Southern VT vs. Northern VT - compare?

[ckofer]

Originally Posted by gladerider

brooklyn

i've been to some mountains in Southern and Northen Vermont. based on my experience Vermonters are quite friendly in general. i think tourism being their main industry it makes sense. however, there are some people that i ran into that are not in the services industry that you might consider not so friendly, but you find unfriendly people anywhere you go. i mean anywhere in the world.

now out of all the places i've been to if i were to pick one mountain in Vermont that makes me feel like i am not welcomed is Stratton. i think there are two types of people who ski Stratton. people who have properties and season passes there and visitors. every single time i go there i always seem to run into a snobby rude person. i mean you find rude people everywhere, but i think my chance of running into one is highest at Stratton and Mt. Snow. I've had better experience at Okemo. sometime i forget all about it for years and then when i go back to Stratton i have one of those 'aha' moments and go 'yeah, this is why i didn't come here for a while.'

all i have to say is, experience at Stratton is unique. i came to learn that i shouldn't use my experience at Stratton to generalize other Vermont mountains over the years.
and i don't think it's NY/NJ/CT bias either. we don't wear our license plates wherever we go. although, long islanders have a distinguishable accents.

Well, if I do end up skiing a Stratton some day, I'm putting fresh duct tape on my gloves. I don't want to be snubbed.

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

bump

[frozencorn]

Stowe, MRG, Sugarbush, Smuggs, Jay

vs.

Stratton, Killington, Magic.

North is better. Tough to deny. But south is easy on the one-day trip.

If I had to choose between any of the Northen hills and any of the southern hills without gas, lodging, ticket price etc. being a factor, it's north, without question. But you can certainly find a lot more freebies, etc. in the south, which tips that scale a bit.

But overall. North. No doubt.

[hardline]

personally i think stratton is the bomb digity. it doesn't get any better in the east

[Geoff]

Originally Posted by frozencorn

Stowe, MRG, Sugarbush, Smuggs, Jay

vs.

Stratton, Killington, Magic.

North is better. Tough to deny. But south is easy on the one-day trip.

If I had to choose between any of the Northen hills and any of the southern hills without gas, lodging, ticket price etc. being a factor, it's north, without question. But you can certainly find a lot more freebies, etc. in the south, which tips that scale a bit.

But overall. North. No doubt.

I'd question your grouping. Killington is in the list of ski resorts that receive 250" of snow. It has plenty of tree skiing and natural snow terrain. When the natural snow terrain isn't available, there is plenty of snowmaking terrain to keep anyone interested. The new owners chased away half the customer base so it's no longer crowded. Can you do better? Sure. Midweek, it's tough to tell the difference.

Magic is not typical of southern Vermont ski areas. It's natural snow. It has some fairly challenging terrain. It's classic New England layout and not homogeneous-feeling like Snow, Stratton, and Okemo.

For the mass market, Southern Vermont is actually a far better product. The mass market is looking for groomed intermediate terrain. That's what you find at SoVer ski areas. You're not going to see those people on Castlerock or on the MRG single. They are completely different products and experiences targeted at very different skill levels.

[WWF-VT]

Originally Posted by brooklyn1

is The Longer Drive From Southern Points (ct, Ny Etc) Worth It... Or Is It Worth It To Save The Fuel $$ And Stay South? And I Mean All Things Considered - Mountain, Snow", Weather, Vibe, Food, Etc.

Yes it is worth the drive...

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Originally Posted by hardline

personally i think stratton is the bomb digity. it doesn't get any better in the east

tru-dat plus they have a ton of black diamonds..

[hardline]

Originally Posted by GrilledSteezeSandwich

tru-dat plus they have a ton of black diamonds..

funny enough i was talking to a girl at my clients bar and she said she wouldn't go to that dump. i laughed. then she said she want to try stowe this year because she heard they have this new spa/hotel that was like vail. i was sorta horrified and happy at the same time. hot girls+ more goobers-

[Geoff]

Originally Posted by hardline

personally i think stratton is the bomb digity. it doesn't get any better in the east

I grew up skiing Stratton every weekend back when it was natural snow on the upper mountain and double chairs. The place wasn't steep but it had a ton of narrow classic New England trails and they had cut things to take advantage of whatever terrain features they had. With limited uphill capacity and minimal grooming, it was fairly entertaining skiing with a lot of character. "Slalom Glade" used to be called "The Glades" and skied like Low Rider at Killington.

I have no interest in skiing it now. They chainsawed most of the character out of the place. High speed lifts, snowmaking, and grooming create a very monotonous experience.

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Originally Posted by hardline

funny enough i was talking to a girl at my clients bar and she said she wouldn't go to that dump. i laughed. then she said she want to try stowe this year because she heard they have this new spa/hotel that was like vail. i was sorta horrified and happy at the same time. hot girls+ more goobers-

There are lots of hot chicks that can rip at Stowe...most of the girls that work in the bars and restaurants in town are beautiful..