA |
600 in | 2300 acres | 2000 ft | 9800 ft | 14 | 79.1 | more |
| 20 | Park City Mountain Resort UT |
370 in | 3300 acres | 3100 ft | 10000 ft | 16 | 78.9 | more |