Snowbird or Telluride?

Neither has anywhere to swim in the sea, and nobody should pick either for swimming. At Snowbird the realistic options are the resort's heated pools or the cold reservoirs of the Heber Valley, while the Great Salt Lake is something to look at rather than bathe in. Telluride's nearest swimming is a small reservoir beach near Ridgway, and summer water time there more often means rafting, paddling or fishing on the San Miguel.

Telluride eats noticeably better. A handful of ambitious kitchens on Colorado Avenue and in Mountain Village cook with Colorado lamb, elk and trout, and there are taquerias and bakeries for the lift crowd. Over a week the circle feels small, though.

Snowbird's eating is confined to the lodges, the plaza cafeterias and the dining room at the top of the tram. It is competent but nothing more, which is why most guests drive down to Salt Lake City for dinner once or twice during a stay.

Telluride has the more interesting setting. Its whole grid of clapboard houses and false-fronted shops is a National Historic Landmark, and the museum in the old miners' hospital tells the story of the mines and the labour wars, with mill ruins visible on the cliffs above. You can see it in an afternoon, but it gives the town a character.

Snowbird was built from nothing in 1971 out of avalanche-proof concrete, and the canyon's mining past has almost entirely disappeared. For history or museums you go down to Salt Lake City.

Neither is a place for a big night out, but Telluride at least has a main street. Its old wooden-bar saloons fill with skiers, locals and seasonal staff, and they can run late in peak winter weeks and on festival weekends. Snowbird's evening means a drink on the base deck after the last run, after which the canyon goes quiet ahead of the early tram.

Both are outstanding, but in different ways. Snowbird is all about the snow: huge falls of dry powder, a tram to Hidden Peak at about 3,350m, steep chutes and bowls running through Mineral Basin to Alta, and one of the longest seasons in the country. In summer there are the Albion Basin meadows and climbing on the canyon's granite.

Telluride wins on scenery right from the doorstep. Cliffs and waterfalls rise from the end of the main street, Bridal Veil Falls is within walking distance, and summer adds a via ferrata, fly fishing and jeep roads over the old passes. Golden aspens make autumn a second high season.

Snowbird has more within easy reach. Salt Lake City is just down the canyon, with Temple Square and the State Capitol, and Park City's Victorian Main Street is about an hour away, with Midway and Sundance as gentler extras.

From Telluride every outing is a long mountain drive. Ouray and Silverton are attractive mining towns, but Mesa Verde, the one major site, is right at the limit of a day trip, and winter passes can close the way.

For families the two come out about even, but the appeal differs. Snowbird's car-free base is easy with children, and in summer it has a coaster, an alpine slide and ropes courses. Its mountain leans towards experts, though, so it suits teenagers better, and the zoo and aquarium are only a drive away in Salt Lake City.

Telluride offers gentler beginner slopes around Mountain Village, a gondola ride children love and a safe, quiet town. There is nothing indoors to fall back on when it rains. At both places the altitude can tire small children for the first few days.

Telluride is far easier once you are there. You can walk across the town grid in a quarter of an hour, the free gondola runs up to Mountain Village and free buses cover the rest, so many visitors never drive. Getting there is the hard part, from a weather-prone local airport or a long road transfer.

Snowbird is quick to reach from Salt Lake City's airport, and its base is walkable. Everything depends on a single canyon road, though, which jams on powder mornings and can close for avalanche work, and most outings need a car.

Telluride is the better place for a browse. Colorado Avenue has art galleries, Western clothing and jewellery, a couple of good bookshops and plenty of outdoor gear, though prices are high. At Snowbird the shops in the base area sell rental skis, goggles and resort sweatshirts, and anything more means driving to Park City's main street or the malls of Salt Lake City.

Both are expensive, but Snowbird gives you more ways to save. You can stay in Salt Lake City and drive up each morning, use multi-resort passes for lift tickets, or come in summer, when rates drop clearly.

Telluride is among the costliest places to stay in North America. Its few rooms are priced for second-home wealth, and the festive weeks and festival weekends push them higher still. Staying out in Ridgway saves money but adds a daily mountain drive.

This is where Telluride pulls well ahead. The Bluegrass Festival in Town Park, under the canyon walls, is famous in its genre, and summer also brings jazz, blues and chamber music, with the film festival over Labor Day. The Sheridan Opera House hosts shows the rest of the year.

Snowbird has plaza concerts in summer and an Oktoberfest with oompah bands. Anything more serious, from the symphony to opera, means a trip to Salt Lake City.

Neither has a bathing tradition of its own, and both make relaxing easy, but in different ways. Snowbird's answer is one big spa on the roof of its main lodge, with a pool and hot tubs facing the canyon walls, plus the warm crater at Homestead about an hour away. Telluride relies on its hotel spas in Mountain Village, but its real strength is the natural hot springs at Ouray and near Ridgway, which make a good afternoon soak. In both, the altitude can unsettle your sleep for the first night or two.