Lone Mountain Ranch selected as best cross-country ski area

Lone Mountain Ranch in Big Sky, Mont., is North America’s best cross-country ski resort, according to the Cross Country Ski Resort Poll in Cross Country Skier magazine and presented by Alpina and Madshus.

The Cross Country Ski Resort Poll was the first of its kind dedicated solely to Nordic ski resorts across North America. Cross-country skiers from 41 different states and provinces rated their favorite cross-country ski resorts in seven different operational and characteristic categories including scenery, trail quality and grooming, the lodge facility, food service, staff friendliness and service, and how the resort caters to families.

Lone Mountain Ranch was the leading area in five of the seven categories with its lodge and family ratings both in second place behind Maplelag of Callaway, Minn. Other areas that led regional qualitative ratings as best Nordic ski resorts included Maplelag in the central region, the west’s Royal Gorge in Soda Springs, Calif., and the east’s Lapland Lake XC Ski and Vacation Center in Northville, N.Y. Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vt., was rated the best Nordic ski resort in New England.

The Cross Country Ski Resort Poll was conceived and conducted by industry researcher RB Lohr & Co., which recognized the support of Cross Country Skier magazine, Alpina and Madshus in bringing the concept to fruition. The 2002-03 Best Cross Country Resort Poll is presently under development and will be conducted this winter. For more information, contact Roger Lohr at rblohr@earthlink.net