SKI Magazine published its 2027 Resort Guide rankings in early November 2026: a Top 30 in the West and a Top 20 in the East, built from its annual Reader Resort Survey. Readers rate the resorts they've visited across 18 categories, from snow and grooming to lodging and nightlife. We cover 27 of the 50 ranked resorts. Here is how they line up against our Family Score, which weights ski school, beginner terrain and childcare more than anything else.
Ranked in the West (Top 30)
| SKI rank | Resort | Last year | SKI reader strengths | SKI reader weaknesses | Our Family Score | Pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Banff Sunshine (Sunshine Village) | 2 | Snow, Grooming | Lodging, Nightlife | 6.5 | Ikon |
| 2 | Lake Louise | 15 | Snow, Terrain Variety | Nightlife, Lodging | 6.5 | Ikon |
| 3 | Snowbasin | 3 | Access, Grooming | Lodging, Nightlife | 5.9 | Ikon |
| 4 | Alta | 6 | Challenge, Snow | Family, Nightlife | 4.9 | Ikon, Mountain Collective |
| 5 | Big Sky | 1 | Challenge, Lifts | Local Flavor, Access | 5.6 | Ikon |
| 6 | Sun Valley | 8 | Guest Service, Lodging | Challenge, Snow | 7.2 | Independent |
| 8 | Whistler Blackcomb | 10 | Terrain Variety, Après | Grooming, Value | 6.8 | Epic |
| 11 | Snowbird | 14 | Challenge, Snow | Family, Nightlife | 6.2 | Ikon, Mountain Collective |
| 12 | Snowmass (ranked as Aspen Snowmass) | 4 | Grooming, Terrain Variety | Parking, Value | 6.8 | Ikon |
| 16 | Deer Valley | 9 | Grooming, Family | Value, Challenge | 7.7 | Ikon (Ikon Base 3 days) |
| 17 | Copper Mountain | 20 | Value, Parking | Local Flavor, Nightlife | 6.5 | Ikon |
| 18 | Winter Park | 19 | Access, Family | Lifts, Après | 7.4 | Ikon |
| 19 | Beaver Creek | 17 | Grooming, Guest Service | Value, Challenge | 7.3 | Epic |
| 20 | Palisades Tahoe | Not ranked | Challenge, Terrain Variety | Guest Service, Grooming | 6.8 | Ikon |
| 22 | Brighton | Not ranked | Snow, Lifts | Guest Service, Terrain Variety | 6.9 | Ikon |
| 23 | Mt. Bachelor | Not ranked | Value, Parking | Lodging, Nightlife | 7.5 | Ikon |
| 24 | Vail | 12 | Après, Terrain Variety | Parking, Local Flavor | 7.0 | Epic |
| 26 | Breckenridge | 16 | Nightlife, Lodging | Snow, Guest Service | 7.3 | Epic |
| 27 | Steamboat | 25 | Dining, Local Flavor | Challenge, Terrain Variety | 7.2 | Ikon |
| 28 | Keystone | 21 | Family, Grooming | Guest Service, Challenge | 7.9 | Epic |
| 29 | Heavenly | 29 | Nightlife, Lodging | Challenge, Lifts | 6.5 | Epic |
| 30 | Park City Mountain | 30 | Lodging, Access | Snow, Value | 7.6 | Epic |
Snowmass: SKI ranks Aspen Snowmass, all four Aspen mountains together, not Snowmass alone. Sunshine Village: SKI lists it as Banff Sunshine. Mammoth (No. 7) and other ranked resorts without a Ski With Family page are left out.
Ranked in the East (Top 20)
| SKI rank | Resort | Last year | SKI reader strengths | SKI reader weaknesses | Our Family Score | Pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Bretton Woods | 5 | Grooming, Lodging | Terrain Variety, Challenge | 6.2 | Independent |
| 11 | Smugglers' Notch | 7 | Challenge, Value | Lifts, Dining | 8.4 | Independent |
| 12 | Stowe | 12 | Terrain Variety, Lodging | Value, Parking | 6.7 | Epic |
| 14 | Okemo | 19 | Grooming, Lifts | Terrain Variety, Challenge | 7.8 | Epic |
| 18 | Stratton | 17 | Dining, Family | Local Flavor, Snow | 7.0 | Ikon |
Killington (No. 3) and other ranked Eastern resorts without a Ski With Family page are left out. If any Family Score or pass on a live resort page differs from these tables, use the resort page value and keep the tables consistent with the pages.
What stands out to us
- Family is one of SKI's 18 categories, and it shows up in the reader labels. Readers named Family as a top strength at Keystone, Deer Valley, Winter Park and Stratton. Those four score 7.0 to 7.9 on our Family Score, with Keystone at 7.9, our highest among the ranked Western resorts.
- Readers named Family as a weakness at Alta and Snowbird, two of the highest-ranked Utah resorts. Alta is No. 4 in the West and scores 4.9 with us, mostly because it has no childcare, its group lessons start at age 4, and its beginner terrain is limited. Snowbird is No. 11 and scores 6.2.
- The biggest gap is Snowbasin: No. 3 in the West for the second year running, 5.9 with us, where thin beginner terrain and no daycare pull our score down. The opposite is Smugglers' Notch, our top Family Score at 8.4, which is No. 11 in the East.
- Park City Mountain, our home mountain, is No. 30 in the West for the second year in a row. Readers liked its lodging and access and marked it down for snow and value. Our Family Score is 7.6.
- Rankings and our score measure different things. SKI's list is a reader survey of the whole ski trip. Family Score is our weighted read of ski school, beginner terrain, childcare, cost, on-mountain, non-ski and travel. It is never paid for.
Also on our radar this month
Newsweek's Readers' Choice 2027 vote for Best Ski Resort for Families runs until Dec 2, 2026. See the Newsweek nominees with our Family Scores.
Want a mountain picked for your kids' ages instead of a ranking? Try the resort finder.
Sources
Source: SKI Magazine 2027 Resort Guide, Top 30 in the West (updated Nov 5, 2026) and Top 20 in the East (updated Nov 6, 2026), checked Nov 11, 2026. Family Scores and passes from our resort pages.
Last updated: 2026-11-11