Press Release: SKI Magazine
September 11, 2001
BOULDER, CO -- SKI magazine's annual ``Top 60 Resort Guide,'' the definitive ranking of North American ski resorts,
names Deer Valley, Utah, as the No. 1 ski resort in its October issue on sale next week (cover price $3.99).
Deer Valley wrestled the top spot from perennial winners Vail (No. 1 last year) and Whistler/Blackcomb, B.C. (No.
3 last year). In fact, Deer Valley is the first resort other than Vail (10 times) and Whistler/Blackcomb (3 times)
to rank as the top resort in North America in the reader survey's 14 year history.
Home to the slalom and freestyle competitions for the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics this February, Deer Valley
now adds North America's No. 1 ranking to its resume.
``Deer Valley was ahead of the pack in divining that skiing is, at its core, a service industry. No one pampers
their guests like Deer Valley does,'' says SKI Executive Editor Greg Trinker. ``Right now everyone else is playing
catch-up.''
Deer Valley was founded in 1981 on the concept of world-class customer service, and it shows. A constant top five
resort in the annual SKI survey, Deer Valley has helped to redefine the industry. Ranked No. 1 in grooming, on-mountain
food and service, the resort also received top 10 rankings in snow, lifts, lodging, dining and weather from SKI
readers. ``With snow like brushed velvet and food fit for a royal court, skiing here can make anyone feel like
a king or queen,'' the magazine says in its review of Deer Valley.
The top resorts in North America, according to SKI's readers, are as follows:
1. Deer Valley, Utah 2. Vail, Colo. 3. Whistler/Blackcomb, B.C. 4. Aspen Mountain, Colo. 5. Sun Valley, Idaho 6. Beaver Creek, Colo. 7. Snowmass, Colo. 8. Park City, Utah 9. Steamboat, Colo. 10. Breckenridge, Colo. 11. Jackson Hole, Wyo. 12. Keystone, Colo. 13. Mammoth Mountain, Calif. 14. Winter Park, Colo. 15. Heavenly, Calif. 16. Copper Mountain, Colo. 17. Aspen Highlands, Colo. 18. Snowbird, Utah 19. Telluride, Colo. 20. Squaw Valley, Calif. 21. Big Mountain, Mont. 22. Northstar-at-Tahoe, Calif. 23. Big Sky, Mont. 24. Lake Louise, Alb. 25. The Canyons, Utah 26. Crested Butte, Colo. 27. Taos, N.M. 28. Alta, Utah 29. Sunshine Village, Alb. 30. Purgatory, Colo.
(For a complete write-up of all resort and category winners, see skimag.com beginning on Sept. 20.)
For the fifth year in a row, readers ranked Tremblant, Que. No. 1 in the East. With Gold Medals in categories ranging
from lodging to family programs to service, plus the continued strength of the dollar, it's easy to see why Tremblant
continues to stay at the top. In the Midwest, Nub's Nob, Mich., debuts at No. 1. Top rankings in snow, weather
and value helped propel this resort past Boyne Highlands, Mich., which is ranked No. 2 this year.
In addition, SKI customizes its ``Top 60 Resort Guide'' for whatever type of vacation a skier is looking for. Log
on to skimag.com to customize a ski vacation and enter for a chance to the No. 1 resort, Deer Valley. Also, resorts
are ranked by Region, Value, Terrain, Snow, Family Programs and Apres Ski. More than 20,000 SKI readers are surveyed
for SKI's ``Top 60 Resort Guide'' by an independent research firm. SKI readers ski an average of 23 days a year.
It is the most comprehensive and longest-running ski resort survey in the wintersports industry. More information
on the survey is available at skimag.com.
Time4 Media
SKI Magazine is published by Mountain Sports Media, a division of Time4(TM) Media based in Boulder, Colorado, that
also publishes SKIING, FREEZE, Skiing Trade News and SkiNet.com. Time4 titles include: Field & Stream, GOLF
MAGAZINE, Motor Boating, Outdoor Life, Popular Science, Ride BMX, Salt Water Sportsman, Snap BMX, TransWorld MotoCross,
TransWorld SKATEboarding, TransWorld SNOWboarding, TransWorld STANCE, TransWorld SURF and Yachting. Time4 Media
is a subsidiary of Time Inc., which is a subsidiary of AOL Time Warner Inc (NYSE: AOL).
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Contact:
Time4 Media, New York
Sara Delekta, 212/779-5172
sara.delekta@time4.com