According to OnTheSnow, there are over 450 ski resorts in the country – but where are the best cities for skiers to live to take advantage of them? If you live in New Orleans like us, then you’re probably going to have to find a cheap flight or go on a long road trip to reach any of them. However, by basing yourself in any of these destinations, you’ll have access to some of the very best cities for skiers in the U.S.

Denver, Colorado

Colorado is famous for its powder, and Denver is one of the best cities you can possibly be to take advantage of everything from budget-friendly family ski resorts to world-class ski areas. Time to start searching through those Denver houses for sale, right?

Only an hour west of the Mile High City, Loveland Ski Resort offers an uncrowded experience and more affordable lift tickets too, with most visitors passing it by for the more famous resorts like Vail or Aspen. You’ll be within 90 minutes of Eldora Mountain near Nederland which also offers great affordable skiing and few lift lines, as well as Arapahoe Basin, renowned for its deep, fluffy snow. And when you do want to reach those ultra-luxe resorts and countless others a little farther away, they’re easily doable on weekends and holidays.

With over 450 ski resorts, it isn't hard to find some of the best cities for skiers in the U.S. So if shredding sick slopes is on your bucket list, then check out a few hot destinations for skiers right now! #skier #skiing #skitrip
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Salt Lake City, Utah

Utah hosts some of the top skiing destinations in the nation as well. By basing yourself in Salt Lake City, you’ll be just a 40-minute drive from Park City Mountain Resort, which hosted the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. It boasts over 7,300 skiable acres as the largest ski and snowboard resort in the entire country. Snowbird Ski Resort is only 45 minutes away and is a locals’ favorite with especially long ski seasons, while nearby Alta is for skiers only, providing a more traditional experience.

South Lake Tahoe, California

You’ll be spoiled for choice in South Lake Tahoe, with the Heavenly Ski Resort gondola leaving right from the center of town to bring you to some of the best skiing in the U.S. It’s the largest resort in a region filled with them, and you can even ski in two states as it straddles the California and Nevada border. Plus, when skiing here you’ll be able to enjoy breathtaking views of the biggest alpine lake in North America along with a thriving nightlife scene, complete with big-name music venues, casinos, nightclubs and après ski parties. While just about everything you need can be found right here, when you want to get to the big city, California’s capital, Sacramento is just a couple hours away, and Reno can be reached in a little over an hour.

Boise, Idaho

Boise is becoming an increasingly popular place to move to, offering an affordable high quality place to live that’s close to a wealth of outdoor adventure, including skiing. In fact, only 16 miles from the city, Bogus Basin offers alpine and Nordic skiing as well as snowboarding and other snow sports at affordable prices. This is because it’s run by the town as a 501(c) organization, collecting donations to keep the costs down. There’s even a ski bus that travels from downtown to the mountain. Laid-back skiing is available 100 miles east at Soldier Mountain and world-famous Sun Valley is less than three hours away for fun weekend ski trips.

So with these four cities, it is easy to see why the United States has great ski destinations to keep you shredding for years. But is there a certain city in the U.S. that we are missing that you recommend? Where do you think is the best city in the United States for skiers? And what about you snowboarders? Are there better places to board or do these cities also fit the bill? Either way, let us know in the comments below!

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While some of us spend these winter months planning our summer vacations, others make the most of the winter sun. It may not be a hot beach, but trips to ski and snowboarding resorts are popular among tourists. And, it’s easy to see why. Nothing captures that cozy winter feeling like log cabins and snowy mountains.

If you’ve never considered it before, though, a winter vacation can be confusing. Unlike your usual trips, you have a limited locale to play with. Ideally, you want to stick with locations like France or Switzerland for a trip like this. At the very most, you can spread your wings to destinations like Cervinia in Italy. But, you won’t quite have the geographical scope you’re used to.

Even once you have your destination in the bag, there are more decisions to make. For example, anyone intending to ski or snowboard needs to decide between renting equipment or taking their own. For the most part, first-timers tend to rent, and it makes sense. This ensures you don’t spend a fortune on a hobby you might not continue. It also allows experts to fit you up ready for the slopes.

Anyone intending to ski or snowboard needs to decide between renting equipment or taking their own. It seems like a no brainer for first-timers or novices. But see why it may better to use your own gear instead! #HittingtheSlopes
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In truth, though, many would argue that it’s worth taking equipment to enhance your trip and here’s why:

You can tailor your equipment to you 

In many ways, renting equipment here is a little like borrowing P.E. kits. The fit is never quite right, and you’re often left with the worst stuff. But, with both skiing and snowboarding, the fit is pretty essential for success on the slopes. Gear which is even slightly too big could bulldoze your experience altogether. When you bring your own stuff, however, you can tailor your equipment to you. Before buying, you can use things like this size guide for boarders to ensure your bindings are the best fit possible. A skiing size chart could also work wonders for improving your time on the slopes.

You can save money in the long-term 

We aren’t going to lie to you; buying equipment here is pricey for sure. That said, so is renting. Rentals have the upper-hand in that they know people using them need that stuff to enjoy their trips. As such, you can expect to pay well over the odds when renting that gear for a week. So much so that even two visits with your own stuff could save you money. With that in mind, you would be mad not to buy rather than rent.

You get to enjoy the most of every moment 

No travel tip is more important than that of making the most of every moment. Sadly, that’s not something you can do if you’re hiring. Queues are usually long, and you could waste upwards of an hour or more getting yourself set up. If you hire on a daily basis, that’s a load of your trip down the drain. By comparison, taking gear with you ensures you can wake up and take straight to the slopes.

So which would you decide between renting equipment or taking their own the next time you take to the slopes? Have you ever rented skis or snowboards before and loved it? Or do you always take your own gear before shredding the fresh powder? Let us know your honest thoughts in the comments below!

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When it comes to enjoying some standout trips in your life, the planning phase is always going to be really important. Travel planning can be really intense at the simplest of times, so when you’re trying to do something bigger and more exciting, you know that you’re going to need to get the details right in order for it to come off. But at the same time, when it is a really big and exciting trip, you kind of can’t wait to get stuck in with the planning. Because it gives you something to look forward to and get your teeth stuck into before you head out. While every big trip will always have its own requirements, when it comes to skiing, there’s always going to be a few set things that you can do.

Whether you’re heading to a US ski resort or somewhere in Europe, the planning process can be largely the same. Because when it comes to a ski trip, there are a lot of the same things that you’re going to need to do, even the place or time that you do them may vary. When you’ve never been skiing before, you may even feel a little overwhelmed by what you’re faced with. Because booking a trip to go skiing isn’t quite the same as a beach vacation or city break. So to help you out, let’s take a look at what you need to do.

Whether you’re heading to a US ski resort or somewhere in Europe, the Bucket List Project offers great tips to help you Plan For Your First Ski Trip! #SkiTrip #HittingTheSlopes #SnowSkiing
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Research The Resorts

As with any kind of travel booking that you’re going to make, you should always start off with the research. Even if you have a rough idea in your mind of where you want to go, you’re going to want to firm this up with some research. Sometimes, you can start to look into a resort and realize that it’s not what you want, that it’s not in budget, or it doesn’t have the facilities you really want. So, start off by researching a full range of resorts to see which may be what you’re looking for.

Choose The Time Of Year You Want To Visit

As you start to do some research, you’re going to want to consider some other important factors, like the time of year you want to go. Because at different times of year, you may experience different kinds of weather, or different events at the resorts. So be sure to look into snow reports and also event schedules. By doing so, you should be able to work out the best time of year to go.

Create A Budget

With all of this research taking place, it’s time to think about the money. Budgeting for a trip can be tough, but you’ve really got two ways to go about it. First, you could take the money you have a use that as the budget. Or, you could choose to work out what it will all cost, and then save the money up.

Make Your Bookings

But there’s only so much research you can do before you’ll be ready to book, and you’ll know when the time is right. Just be sure that you book everything you need. So alongside the resort accommodation and flights, that may also include the right luggage add-ons, transportation, or even event tickets or passes if you need them. Remember, you may want to book ski lessons too!

Shop For Some Skiwear

And, of course, when you’re going skiing, you need to have the right kind of things to take with you. If this is your first trip, it’s unlikely that you’ll have anything prepared. So, you’re going to need to head out to the shops and find your skiwear.

Top Tip: be sure to include these expenses in your overall budget too, as it can get expensive.

Create A To-Do List

The best way to make sure that you get the most out of your travel, especially when it comes to the most exciting trips, is to write it all down. Make a to-do list of all of the things you want to do, places you want to see, and restaurants that you want to eat at. That way, you can fit it all in.

Whether you are going solo or taking the family, the Bucket List Project offers great tips to help Plan For Your First Ski Trip! #SkiTrip #HittingTheSlopes #SnowSkiing
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Make A Rough Itinerary

From there, you can then pull together your full travel itinerary. Depending on how you want the trip to go, this could be a full structured plan, or just something rough. Either way, but having a schedule in place, you’ll be able to get the most out of your trip and make sure that it’s the adventure you always dreamt of.

Don’t forget to Pin How To Plan For Your First Ski Trip to your Favorite Bucket List Board!

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