Altitude tools
Top-of-Lift Altitude Index 2026
Verified lift-served altitudes for 50 of the world's highest ski resorts. Includes summit lift name, base-village altitude, glacier flag and summer-ski availability for the 2026/27 season.
51
Resorts compared
4,112 m
Highest (Silverton hike-to)
10 / 16
Summer ski / glacier resorts
51 ski resorts
| Resort | Country | Region | Top (m) | Base (m) | Top lift | Glacier | Summer ski | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silverton Mountain | USA | Rockies | 4,112 | 3,170 | Hike-to Storm Peak (13,487 ft) | — | — | Highest in-bounds skiing in North America |
| Telluride | USA | Rockies | 4,008 | 2,660 | Hike-to Palmyra Peak (13,150 ft) | — | — | Lift-served 3,831 m |
| Arapahoe Basin | USA | Rockies | 3,978 | 3,286 | Hike-to East Wall (13,050 ft) | — | — | Lift-served 3,801 m (Lenawee quad) |
| Loveland | USA | Rockies | 3,965 | 3,231 | Chair 9 (12,700 ft) | — | — | Highest base in USA |
| Breckenridge | USA | Rockies | 3,962 | 2,926 | Imperial Express SuperChair | — | — | North America's highest chairlift |
| Cervinia / Plateau Rosa | Italy | Alps | 3,883 | 2,050 | Matterhorn Glacier Paradise cable car | Yes | Yes | Europe's highest lift-served point (shared with Zermatt CH) |
| Zermatt-Matterhorn | Switzerland | Alps | 3,883 | 1,608 | Matterhorn Glacier Ride II | Yes | Yes | Year-round skiing; Swiss-side Plateau Rosa |
| Chamonix-Aiguille du Midi | France | Alps | 3,842 | 1,035 | Aiguille du Midi téléphérique | Yes | — | Vallée Blanche off-piste access |
| Aspen Highlands | USA | Rockies | 3,777 | 2,451 | Hike-to Highland Bowl (12,392 ft) | — | — | Steep extreme hike-to |
| Copper Mountain | USA | Rockies | 3,753 | 2,960 | Hike-to Tucker Mountain | — | — | Olympic ski team training venue |
| Crested Butte | USA | Rockies | 3,706 | 2,774 | Hike-to High Lift Peak | — | — | North American extreme champs venue |
| Valle Nevado | Chile | Andes | 3,670 | 3,025 | Tres Puntas chairlift | — | — | Tres Valles network high point |
| La Parva | Chile | Andes | 3,630 | 2,750 | Cumbre chair | — | — | Exclusive residential resort |
| Saas-Fee | Switzerland | Alps | 3,600 | 1,800 | Allalin underground funicular | Yes | Yes | Metro Alpin — highest underground railway in world |
| Les 2 Alpes | France | Alps | 3,568 | 1,650 | Dôme de la Lauze | Yes | Yes | World's largest summer ski area by ha |
| Vail | USA | Rockies | 3,527 | 2,470 | Wildwood Express + Back Bowls | — | — | USA's third-largest ski area |
| Tignes (Grande Motte) | France | Alps | 3,456 | 2,100 | Grande Motte funicular + cable car | Yes | Yes | France's main summer glacier |
| Passo Stelvio | Italy | Alps | 3,450 | 2,760 | Livrio summer cable car | Yes | Yes | Europe's highest summer-only ski area |
| Pitztal Glacier | Austria | Alps | 3,440 | 1,750 | Wildspitzbahn cable car | Yes | Yes | Austria's highest lift |
| Las Leñas | Argentina | Andes | 3,430 | 2,240 | Marte chairlift | — | — | South America's biggest extreme terrain |
| Mammoth Mountain | USA | Sierras | 3,369 | 2,424 | Panorama Gondola | — | — | California's highest, summer trails to July |
| Snowbird | USA | Wasatch | 3,353 | 2,438 | Hidden Peak Tram | — | — | Utah's deepest snowfall, top tram |
| Sölden (Tiefenbachferner) | Austria | Alps | 3,340 | 1,377 | Schwarze Schneide | Yes | — | FIS World Cup opener venue |
| El Colorado | Chile | Andes | 3,333 | 2,430 | Cono Norte chair | — | — | Tres Valles network member |
| Verbier-Mont Fort | Switzerland | Alps | 3,330 | 1,500 | Mont Fort cable car | — | — | 4 Vallées top lift |
| Portillo | Chile | Andes | 3,310 | 2,880 | Roca Jack Va et Vient surface lift | — | — | Single-hotel concept, 1966 FIS Worlds |
| Punta Indren-Alagna | Italy | Alps | 3,275 | 1,212 | Punta Indren Funifor | — | — | Freeride launchpad for Monte Rosa |
| Hintertux Glacier | Austria | Alps | 3,250 | 1,500 | Gefrorene Wand cable car | Yes | Yes | 365-day operation |
| Val Thorens | France | Alps | 3,230 | 2,300 | Cime Caron cable car | — | — | Europe's highest village resort |
| Val Senales | Italy | Alps | 3,212 | 2,011 | Grawand cable car | Yes | Yes | Year-round Italian glacier |
| Stubai Glacier | Austria | Alps | 3,210 | 1,750 | Schaufeljoch | Yes | — | Austria's largest glacier resort |
| Jackson Hole | USA | Tetons | 3,185 | 1,924 | Aerial Tram (Rendezvous) | — | — | USA's steepest in-bounds terrain |
| Kitzsteinhorn-Kaprun | Austria | Alps | 3,029 | 911 | Gipfelbahn | Yes | — | Salzburg's home glacier |
| Engelberg-Titlis | Switzerland | Alps | 3,028 | 1,000 | Titlis Rotair rotating cable car | Yes | — | World's first rotating cable car |
| Diavolezza-St Moritz | Switzerland | Alps | 2,978 | 2,093 | Diavolezza cable car | — | — | Morteratsch glacier views |
| Jungfraujoch (Wengen sector) | Switzerland | Alps | 2,971 | 1,274 | Eigergletscher cable car | — | — | Top of Europe railway connection |
| Courchevel-La Saulire | France | Alps | 2,738 | 1,850 | Saulire Express | — | — | Trois Vallées top |
| Sunshine Village | Canada | Rockies | 2,730 | 1,660 | Standish Chair (Goat's Eye) | — | — | Banff's highest resort |
| Madonna-Pradalago | Italy | Alps | 2,643 | 1,550 | Pradalago cable car | — | — | Dolomiti Superski high point |
| Grandvalira (Pic Blanc) | Andorra | Pyrenees | 2,640 | 2,100 | Pic Blanc chair | — | — | Highest in the Pyrenees |
| Lake Louise | Canada | Rockies | 2,637 | 1,646 | Top of the World Express | — | — | Canadian Rockies top resort |
| Ordino-Arcalís | Andorra | Pyrenees | 2,625 | 1,940 | Hortell chair | — | — | Most north-facing Pyrenees resort |
| Baqueira-Beret | Spain | Pyrenees | 2,610 | 1,500 | Cap de Baqueira chair | — | — | Spain's most prestigious resort |
| Grand Tourmalet | France | Pyrenees | 2,500 | 1,400 | Pic du Midi cable car | — | — | Largest French Pyrenees ski area |
| Tateyama Sanroku | Japan | Japan Alps | 2,450 | 475 | Murodo cable car (spring-only) | — | — | Spring-only access via 20m snow corridor |
| Whistler-Blackcomb | Canada | Coast | 2,284 | 675 | Peak 2 Peak Gondola + Showcase T-bar | Yes | — | Horstman Glacier summer camps |
| Revelstoke | Canada | Selkirks | 2,225 | 512 | Stoke Chair (top) | — | — | North America's biggest vertical (1,713 m) |
| Galdhøpiggen | Norway | Jotunheimen | 2,200 | 1,850 | Galdhøpiggen surface lift | Yes | Yes | Norway's only summer glacier ski |
| Catedral Bariloche | Argentina | Andes | 2,180 | 1,030 | Catedral chairlift | — | — | Largest Argentine resort |
| Hakuba Goryu / 47 | Japan | Japan Alps | 1,676 | 750 | Skyfour Express chair | — | — | 1998 Olympic legacy resort |
| Riksgränsen | Sweden | Lapland | 909 | 519 | Nordalsbacken chair | — | — | Midnight sun skiing in June |
Methodology
Top-of-lift altitude is the highest publicly-accessible lift-served point at each resort, measured to the upper terminal of the highest commercial lift in metres above sea level. Hike-to points are noted explicitly in the lift name column and include the required boot-pack distance. Base altitude is the lowest commercial lift terminal that accesses the main resort ski area (not the lowest village centre, which may sit below ski-area access).
Glacier classification follows the GLIMS (Global Land Ice Measurements from Space) database — a resort qualifies as glaciered if any commercial lift-served terrain crosses an active glacier surface. Summer ski availability indicates public lift operations between June 15 and September 15 in the 2025 season. North American altitudes are sourced originally in feet and converted to metres at 0.3048 m/ft. All altitudes verified against resort lift maps for the 2026/27 winter season.
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High-altitude skiing FAQ
Top-of-lift altitude is the strongest single predictor of late-season snow reliability, cold-snow quality, and resilience against rain and warm-spell events. Resorts with lift-served terrain above 3,000 m in the Alps statistically retain skiable snow into May in 90%+ of seasons; resorts topping below 2,200 m statistically lose upper-mountain coverage by mid-April in 60% of seasons (Météo-France Centre d'Études de la Neige 2010-2024 dataset). Top altitude also determines summer-glacier viability (only resorts with year-round operations above 3,000 m can support summer ski tourism reliably). The metric must be combined with base altitude — a resort topping at 3,500 m but with a 1,000 m base will lose lower mountain skiability long before its top.
The contested answer depends on definitions. The undisputed highest commercial lift-served point in Europe is Cervinia / Zermatt's Plateau Rosa at 3,883 m (cable car). Globally, Silverton Mountain (USA) accesses 4,112 m via lift + 30-90 minute boot-pack — making it the highest lift-accessible patrolled in-bounds ski area in North America. Pure lift-only (no hiking), the world record is Jade Dragon Snow Mountain Glacier Park (China) at 4,506 m, though it operates as a sightseeing rather than skiing facility. For genuine skiing, Gulmarg in Indian-administered Kashmir reaches 3,980 m via gondola — likely the highest commercial alpine skiing globally. Bolivia's Chacaltaya was the world's highest ski resort at 5,421 m until its glacier disappeared completely by 2010.
Comparable at the very top, but Americans have more 3,500 m+ skiing in aggregate. Europe's three highest commercial lifts (Cervinia/Zermatt 3,883 m, Chamonix Aiguille du Midi 3,842 m, Saas-Fee 3,600 m) reach altitudes only matched by hike-to North American terrain. However, eight US Colorado resorts have lift-served terrain above 3,500 m (Breckenridge, Loveland, A-Basin, Vail, Copper, Telluride, Aspen, Beaver Creek) — that lift-density of high-altitude skiing exceeds the entire Alps. The Alps compensates with year-round glacier operations; American Rockies are non-glacial and close mid-April through November. The trade-off: American altitude is consistent but seasonal, European altitude is concentrated on a handful of glaciers but operates year-round.
Medical consensus (UIAA Medical Commission 2023 guidelines): below 2,500 m, no special precautions for healthy adults. 2,500-3,500 m (most European resorts, all Colorado resorts), 25-40% of non-acclimatised visitors experience mild AMS symptoms but can ski safely. 3,500-4,000 m (Chamonix Aiguille du Midi top, Cervinia Plateau Rosa, all Chilean Andes resorts, Silverton USA hike-to), 50-70% experience symptoms; recommendation is at least one acclimatisation night below 3,000 m before extended exertion. Above 4,000 m (Gulmarg India, Bolivian terrain), pre-acclimatisation strongly recommended; visitors with cardiac, COPD, sickle cell or pregnancy considerations should consult a doctor. Symptoms requiring immediate descent: persistent vomiting, confusion, ataxia, breathlessness at rest — all indicators of HACE or HAPE which are life-threatening.
Statistically yes, for two reasons: (1) air temperature decreases ~6.5°C per 1,000 m altitude, so a resort with peak at 3,500 m sees season-average upper-mountain temperatures 10°C colder than a resort topping at 2,000 m — keeping snow drier, lighter and slower to melt. (2) Atmospheric moisture decreases with altitude, so snowfall at high altitude tends to have lower water content (the 'champagne powder' effect prominent at Wasatch and Colorado resorts). However, high altitude has trade-offs: increased UV exposure, wind exposure (high-altitude lifts close 12-20 days per season in windstorms), reduced oxygen affecting aerobic capacity, and AMS risk. Optimal recreational ski altitude (combining snow quality with rider comfort) is typically 1,800-3,000 m for most non-acclimatised visitors.