Best Ski Resorts in Canada Winter 2009/10

With the better chunk of the ski season ahead of us and the holidays around the corner, we thought it only appropriate to investigate some of the best slopes in Canada and the United States of America. The resorts of the Great White North are up first.

Before we begin however, a note of caution for all you ski and snowboard bums: the criteria for what constitutes “best” is far from scientific, especially in this case. Our express goal was to compile a hodgepodge of ski resorts that vary from incredibly popular and well-marketed, with strong brand power, to somewhat under-the-radar and affordable mountain destinations.

As such, you dear reader, get a healthy mix in order to choose which kind of ski vacation will suit you best. Do you want a hip village and après-ski scene, awesome alpine scenery or a family-centric mountain resort that won’t bankrupt you in the process? Maybe you want it all. And maybe you can find it too, in our look at some of the best ski resorts in Canada.

Crabbe Mountain
Where: New Brunswick
Big city proximity: 50 km northwest of Fredericton, 551 km east of Quebec City
Top elevation: 404 m
Area: 0.35 square km
Runs: 22
Price of one-day adult lift ticket: $35.00
Price of nachos grande at Thirsty Boot Lounge: $9.95

Le Massif
Where: Quebec
Big city proximity: 70 km northeast of Quebec City
Top elevation: 806 m
Area: 1.6 square km
Runs: 49
Price of one-day adult lift ticket: $61.00
Price of maple crème brûlée at Mer et Monts Restaurant: $3.75

Mont Tremblant Ski Resort
Where: Laurentian Mountains, Quebec
Big city proximity: 130 km north of Montreal
Top elevation: 960 m
Area: 2.53 square km
Runs: 94
Price of one-day adult lift ticket: $70.35
Price of admission to Le Scandinave Spa (weekday): $43

Blue Mountain Ski Resort
Where: Niagara Escarpment, Ontario
Big city proximity: 160 km north of Toronto
Top elevation: 452 m
Area: 1.02 square km
Runs: 34
Price of one-day adult lift ticket: $57.00
Price of a dirty martini at Twist Martini & Tapas Lounge: $12.00

Lake Louise Mountain Resort
Where: Banff National Park, Alberta
Big city proximity: 152 km west of Calgary
Top elevation: 2,637 m
Area: 17 square km
Runs: 139
Price of one-day adult lift ticket: $75.95
Price of hot apple cider at Powderkeg Lounge: $2.75

Sunshine Village
Where: Banff National Park, Alberta
Big city proximity: 134 km west of Calgary
Top elevation: 2730 m
Area: 13.6 square km
Runs: 107
Price of one-day adult lift ticket: $75.95
Price of Hunter Fondue Dinner at The Banff Grizzly House: $52.95

Marmot Basin
Where: Jasper National Park, Alberta
Big city proximity: 384 km west of Edmonton
Top elevation: 2612 m
Area: 6.8 square km
Runs: 84
Price of one-day adult lift ticket: $72.38
Price of Deluxe Mountain Getaway package at Overlander Mountain Lodge: $455.00 per couple

Kicking Horse Mountain Resort
Where: British Columbia
Big city proximity: 263 km west of Calgary, 712 km northeast of Vancouver
Top elevation: 2450 m
Area: 11.04 square km
Runs: 106
Price of one-day adult lift ticket: $73.00
Price of a plate of buffalo ribs at Kicking Horse Grill: $23.50

Big White Ski Resort
Where: British Columbia
Big city proximity: 61 km east of Kelowna, 452 km east of Vancouver
Top elevation: 2319 m
Area: 11.33 square km
Runs: 118
Price of one-day adult lift ticket: $71.00
Price of a chicken wing at Snowshoe Sam’s on Wednesday nights: $0.35

Silver Star Mountain Resort
Where: British Columbia
Big city proximity: 25 km northeast of Vernon, 77.5 km north of Kelowna, 468 km northeast of Vancouver
Top elevation: 1915 m
Area: 12.4 square km
Runs: 115
Price of one-day adult lift ticket: $71.00
Price of a hot chocolate at The Bulldog Grand Café: $4

Whistler Blackcomb
Where: British Columbia
Big city proximity: 123 km north of Vancouver
Top elevation: 2182 m Whistler, 2240 m Blackcomb
Area: 33.07 square km in total
Runs: 200+
Price of one-day adult lift ticket: $91.00
Price of a dozen oysters between 5-7 pm at Bearfoot Bistro: $9.95

Check out fabulous hotel rates in destinations all over Canada.

Photo credits: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10