Utah, United States

Capital City: Salt Lake City
Closest Airport: Salt Lake City International
Population: 2,233,169
Resort Areas Include: Wasatch Mountains - Brian Head - Logan
Snow Season: November/December - March/April
Main Language: English
Currency: United States Dollar

Bordering Nevada to the west and Colorado to the east, Utah is smack bang in the path of the Rocky Mountains and rises to over 4,000 metres (over 13,000 feet). Parts of the state get 13 metres (500 inches) of snowfall a year - and lovely dry powder at that - making it a dream destination for skiing and snowboarding in the US.

There are around a dozen ski resorts in Utah, many of which are located within an hour of Salt Lake City International Airport - making access equally dreamy. Most have the sort of standards you'd expect from popular resorts, including decent facilities, terrain parks and night skiing, but there are notable features.

The Canyons, one of the largest ski areas in the US, has over 3,700 skiable acres of terrain and its own resort village with a lively apres ski scene. Snowbird boasts the biggest vertical of the area - around 1,100 metres or 3,240 feet and a top elevation of 3,350 metres (11,000 feet). Alta, meanwhile, is reknown for its powder and (alas snowboarders) for being a skiing-only resort.

Down on the flat, there's a maze of roads and trails that make ideal cross country skiing in Utah, in addition to the groomed trails on offer at ski areas.