One of the most beloved winter past times is hitting the slopes. The industry, worth close to $3 billion in the U.S., attracted more than 53.6 million visits last year.

Thanks to advances in equipment, like rocker skis which make learning to ski easier, as well as the addition of terrain parks and glade trails to lure thrill seekers, ski resorts are bustling. But skiing can be a dangerous sport. Skiers are prone to lower-leg fractures and knee problems, while snowboarders sustain wrist or collarbone fractures and ankle injuries.

Surprisingly, the industry is under no obligation to disclose the number of accidents and injuries at their facilities. However, researchers at Johns Hopkins estimate about 600,000 people are injured each year as a result of skiing or snowboarding.

The latest Vitals Index ranks America’s Best Ski Resorts based on a ski area’s proximity to emergency medical facilities, like hospitals and urgent care centers. It also considers average snowfall, number of runs, lifts and cost of a day pass.

Utah resorts, Snowbird, Park City and Alta, took the three top spots in Vitals’ ranking. Not only does the Beehive State’s ski areas boast high snowfall totals and affordable lift tickets, they also offer lots of medical options surrounding the slopes. Squaw Valley and Heavenly Mountain, both in California, made up the top five spots.

Famed Colorado resort, Vail, ranked near the bottom. Not only does Vail charge skiers over $150 per day for a lift ticket, it also has only three nearby medical options. Taos, Telluride, Jay Peak and Mammoth Mountain rounded out the bottom five, with limited available local care options.

The top ranked ski resorts are listed along with key data.

                         
Rank   Resort  

Average
Snowfall

   No. of Runs  

No. of
Lifts

  

Cost of Day
Pass

  

Nearby medical
centers

1   Snow Bird   500   169   11   70   56
2   Park City   355   314   40   75   50
3   Alta   560   116   11   89   56
4   Squaw Valley   450   197   42   134   36
5   Heavenly Mountain Resort   360   97   28   135   37
6   Stowe   314   115   13   92   18
7   Aleskya   650   76   9   75   15
8   Big Sky   400   306   34   106   5
9   Mt Hood Meadows   430   85   14   79   23
10   Crystal Mountain   486   57   11   72   29
11   Jackson Hole   450   133   13   118   6
12   Aspen   300   329   43   139   5
13   Mt Bachelor   462   88   12   84   7
14   Sugarloaf   200   162   13   86   8
15   Grand Targhee   500   95   5   75   4
16   Vail   353   195   31   151   3
17   Taos   305   110   15   86   3
18   Telluride   309   147   18   114   3
19   Jay Peak   377   78   9   79   8
20   Mammoth Mountain   400   151   28   135   2
           

About Vitals

Vitals empowers everyone to shop like an expert for their health care. We bring together cost and quality transparency along with innovative consumer engagement programs to help people select high-quality, lower-cost care. Vitals leads the market with incentive and engagement programs that pay people to shop. Our solutions achieve measurable and sustainable savings for consumers, employers and health plans. Through health plans, employer clients and our award-winning consumer websites, Vitals helps more than 120 million people each year access better, more affordable care.

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