Ski resort

A ski resort is a ski area with a village and/or accommodations and other amenities at the base of the mountain. Ski resorts often have other activities to engage in besides skiing and snowboarding, such as snowmobiling, sledding, horse-drawn sleds, dog-sledding, ice-skating indoor swimming and hottubbing, game rooms, and local forms of entertainment. Ski resorts may be self-contained and entirely devoted to ski tourism (for example Vail ski resort) or they may be near a village or town that had a significant existence before the ski resort was built, such as Jackson Hole, Wyoming or Park City, Utah.

A ski area is a term that may refer to the part of a ski resort where the skiing trails are located, or it may be a separate area for skiing and snowboarding that does not have most of a resort's amenities other than those that are vital for snow sports. At a minimum, however, a ski area has food, rental equipment, parking facilities and a lift system catering to the sports of skiing and snowboarding. Normally located in high mountain areas (or at least on well-built-up hills) for optimum snow coverage, they have become ubiquitous in areas where skiing is a popular pastime. The runs or trails in these ski areas are usually marked and known as pistes. Ski areas typically have one or more chair lifts for moving skiers rapidly to the top of hills, and to interconnect the various pistes. Rope tows can also be used on short slopes (usually beginner hills or bunny slopes). Larger ski areas may use gondolas or aerial trams for transportation across longer distances within the ski area.

Though skiing is less dangerous than many popular sports (such as bicycling, golf, football and weightlifting) [http://www.ski-injury.com/faq.htm, it is widely perceived as having higher risk, in part due to significant accident rates as recently as the 1970s. Nevertheless, ski areas usually have at least a basic first aid facility, and some kind of ski patrol service to ensure that injured skiers are rescued. The ski patrol is usually responsible for rule enforcement, marking hazards, closing individual runs (if a sufficient level of hazard exists), and removing (dismissing) dangerous participants from the area.

Ski resorts usually have hotels, bars and restaurants that offer après-ski activities, including cocktails, dining and live music. Traditional ski resorts often have health spas with saunas, hot tubs, masseuses, and swimming pools.

A mountain resort is a place to holiday or vacation located in the mountains. Common activities at a mountain resort include skiing, snowboarding, and ice skating, as well as summer activities such as hiking, mountain biking, golf and tennis.

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