Hi Will
My knowledge of lake effect regions world wide is pretty limited, as it just does not get much attention paid to it, unless some LES falls in Buffalo, then it is major news! I would have to say that the Great Lakes are some of the largest lakes in the world that are also located in an area that can produce the atmospheric conditions for LES. Lake Superior is actually the largest lake in the world based on surface area, so I would venture to guess we here in the Keweenaw might just hold that world title! With the Tug Hill probably holding the title for the most extreme events.
There are several lakes in Canada that produce LES, such as Great Bear and Great Slave in the NW Territories. However, their seasons are early in the season (Oct mainly) and then the lake freeze over. Lake Winnipeg produces a bit, but then freezes over as does Lake Nipigon. I also know Lake Baikal in Russia produces some LES, but is quite narrow, so needs the optimal wind direction. While not labeled as lakes, the Black Sea and Caspian Sea also produce snow.
As for Alta. The mountains in the western US are a hugely different situation than most can imagine- unless someone has been there in the snow season. The orographic lift they create causes some incredible snow to fall, even though that air has already traveled over 100's of miles of land and several other mountain ranges.
I had a ski trip to Alta back in 1996 and was hoping to catch one of their famous big dumps, but it did not happen. The thing that amazed me was that in the Salt Lake Valley (where the city is), there was no snow on the ground at all and temps were in the 50's. We reached the mouth of the Little Cottonwood Canyon, which is a little higher in elevation than the valley and there was an inch or two on the ground, but yet we were only around 10 miles from Alta Ski resort. As we drove up the canyon and rapidly gained elevation, the snow got deeper and deeper and by the time we were at the ski resort, there was 15 feet on the ground on the level! The geological features of the canyon really enhance the orographic snow that falls, as it is pretty much west-east and is well suited for the low level winds that blow during most of their storm events.
A somewhat similar situation happens further north in far NW WY, where the ski area Grand Targhee gets snow that can rival that of Alta. In this case, there is no lake to add moisture. Just the semi-arid plains of southern Idaho. Interestingly enough, you have to drive through a small down named Alta, Wyoming to get to the ski area. The ski area is actually located on the western slopes of the Teton Mountains near Jackson.
-John
PS. If you ever want to get together to talk snow and weather, drop me a line, perhaps we can have a libation at the Michigan House or something like that.