Oldest Destination Ski Resort in the U.S.: Sun Valley, Idaho (opened in 1936).

First Indoor-Skiing Snow Dome in the U.S.: Meadowlands Xanadu, in East Rutherford, New Jersey (opening in 2007).

Highest Chairlift in North America: Breckenridge, Colorado's new Imperial Express Superchair (top: 12,840 feet).

Lowest Major Ski Resort in North America:

Funkiest Dive

If ringing cowbells slopeside in Sestriere, Italy—the site of the alpine events for Turin's 2006 Winter Olympics—is out of credit-card range, the next-best place to watch the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat is on the three screens tucked into the corners of Grumpy's, in Ketchum, Idaho. The SORRY WE'RE OPEN sign says it all: The place doesn't even have a phone, which means no distractions while watching Bode & Co. rip up the downhill. Plus, with cheap and tasty eats like the $5.50 Fowl Burger washed down with a 32-ounce schooner of Fat Tire for only $4.75, who needs antipasto?—Lindsay Yaw

Alyeska Resort, in Girdwood, Alaska (base: 250 feet).

Most Innovative Lift in North America: A 575-foot tunnel under construction at Snowbird, Utah, that will deliver skiers via conveyor belt to Mineral Basin.

Highest Annual Average Snowfall of Any Lift-Served Ski Area in North America: 647 inches, Mount Baker Ski Area, Washington.

Longest Ski Season in the U.S.: Timberline, on Mount Hood, Oregon; typically closes around Labor Day.

Most Elbow Room in North America: Montana's Yellowstone Club (motto: "Private powder"), whose 2,200-plus acres are skied by a maximum 864 members at any given time. The hitch? Entry-level price for a must-have homesite is $2 million.

Most Vertical Drop in North America: Mount MacKenzie Resort—under construction outside of Revelstoke, B.C.—has 6,100 feet, 800 feet more than Whistler Blackcomb, B.C., the current record holder.

Best Christmas Present Ever: 15 feet of snow in 15 days, from December 26, 2004, to January 12, 2005, at Mammoth Mountain, California. The resort stayed open until the Fourth of July.