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Ski Vacations - Top Ski Vacation Desinations

By Mike Doyle, About.com

Here is a selection of some of the best ski vacation destinations - these ski resorts will certainly make for a great ski vacation! Read on for information about these ski vacations, including information about each ski resort, what the resort has to offer, and ski vacation packages.

1. Aspen Snowmass

Scott Markewitz / Getty Images
Aspen Snowmass Ski Resort consists of four peaks - Snowmass, Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, and Buttermilk.

Snowmass Ski Resort has 90 ski trails and 23 lifts. With 3,121 acres, it is renowned for its' wide, groomed cruisers and its' uncrowded trails.

Aspen Mountain has 76 ski trails and 8 lifts. Aspen Mountain is an advanced skiers' paradise, with challenging glades and double-black diamond steeps that experts will love.

Aspen Highlands has 125 ski trails, served by 5 lifts. Aspen Highlands has something for everyone, wth intermediate cruisers, challenging expert terrain, and great views.

Buttermilk has 44 trails and 9 lifts, and is a great learning mountain, but has terrain that intermediates and experts will love, too.

2. Beaver Creek Ski Resort

Courtesy Beaver Creek
Beaver Creek Ski Resort is located in Vail, Colorado. Beaver Creek has 148 ski trails and 16 lifts. Beaver Creek's terrain is 19% beginner, 43% intermediate, and 38% advanced. With over 1800 acres of great skiing, Beaver Creek also offers two bowls, three terrain parks, and a half pipe. To top that off, Beaver Creek has special ski programs for families, children, adult skiers, adaptive skiers, and nordic skiers.

3. Breckenridge Ski Resort

Courtesy Breckenridge Ski Resort
Breckenridge is four peaks of Colorad's Ten-Mile range, offering skiers 2,350+ acres of skiing and 152 trails served by 29 lifts. With the highest chairlift in North America, Breckenridge's ski school offers students an epic mountain experience and an historic downtown - offering endless shopping, dining and nightlife.

4. Deer Valley Ski Resort

Copyright Mike Doyle
Deer Valley is located in Park City, Utah, with 91 ski trails, served by 21 lifts. Trails are Easier 15%, Intermediate 50%, and Expert 35%.

Deer Valley Ski Resort was rated the #1 ski resort in North America by the readers of SKI magazine in 2001 and 2005. Deer Valley Resort is also consistently ranked #1 in dining, guest service, and mountain grooming.

5. Killington Ski Resort

Courtesy Killington Resort
Killington Ski Resort is located in Killington, Vermont. The resort consists of seven mountains, and has 200 trails and 33 chair lifts. Killington has the longest ski season in eastern North America and provides optimal skiing for skiers of all levels. Lessons are available at the Perfect Turn Ski School.

Lodging is available at area condominiums, chalets, motels, inns, and hotels.

6. Lake Tahoe

Copyright Mike Doyle
Lake Tahoe is situated on the California/Nevada border and is home to seven ski resorts, including Heavenly, Kirkwood, Squaw Valley USA, Mt. Rose, Ski Tahoe, Northstar-at-Tahoe, Sierra-at-Tahoe, and Alpine Meadows.

7. Megeve, France

Copyright Mike Doyle
The expanse of the skiing at Megeve seems to just go on and on. You could pick up your lift ticket, strap on a backpack of clothes, ski, and hopscotch poma lifts, chairs, trams, and gondolas from one town to another.

8. Park City Mountain Resort

Copyright Park City Mountain Resort
Park City Mountain Resort is located in Park City, Utah with 100 trails served by 14 lifts. Park City has 3,300 acres of varied ski and snowboard terrain and is consistently ranked among the top ten mountain resorts in North America for its accessibility, terrain parks, and family programs.

Ski magazine recently named Park City Mountain Resort a top-five resort, for the second season in a row, in their 2006/07 reader's poll.

9. Squaw Valley USA

Copyright Jeff Engerbretson / Squaw Valley Ski Corp.
Squaw Valley USA is located in Olympic Valley, California, with over 170 ski trails served by 34 lifts. Squaw Valley USA became world-famous in 1960 as host to the VIII Winter Olympics. Offering 4,000 skiable acres spread across 6 peaks, 16 open bowls, 3 terrain parks, the most advanced lift network in the US and some of the deepest snow in the world, Squaw Valley USA is regarded as having the best lift accessed terrain in the world.

10. Steamboat Ski Resort

David Epperson / Getty Images
Steamboat Ski Resort is located in Steamboat, Colorado. Steamboat has 165 ski trails served by 20 lifts, and offers 2,965 acres of prime skiing. Steamboat's terrain is 14% Beginner, 42% Intermediate, and 44% Advanced. Steamboat is known for it's dry and fluffy "Champagne powder," which is measured to have 70% less moisture than your average snow and is certainly a pleasure to ski

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