(1888PressRelease)
April 26, 2008 - Orinda, CA - Whistler Blackcomb, B.C., has been named North America's favorite ski resort by visitors of OnTheSnow.com, the oldest and most visited snow sports portal.
The Web site, which attracts a Nielsen-audited 1.2 million unique monthly visitors during the winter, gave it's visitors the opportunity to write reviews of all resorts in North America.
Visitors then ranked them in five categories: Overall Favorite, Best Nightlife, Most Family-Friendly, Best Downhill Terrain, and Best Terrain Park. More then 7,500 reviews were submitted from September 2007 until April 2008. Whistler-Blackcomb received perfect scores in the overall favorite and downhill terrain categories and was near perfect for it's nightlife. The ratings were based on readers' average rankings, number of reviews, and specific comments made in OnTheSnow.com over the winter season.
"User generated content is one of the most powerful and effective ways Web visitors have to communicate with each other," said Mountain News Corp. President and Publisher Rob Brown, whose company publishes OnTheSnow.com. "Skiers and snowboarders are relying on the word of their peers when they make resort choices. We believe the importance of reader advisories will continue to grow each year and these annual awards provide a peek into their thinking."
Snowmass, Colo. was named North America's most family-friendly resort and Angel Fire, N.M. won for having the best terrain park.
Squaw Valley USA, Calif. was named favorite overall on a regional level for the Far West, along with Schweitzer, Idaho for the Pacific Northwest; Snowmass, Colo. for the Rockies; Ski Brule, Mich. for the Midwest; Sunday River, Maine for the Northeast; and Wintergreen, Va. for the Mid Atlantic.
North American Ski Resort Winners:
North America's Favorite Resort: Whistler-Blackcomb, B.C.
North America's Best Downhill Terrain: Whistler-Blackcomb, B.C.
North America's Best Nightlife: Whistler-Blackcomb, B.C.
North America's Most Family Friendly: Snowmass, CO
North America's Best Terrain Park: Angel Fire, NM
Regional Ski Resort Winners:
Pacific Northwest:
Favorite: Schweitzer, Idaho
Nightlife: Schweitzer, Idaho
Family: 49 Degrees North, Wash.
Downhill Terrain: Mt. Baker, Wash.
Terrain Park: Mt. Bachelor, Ore.
Far West:
Favorite: Squaw Valley., Calif.
Nightlife: Mammoth Mt., Calif.
Family: Snow Valley, Calif.
Downhill Terrain: Kirkwood, Calif.
Terrain Park: Bear Mt., Calif.
Rocky Mountains:
Favorite: Snowmass, Colo.
Nightlife: Deer Valley, Utah
Family: Grand Targhee, Wyo.
Downhill Terrain: Jackson Hole, Wyo.
Terrain Park: Telluride, Colo.
Midwest:
Favorite: Ski Brule, Mich.
Nightlife: Shanty Creek, Mich.
Family: Chestnut, Ill.
Downhill Terrain: Shanty Creek, Mich.
Terrain Park: Perfect North Slopes, Ind.
Northeast:
Favorite: Sunday River, Maine
Nightlife: Whiteface, N.Y.
Family: Smugglers' Notch, Vt.
Downhill Terrain: Gore Mt., N.Y.
Terrain Park: Loon Mt., N.H.
Mid-Atlantic/Southeast:
Favorite: Wintergreen, Va.
Nightlife: Wisp, Md.
Family: Bryce Mt., N.C.
Downhill Terrain: Blue Knob, Pa.
Terrain Park: Hidden Valley, Pa.
OnTheSnow.com is the web's most visited snow report web site with a Nielsen audited 1.2 million monthly unique visitors. OnTheSnow offers the ski report, resort reviews, web cams, and skiing deals for virtually every ski resort in the world. Please click for a full version of the OnTheSnow Visitors Choice Awards. There are 13 International Editions of OnTheSnow in seven languages.
