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Introducing The New PeakRankings Tree Score
Introducing the PeakRankings Tree Score š²
Introducing the PeakRankings Tree Score š² (Vol. 10)
Welcome to the latest PeakRankings newsletter! In this series, we round up the best news and deals from the ski industry.
š¹ Last Weekās Videos:
Mountain Review: Kicking Horse, British Columbia
Most UNREAL Resorts for Tree Skiing
Palisades Tahoe Terrain Zones RANKED - Worst to Best
š² Introducing The PeakRankings Tree Score š²
When youāre planning a ski trip, have you ever wondered about the tree skiing out there? And demurred about the lack of concrete tools out there to make your glade-centric vacation decision?
Not to worry!
Enter the PeakRankings Tree Score, a holistic measurement of every resort weāve reviewed based on the overall tree skiing experience. No more cutting through other trip planning resources to get to the glade-friendliness information you need to know.
How It Works š§Ŗ
We came up with five criteria to rank the resorts for their tree-skiing friendliness. The scores of each of these categories were weighted for a final overall score out of 100:
Woods Skiability: the share of the resortās footprint that offers accessible glade skiing
Beginner/Intermediate-Friendliness: quality of glades available for lower ability levels
Advanced/Expert-Friendliness: quality of glades available for experienced guests
Glade Uniqueness: one-of-a-kind feeling versus trees at other resorts
Tree Type Diversity: the variation in tree size, spacing, and species around the resort.
Below, weāve highlighted the top 12 resorts that especially stand out for tree skiing:
Thick trees in Arapahoe Basinās Beavers zone.
One of the best ski resorts in North America for expert-level glade terrain.
Beavers Zone is home to a wide range of advanced and expert trees with seemingly limitless lines to choose from.
Trees off the Pallavicini chair are extraordinarily steep. These glades include some of the most insane obstacles in Colorado, with cliffs, chutes, and rocks riddled within.PeakRankings Tree Score: 70/100
Entrance to a glade trail at Jay Peak.
Well-designed intermediate-to-advanced glade areas, with wide enough spacing for skiability but tight enough features to make them interesting.
The insane, tram-serviced Jay Peak Face Chutes, which are home to whatās easily the most favorable wind-blown glades youāll find anywhere.PeakRankings Tree Score: 70/100
Expert-level trees off Whistler Blackcombās Crystal Express.
An exceptionally wide variety of tree terrain across a massive footprint.
The best runs are found at mid-upper elevations just below the treeline, ranging from relatively tame, widely-spaced blue runs to insane tree-riddled chutes involving unmarked cliffs and almost no room for error.
Harmony and Symphony Chairs in Whistler, Crystal and 7th Heaven Chairs in Blackcomb are must-hits for high-quality glades.PeakRankings Tree Score: 72/100
Mount Bachelorās back side.
Volcano-based slopes host some of the most incredible near-treeline glade terrain on the continent.
Glades off the Northwest chair are among the most varied one can find anywhere, with trees short and small gradually increasing to the tall, thick evergreens all in a single run. These trees are best suited for advanced and expert visitors.
The Cloudchaser zone hosts intermediate glades with similar diversity.PeakRankings Tree Score: 72/100
Whitefish, Montana
The resortās white-crusted pines, also known as snow ghosts, are its marquee characteristic.
Every part of the mountain is home to skiable trees.
Thanks to modest visitation, the glades can hold undisturbed powder stashes for days.PeakRankings Tree Score: 72/100
Upper mountain glades overlooking Lake Tahoe at Heavenly
Heavenlyās upper-mountain glades are not only wide and short enough to offer visibility out of the trees, but also home to an absolutely astounding view of Lake Tahoe below.
Heavenlyās out-of-bounds gondola lift line is home to steep, expert-level glades that ski or ride right into town. PeakRankings Tree Score: 74/100
Glade terrain near the top of the mountain at Revelstoke.
The vast majority of Revelstokeās extraordinary 5,600+ā top-to-bottom descent can be done through tree terrain.
Revelstokeās massive pines span essentially every part of the resort, which are widely spaced enough to allow for comfortable glade skiing essentially everywhere.
Revelstoke is an incredibly low-capacity resort, and even after the trails get tracked out, Revelstokeās trees can hold powder for days.
The mid-mountain double-black tree runs are riddled with cliffs, rocks, and other hazards that can require mandatory air or straightlining with little to no notice.PeakRankings Tree Score: 74/100
Aspen trees at Brighton.
Brightonās exceptional snowfall totals allow its glades to accumulate a base quickly and hide powder stashes for days after storms.
The resort hosts skiable glades across its entire mountain, with options ranging from beginner to expert and including a wide variety of tree species ranging from aspens to pines.
Lower-level glade terrain especially stands out, and itās easy to dip into the trees and back out to regular trails, making these areas great for practicing.PeakRankings Tree Score: 76/100
Powder Mountain, Utah
Easily accessible glade terrain across vast majority of the footprint.
Since the resort substantially limits ticket sales, these trees tend to stay untracked for days or even weeks.
The resort especially stands out for the open, widely-spaced aspens that envelop most of the resort.
Even beginners are able to readily access many glade zones across the massive footprint.PeakRankings Tree Score: 82/100
View of the Okanagan Valley from upper-mountain Big White trees.
Pretty much the entire terrain footprint includes skiable trees, including some especially standout widely-spaced beginner options.
Unique weather conditions turn trees into snow ghosts, making the mountain stand out substantially from typical below-treeline slopes.
Upper-mountain trees are short enough to offer outstanding panoramic views of the surrounding environment and valley below.PeakRankings Tree Score: 84/100
Widely-spaced trees off Beaver Creekās McCoy chair.
Top-notch trees for just about every ability level, ranging from the outstanding, uniquely varied meadows of McCoy Park, to the tighter but still modestly pitched aspens in lower elevations, to the taxingly steep expert glades in upper-mountain areas.
Beginner-oriented McCoy Park hosts some of the most diverse trees of any glade area in North America, feeling more akin to a botanical garden than a ski resort.
Double-black tree areas are so long theyāre seemingly unending, offering opportunities for some of the most intense wooded endurance laps on the continent.PeakRankings Tree Score: 86/100
Glades on a powder day at Steamboat.
Diverse species ranging from pine to aspen, and distinguished slope experiences thatācriticallyāmake each glade run feel different from the last.
If youāre on any regular trail, you can reliably dip into high-quality trees of similar difficulty
Gladed options for all ability levels, ranging from mellow, widely-spaced options to daunting expert lines.PeakRankings Tree Score: 90/100
PeakRankings Tree Score Summary: Top 12 Resorts
Other Noteworthy Tree Skiing Resorts š³
While these top 12 mountains really stand out, theyāre not the only ski resorts with very impressive glade terrain. In fact, based on our criteria assuming we donāt break any ties, we have a ten-way tie for 13th.
If you were thinking of a mountain that didnāt show up in this article, itās probably one of the ones listed below:
Want to see how the rest of the destination ski scene stacks up? Check out our full list below!
Considering a trip to a tree skiing paradise? Let us make the trip decisions for you āļø
Thinking of visiting a mountain for tree skiingāand not sure whether the resort is right for you? Try out PeakRankings Trips, our new trip-planning service. We can plan every aspect of your trip, whether it be to Revelstoke, Steamboat, or over 90 destination ski resorts across North America!
Any questions/thoughts on the PeakRankings Tree Score? Respond to this email and weāll get back to you!
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