Forbes Ranks Utah Resorts 'A' For Awesome

Forbes.com has an innovative ranking system for US ski resorts based on only one criteria: Pure Awesomeness Factor (PAF). The respected publication ranks 7 Utah ski resorts among the top 10 in the U.S.

Actually, in several instances Forbes grouped adjacent resorts together and gave the combination a single score. For example, Alta and Snowbird were ranked together because skiers move pretty freely between them.

Jackson Hole received the top ranking in the Forbes report (PAF = 98.5).

Alta/Snowbird was second (PAF = 97).

Other Utah resorts making the ranking include:

Park City, Deer Valley and The Canyons (PAF = 86):

Brighton/Solitude (PAF: 83)

See the full report here. Here are excerpts:

There’s nothing east of the Rockies on the list because no resort east of the Rockies has the snow or terrain to crack our awesomeness rankings–something that matters for both beginners and experts (soft western snow >> eastern ice). Not that there isn’t fun to be had in the East or even the Midwest. Ski wherever you can.

The terrain at Alta and Snowbird is the terrain against which all others are measured. Snowbird’s tram, which, like Jackson’s, also traverses from the base of the resort to the top, is the only lift that compares with the tram at Jackson Hole. The lift line for the Snowbird tram on a prime powder day can get ugly—one of the drawbacks of being on top of a greater metropolitan area of 2 million people.

The good news is that not all of those people ski and, even better, this place has a lot of powder days—it gets 600 inches a year—more than anywhere outside of Alaska. The snow is dependable and comes in a density that’s user friendly, like a stiff dollop of whipped milk on a cappuccino. If you’re going on a trip for three days or less, it’s hard to go anywhere but Utah. We can’t stress enough how awesome the skiing is here. If you haven’t been, just go.