As ski resorts dial into what matters most to skiers, it seems upscale on mountain lodging tops the list. Of course new lifts and trails are always welcome too. Ski resorts spas, four diamond hotels, and four season amenities all make the top ten at these favorite ski resorts.

Always sophisticated and service oriented, Deer Valley now has an on mountain St Regis Hotel, like the one in Aspen, only better. Deer Valley’s St Regis Deer Crest has its own lift, a funicular, and butler service! Enjoy the split level infinity pool and spa after carving the silky smooth slopes before you dine at the signature Jean-Georges Restaurant.

Whistler Blackcomb is the ultimate North American ski resort with over 8,100 acres, two mountains encompassing two glaciers, accessed by 38 lifts including the impressive Peak 2 Peak Gondola. No wonder Whistler was chosen to host the 2010 Olympics,  check out all the five star Whistler ski hotels: The Four Seasons Whistler, The new AAVA Whistler Hotel, The Fairmont Château Whistler, The Whistler Westin Hotel, the Pan Pacific Whistler, The Whistler Hilton.

Vail has a new Four Seasons Resort, the first in Colorado, to add to its plethora of premier Vail properties like Rock Resorts’ Arrabelle at Lion’s Head, and the Solaris in the revitalized Vail Village. Sister resort Beaver Creek still earns honorable mention with its Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch.

Sun Valley has installed a swift eight-passenger Roundhouse Gondola from River Run to the Round House Restaurant, the first on mountain lodge in the country and a great spot for a traditional Austrian lunch. Just eight minutes and you feel like you are in the Alps, fondue and accordion music to boot – whether you are dressed to ski or not!

Telluride continues to add challenging chutes and steeps to its trails map like Revelation Bowl, and swank properties to its Mountain Village. Staying at elevation 9,500 feet, in the luxury Telluride Capella Hotel, you can truly experience life at the top.

Jackson Hole replaced its legendary Tram to the top of Rendezvous Mountain in 2008. Jackson Hole boasts longest continuous vertical in the U.S., at 4,139’. Jackson’s lodging properties are equally impressive, staying at the Four Seasons Jackson Hole - you will rest well after your wild Wyoming adventures.

Aspen’s Little Nell Hotel has undergone an $18 million remodel. Staying in downtown Aspen, you can be first on the Ajax gondola, or skip town to ski Aspen’s other areas, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk and the biggest of Aspen’s four and our editorial favorite- Snowmass. The Village at Snowmass has received serious sprucing up, and a gorgeous new ski in ski out hotel -The Viceroy Snowmass.

Northstar at Tahoe’s swank ski in/ski out Ritz Carlton Highlands has sophisticated suites, a spa and a Highlands Gondola to connect the luxury hotel to Northstar’s ski village. So this Lake Tahoe ski resort has gone ritzy and glitzy, but still offers fun family runs and plenty of terrain parks for the California snow surfers.

The Canyons, Utah’s largest ski resort has expanded Iron Mountain to encompass 4,000 skiable acres, and two new quads have been added. A new Waldorf Astoria – The Dakota Mountain Lodge and Golden Door Spa greet guests with glamour. This is the first Waldorf Astoria ski hotel, but they figured out you need your own Frostwood Gondola and an award-winning Spruce Restaurant. This is Park City’s premier place to stay rivaling Deer Valley's Montage & St Regis.

If you think skiing in the East is a gamble, then Tremblant is your bet. This top notch Quebec ski resort now has a Casino, Versant Soleil, with a gondola connecting Tremblant’s ski village to Versant Sud for gaming and nightlife – if you aren’t wiped from skiing.

Stowe Mountain Resort has long been the ultimate eastern ski resort, with a certain alpine elegance. Now that Spruce Village offers on slope lodging, a spa and an alpine concierge at the swank Stowe Mountain Lodge, you can go straight to après ski luxuries after laps on Stowe’s famous Front Four which now sports a new high speed quad, replaced in 2011.

Each of these ski resort improvements warrants a feature ski article, so we will do our best to plan a ski trip to each for the full scoop. No really, we don’t mind.