Where are the Tallest Ski Areas in Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota?
It's not always the case in life, but when it comes to downhill skiing, bigger is indeed better.
So if you want to strap on a pair of skis and stay close to home, where are you going to get the most bang for your buck in the Tri-State area?
24/7 Wall St. has compiled a list of the tallest, and shortest, ski slopes in each of the 50 states.
The winner in our part of the world, by a mere 12 feet is Terry Peak in South Dakota's Black Hills.
At 1,100 feet, it is the highest of all 99 ski areas in the Midwest.
Close behind is Minnesota's Lutsen Mountains.
The ski area, about 90 miles North of Duluth, checks in at 1,088 feet.
And while Terry Peak and Lusten Mountains are impressive at more than 1,000 feet in vertical drop, they aren't anywhere close to the biggest slopes in America.
Four states have drops that are in excess of 4,000 feet.
SKI AREAS WITH THE LARGEST VERTICAL DROP
- Oregon (Timberline Lodge): 4,540 feet
- Colorado (Telluride Ski Resort): 4,425 feet
- Montana (Big Sky Resort): 4,350 feet
- Wyoming (Jackson Hole Mountain Resort): 4,139 feet
- California (Heavenly Mountain Resort): 3,500 feet
- New York (Whiteface Mountain): 3,430 feet
- Idaho (Sun Valley): 3,400 feet
- Utah (Snowbird): 3,240 feet
- New Mexico (Taos Ski Valley): 3,130 feet
- Vermont (Killington Ski Resort)/Washington (Crystal Mountain): 3,100 feet
At the other end of the skiing spectrum is Iowa.
The Hawkeye State has four recognized ski areas, but none are even 500 feet from top to bottom.
The biggest is Sundown Mountain, near Dubuque, which features a drop of just 475 feet.
Iowa is one of just eight states without a ski area that has a drop of at least 500 feet.
SKI AREAS WITH THE SHORTEST VERTICAL DROP
- Alabama (Cloudmont Resort): 150 feet
- Rhode Island (Yawgoo Valley): 245 feet
- Ohio (Mad River): 300 feet
- Missouri (Hidden Valley): 320 feet
- Indiana (Perfect North Slopes): 400 feet
- North Dakota (Huff Hills): 450 feet
- Iowa (Sundown Mountain)/Illinois (Chestnut Mountain): 475 feet
- Tennessee (Ober Gatlinburg): 600 feet
- Connecticut (Mohawk Mountain): 650 feet