Crested Butte, Colorado

Description  Nestling in a semi-circle of impressive mountains, Crested Butte (pronounced 'beaut') is well known for its steep terrain, and challenging double-black diamond runs. The ski base area, named Mount Crested Butte, is about 3 miles north from the actual town of Crested Butte. There is a free shuttle bus connecting the two which runs between 7am and midnight.

For beginners, there's a large number of long, easy, gently sloping trails accessed from the top of the Red Lady Express chair, a short ride starting in the ski base area. Intermediates will love the bowl skiing - try Paradise Bowl, and the forgiving powder runs through the trees in the Phoenix Bowl area. Expert skiiers will head for the steep chutes at the very top, such as the intimidating Banana Funnel, the steep skiing in the Teocalli bowl, or the exciting mogul runs, such as Jokerville.

The slopes are also home to 3 terrain parks. The main park, DC Terrain park, has a 400ft long superpipe, 12 jumps, and 10 rails. Though quite often the terrain parks are relatively empty, as the gnarly terrain above is far more tempting.

If you're staying in the ski village area, and you've still got some energy left after an exhausting day on the slopes, be sure to pay a visit to Crested Butte itself, a characterful town with its roots as a mining supply center. Many of the old buildings remain, and are occupied nowadays by bars, restaurants and shops.