States With the Most Ski Resorts

By 247sarah Published Jan 13, 3:00PM EST

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States With the Most Ski Resorts — © Frost Fire Ski & Snow Board Ar... (CC BY 2.0) by Robert Linsdell

Skiing is a very popular winter sport, but some states have lots of ski resorts and some have none. The determinants are geography and climate, which translate into mountains – or at least hills – and snow.

To discover which states have the most ski resorts, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data from the National Ski Areas Association. Supplemental data on each state’s largest resort was gathered from Mountain Vertical.

New York claims the No. 1 spot, with 49 winter resorts. It has the right geography and climate and is one of the most populous states. It also has three major mountain ranges – the Adirondacks, the Catskills, and a portion of the Appalachians – that get plenty of snow most winters.r

Perhaps surprisingly, Michigan is No. 2, with 39 resorts, and Wisconsin ties with Colorado for No. 3, with 31 each. Neither Michigan nor Wisconsin are known for their mountains, although they do have hills and get very cold winters. Cross-country skiing is popular in both.

California and New Hampshire are tied for No. 5 with 27 resorts each. Both states are strongly associated with skiing and the fact that they have fewer ski resorts than four other states might be due in part to the fact that some of the ski areas they do have – such as California’s Mammoth and Lake Tahoe – are very big. (For skiing and more, here’s the best winter destination in every state.)

Click here to see the states with the most ski resorts

34. Maryland
> Total ski resorts: 1
> Largest ski resort: Wisp Ski Resort

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34. Rhode Island
> Total ski resorts: 1
> Largest ski resort: Yawgoo Valley Ski Area

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34. Tennessee
> Total ski resorts: 1
> Largest ski resort: Ober Gatlinburg Ski Resort

Perfect North Slopes - Runway by Serge Melki

Perfect North Slopes - Runway (CC BY 2.0) by Serge Melki

31. Indiana
> Total ski resorts: 2
> Largest ski resort: Perfect North Slopes Ski Area

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Hidden Valley Ski Area in Missouri by Paul Sableman

Hidden Valley Ski Area in Missouri (CC BY 2.0) by Paul Sableman

31. Missouri
> Total ski resorts: 2
> Largest ski resort: Hidden Valley Ski Area

CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) by Shinnenkamp121

31. North Dakota
> Total ski resorts: 2
> Largest ski resort: Huff Hills Ski Area

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27. Arizona
> Total ski resorts: 3
> Largest ski resort: Arizona Snowbowl Ski Resort

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27. Iowa
> Total ski resorts: 3
> Largest ski resort: Sundown Mountain Ski Resort

Mountain Creek Big Bear and So... by Anthony Quintano

Mountain Creek Big Bear and So... (CC BY 2.0) by Anthony Quintano

27. New Jersey
> Total ski resorts: 3
> Largest ski resort: Mountain Creek Ski Resort

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27. South Dakota
> Total ski resorts: 3
> Largest ski resort: Terry Peak Ski Area

Chestnut Mountain Ski Resort by Scooter2424

Chestnut Mountain Ski Resort (CC BY-SA 4.0) by Scooter2424

25. Illinois
> Total ski resorts: 4
> Largest ski resort: Snowstar Winter Sports Park

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25. Nevada
> Total ski resorts: 4
> Largest ski resort: Diamond Peak Ski Resort, Lake Tahoe

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Mount Southington Ski Area at night by Morrowlong

Mount Southington Ski Area at night (CC BY-SA 4.0) by Morrowlong

21. Connecticut
> Total ski resorts: 5
> Largest ski resort: Mohawk Mountain Ski Area

Aerial view of Mad River Mountain from the east by Nyttend

Aerial view of Mad River Mountain from the east (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mad_River_Mountain_and_Valley_Hi.jpg) by Nyttend

21. Ohio
> Total ski resorts: 5
> Largest ski resort: Mad River Mountain Ski Resort

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Top of the Highlands in January 2006, Wintergreen Resort by Birdman234

Top of the Highlands in January 2006, Wintergreen Resort (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wintergreen_resort.jpg) by Birdman234

21. Virginia
> Total ski resorts: 5
> Largest ski resort: Massanutten Ski Resort

Ski Lift (CC BY 2.0) by Devon McClellan

21. West Virginia
> Total ski resorts: 5
> Largest ski resort: Snowshoe Mountain Ski Resort

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20. North Carolina
> Total ski resorts: 6
> Largest ski resort: Sugar Mountain Ski Resort

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19. New Mexico
> Total ski resorts: 9
> Largest ski resort: Taos Ski Resort

17. Alaska
> Total ski resorts: 10
> Largest ski resort: Alyeska Ski Resort

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17. Wyoming
> Total ski resorts: 10
> Largest ski resort: Jackson Hole Ski Resort

15. Massachusetts
> Total ski resorts: 12
> Largest ski resort: Jiminy Peak Ski Resort

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15. Oregon
> Total ski resorts: 12
> Largest ski resort: Timberline Ski Resort, Mt. Hood

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14. Washington
> Total ski resorts: 14
> Largest ski resort: Crystal Mountain Ski Resort

12. Montana
> Total ski resorts: 15
> Largest ski resort: Big Sky & Moonlight Basin Ski Resorts

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12. Utah
> Total ski resorts: 15
> Largest ski resort: Snowbird Ski Resort

11. Idaho
> Total ski resorts: 16
> Largest ski resort: Sun Valley Ski Resort

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9. Maine
> Total ski resorts: 20
> Largest ski resort: Shawnee Peak Ski Resort

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9. Minnesota
> Total ski resorts: 20
> Largest ski resort: Lutsen Mountains Ski Resort

8. Vermont
> Total ski resorts: 24
> Largest ski resort: Sugarbush Ski Resort

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7. Pennsylvania
> Total ski resorts: 26
> Largest ski resort: Blue Mountain Ski Resort

5. California
> Total ski resorts: 27
> Largest ski resort: Mammoth Ski Resort

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Skiing in New Hampshire (CC BY 2.0) by Schezar

5. New Hampshire
> Total ski resorts: 27
> Largest ski resort: Cannon Mountain Ski Resort

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3. Colorado
> Total ski resorts: 31
> Largest ski resort: Snowmass Ski Resort, Aspen

3. Wisconsin
> Total ski resorts: 31
> Largest ski resort: Granite Peak Ski Area

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2. Michigan
> Total ski resorts: 39
> Largest ski resort: Mount Bohemia Ski Resort

1. New York
> Total ski resorts: 49
> Largest ski resort: Lake Placid/Whiteface Mountain Ski Resort

About the Author 247sarah →

Sarah Burns is an editor and writer at 24/7 Wall St. She previously worked at AOL and MSN. She began her career in book publishing at Viking Press/Penguin Books and has been writing and editing general and financial news stories for the last 15 years.

In addition to 24/7 Wall St. and 24/7 Tempo, her stories have appeared in USA Today, MSN, MarketWatch, Business Insider, and Yahoo Finance.

Sarah has edited numerous travel and garden books. She teaches urban farming in New York City public schools and is an instructor at the New York Botanical Garden. She graduated from Bowdoin College in Maine with a bachelor’s degree in English. She is based in New York City.