Can you say geographical serendipity? Nothing less than the nearby Pacific Ocean—40 miles to the west—produces billowing, moisture-dark clouds to dump hundreds of annual inches on this humble ski hill, which is found on the flanks of its namesake 10,778-foot stratovolcano.

For more information: Mt. Baker

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Blame Siberia. Cold air from northern Russian builds big, wet clouds when it hits the Sea of Japan. On Hokkaido, the country's northern island, these clouds dump metric tons of the white stuff on the interconnected ski resorts of the Niseko region, including Grand Hirafu, Higashiyama and Annupuri, which bask in the shadow of Mount Yotei, a perfect peak called the "Mount Fuji of the North."

For more information: Niseko resorts

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The Wasatch Mountain Range is the first-contact for many big clouds coming off the deserts of Utah and Nevada. Ground zero is Alta Ski Area, a high and exposed resort ready to take storm after storm from its perch at the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon.

For more information: Alta Ski Area

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Take the Seward Highway south 40 miles from Anchorage and you run into Alyeska Resort, a 1,000-acre alpine paradise placed perfectly to absorb the moist Pacific clouds of the region, producing up to 600 inches of snow during some seasons.

For more information: Alyeska Resort

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Kirkwood claims deep Sierra Nevada snow that can pile past 600 inches on a good year. But the resort also touts its clear Californian skies, with a 70 percent sunny forecast average. Best of both worlds?

For more information: Kirkwood Mountain Resort

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Drive 80 miles east from Seattle to find this regional ski mecca, which boasts 37 named trails, 10 lifts and by-the-foot portions of pure Cascadian snow. The lifts run at night, letting powder hounds shred for hours under the strange glow and yellow buzz of a virtual ski day.

For more information: Stevens Pass

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Four mountain peaks flanked with chutes make this Lake Tahoe resort a NoCal favorite. Its burying powder, which tops 500 inches on a good year, doesn't hurt.

For more information: Sugar Bowl

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Famous for its light and airy snow, this remote Wyoming resort is worth the long drive. Bonus: Targhee's exclusive Snowcat vehicles bring a group of skiers each day to a private adjacent mountainside where fresh powder tracks are guaranteed.

For more information: Grand Targhee Resort

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A world-class resort even without its deep annual snow, Snowbird has an aerial tram lift that whisks skiers from the base of the mountain to the top in mere minutes, providing an opportunity to take immense 3,200-vertical-foot runs one after the next, all day long. The area's fluffy powder is a cherry on the whip.

For more information: Snowbird Ski Resort

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Lifts climb to 7,300 feet on the side of this resort's namesake volcano. In addition to deep snow and a stunning alpine setting, Meadows boasts 11 lifts, 2,100 acres of skiing and runs that stretch to three miles in length.

For more information: Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort

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Among the planet's biggest and best ski resorts, super-sized Whistler Blackcomb has more than 8,000 acres of ski-able terrain and trails that wind for a vertical mile from its high peaks to the forested valley far below. The snow comes in at more than 400 inches per year.

For more information: Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort

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Found 55 miles north of Salt Lake City, Powder Mountain is often overshadowed by resorts closer to town. But this is a huge ski area, with multiple peaks and thousands of acres of wide-open (and often powdery) high-alpine bowls.

For more information: Powder Mountain

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Hike over the mountain pass from Alta Ski Area (No. 3 on the list) and you run into Solitude, an under-the-radar resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon with chutes, bowls and tree runs. Its lifts top out at 10,035 feet, and the powder buries past 400 inches on a common year.

For more information: Solitude

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North 140 miles from Spokane, Wash., in the remote Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia, this midsize resort touts some of the driest and most plentiful powder snow in the region.

For more information: Whitewater Resort

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A small ski hill near Lake Tahoe, Boreal is popular with snowboarders and freestyle skiers, as it features multiple terrain parks, hundreds of rails, jumps and obstacles, plus a 450-foot-long half-pipe.

For more information: Boreal Mountain Resort

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Literally in the shadow of Mount Rainier, Crystal is Washington State's biggest (and many say best) resort. It has 3,100 vertical feet of terrain, 11 lifts and runs that stretch 2.5 miles.

For more information: Crystal Mountain

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Far north on Vancouver Island, this locals' ski hill gets its hundreds of inches of annual snow from the close-by Pacific waters. Its summit peak reaches 5,215 feet into the foggy, near-coastal sky.

For more information: Mt. Washington

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The fifth—and final!—Utah resort to make the list sits atop Big Cottonwood Canyon, where giant snow clouds drift and dump famous light and fluffy white stuff onto the tree runs and bowls that spill from this resort's tall peaks.

For more information: Brighton Resort

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Can you say thin air? Wolf Creek's base area sits 10,300 feet above sea level. Yes, that's the parking lot. Take one of its seven lifts uphill and you're entering a true high-alpine environment, where the sun shines bright and intense and snow piles deep.

For more information: Wolf Creek

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In the Canadian mountain fantasyland north of Montana, Fernie Alpine Resort is a rising star skiers are seeking for trails, chutes, tree runs and deep powder. Bonus: Fernie's 2,500 acres include five high-mountain bowls buried each year by hundreds of inches of deep white snow.

For more information: Fernie Alpine Resort

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