Most DANGEROUS Ski Resorts in North America

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  • čas přidán 15. 05. 2024
  • SPECIAL THANKS TO ​⁠​⁠@DaleySpam and @sorenjones for much of the footage in this video!
    The most extreme ski resorts in North America will turn your idea of what a physical trail can be upside down. In this video, we call out the 10 most difficult mountains out there-plus a bonus mountain at the end.
    0:00 Intro
    0:59 10th Hardest Resort
    2:18 9th Hardest Resort
    3:42 8th Hardest Resort
    5:05 7th Hardest Resort
    6:13 6th Hardest Resort
    7:22 5th Hardest Resort
    9:24 4th Hardest Resort
    10:46 3rd Hardest Resort
    12:28 2nd Hardest Resort
    14:13 1st Hardest Resort
    15:46 Bonus Mountain
    16:52 Final Thoughts
    Check out this video in article form: www.peakrankings.com/content/...
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Komentáře • 607

  • @PeakRankings
    @PeakRankings  Před 4 měsíci +69

    An important note on this list: it’s based heavily on the PeakRankings Challenge Score criteria, of which top 9 mountains on this list received 10/10s. The #10 mountain received a 9/10.
    Other very strong contenders for the #10 slot included Taos, Alta, Red Mountain, Arapahoe Basin, and Big Sky (with Tram Access only).
    You can check out more info on the PeakRankings Challenge score here: www.peakrankings.com/content/mountain-score-thresholds#challenge
    Thanks for watching!

    • @SomeOne-jz7cn
      @SomeOne-jz7cn Před 4 měsíci +7

      Taos.

    • @vasiliifilippenko1677
      @vasiliifilippenko1677 Před 4 měsíci +5

      It is time to rank the 10 most dangerous resorts in the Alps

    • @FacinatingMedia
      @FacinatingMedia Před 4 měsíci +4

      You should take a look at some local tiny ski resorts, and make a video ranking some of the smallest ski resorts in America. :)

    • @zincfive
      @zincfive Před 4 měsíci +1

      Good list. Glad you mentioned MRG and Silverton. The enormous Powder Mountain in Utah perhaps should also have a special mention, most reliable powder availability, days after Alta and the others are skied out.

    • @andrewsteward7830
      @andrewsteward7830 Před 4 měsíci +1

      Taos should be on this list. You gave Taos a 9 for challenge, but is 100% a 10. And IMO it should probably be about #4 or 5 on this list.

  • @GwenGreenberg
    @GwenGreenberg Před 4 měsíci +93

    Thank you I learned a whole new ski vocabulary. Straight lining, mandatory cliffs, freefall to name a few. Not my thing by a long shot but its great to see people out there testing their limits. Great video.

  • @nfinarelli
    @nfinarelli Před 4 měsíci +236

    Growing up skiing Kirkwood I thought the double blacks were normal. As I started going to other resorts I realized how nuts the terrain really is. I met a guy at Heavenly and asked him at the top of a run how to approach it since I’d never done it before. He said “I wouldn’t do this. Where do you usually ride?” I told him Kirkwood and he said “oh you’ll be fine” 😂

    • @muffinman_snowboard
      @muffinman_snowboard Před 4 měsíci +5

      Sounds about right 🤣

    • @whatsyourexcuse927
      @whatsyourexcuse927 Před 4 měsíci +3

      I was just going to say that. I switch from skiing to boarding some 36 years ago at Kirkwood and never looked back. Still my favorite resort and go there more than any other.

    • @briansullivan9110
      @briansullivan9110 Před 4 měsíci +1

      Kirkwood is a big boy mountain by all standards.

    • @poervids
      @poervids Před 3 měsíci +2

      LOL, that was me. I was staying at Heavenly with my wife and someone told me to try Kirkwood. I ended up fine but it was above my skill ...and I loved it.

    • @tammyroot5417
      @tammyroot5417 Před 3 měsíci +2

      I instantly recognized that chute as Kirkwood's at the beginning of the video. If it wasn't on this list I wouldn't have watched it at all. It's a tough mountain and hard to get to from the valley side due to the constant avalanche control on the highway in. Will always be on the top of my favorite places to ski.

  • @HiFiBaller
    @HiFiBaller Před 4 měsíci +37

    You went through each one and I kept saying “kicking horse is much harder” then BOOM it’s #1. Well done.

  • @MarcSherwood
    @MarcSherwood Před 4 měsíci +59

    I've been skiing for around 30 years, and am pretty decent at most trails, but have been on a few double blacks at Whistler-Blackcomb that had me thinking that there was not way that what I was on was a trail. Only to have some kids fly by and humble me, like nothing else possible.

    • @tylerharaf5901
      @tylerharaf5901 Před 3 měsíci +7

      Kids at whistler are a different breed lol I can handle some of the double blacks there but you’ll see kids go flying down the glacier or double black couloirs up by glacier

    • @corneliusblackwood9014
      @corneliusblackwood9014 Před 28 dny

      @@tylerharaf5901I mean, that’s the evolution of any sport. I was a professional motorcycle racer, my manager used to ride and had retired long before I started racing. He would come out with me from time to time, almost crashing just trying to keep up.
      There was a big swamp off to the left after a quick hill to immediate right hander , you hit the hill (61mph) when your wheel touched back down you had to brake hard (23mph) within seconds and lean the bike all the way over, he knew he wasn’t going to make the right hander and just went straight into the swamp, $60,000 bike covered up to the handlebars in muck. He was pulling dirt and grass out of it for the following month.
      I can only imagine what kids will be doing, in any sport, 20 years from now with the next major advance in equipment and sports medicine.

  • @Oxazepam65
    @Oxazepam65 Před 4 měsíci +30

    The perception often depends on the ski conditions. I went 2 times to Kicking Horse and we were blessed with 30+cm of fresh powder. Every double diamond becomes a lot easier with the right snow. On the other hand I experienced Revelstoke on icy conditions. The run "Kill the banker" was the thoughest ski trail I ever did. It's not even that steep, but when covered by a thick layer of uneven ice, it's a nightmare.

    • @corinnelehr
      @corinnelehr Před 4 měsíci +7

      I was at Revy on an icy day with frozen death cookies. I've skied at a lot of places but I thought "Kill the banker" was going to kill me.

    • @davec8385
      @davec8385 Před 3 měsíci +3

      Ditto for me kill the banker while it was icy was my worst run ever.
      What made it even worse was that we weren't expecting it. The top of the mountain had great conditions and the run looked nice but aperantly it was just low enough to thaw the day before and was a sheet of ice.

  • @johngilbert4670
    @johngilbert4670 Před 4 měsíci +20

    Spent a year in JH. Spent a week in KH. My first thought of KH was it was a mirror of JH with a little more alpine/lower treeline. Said Just that to a guy that was on the patrol. Turns out, the ski patrols at JH and KH apparently do training exchange programs because the mountains are similar in so many ways- and demanding.

  • @wuffos
    @wuffos Před 4 měsíci +26

    0:59 10th Mad River Glen, VT 2:18 9th Crested Butte, CO 3:42 8th Revelstoke, BC
    5:05 7th Kirkwood, CA 6:13 6th Whistler Blackcomb, BC 7:22 5th Palisades Tahoe, CA
    9:24 4th Snowbird, UT 10:46 3rd Mt. Baker, WA 12:28 2nd Jackson Hole, WY
    14:13 1st Kicking Horse, BC 15:46 Bonus: Silverton, CO

  • @dougcolafella9384
    @dougcolafella9384 Před 3 měsíci +11

    A quality list. I was rooting for the ‘Horse….sweet. Taos is gnarly too.

  • @tuckersundwall6815
    @tuckersundwall6815 Před 4 měsíci +75

    not putting Big Sky on here is absolutely insane

    • @zincfive
      @zincfive Před 4 měsíci +14

      Big Sky is awesome, I'd put it ahead even of Jackson. Bridger Bowl in MT isn't as big, but man does it have terrain.

    • @cjsawinski
      @cjsawinski Před 4 měsíci +7

      Yup… Big Sky was my home mountain for about a decade (but this was also about 2 decades ago)…. All the access off the tram, big couloir, the entire back of the mountain (especially after Moonlight allowed access to their side of the mountain), A-Z’s, challenger, and the hit list can keep going.
      My best day of snowboarding in my life was a Feb Tuesday after a 3’ overnight storm, big couloir had about twice that amount of snow in it from it blowing over the top. It was just myself and 2-3 buddies that got to lap big and whatever else we wanted all day pretty much just to our selves

    • @Ikuni17
      @Ikuni17 Před 4 měsíci +18

      Can't even take this list serious without Big Sky on it.

    • @zincfive
      @zincfive Před 4 měsíci +1

      @@Ikuni17 OK, its a good list. The channel said that 9 of 10 of these mountains were rated 10 of 10 by some measure, so yeah, everything after that is subjective. To be fair, and not taking anything away from Big Sky (which is definitely one of the best, most difficult places to ski on earth), without the Can, (the Presidents and Alphabets and whatnot) Big Sky isn't as much as you can ski from lifts a number of places (Jackson, Taos after the K peak chair, Alyeska, a few places in BC come to mind.) And if you are willing to walk a some steps, there are so many places where you can get into some real back country shit. (think Bridger)

    • @sethc4758
      @sethc4758 Před 4 měsíci +9

      thats exactly what i said.. to put mad river glenn on and no big sky is criminal.

  • @colinhardy6963
    @colinhardy6963 Před 4 měsíci +13

    Big Sky/Moonlight deserves a ranking within these you show. Consider Big Couloir, Headwaters, A-Z Chutes, Dictators, Castro…,

    • @iqdb9
      @iqdb9 Před 2 měsíci +2

      Agreed altho big sky and moonlight merged along time ago also the little coular and some of the headwaters are definitely more challenging then runs on this list

  • @AngryH
    @AngryH Před 4 měsíci +7

    Your falls made me chuckle glad you included them

  • @exoticpaw6313
    @exoticpaw6313 Před 4 měsíci +175

    you guys should make a "The best resort for park skiing" next

    • @PeakRankings
      @PeakRankings  Před 4 měsíci +59

      Great suggestion! That list pretty much changes every year though 😂

    • @nathankovach7414
      @nathankovach7414 Před 4 měsíci +11

      Might be the thing that killington can clinch the #1 spot

    • @Mtree40
      @Mtree40 Před 4 měsíci +3

      Why? @nathankovach killington? Hahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

    • @nathankovach7414
      @nathankovach7414 Před 4 měsíci +9

      I mean they arguably have the best Woodward leave park, have massive jumps on its bear mountain side, has a half pipe, has 12 parks, and usually has them open from week 1 or 2 to may. Plus many of their features were extremely creative, and the whole setup just felt different.

    • @carsonperry9413
      @carsonperry9413 Před 4 měsíci

      @@nathankovach7414 try 3 sometimes 4 halfpipes at mammoth lol

  • @user-eb3th1iq8v
    @user-eb3th1iq8v Před 3 měsíci +7

    I grew up skiing telluride. Though it wasn’t on this list, i believe it should be. It has some areas that are mandatory drop and some very technical terrain, especially on the hike to terrain.

  • @nncortes
    @nncortes Před měsícem +1

    Mount Baker definitely deserves to be on this list, but it seems tame compared to it’s fellow Washington ski area Alpental. Alpental is definitely a special place that deserves to be at the top of this list.

  • @paultrudel9791
    @paultrudel9791 Před 4 měsíci +15

    Skied Baker, Revy and KH among others on an extended trip last year, totally agree that these should be on the list. Great resorts and lucked into great conditions as well.Will be doing them again in '24. Peace Out.

  • @AndrewWells
    @AndrewWells Před 4 měsíci +19

    Outstanding coverage as always! I love that you couldn't even take your team into some areas of Mt Baker!!

  • @electrictiedye5229
    @electrictiedye5229 Před 4 měsíci +13

    Love the "honorable mention" to East Coast mountains WF and Jay!

    • @andrewday3206
      @andrewday3206 Před měsícem

      The chutes under the tram at Jay are a different level.

  • @midi510
    @midi510 Před 4 měsíci +20

    I've lived at Mammoth for 61 years and have had a free season pass almost every year of my life, but I still go b/c over ten times for every day riding the lifts. Watching this just reminded me of how little I like skiing on snow that someone has already skied on. Much of the difficulty in this video is due to ruts, traverses, moguls, etc.

    • @sebulban
      @sebulban Před 3 měsíci +2

      Yeah. This should be titled as worst condition slopes in us 😅

    • @jimmoore8951
      @jimmoore8951 Před 2 měsíci

      If it has bumps on it the run can't be that hard... unlike bloody couloir in low snow or the U-Notch and V-Notch couloirs

    • @midi510
      @midi510 Před 2 měsíci +1

      @@jimmoore8951
      Never skied the U-Notch or V-Notch, but my last run last season was the N face and couloir of Thunderbolt. climbed V-Notch to Polemonium Peak In October of '19 with my son. Climbed Mt. Sill two weeks after skiing Thunderbolt and wished I had my skis for the descent.
      Bloody can be tricky at times, but even in good conditions, Parachute and Red Slate are pretty intimidating. I spent four days at Red Slate last spring and skied it twice.

    • @jimmoore8951
      @jimmoore8951 Před 2 měsíci

      @@midi510 Thunderbolt is a classic 14er but gotta watch the bergschund at the bottom. Sad that the Palisades is now synonymous with a Gucci ski resort instead of the ski mountaineers proving ground that it is

    • @midi510
      @midi510 Před 2 měsíci

      @@jimmoore8951
      What makes you think it's synonymous with a Gucci ski resort? I've lived in Mammoth for over 60 years and have been skiing the Eastern Sierra backcountry for over 50. The Palisades is one of my favorite places to get away from the tourists. Sounds like you think I'm a tourist, which is so ridiculous, it's not even funny.

  • @JK-zi1rg
    @JK-zi1rg Před 3 měsíci +5

    Having been to all of these, I'd say your list is really pretty accurate. Abasin also gets an honorable mention due to the side country. Good that you warn people who are not really comfortable/strong skiers to stay off the double blacks! Good stuff!

  • @BoschVoyage
    @BoschVoyage Před 4 měsíci +4

    Love this video idea! And the execution is flawless like always! 👌

  • @Hudson-M
    @Hudson-M Před 4 měsíci +6

    Yes silverton

  • @geirlyster6375
    @geirlyster6375 Před 4 měsíci +20

    Thanks for the #1 Ranking for my home town resort, Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. You nailed it just right! We like to say :Either the Horse bucks you or you buck the Horse, there's no in between", especially when you are doing 4,000 foot vertical per lap. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

    • @zincfive
      @zincfive Před 4 měsíci +2

      Kicking Horse is awesome

    • @kathleensolomon9041
      @kathleensolomon9041 Před 4 měsíci

      My Whistler friends hated it. I love it. You are so lucky. Swoosh that pow for me, please.

    • @talkingweevil3172
      @talkingweevil3172 Před 3 měsíci

      I live near-ish to kicking horse and I’m not gonna be going on those double blacks I’m not good enough for that but the beauty is the best part of kicking horse and for some reason you always make a friend while your there (Probably cause you are sometimes forced to be with people in the gondola) the people who go there are so nice!

  • @sidmasih6998
    @sidmasih6998 Před 4 měsíci +13

    Glad you guys were able to capture how steep those runs were with the go pro. Def made my bum pucker a bit from my office chair ;) Will you guys release a video review of Baker soon?

    • @lronSausage
      @lronSausage Před 4 měsíci

      Don't forget it is always even steeper than what the camera captures.

  • @ItsMoStuff111
    @ItsMoStuff111 Před 4 měsíci +1

    I love your vids bro!⛷️

  • @SkiDaBird
    @SkiDaBird Před 4 měsíci +46

    I don't know which one I would slide off this list, but Big Sky, Bridger Bowl, Telluride, Solitude, Alyeska, A Basin, Taos, and Highlands all have some seriously messed up terrain.
    Having skied about half this list, and had the courage to drop a Palisade, the most scared I have ever been of any terrain is at Big Sky.

    • @RD1R
      @RD1R Před 4 měsíci +8

      I'd add A-Basin, Red Mtn, Sunshine Village to your list.
      Big Sky is the "obvious" miss, especially with its big shiny new tram accessing a lot of the most insane terrain. The steepest parts of Moonlight are even harder, and the backside around Shedhorn has some real challenges.
      But Bridger Bowl is the biggest miss for me. It almost skis like 2 separate mountains, with a few lower and mid mountain lifts mostly serving greens and blues. But from the mid mountain up, it gets truly nutty. The single black runs are still fun for experts, the normal double blacks are as hard as any mountain you'd fly to for an experts trip. But then... there are 2 giant terrain zones of what I think is the best expert terrain in NA. There are multiple 200'+ straightline chutes, giant cliffs, cliff bands on top of other cliffs, and it's all just at the right angles to be skiable. There are a few chutes that rival Corbet's, and a few larger highlight reel runs that only get skied a few times a decade. The snow is usually pretty reliable and fills in the upper mountain well.
      But it just has never gained the reputation it should given the terrain. Maybe it's the very necessary requirement of having beacons to access the toughest stuff, including the best lift on the mountain.

    • @hypothalapotamus5293
      @hypothalapotamus5293 Před 4 měsíci +5

      I feel like hardest and most dangerous (used in the title) are two different things. There are resorts that allow very casual access into innocent looking but very avalanche prone terrain and then there are Northwest ski areas that have treewells everywhere.
      As an example, nobody would call 9990 at park city a hard chair by this list's standards, but it did rack up a very high bodycount before the gates were closed.

    • @AlanLamb11
      @AlanLamb11 Před 3 měsíci +2

      @@RD1R I've heard that from a couple people who ski Montana frequently. I have yet to make it out there or up to Revelstoke and Kicking Horse, been to just about everywhere else other than Kirkwood & SIlverton that is mentioned.
      Snowbird has some great terrain, between learning to ski there and Crystal Mt I've never been anywhere I found particularly challenging unless you are just going for big drops which depend hugely on snow conditions for how tough they are other than the fear factor.

    • @isaacibarra347
      @isaacibarra347 Před 3 měsíci

      Agree

    • @dwg1235
      @dwg1235 Před 2 měsíci +2

      BERTHOUD PASS,this must be ALOT of new school extremist because I'm 48 and did second US Xtreme at crested butte and many other comps before I blew my knee on back of Loveland. I have to say in my day BERTHOUD PASS was king of traditional lift Xtreme ski resorts before it closed in mid 1990's and still has hike Xtreme comps there, it's insane. I've done Corbet in style, but cliffs don't scare me vs nasty rugged rocks, icy moguls, weeds, etc. Honorable mention should be also Arapahoe Basin hike pavecini, even snomass has some serious narly shit, but it's a pretty tame resort if you avoid snow mass doubles. Hahaha even Ski Cooper, the world easiest and shortest resort has a sick extra that is snowplow guided only. Backside of Loveland pass has a road that circles up for car rides up and has some serious sick shit but avalanche danger is insane high. I did first South American extreme skiing championship in Argentina and that was pure suicide, day 1 was a must 40ft cliff huck to start first run to land on ice, well that knocked out half the competitors. Either they chickened out, or got injured, or blew their binding like I did landing on ice. I was able to continue to day 2 but had to use rentals cause my soloman 957 bindings were fucked and from day , I got eliminated day 2. I try to find any video from that insane competition, but can't.

  • @MAsWorld1
    @MAsWorld1 Před 3 měsíci +3

    Thx for putting in an East coast beast 😊

    • @MyKeeP81
      @MyKeeP81 Před 2 měsíci

      skiing is terrible out here. i grew up skiing in tahoe and nothing compares and the snow is ass

  • @dynamicmotorsflorida5268
    @dynamicmotorsflorida5268 Před 4 měsíci +2

    Love Silverton!
    This guy did an amazing operation and avalanche control

  • @josiahsimmons9866
    @josiahsimmons9866 Před 4 měsíci +13

    Wow, I'm really surprised A-basin didn't make the list. I feel like pavalincini alone would be worth the list, add in steep gullies, the east wall, and the access to tough Backcountry... Really think it should have been on here!

    • @SnowboardJedi
      @SnowboardJedi Před 4 měsíci +3

      Yep A Basin and Taos should get an honorable mention

    • @dwg1235
      @dwg1235 Před 2 měsíci

      A basin and BERTHOUD PASS

    • @SnowboardJedi
      @SnowboardJedi Před 2 měsíci +1

      @@dwg1235 Berthoud Pass is closed bro

  • @kylem9917
    @kylem9917 Před 4 měsíci +18

    Sorry, I usually agree with your rankings, but leaving Big Sky off of the top here is egregious. I've skied every resort mentioned and Big Sky is the only one with actually terrifying terrain, like I would prefer to be roped in on, and falls would easily be fatal. KH, Silverton, and Baker are all super extreme but less "dangerous", IMO.

    • @jawise86
      @jawise86 Před 4 měsíci +3

      100

    • @deankiriluk-gf1fs
      @deankiriluk-gf1fs Před 3 měsíci +1

      Agree 100%. You can kill yourself easily at big sky on dozens of different runs. I have skied many of these resorts and find big sky as the only one that has what feels like 1,000 acres i wont ski because of difficultly😂

    • @iqdb9
      @iqdb9 Před 2 měsíci +2

      agreed big sky on top

    • @bruceb5481
      @bruceb5481 Před měsícem

      About 12 years ago off the little 10 person tram my friend disappeared off a 50 foot cliff in the fog. After bouncing and tumbling on andocite rocks that was the end of skiing for him. 😢😢😢.

  • @BLR653
    @BLR653 Před 3 měsíci +3

    You had me at Mad River Glen! Only place I’ve gotten a ski stuck in a tree!

  • @coolflippers
    @coolflippers Před 4 měsíci +5

    Kicking horse was the first thing I thought of when I saw this video. love that place, my can't even afford to go back, since it's been discovered. great Town 2

  • @AlanLamb11
    @AlanLamb11 Před 3 měsíci +4

    Happy to see Mt Baker mentioned- there are a couple other mountains with exceptional out of bounds skiing that really make them more than they otherwise are like Crystal Mt, Snowbird, and Solitude.

    • @LaoSoftware
      @LaoSoftware Před 3 měsíci +1

      I'm a beginner skier and snowboarder. I like the easy slopes with no trees or cliffs.

  • @porterandmjyoung4599
    @porterandmjyoung4599 Před 4 měsíci +7

    You left out Taos NM, trees, cliffs, under rated blacks that many shud be double diamonds. Have skied three on ur list and they were deliciously bruising . . .

  • @debuthunter5389
    @debuthunter5389 Před 3 měsíci +3

    Me and a bunch of the crew from the ski shop we worked at went to Kicking Horse. We did a little exploring, but in the end we all had to call it at a day after 3 runs top to bottom. Every single muscle was aching. What a beast of a place.

  • @calebpryor809
    @calebpryor809 Před 4 měsíci +6

    I’ve grown up on big sky and when I went to Jackson, I was surprised by the ease of the runs. The steeps off the tram at big sky just don’t compete

  • @Arthorism
    @Arthorism Před 4 měsíci +6

    shoutout to Sunshine Village, though you need avy equipment to access the freeride zones, there is some downright crazy runs you can do within Delirium Dive and Wild West. Not to mention unofficial runs like Rocket Pocket.

  • @PatrickMcDonough-rl5bl
    @PatrickMcDonough-rl5bl Před 2 měsíci +3

    The fact that I’m in crested butte right now is crazy and the runs are soooooo good powdery not icy.

  • @TheAlaskanChanneI
    @TheAlaskanChanneI Před 4 měsíci +4

    Honestly, I’d think Alyeska should of made the list, they are packed with fun! Alyeska had about 8-12 double black expert runs ALSO INCLUDING the longest double black chute in America, Christmas chute! Also, there is a wide variety of blacks to pick from! So I think it should have made the list saying they ALSO have hedwall which you have to hike to and can be up to a 55 to 60° drop+ avalanche risk! That’s why it should have made it.

  • @mtadams2009
    @mtadams2009 Před 4 měsíci +3

    I have skied a lot of these areas and I have always enjoyed myself. I have not been to Kicking Horse but my friends who are very good skiers nicknamed it Kicking Ass. I need to get there. Nice list

  • @carterdiscs7268
    @carterdiscs7268 Před 4 měsíci +22

    Really feel like Big Sky should be on this list

    • @dhowe5180
      @dhowe5180 Před 4 měsíci

      That’s what I was wondering

    • @PeakRankings
      @PeakRankings  Před 4 měsíci +12

      Nah, two reasons:
      1. Big Sky’s extreme terrain is really only found in a small area of the resort - the rest is pretty tame
      2. That extreme terrain either requires paying extra to access or hiking to reach

    • @travisfetters8765
      @travisfetters8765 Před 4 měsíci +10

      The best description of Big Sky can be summed up in this slogan: "Park City below treeline, Jackson Hole above treeline". And while paying extra for the tram to access some of the extreme doesn't bode well for the public, I did see this coming. But, how does accessibility limitations degrade the challenge factor of extreme terrain? ◇◇◇ terrain is rated by its degree of difficulty and that doesn't change whether directly off the lift or extensive hiking. Quite frankly, I like the hiking requirement...maintains crowd control. BTW, one will find some extreme runs below treeline on the Moonlight side of the resort.

    • @elwoodcg1
      @elwoodcg1 Před 4 měsíci +13

      Sorry but you guys really missed the mark leaving Big Sky out. Sure, there’s a lot of terrain that requires a little hiking but there’s a ton of gnarly terrain accessible right off the tram. I don’t get the disqualification due to the tram costing more. Makes zero sense.

    • @elwoodcg1
      @elwoodcg1 Před 4 měsíci +14

      Saying that Big Sky’s extreme terrain is only found in a small area of the resort just isn’t true.

  • @newttella1043
    @newttella1043 Před 3 měsíci +1

    Clearly you guys have the best job!

  • @bigslacker666
    @bigslacker666 Před 3 měsíci +2

    Awesome to see two of my local Tahoe resorts on the list! The Wood is amazing because of the cornice drop ins right off the chairs and of course the pretty big variety and difficulty of chutes all over the face. Makes for easier laps and more fun at the top!

  • @wcf3x
    @wcf3x Před 4 měsíci +9

    I've skied a number of these - JH, Snowbird, Crested Butte, Revelstoke, Whistler and Silverton and several of the other suggestions (Red Mountain, Taos, A-Basin, Alta and Telluride). My first thought is that I would rank Whistler way ahead of Revelstoke and JH and Crested Butte as comparable to Snowbird - particularly when one considers that many of the CB classics have much longer no fall zones than anything at Snowbird. I probably wouldn't put Red Mountain, A-Basin, Alta or Telluride necessarily on the list ahead of what is already on it. (If I was going to drop anything, it would probably be Revelstoke which I didn't find particularly intimidating). The one that I would definitely add would be Taos which is easily in the same league as Snowbird or Crested Butte for spicy terrain.

  • @deankiriluk-gf1fs
    @deankiriluk-gf1fs Před 3 měsíci +2

    Appreciated the video and fun to watch and dream about skiing these places. But iwas surprised that Big Sky wasn’t on the list. Tons of gnarly terrain allover.

  • @axelkoch7332
    @axelkoch7332 Před 3 měsíci +1

    I'm so happy you left us off the list! Way better than the 10-3 in your list and happy to not have any more press!

  • @smacky1966
    @smacky1966 Před 4 měsíci +5

    Taos belongs on this list.

  • @reddottx
    @reddottx Před 4 měsíci +16

    Never been but I’ve heard some stories about Big Sky. Seems harder than anything on the east coast

    • @BillSNYC
      @BillSNYC Před 4 měsíci +10

      Skied there last year, never saw as much super challenging terrain in my life. Truly in a league of its own.

    • @skiingkms2010
      @skiingkms2010 Před 4 měsíci +6

      Peakrankings isn’t good enough to ski the hardest runs at Big Sky so they couldn’t rank it.

    • @reddottx
      @reddottx Před 4 měsíci +1

      @@skiingkms2010 😂

    • @JacksAttacking
      @JacksAttacking Před 3 měsíci +2

      I’m 1 hour away, and I’m still hesitant about going on the big couloir

    • @briankokins7617
      @briankokins7617 Před 3 měsíci

      The Big is the Coolest run I've ever done

  • @Shovelwax
    @Shovelwax Před 3 měsíci +1

    Be safe out there!

  • @trioproductions5403
    @trioproductions5403 Před 4 měsíci +6

    Taos has to be on here

  • @grizzkid795
    @grizzkid795 Před 4 měsíci +11

    My two cents: Years ago, I skied S&S on old style slalom skis, ha, but there are runs at Palisades I wouldn't touch. And the snow at Palisades can be truly nasty, making it extra dangerous.

    • @seanmiller8151
      @seanmiller8151 Před 4 měsíci +5

      Skiing is a weird way to describe free falling lol

    • @grizzkid795
      @grizzkid795 Před 4 měsíci +1

      Ha yeah, but you need good body position while dropping, turn 90 degrees in the air, then you better know how to turn after you land.

  • @corystephenson577
    @corystephenson577 Před 2 měsíci +1

    I’ve done corbets numerous times on a snowboard … I love Jackson

  • @benhunter9911
    @benhunter9911 Před 2 měsíci +1

    I agree kicking horse is my favorite hill.

  • @samhaufe1270
    @samhaufe1270 Před 4 měsíci +5

    Big sky snub is wild, you cant tell me a-z chutes, big couloir, and north summit snowfields is wild

    • @iqdb9
      @iqdb9 Před 2 měsíci

      Ok the little coular, tits up, Never, And some uper A-z chutes along w jack creek and castros. North summit is not nessisarly to hard but is very high risk as you are over cliffs the entire time. I’m just wondering if you have ever skied at big sky and actually whent on some of these runs

  • @arjunski
    @arjunski Před 4 měsíci +3

    RIP the old #1 graphic 😭 But great video as always guys!

  • @TomJones-tx7pb
    @TomJones-tx7pb Před 2 měsíci +1

    I skied all over the hardest off trail places Mt Baker in the 80s and one chute in this video I would sometimes spend a day running and never see another person.There were some amazingly competent off-piste competition skiers that I knew there. Back then I would stay in a lodge right by a ski lift. I loved Jackson Hole - great steep ice runs when I was there, but coldest place I've ever been.

  • @EvanMichael03
    @EvanMichael03 Před 3 měsíci +2

    I had to watch to the end to make sure kicking horse was #1. I’ve skied all over and that place is hands down the craziest place I’ve ever seen

  • @icecoaster
    @icecoaster Před 2 měsíci +2

    5:21 gotta love those coolars

  • @jarrettreckseidler
    @jarrettreckseidler Před 3 měsíci +1

    Pretty solid list

  • @frasersgrove4838
    @frasersgrove4838 Před 3 měsíci

    Kicking Horse is my favorite ski area, amazing skiing there...

  • @aveenvp
    @aveenvp Před 4 měsíci +3

    It always rains at Mt. Baker

  • @corneliusblackwood9014
    @corneliusblackwood9014 Před 28 dny +1

    Hit S&S twice, broke my arm one time, definitely an experience.

  • @brywasiuk
    @brywasiuk Před 4 měsíci +4

    Clicked on this vid thinking "I bet Kicking Horse is #1". Yup. That resort is on a whole other level as soon as you step off the gondola. Leave the beginners at home if you want to climb into that saddle. I've been bucked off more than a few times.

  • @ryank4966
    @ryank4966 Před 3 měsíci +7

    As others have stated - Taos, Big Sky, Bridger, A-Basin, Aspen Highlands, Telluride could be strong contenders to replace this somewhat accurate list.
    I’ll go further and recommend Snowmass to the list. Have a day at Snowmass and do
    Burn cliffs, Gowdy’s, Rayburns, Possible, Roberto’s Double, and all of cirque/hanging valley and tell me it’s not a sleeper mountain for experts!

  • @felisaaero
    @felisaaero Před 4 měsíci +3

    You forgot Taos.

  • @stid2170
    @stid2170 Před 4 měsíci +1

    Kirkwood rocked in the mid 80's

  • @coltruger2553
    @coltruger2553 Před 4 měsíci +1

    Merry Christmas!

  • @FireSneaks83
    @FireSneaks83 Před 4 měsíci

    Gotta love a good run through moguldishu!

  • @Sqwivig
    @Sqwivig Před 4 měsíci +2

    I'm only 25 but watching these skiers absolutely crush these expert runs make me feel old and out of shape 😅 I wish I could be in better shape but my job requires a lot of physical labor already, so working out just feels like torture. I can still do a lot of difficult black diamonds and even a few double blacks, but it takes me a while to get down lol. I have to stop and take a breather sometimes.

  • @user-ke9yk5qp3u
    @user-ke9yk5qp3u Před 4 měsíci +1

    Skiing Mojave and Death Valley are my favorites.

  • @lindadavidson7328
    @lindadavidson7328 Před 3 měsíci +1

    Crested Butte is also good for beginners too. Lots of greens and blues

  • @user-pe4vq5vj3u
    @user-pe4vq5vj3u Před 3 měsíci +3

    really crazy not to have big sky on this list

  • @meh-87
    @meh-87 Před 4 měsíci +4

    The hike up terrain on the East coast isn't half bad if you're looking for challenge. Just a really limited season if you want sufficient good snow for it. In my late 40's I'm looking at all of this stuff and thinking no anyway.

  • @kuladeeluxe
    @kuladeeluxe Před 2 měsíci +1

    Good list. (I've skied at Snowbird, Kicking Horse, Revelstoke, Whistler. out of those mentioned) I'd add Red Mountain in Trail BC. Very Steep.

  • @jackbarnhart7394
    @jackbarnhart7394 Před 3 měsíci +2

    I love mad river and ski there daily, the terrain is honestly harder than any of the hike to stuff at breckenridge, however, although I haven't skied there, no way it beats out A-basin

  • @zlseth
    @zlseth Před 4 měsíci +1

    Watching this video and listening to you talk make it clear that even the best skiers can also be what locals call “gapers”.

  • @stephenventura4075
    @stephenventura4075 Před měsícem

    Just skied Snowbird, Solitude, and Brighton this recent March. Snowbird was easily my favorite. Half the blue trails there would be double blacks at 90% of of ski mountains back home in the east. The Peruvian Cirque is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen not requiring a hike

  • @ZENmud
    @ZENmud Před měsícem

    I can honestly say that no other ski film ever made my hips TWITCH as the camera approached trees, rocks, and "features" 😂😂😂 thanks for the isometric workout 🎉🎉🎉

  • @paulboileau3758
    @paulboileau3758 Před 3 měsíci +1

    I have skied each and every one of these mountains save Mad River Glen (which looked like total garbage in this vid) and all of the trails depicted in the other ten. Generally this is a solid list, but there are very notable omissions: Taos and Big Sky.
    My top ten for steeps:
    1. Kicking Horse, BC
    2. Taos, NM
    3. Jackson Hole, WY
    4. Big Sky, MT
    5. Whistler-Blackcomb, BC
    6. Pallisades Tahoe, CA
    7. Silverton, CO
    8. Snowbird, UT
    9. Revelstoke, BC
    10. Red, BC
    Honorable Mentions: Lake Louise, AB, Arapahoe Basin, CO, Alyeska, AK, Telluride, CO, Kirkwood, CA, Castle, AB.
    Mount Baker and Crested Butte have no business on any top ten steeps list.

  • @thanksyoutubefortakingmyhandle

    I've been to Tahoe's Northstar and Heavenly, and Colorado's Aspen Snowmass and Vail. They had some gnarly steep slopes, I remember one I took a picture of that looked like50 degree slope at Heavenly

  • @roo1314
    @roo1314 Před 4 měsíci +3

    Not disputing the difficulty of any of these but Alta and A Basin rank up there with any of these. A Basin is often open well into June or at least it was before global warming.

  • @Nathanstone450
    @Nathanstone450 Před 3 měsíci +2

    Bridger Bowl also has some pretty insane terrain, on the ridge at least

  • @stickynorth
    @stickynorth Před 4 měsíci +2

    As someone who grew up in Alberta, I'd definitely put Golden's Kicking Horse and Revelstoke near the top along with Sunshine Village in Alberta with its Delirium Dive and Goat's Eye Mountain terrain... I feared it as a kid and I do as an adult...

  • @MrSeriously3
    @MrSeriously3 Před měsícem

    Appreciate the nod to Silverton!

  • @SnowghostFilms
    @SnowghostFilms Před 4 měsíci +9

    Coming from skiing down under, I don’t even know how it would compare. I can find places for large drops of ~8-20ft, especially the Hollywood drops under the Kosciusko Express chair, but Thredbo would not make the top 30 list. Guess I’ll have to find out next time I go overseas!

    • @PeakRankings
      @PeakRankings  Před 4 měsíci +9

      Well, what about all the kangaroos you guys have to dodge on the slopes down there?

    • @SnowghostFilms
      @SnowghostFilms Před 4 měsíci +2

      @@PeakRankings Don’t have to deal with those too often, but I still have a Wombat for a coach, giant sheets of bullet proof ice and mouguls and even the occasional magpie

  • @dootdoot1867
    @dootdoot1867 Před 4 měsíci +4

    You guy really need to get upto Red Mountain this season, when it starts popping. Its one of the oldest in north America with raising some of the most influential men and women to come out of snow sports.

    • @2richants
      @2richants Před 4 měsíci +1

      Red can get gnarly but whitewater more fun and gets more snow. Nelson also a cool friendly town

    • @dootdoot1867
      @dootdoot1867 Před 4 měsíci

      @@2richants I love Fernie too.

  • @johngjacobi
    @johngjacobi Před 4 měsíci +1

    Great programming on this channel….JH is the best!!!!

  • @user-vn4qr7sq3i
    @user-vn4qr7sq3i Před 2 měsíci +2

    Good list! Skied them all except Mt Bachelor. Big Sky off the tram and either side of the ridge hike above Headwaters, must be included. Alta and Snowbasin need consideration. In the East, Stowe is a better mountain, as difficult and with more variety than Mad River...

  • @SchleyerZed
    @SchleyerZed Před 4 měsíci +5

    Granted ive never been to mad river but im suprised that place got put above altas high traverse/baldy chutes, solitudes fantasy ridge, or big skys lone peak Great vid.

    • @PeakRankings
      @PeakRankings  Před 4 měsíci +6

      Alta was a strong contender for the #10 spot, but we wanted to give the East Coast some love!

    • @bearclaw5115
      @bearclaw5115 Před 4 měsíci +2

      It's not the big features but the tight spaces and often icy conditions that'll get ya at MRG! I did it once on a nice 2 ft dump (easy mode). I wouldn't even think of skiing there in marginal conditions.

    • @gnarlee4250
      @gnarlee4250 Před 4 měsíci

      I hiked fantasy ridge last year for the first time. I've done a lot of back country and other resort hiking and never experienced a pucker like that before!

    • @jackfitzsimmons646
      @jackfitzsimmons646 Před 4 měsíci

      I think the big difference between Alta and MRG is that it's a lot easier to bail out onto something easier if you bite off more than you can chew at Alta. That and there's usally some actual snow to slow yourself down, which often isn't the case at MRG.

  • @lonnieshull88
    @lonnieshull88 Před 4 měsíci +2

    I've skied all over North America and on 3 continents. A-Basin, Alta, and Taos need to be on this list.

  • @mikewyd53
    @mikewyd53 Před 4 měsíci +1

    I learned to ski at Jackson Hole. Corbetts Couloir, the Hobacks, great snow, no grooming on Rendevous. I have skied Colorado, Utah, Korea, Europe, nothing compares to Jackson Hole.

  • @jamessidney2851
    @jamessidney2851 Před 3 měsíci

    Amazing video. So much research, travel and work went into this. Thank you!

  • @overwatchxrescue
    @overwatchxrescue Před 4 měsíci +1

    That drop at Jackson Hole definitely looks quite intense!

  • @contatoaltopalmital5825
    @contatoaltopalmital5825 Před 4 měsíci

    Great job! Indeed Whistler Blackcomb is amazing and gives to you infinite possibilities to growth in ski/snowboard. Kirkwood is more wildness and not appropriate even for intermediate level. Hope to know the another resorts on this list but Silverton I'll certain pass...

  • @amarsinha2753
    @amarsinha2753 Před měsícem

    So stoked so see Silverton make the list. Kind of bummed it’s been bought. Best skiing in the neighborhood for sure.

  • @poervids
    @poervids Před 3 měsíci +1

    Well done. Was never good enough for MRG but could handle a lot of the steeps and staights out west including the 5K decent at Whistler/Blackcomb and weirdness of Alta. The scaryist for me was sitting under Kirkwood's massive cornice after a decent and seeing all of the VWs littered around me knowing if it broke nothing would save me and I had no idea I had just skied on top of it.

    • @marcusfieldfield4069
      @marcusfieldfield4069 Před 3 měsíci

      I have never been to Alta it's on my bucket list... please enlighten me to what weirdness are you talking about

  • @aa_bs
    @aa_bs Před 2 měsíci +1

    I go to kicking horse multiple times every year and its a great hill when it gets snow(It didnt get great snow this year but it can get tons of powder if you go in the right year)

  • @jakeradi3634
    @jakeradi3634 Před 4 měsíci +2

    Love seeing my local mountain on list (Mt Baker)! The mountain still has that local, family run ski resort vibe which I love! The skiing is terrible though, and we never get any powder so don’t come visit 😉😉

  • @bjbhehir
    @bjbhehir Před 4 měsíci +4

    Solid list, Squaw is my home mountain. Surprised Mammoth didn't make it?

    • @je5406
      @je5406 Před 4 měsíci

      I theres a solid list of honorable mentions that didnt make the cut. Mammoth is on there for sure.

  • @ConnorDevlinSMTB
    @ConnorDevlinSMTB Před 4 měsíci +2

    Have you ever considered doing a review on whiteface? My family might go there this winter and I want to know if it is worth the trip