Nestled in the Rocky Mountains, a mere four hours west of Edmonton, Jasper now has another title to boast about.
The readers of USA Today have recently voted this Alberta resort town the best ski town in North America.
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It beat out a lot of competition. The second and third spot were taken by North Conway, N.H. and Steamboat Springs, Colo. Jasper was not the only Canadian spot to make the Top 10 list. Rossland, B.C. came in at No. 6 and Nelson, B.C. came in at No. 10.
“It doesn’t come to us as a big surprise,” said Brian Rode, vice-president of the Marmot Basin ski area.
“Jasper has always maintained that authenticity, that real comfortable feel,” he said. “It’s an unpretentious kind of a feel here in Jasper; that’s what people like, that is what people keep coming back for.
“We’re in a national park. There is nothing wrong with a purpose-built resort, but we’re sort of the antithesis of that.”
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Like all other communities that made the list, Jasper was judged on its access to the slopes, its small-town vibe, its history and its food scene.
“People feel comfortable when they get here for the first time,” Rode said. “After a day or two, we hear this all the time from international travellers: ‘Wow, I feel so welcome here. It’s not overly commercialized by any means, and yet I can still go out to a lot of great restaurants.'”
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For anyone heading to Jasper in the near future, Rode pointed out that two-thirds of the mountain runs at Marmot Basin are open and the conditions are great right now for people who love groomed slopes.
Watch below: Some Global News videos about Jasper, Alta., and the surrounding areas.
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