Aspen in USA (37 others)

At different times of the year you may find George Bush Sr. or Bill Koch, statesmen or captains of industry staying in rooms otherwise occupied by powder hounds. For despite Aspen's ritzy reputation, this is also America's premier ski resort. And that's not because there is an impressive new Prada shop on Galena Street, but because Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, and Snowmass offer a choice and a lack of crowds that cannot easily be matched elsewhere. Forget the private jets, the big-city real estate prices, the chichi restaurants – what really counts is that, bar Whistler, Snowmass has more vertical than any other ski resort in North America.