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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