USA or Canada for Skiing: Which is the Best?

The USA and Canada are two of the most popular places to ski in the world, but which offers the best experience. In this article, I’ll compare the snow quality, terrain, prices, how easy the resorts are to travel to and more so you can decide which to visit.

USA vs Canada for Skiing

Canada has better snow and the resorts are cheaper on average compared to America. However, the USA has more resorts which are larger on average, but also tend to be busier.

Category	Best Country
Largest Ski Resorts	USA
Least Crowded Resorts	Canada
Best Snow Quality	Canada
Cheapest Ski Resorts	Canada

Snow Quality

The snow quality is better in Canada compared to the USA in the vast majority of resorts. Canada receives more snow on average, and it is colder meaning the snow stays drier and doesn’t get wet and slushy as quickly.

In the USA, Mt. Baker (Washington) gets the most snow. Utah is also an excellent place to go if you want great snow. The best snow in Utah can be found in Alta, Brighton and Snowbird. In Canada, Whistler Blackcomb receives an average of 340″ of snowfall per year which is some of the highest in North America.

Temperature

The altitude is higher in most Canadian ski resorts compared to most American resorts, hence it tends to be colder in Canada.

In Banff for example, the average temperature in January is -14°C (7°F), whereas in Utah and Colorado it is closer to -9°C (16°F). There are some places where the temperature is a bit lower in Canada, such as Whistler Blackcomb, however if you don’t like it to be super cold, then you’ll probably prefer skiing in the US.

Ski Season Length

The ski season in the USA and Canada typically lasts for 5 months and spans from mid-November to mid-April. The average ski season length does vary within each country, with some resorts having ski seasons which last 6 months and others which last only 3-4 months.

In Canada, Whistler, in general has the longest ski season in Canada which usually lasts 6 months and spans from November to May. In the USA, Timberline Lodge in Oregon offers skiing nearly all year-round.

Here’s a summary table of the average ski season lengths by area.

Location in the United States	Average Ski Season Length	Average Ski Season Dates
Alberta, CA	25 weeks (6 months)	Early Nov – Early May
Vermont, USA	25 weeks (6 months)	Early Nov – Early May
Colorado, USA	21 weeks (5 months)	Late Nov – Mid April
Utah, USA	20 weeks (5 months)	Mid Nov – Mid April
British Columbia, CA	20 weeks (5 months)	Late Nov – Mid April
California, USA	20 weeks (5 months)	Mid Nov – Late April
Idaho, USA	20 weeks (5 months)	Late Nov – Mid April
Montana, USA	20 weeks (5 months)	Late Nov – Mid April
Wyoming, USA	20 weeks (5 months)	Late Nov – Mid April
Quebec, CA	17 weeks (4 months)	Mid Dec – Mid April
New Mexico, USA	13 weeks (4 months)	Mid Dec – Mid March

Lift Ticket Prices

On average, lift tickets are double the price in the top USA ski resorts compared to the top Canadian resorts. The average peak adult lift ticket in the USA is $220, whereas in Canada it is only $100 (USD converted from CAD using conversion rates at time of writing).

In both countries, cheaper ski resorts are available. The table below compares the prices at the top rated and largest resorts.

Ski Resort	Adult Lift Ticket (USD)	Adult Lift Ticket (CAD)
Big White, CA	$81*	$111
Sun Peaks, CA	$85*	$115
Lake Louise, CA	$95*	$129
Sunshine Village, CA	$100*	$136
Revelstoke, CA	$117*	$159
Whistler Blackcomb, CA	$123*	$167
Alta, USA	$151	$205*
Sun Valley, USA	$214	$291*
Big Sky, USA	$222	$302*
Park City, USA	$223	$303*
Vail, USA	$247	$336*
Deer Valley, USA	$259	$352*

Costs quoted above are based on the most recent ski season at the time of writing and are subject to change. Based on peak weekend rates when buying in-advance online (better value offers are available when booking for multiple days). Please check the resort websites for up to date prices.

Comparing Top Ski Resorts

The USA has over 450 ski resorts whilst Canada only has just less than 300. However, both countries have some world-class resorts. Here are some of the most popular.

Ski Resort	Skiable Terrain	Trails	Difficulty	Vertical Drop	Terrain Parks
Sun Valley, USA	2434 ac	121	Green: 36% Blue: 42% Black: 20%	3400 ft	2
Big White, CA	2765 ac	119	Green: 18% Blue: 54% Black: 28%	2550 ft	1
Revelstoke, CA	3121 ac	40	Green: 12% Blue: 43% Black: 45%	5260 ft	1
Sunshine Village, CA	3500 ac	120	Green: 23% Blue: 46% Black: 31%	3361 ft	4
Lake Louise, CA	4200 ac	164	Green: 25% Blue: 45% Black: 30%	3250 ft	4
Sun Peaks, CA	4270 ac	138	Green: 10% Blue: 58% Black: 32%	2894 ft	1
Vail, US	5317 ac	195	Green: 18% Blue: 29% Black: 53%	3450 ft	2
Aspen, US	5517 ac	336	Green: 9% Blue: 45% Black: 46%	4406 ft	3
Big Sky, US	5800 ac	317	Green: 15% Blue: 25% Black: 42%	4350 ft	5
Palisades Tahoe, US	6000 ac	177	Green: 25% Blue: 45% Black: 30%	2850 ft	5
Park City, US	7300 ac	324	Green: 7% Blue: 49% Black: 44%	3200 ft	7
Whistler Blackcomb, CA	8171 ac	200	Green: 20% Blue: 55% Black: 25%	5280 ft	5

Largest Resort

By total skiable area, Powder Mountain in Utah, USA is the largest ski resort in North America with 8646 acres of skiable terrain, however only 2800 acres are lift served. Hence, many people refer to Whistler Blackcomb as the largest ski resort with 8171 acres of more accessible terrain. Park City is the second largest resort in the USA with 7300 acres of skiable terrain.

Best for Beginners

There are some excellent resorts for beginners in the USA and in Canada, so there’s not really a winner here. If you’re looking for some top beginner-friendly resorts, here are some to check out:

Best for Intermediates

Again, when it comes to intermediate terrain there are plenty of North American resorts where you’ll be spoilt for choice.

Best for Experts

If you’re looking for a challenge, Revelstoke is an excellent option in Canada, as well as Val in the USA. Both of these mountains are very steep and have some of the best advanced/ expert level terrain in the world.

Which is the Least Crowded?

Ski resorts in Canada tend to be quieter compared to the USA. There are less resorts in Canada, however they typically only receive about 22 million skiers per year, compared to the USA which receives about 80 million skiers per year.

If you’re looking for a quiet resort, avoid the big ones like Whistler in Canada, and Park City/ Vail in the USA. Less crowded but still amazing US resorts include Deer Valley (Utah), and Big Sky (Montana). In Canada, two less busy top resorts are Panorama and SilverStar.

Getting to the Resorts

This really depends on which resorts you’re trying to get to. There are resorts in both countries that are easily accessible by car from an international airport less than an hour away. Equally, there are some resorts which are difficult and time consuming to access.

If you want a short transfer time then the best resorts to consider in the USA are in Utah, Montana and California. In Canada, Big White and Mont Tremblant have short transfer times from the closest international airport.

Resort Location	Average Drive Time to International Airport
Utah, USA	0.75 – 1.5 hours
Kelowna, Canada	1-1.5 hours
Montana, USA	1-2 hours
California, USA	1-2 hours
Quebec, Canada	1.5 hours
Banff, Canada	1.5-2.5 hours
Revelstoke, Canada	2.5 hours
Sun Peaks, Canada	2.75 hours
Whistler, Canada	2.5 hours
Colorado, USA	2-4 hours
Idaho, USA	4-5 hours

Comparing Individual Resorts

It’s probably more useful to compare resorts rather than entire countries, as the variability within the USA and Canada is huge. Here are links to my comparisons of top North American ski resorts: