• File: Jeb Wallace-Brodeur
• Bolton Valley Resort

Bolton Valley Resort — Just 30 minutes from Burlington, Bolton Valley Resort serves up slope-side action to Vermonters all year round. In warmer weather, the 5,000-plus-acre resort offers mountain biking, hiking, scenic lift rides and a beast of a disc golf course. But the colder months bring the thrills and chills that have earned Bolton Valley its first Daysie.

Skiers and snowboarders hit the pow — an average of 312 inches of snowfall annually — on 71 trails, accessible via six lifts. Bolton also offers the rare chance to enjoy the slopes after dark with night skiing. Backcountry and Nordic skiers can get their glide on along 100 kilometers of trails.

Unlike many ski resorts in Vermont that are now corporate-owned, Bolton Valley was founded in 1966 by a local, Ralph DesLauriers, and is owned today by the DesLauriers family and a small group of investors. (After selling the ski area in 1997, the fam bought it back in 2017.) Fittingly, they've doubled down on the family focus, with plenty of children's programs and approachable beginner trails — not to mention smaller crowds and budget-friendlier prices than larger resorts. An adult full-day ticket during peak times costs $197 at Stowe Mountain Resort, compared to $99 at Bolton Valley.

Count that as the 99th reason locals love this slope.

Other Finalists

• Jay Peak Resort
• Smugglers' Notch Resort
• Stowe Mountain Resort
• Sugarbush Resort