By John Stouffer

October 22, 2000

For Snowboard Life�s first-ever resort poll, readers were asked to evaluate resorts that they�ve visited in seventeen different categories ranging from snow quality and nightlife to ride vibe. We also asked a couple of extras, including who had the best snowboard park and halfpipe. Here are the top five winners is each category.

Snow Quality
1. Snowbird
2. Mt. Baker
3. Solitude
4. Grand Targhee
5. Kirkwood

Terrain
1. Mt. Baker
2. Whistler Blackcomb
3. Sunday River
4. Snowbird
5. Telluride

Challenge
1. Mt. Baker
2. Whistler Blackcomb
3. Jackson Hole
4. A-Basin
5. Sunday River

Value
1. Mt. Baker
2. A-Basin
3. Boreal
4. Brighton
5. Grand Targhee

Ride Vibe
1. Mammoth
2. Whistler Blackcomb
3. A-Basin
4. Mt. Hood Meadows
5. Boreal

Lifts
1. Whistler Blackcomb
2. Mammoth
3. Vail
4. Winter Park
5. The Canyons

Weather
1. A-Basin
2. Steamboat
3. Solitude
4. Copper
5. Beaver Creek

Accessibility
1. Stevens Pass
2. The Canyons
3. Snowbird
4. Solitude
5. Copper

Scenery
1. Jackson Hole
2. Telluride
3. Grand Targhee
4. Mt. Baker
5. A-Basin

Grooming
1. Sunday River
2. Okemo
3. Mammoth
4. Northstar
5. Winter Park

Resort Service
1. Whistler Blackcomb
2. Telluride
3. The Canyons
4. Sunday River
5. Vail

Lodging
1. Whistler Blackcomb
2. Telluride
3. Sunday River
4. Vail
5. Northstar

Dining
1. Whistler Blackcomb
2. Vail
3. Crested Butte
4. Breckenridge
5. Steamboat

Apres/Nightlife
1. Whistler Blackcomb
2. Vail
3. Killington
4. Sunday River
5. Breckenridge

Off-hill Activities
1. Whistler Blackcomb
2. Vail
3. Breckenridge
4. Steamboat
5. Heavenly

On-mountain Food
1. Whistler Blackcomb
2. Northstar
3. Sugarloaf
4. Keystone
5. Telluride

Family Programs
1. Steamboat
2. Breckenridge
3. Whistler Blackcomb
4. Vail
5. Keystone

Readers� ranking of importance of factors to choosing a resort:

Factor
1. Snow Quality
2. Terrain
3. Challenge
4. Value
5. Ride Vibe
6. Lifts
7. Weather
8. Accessibility
9. Scenery
10. Grooming
11. Resort Service
12. Lodging
13. Dining
14. Apres/Nightlife
15. Off-hill Activities
16. On-mountain Food
17. Family Programs

Bonus Questions
Which Resort Had The Best Halfpipe? *note ties

1. Breckenridge
2. Stratton
3. Whistler Blackcomb
3. Mt. Snow
4. Mammoth
4. Park City
4. Vail

Which Resort Had The Best Snowboard Park *note ties

1. Whistler Blackcomb
2. Breckenridge
3. Mammoth
3. Snow Summit
4. The Canyons
4. Vail
4. Sierra At Tahoe
4. Mt. Hood
4 Brighton

If you had just won a free trip to any resort in North America, where would you go?

1. Whistler/Blackcomb
2. Jackson Hole
3. Vail
4. Big Sky
5. Steamboat

Of the resorts you've been to, which is your favorite for snowboarding?

1. Whistler/Blackcomb
2. Mammoth
3. Vail
4. Kirkwood
4. Snowbird