Ski Area Directory Methodology
The Where2Ski directory lists places to ski across the United States. Here's where its facts come from, how we check them and what each label means.
Sources
Directory entries are built from official sources, in this order of preference:
- The operator or land manager. The ski area's own website, or the site of the park, forest or agency that manages a public trail system. This is the source for operating status, access rules, amenities and terrain figures.
- Official associations. State ski associations, state tourism offices and the Cross Country Ski Areas Association, which list their members or the places they promote.
- Secondary sources, for discovery. Wikipedia and similar sources help us find places we might otherwise miss. An entry is published only once an official source confirms it.
Each entry lists the sources used and the date they were last checked. Terrain figures, such as vertical drop or trail counts, appear as the operator publishes them. Operators measure these in different ways, so compare them with care.
Verification levels
Every entry carries one of these labels:
| Label | What it means | Published |
|---|---|---|
| Checked against the operator's or land manager's site | We confirmed the entry on the official site of the place or its land manager | Yes |
| Listed by an official ski or tourism association | An official association lists the place, and we recorded that listing | Yes |
| Reviewed by Where2Ski staff | A reviewer checked the entry against its sources | Yes |
| Updated by the verified operator | A verified representative of the place proposed the update, and we reviewed it | Yes |
| Secondary sources only | We found the place only in secondary sources | Held for review |
Types of places
| Type | Definition |
|---|---|
| Alpine resort | Lift-served downhill skiing at a destination resort |
| Local ski area | Lift-served downhill skiing at a local or community hill, including rope-tow areas |
| Nordic center | A cross-country ski center with groomed classic and/or skate trails |
| Public cross-country trails | Cross-country trails designated by a public land manager, such as a park, forest or county |
| Indoor real snow | Skiing on real snow inside a building |
| Artificial (dry) slope | A synthetic or dry surface for practice |
| Ski simulator | Indoor training on a revolving slope or simulator |
| Private ski club | A membership club with its own hill or trails, open to members |
| Backcountry resource | A public land area or hut system documented for backcountry skiing, with no lifts, patrol or avalanche control |
| Guided, cat or heli skiing | A licensed operator that takes guests skiing by snowcat, helicopter or guide |
The first four types (alpine resorts, local ski areas, Nordic centers and public cross-country trails) are the ones that qualify nearby homes for Where2Ski. See how listings qualify.
Operating status and today's status
These are two separate fields with separate sources.
Operating status describes the place as a business or trail system over the long term:
- Operating seasonal business
- Temporarily not operating
- Permanently closed
- Historical (no longer operating)
- Proposed, not open
- Operating status not confirmed
Today's status describes whether skiing is happening today: open, partially open, closed today, weather hold, not yet open for the season, or closed for the season. For most places it reads "Not reported," and the ski area's official site is the place to check today's lifts, trails and conditions.
A ski area closed for the summer, or on a weekday, is still an operating seasonal business.
Map points and precision
Each place has one or more mapped points, labeled by precision:
- Visitor entrance, lodge or trailhead: where visitors arrive
- Base area: a point at the base of the lifts or trails
- Approximate: a town or general area, used until a real access point is confirmed
Approximate points appear on the map with that label. Distances for home eligibility are measured only from approved entrances, base areas and trailheads. To get there, use the operator's directions and a routing app.
What the directory covers
The directory focuses on skiing in the United States. A few things fall outside it:
- Places that offer only sledding or tubing (tubing still appears as an amenity at ski areas)
- Water skiing
- Private slopes without public or member access
- Canadian facilities, even when an association lists them alongside U.S. members
The coverage ledger
The coverage ledger shows, state by state, whether the directory has been fully researched, is in progress, or has known gaps. A state with no entries may have been researched with nothing qualifying, which is different from not yet researched. Completeness is tracked state by state, and record counts aren't a measure of it.
Submissions, corrections and claims
All three go to a reviewer before anything changes on the site.
- Submit a ski place if you know of one we're missing. Include its official website if it has one.
- Suggest a correction if something in an entry is wrong. An official source helps.
- Claim a ski area if you represent a place and want to propose updates. We verify that you represent the place before accepting updates, and the entry shows when it was updated by the verified operator.
We don't contact ski areas, operators, associations or land managers on a submitter's behalf.
Pass affiliations
Some entries show the multi-resort passes a place belongs to, with the season each applies to, or "season not stated" when the source doesn't say. Days, lifts, blackout dates and reservations vary by pass and change each season, so check the pass provider's current terms.
Independence
Listings, order and wording in the directory can't be bought, and the directory doesn't rank ski areas. Any sponsored content in the future will be clearly labeled.
Weather and safety
Ski area pages show National Weather Service forecasts and alerts for the area's mapped point, plus links to official safety resources. See conditions, weather and official safety resources.