These airports offer easy access to ski areas

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah has a lot going for it when it comes to skiing and snowboarding.

Typically, there's ample snowfall dubbed "the greatest snow on Earth," making some of the best powder skiing and riding in the world. Sixteen resorts across the state, the majority in close proximity to Salt Lake City. Plenty of lodging, food and aprés ski options. Smaller ski areas offer very affordable lift tickets.

But one the state's biggest assets for its $2.5 billion ski industry isn't on a mountain. It's the Salt Lake City International Airport.

OnTheSnow compiled a list of U.S. airports with easy access to ski resorts. Salt Lake City is near the top.

"Winter travel is unpredictable at best when you factor in surprise storms, unexpected delays, canceled flights, snow-covered roads, and road closures," according to the digital platform that provides snow reports and weather conditions for resorts worldwide.

"However, you can dodge many of those headaches by picking ski resorts near airports with direct flights on major airlines," OnTheSnow's list read. "Pairing the right ski resort with the right airport can limit missed connections, eliminate lengthy white-knuckle drives, and make travel less stressful."

OnTheSnow includes 12 airports on the list from California to Vermont, but most are in the West. The Salt Lake City airport is the biggest.

"Few cities boast ski resort access comparable to Salt Lake City. Flying into Salt Lake City International (SLC) puts skiers and riders within an hour's drive of 10 ski resorts, including Park City Mountain Resort, Deer Valley, Snowbird, Alta, Brighton, Solitude and Sundance," per OnTheSnow.

"Salt Lake City International Airport is one of the West's major hubs, served by more than 10 airlines and their affiliates, and with hundreds of daily non-stop flights to/from more than 100 destinations. Airlines that fly into SLC include AeroMexico, Alaska Airlines, American, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, SkyWest, Southwest, and United. SLC is a major hub for Delta Air Lines with about 70 percent of total traffic."

Also, the remodeled airport installed a baggage system to specifically accommodate skiers and oversized luggage when it opened in 2020.

In addition to Salt Lake City, here are the destinations on the list:

• Jackson Hole (Wyoming) Airport
• Eagle County (Colorado) Regional Airport
• Bozeman (Montana) Yellowstone Airport
• Patrick Leahy Burlington (Vermont) International Airport
• Aspen/Pitkin County (Colorado) Airport
• Reno-Tahoe International Airport
• Friedman (Idaho) Memorial Airport
• Mammoth Yosemite Airport/Bishop (California) Airport
• Montrose-Telluride (Colorado) Airport
• Yampa Valley (Colorado) Regional Airport
• Glacier Park (Montana) International Airport

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