A historic onetime mining town with good nightlife, it’s quite a bit cheaper than Aspen or Vail and consequently the most popular resort for visitors to Colorado.

Part of the ever-expanding portfolio of Vail Resorts, it boasts a large ski area suited to all levels of ability, as well as reliable snow conditions; there’s also a huge terrain park here. The slopes go up to 3962 metres (12,998 feet), and its Imperial Express SuperChair the highest lift in the Northern Hemisphere.

The town itself is set at 2,927 m (9,600 ft.), so time is needed to acclimatise at this extremely high altitude. This, combined with low humidity, can cause dehydration and headaches that can be exacerbated by exercise. Main Street is lined with a wide range of shops and restaurants, set in attractive, pastel-painted, weatherboarded buildings.

Lifts: 32

Nearest airports: Eagle County Regional Airport (flights from Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Houston, JFK New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, Phoenix, and Washington DC), 116 km (72 mi.), and Denver, 169 km (105 mi.).

Read more in our post 6 Top Winter Resorts of the USA´s Rocky Mountains.

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