Ski Resort Elevations: Summit, Top Lift and Base Heights in North America and Europe

When skiers compare resorts, they usually look at summit elevation. But for how you'll feel on your trip, the more important number is often the base — because that's roughly where you'll eat, relax and, most importantly, sleep.

North America

This infographic and accompanying chart compare base and top-lift elevations for eight of North America's highest resorts, with Whistler included for contrast. The dashed lines mark a few useful reference points: Denver, Salt Lake City and the 8,000-foot sleeping elevation above which the CDC considers unacclimatized travelers at risk for altitude illness.

The takeaway is striking. Every resort here except Whistler has a base above that 8,000-foot line, meaning you start your trip in the altitude-risk zone before you ever board a lift.

Ski Resort Elevations: Summit, Top Lift and Base Heights in North America

  
    
        Resort
        Base
        Top lift
        Lift-served vertical
        Common lodging below base
      

    
        Loveland Colorado
        10,800 ft
        12,700 ft
        1,900 ft
        Silverthorne, 8,790 ft
      

        Arapahoe Basin Colorado
        10,780 ft
        12,456 ft
        1,676 ft
        Silverthorne, 8,790 ft
      

        Copper Colorado
        9,712 ft
        12,441 ft
        2,729 ft
        —
      

        Breckenridge Colorado
        9,600 ft
        12,840 ft
        3,240 ft
        —
      

        Keystone Colorado
        9,280 ft
        12,282 ft
        3,002 ft
        —
      

        Taos New Mexico
        9,207 ft
        12,450 ft
        3,243 ft
        Town of Taos, 6,969 ft
      

        Telluride Colorado
        8,725 ft
        12,515 ft
        3,790 ft
        —
      

        Alta Utah
        8,530 ft
        10,550 ft
        2,020 ft
        —
      

        Whistler Blackcomb British Columbia (for comparison)
        2,214 ft
        7,494 ft
        5,280 ft
        —
      

    Elevations in feet. Lift-served vertical is top lift minus base. Reference points: Denver 5,280 ft; Salt Lake City 4,226 ft. The CDC considers unacclimatized travelers sleeping at 8,000 ft or higher at risk for altitude illness.
  

Elevations in feet. Lift-served vertical is top lift minus base. Reference points: Denver 5,280 ft; Salt Lake City 4,226 ft. The CDC considers unacclimatized travelers sleeping at 8,000 ft or higher at risk for altitude illness.
Resort	Base	Top lift	Lift-served vertical	Common lodging below base
Loveland Colorado	10,800 ft	12,700 ft	1,900 ft	Silverthorne, 8,790 ft
Arapahoe Basin Colorado	10,780 ft	12,456 ft	1,676 ft	Silverthorne, 8,790 ft
Copper Colorado	9,712 ft	12,441 ft	2,729 ft	—
Breckenridge Colorado	9,600 ft	12,840 ft	3,240 ft	—
Keystone Colorado	9,280 ft	12,282 ft	3,002 ft	—
Taos New Mexico	9,207 ft	12,450 ft	3,243 ft	Town of Taos, 6,969 ft
Telluride Colorado	8,725 ft	12,515 ft	3,790 ft	—
Alta Utah	8,530 ft	10,550 ft	2,020 ft	—
Whistler Blackcomb British Columbia (for comparison)	2,214 ft	7,494 ft	5,280 ft	—

Europe

The below infographic and accompanying chart compare village and top-lift elevations for seven high-altitude resorts across France, Austria and Switzerland — with Breckenridge included for contrast. In the Alps, we've used village elevation rather than base elevation, since the village is where you'll stay — and many Alpine ski areas actually have lifts and runs that extend below it. Elevations are shown in both feet and meters, and the dashed lines again mark Denver and the CDC's 8,000-foot threshold.

Here, the takeaway is the reverse of North America. Every Alpine village on the chart sits below that 8,000-foot line, including Val Thorens, the highest resort village in Europe. Yet the lifts above them climb nearly as high as Colorado's: Zermatt's highest lift tops out within about 50 feet of Breckenridge's. In the Alps, you can ski at Colorado heights and still sleep closer to Denver.

Summit and Base or Village Elevations for a selection of European Ski Resorts

  
    
        Resort
        Village
        Top lift
        Village to top lift
      

    
        Val Thorens France
        7,546 ft2,300 m
        10,482 ft3,195 m
        2,936 ft895 m
      

        Tignes France
        6,890 ft2,100 m
        11,339 ft3,456 m
        4,449 ft1,356 m
      

        Obergurgl Austria
        6,332 ft1,930 m
        10,105 ft3,080 m
        3,773 ft1,150 m
      

        St. Moritz Switzerland
        5,978 ft1,822 m
        9,941 ft3,030 m
        3,963 ft1,208 m
      

        Saas-Fee Switzerland
        5,906 ft1,800 m
        11,339 ft3,456 m
        5,433 ft1,656 m
      

        Zermatt Switzerland
        5,315 ft1,620 m
        12,792 ft3,899 m
        7,477 ft2,279 m
      

        Verbier Switzerland
        4,921 ft1,500 m
        10,925 ft3,330 m
        6,004 ft1,830 m
      

        Breckenridge Colorado (for comparison)
        9,600 ft2,926 m
        12,840 ft3,914 m
        3,240 ft988 m
      

    Feet converted from published metric elevations and rounded. "Village to top lift" is the climb from the main village to the highest lift; many Alpine ski areas also have lifts and runs below the village, so total ski-area vertical is often greater. For comparison: Denver sits at 5,280 ft (1,609 m). The CDC considers unacclimatized travelers sleeping at 8,000 ft (2,438 m) or higher at risk for altitude illness.
  

Feet converted from published metric elevations and rounded. "Village to top lift" is the climb from the main village to the highest lift; many Alpine ski areas also have lifts and runs below the village, so total ski-area vertical is often greater. For comparison: Denver sits at 5,280 ft (1,609 m). The CDC considers unacclimatized travelers sleeping at 8,000 ft (2,438 m) or higher at risk for altitude illness.
Resort	Village	Top lift	Village to top lift
Val Thorens France	7,546 ft2,300 m	10,482 ft3,195 m	2,936 ft895 m
Tignes France	6,890 ft2,100 m	11,339 ft3,456 m	4,449 ft1,356 m
Obergurgl Austria	6,332 ft1,930 m	10,105 ft3,080 m	3,773 ft1,150 m
St. Moritz Switzerland	5,978 ft1,822 m	9,941 ft3,030 m	3,963 ft1,208 m
Saas-Fee Switzerland	5,906 ft1,800 m	11,339 ft3,456 m	5,433 ft1,656 m
Zermatt Switzerland	5,315 ft1,620 m	12,792 ft3,899 m	7,477 ft2,279 m
Verbier Switzerland	4,921 ft1,500 m	10,925 ft3,330 m	6,004 ft1,830 m
Breckenridge Colorado (for comparison)	9,600 ft2,926 m	12,840 ft3,914 m	3,240 ft988 m

Does Altitude Matter?

For advice on planning around altitude — from staging your first night lower to recognizing the warning signs of altitude sickness — see our guide, Does Altitude Matter? How Elevation Shapes Your Ski Trip.

About the Data

Top lift, not summit. Many resorts publish a summit elevation that can only be reached by hiking. Breckenridge's summit, for example, sits at 12,998 feet, but its highest lift tops out at 12,840. Because most skiers ride rather than hike, we've used the top of the highest lift. We tried to continue this practice when evaluating European resorts as well.

Base and lodging. Base elevations come from resort mountain stats. Where many visitors commonly stay well below the base — at day areas like Arapahoe Basin and Loveland, or in the town of Taos — we've noted that lodging elevation too. In the Alps, it is much less common to have purpose-built resort lodging at the base of the lifts, in most cases we looked at the elevation of the village in the valley below the resort since this is where most skiers stay overnight.

Vertical. Lift-served vertical is calculated as top lift minus base, so it may differ from resort marketing figures that measure from a hike-to summit.