What's the elevation? While higher elevations make it more likely that a mountain will have snow on it, higher elevations can also pose health risks for snowboarders. From simple shortness of breath to high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE), altitude sickness and altitude-related illnesses can be serious, and even life-threatening. Always check with your physician before you go to the mountains. You may also wish to take the altitude of a resort into consideration as you make your travel plans. In particular, pay attention to the base elevation--that is, where you will sleep. Here we offer information about selected resorts. Let's start with the highest elevations, which are concentrated in or near Summit County, Colorado. Higher elevations means long seasons, but they also increase the likelihood of elevation sickness. Mountain State Base (ft) A-Basin CO 10,789 Loveland CO 10,600 Copper CO 9,712 Breckenridge CO 9,600 Crested Butte CO 9,375 Keystone CO 9,280 Winter Park CO 9,000 Let's move on to the rest. Mountain State Base (ft) Durango CO 8,793 Telluride CO 8,735 Solitude UT 8,175 Vail CO 8,120 Snowmass CO 8,104 Beaver Creek CO 8,100 Mammoth CA 7,953 Aspen CO 7,945 Snowbird UT 7,760 Big Sky MT 7,500 Heavenly CA 7,200 Moonlight Basin MT 7,000 Steamboat CO 6,900 Park City UT 6,900 The Canyons UT 6,800 Sierra at Tahoe CA 6,640 Jackson Hole WY 6,311 Mt. Bachelor OR 6,300 Squaw Valley CA 6,200 Bridger Bowl MT 6,100 Snowbasin UT 5,850 Sun Valley ID 5,750 And if you would like a resort with a base elevation that's not quite one-mile high, you still have choices. Mountain State Base (ft) Whitefish MT 4,464 Schweitzer ID 4,000 Crystal WA 4,000 Stevens Pass WA 4,000 Sunday River ME 3,140 Whistler BC 2,214 Stowe VT 1,280 Whiteface NY 1,220 Killington VT 1,165 Return to the resorts main page. Discussion To talk about ski resorts and other topics related to snowboarding, check out the Grays on Trays discussion board.