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Trio of Idaho ski destinations named among the top resorts by USA Today

A skier rides up the Cedar Park Express at Schweitzer Mountain in 2020. (Eli Francovich/The Spokesman-Review)
By Nicole Blanchard Idaho Statesman

BOISE – One Idaho ski resort earned the title of best ski area in the U.S. from an industry magazine, while another is in the running to win a similar title from USA Today, according to news releases.

Earlier this month, Sun Valley Resort was named the No. 1 resort in the West as well as No. 1 in the U.S. as part of SKI magazine’s 2023 resort guide. The yearly guide crowns top resorts on the East and West coasts, and Sun Valley has won the West Coast award for three years running.

“Sun Valley comes away with the No. 1 rank for the third year in a row thanks to its own special combination of great terrain, luxurious vacation amenities, and a unique and authentic vibe that skiers of all stripes love,” the magazine said.

Deer Valley, Utah, came in second place behind Sun Valley; Colorado’s Aspen Snowmass was third; Banff Sunshine in Alberta, Canada, was fourth and Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, Canada, was fifth. Only one other Idaho ski area – Sandpoint’s Schweitzer Mountain in 11th place – made SKI’s list.

According to a Sun Valley Resort news release, the central Idaho ski area also received praise for its lifts, dining, local flavor, guest services, nightlife, lodging and several other categories. Sun Valley officials said the resort has been selected to host the Alpine Skiing National Championships for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. The resort also is working on improvements, including a new Challenger chairlift and replacing the Flying Squirrel lift that burned in a fire in 2014.

Brundage Mountain also has earned national praise for the third year running. The McCall mountain is a top-10 finalist for USA Today’s Readers’ Choice travel awards. The voting-based competition ends Nov. 21, and people can cast their votes at bit.ly/3NjOYDa once a day until then.

Last year, Brundage came in seventh place in the competition. In 2020, it placed second.

“It’s an honor for a resort like Brundage Mountain to earn repeat nominations for an award like this one,” Brundage General Manager Ken Rider said in a news release. “What’s even more gratifying is that our guests have rallied and voted us into to the Top 10 repeatedly.”