Pikes Peak Region Trail Finder

Crested Butte   Gazette file

Four of the Top 25 ski towns on the planet are in Colorado, according to National Geographic magazine.

We are so fortunate to live here.

A handful of towns in the American west also get shout outs, but no other place in the world received as much notice in the magazine feature as Colorado. The magazine highlights Telluride, Crested Butte, Aspen and Steamboat Springs as among the best ski towns in the world and includes photos and features of each, including classic runs, best places to eat and best places to stay.

Here's a bit about our ski magnets:

Crested Butte
Best For:  Families hoping to raise the next freeskiing world champion
Among the highlights:  Extreme skier and former Olympian Wendy Fisher of Crested Butte says: “For ungroomed runs I would consider Spellbound to Phoenix off the North Face lift.For groomed trails, hands down it’s International.”

Aspen
Best For:  Well-heeled scenesters and celebrity-stalkers with a love for top-quality skiing
Among the highlights:  Longtime Aspenite Christy Mahon, the first woman to ski all of Colorado’s fourteeners, recommends a stop at Ajax Tavern after a day on the slopes, for a stylish patio scene.

Steamboat Springs
Best For:  Families hoping to groom the next Bode Miller
Among the highlights:  Ski-racing legend Billy Kidd, of Steamboat, the first American ski racer to medal at the Olympics, says: “When we get powder, my favorite area to go to is the Shadows, which is up on top in the trees ... Beginners and intermediates don’t go there, so it really holds the powder."

Telluride
Best For:  Big-lunged skiers and boarders with a taste for fine wine and the mountain high life
Among the highlights:  Rob Story, former senior editor at Powder magazine, recommends riding “Plunge, because on the steep parts you can look through your tips at our tidy, cute, historic town."

Check out some delicious photos and read the descriptions of the Top 25 Ski Towns.