Generally large coporate-owned ski resorts containing many on-site lodging options and high-speed chairlifts, which are located within a few hours drive from major metropolitan areas, particularly if they are close to a divided highway or interstate.
And its all about WHEN:
Saturdays are always the busiest. Sundays are typically much less crowded, particularly in the afternoons. Weekdays are always the least crowded, especially Tue-Thurs (as Fri and Mon are usually made into long weekends). School vacation weeks and holiday weekends are always more crowded than usual. (anytime they mountain is charging weekend/holiday rates)
Examples:
1. the ski resorts of Summit and Eagle Counties in Colorado, including Vail, Copper, Breckenridge, Keystone, and Winter Park.
2. New Hampshire mountains located off of 93 including Loon, Cannon, Waterville
3. VT resorts close to the metro areas of Boston, Hartford, NYC, and Montreal, including Killington, Mt Snow, Sugarbush, and Stowe.
Deer Valley, Utah is the most expensive ski resort in the US. A day pass is a pricey $86 and a season pass is $1,575 compared to only $599 at Vail.
Blue Mountain Resort is a ski resort located in Ontario, Canada, just northwest of Collingwood. With about 750'000 lift tickets sold it is the third-busiest ski resort in Canada.
the biggest ski resort in the us is big ski ski resort in Montana it is also the second biggest in north America
Snowmass, Colorado
Breckenridge
Angel Fire Resort is a ski resort located in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in New Mexico. This resort is one of the most favorable ski resorts in America. This resort is known for it's steep ski slopes.
Vail
The Canyons ski resort is one of the top 10 ski resorts in North America and is located in Park City, Utah. It is known to be the largest ski resort in Utah and has 4 thousand acres of terrain for skiing with 19 chairlifts.
Some highly rated ski resorts near Breckenridge are Breckenridge and Colorado ski resorts. The Breckenridge ski resort is considered to be one of the top 10 ski resort in North America.
Ski Brule is a ski resort located in Iron River, Michigan. It claims to the be the first resort to open and the last to close, and offers a wide range of events and activities as well as ski-ing.
Whistler boasts over the biggest vertical drop in North America and ski season that stretches from early November to late May. Construction on the first ski resort started in 1966.
Brighton Ski Resort was created in 1936.
Tiffindell Ski Resort was created in 1993.