Resorts for Skiers of Every Type

Crested Butte Mountain Resort

Colorado

Known for its steep, powder-packed, double-black-diamond terrain, Crested Butte Mountain Resort has been attracting adrenaline seekers for years.

It boasts the most lift-served extreme terrain in North America — 542 acres marked by vertical drops and rocky outcroppings. It was the first in the United States to host an extreme skiing contest and is celebrating 20 years of competition this season with the national Extreme Freeskiing Championship in February, where elite skiers will charge down steeps with pitches from 35 to 45 degrees.

The resort's North Face Guides tour ($90 to $125) offers an introduction to the most challenging terrain.

Information: Skicb.com

Red Mountain Resort

British Columbia

Western Canada's oldest ski resort, Red has two mountains with more than 1,685 skiable acres and 2,919 feet of vertical terrain.

Its "ski/snowboard anywhere" policy offers visitors access to five backcountry peaks at their own risk.

Heli-skiing is also an option. New this year: overnight backcountry tours for 399 Canadian dollars (about the same in U.S. dollars) a person based on a group of six. Visitors hike to a heated yurt then ski down ungroomed terrain the next morning.

Information: Redresort.com

Silverton Mountain

Colorado

Silverton is for advanced skiers and snowboarders only.

There are no groomed runs, no clear-cut trails, and skiers must be equipped with a beacon, shovel and probe in case of an avalanche. A two-person chairlift takes visitors from the 10,400-foot base to a 12,300-foot drop-off point from which they can get to black-diamond runs or hike higher up to open bowls and steep chutes.

From mid-January to March, guided skiing is offered to small groups. If you can't keep up, you may be asked "to sit out the rest of the day (without refund)," according to the Web site. Another option: helicopter drops for $159 per run (plus a lift ticket).

Information: Silvertonmountain.com

Northstar-at-Tahoe

California

Northstar takes the bunny hill concept to a new level with two Adventure Parks designed specifically for kids.

There are miniature bumps, jumps and slides, an ice skating rink, tubing hill and bungy trampoline, and the resort's mascot, Marty the Martian, can frequently be found in the area. In addition to children's lessons, there are Mommy, Daddy and Me classes for parents who want to see their 3-year-old make her first turn on skis.

All children's single-day lift tickets ($39) are valid for two out of three consecutive days. One-bedroom accommodations at the Big Horn lodge at the base of the resort start at $229 a night. Cheaper accommodations are within walking distance or a shuttle drive away.

Information: NorthstarAtTahoe.com

Smuggler's Notch

Vermont

Voted No. 1 for family programs for 12 years by Ski Magazine, Smugglers' has a 5,400-square-foot child care facility, Treasures, which accepts babies as young as 6 weeks old and features radiant floor heating, giant fish tanks, ski-in and ski-out convenience, and one-way mirror viewing for parents to check on their children.

There is also a FunZone with an arcade, bouncy house, a 22-foot double-lane slide, 45-foot obstacle course, and after-hours programs for teenagers.

New this season: a three-hour, eight-line zipline canopy tour, opening Dec. 20. Mountainside one-to-five-bedroom condominiums with kitchens accommodate large families.

Information: Smuggs.com

Steamboat Ski Resort

Colorado

Known for its Kids Ski Free program, where children 12 and under ski free when their parent or grandparent purchases five or more days of lift tickets, Steamboat has five lifts for children and a beginner teaching area with Magic Carpet lifts.

Children with more advanced skills can explore the entire mountain, including Rough Rider Basin, with tepees, a fort and a kids' terrain park.

All children enrolled in the ski and snowboard school wear a GPS device so they can easily be tracked. Private lessons for families are also offered.

Information: Steamboat.com

Aspen/Snowmass

Colorado

Long a playground for celebrities like Kate Hudson and Jack Nicholson, Aspen has the right mix of shopping, night life, culture, spas and noteworthy chefs to make for a great vacation whether you choose to ski or not.

Browse the upscale shops along Galena Street or enjoy the view at Cloud Nine Alpine Bistro on Aspen Highlands. Crave an alternative to ski culture? Check out a performance at the historic Wheeler Opera House.

Information: Aspensnowmass.com

Mont Tremblant Ski Resort

Quebec

With its French cafes and village-style atmosphere, Tremblant has a lot to offer nonskiers.

There are 48 boutiques, 38 restaurants, an ice-skating rink and a movie theater in the resort village at the base of the mountain alone. A short gondola ride away is Casino de Mont-Tremblant. And partiers can revel in the après-ski scene at bars like Le P'tit Caribou and Bar Café d'Époque.

Just off-site, visitors can go snowmobiling, ice climbing, snowshoeing, dogsledding, take a sleigh ride or spend the day warming up in thermal waters at the Scandinave Spa, a Nordic-themed spa.

Information: Tremblant.ca

Park City Mountain Resort

Utah

Park City itself offers three mountain resorts but the most accessible to downtown is the one with the city's name.

After you take the free shuttle to Main Street, where there are more than 100 restaurants and bars, boutiques, spas and galleries, your skiing friends can take the resort's Town Lift or ski directly from the slopes on runs that lead into town.

Spend the morning shopping and then watch your friends and family ski into town for lunch. Or head to Utah Olympic Park, used for the 2002 Winter Games, where it costs $200 to race down the bobsled track with a pilot; the less adventurous can watch athletes train. After dark, Utah's "Sin City" offers brew pubs and trendy clubs. If you're here in late January, you can catch a screening at the Sundance Film Festival.

Information: Pcski.com

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort

Wyoming

Luxury awaits at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in the heart of the Tetons.

The Four Seasons, a ski-in, ski-out resort at the foot of the slopes, has an $8,540 four-night Ticket to the Tetons package, which includes a three-day lift ticket for two, a ski guide and a pair of Igneous custom-built skis.

The Amangani, atop East Gros Ventre Butte, offers views of snow-capped peaks; Snake River Lodge, at the base of Jackson Hole in Teton Village, features a 17,000-square-foot spa; and Spring Creek Ranch, situated in a wildlife sanctuary, has $1,500-a-night mountain villas almost 1,000 feet above the town of Jackson.

Information: Jacksonhole.com.

Vail

Colorado

A major revitalization program, called the Vail Renaissance, is nearing completion this season, with the Ritz-Carlton Residences, Four Seasons, Arrabelle and Solaris among the latest luxury offerings.

At the new Four Seasons' 25-meter heated outdoor pool, staff members hand out heated towels and robes, and a 10,000-square-foot spa at the Arrabelle offers Vichy showers and treatments like the Hot Wine massage, scrub and facial ($295).

If luxury equals exclusivity, be the first to schuss down the slopes with Vail's First Tracks program (from $145 a person, plus lift tickets), which offers access in groups of 40 to the largest single-mountain ski resort in the United States an hour before the masses.

Information: Vail.com

Whistler Blackcomb

British Columbia

In the Upper Village at Whistler, the Fairmont Chateau Whistler has four slopeside hot tubs, and the Four Seasons shuttles guests around in Mercedes SUVs.

There are roughly 20 spas offering everything from mud wraps to milk baths.

Visitors can sample a four-course dinner across four high-end restaurants with Whistler Tasting Tours (140 Canadian dollars a person, when paired with British Columbian wines).

Information: Whistlerblackcomb.com