Ski Areas that People either Love or Hate

[RootDKJ]

What I don't get is the people that make statements like, "Once you ski out West, it's hard to ski the East." And then only ski a week a year.

That's just crazy talk.

 

[deadheadskier]

I love mtns with untracked snow. I hate bumped up mtns.

what surprises me about this is your love of kayaking. Going down bumps on skis is no different than following the flow of water through rapids. You try and go as smooth as you can, but ultimately get bucked around by the ever changing terrain.

If you made the above statement and were a flat water kayaking enthusiast, it would make a lot more sense to me.

I completely respect your choices and enjoyment of outdoor activities. That said, if I were to compare you're strict outdoor restrictions with skiing experiences to a diet, yours would pretty much be gluten free vegan with a side of nut allergies. It's like Hasidic Judaism, I completely don't understand it. Respect your choices, but I end up saying to myself, F that, I'm going to go tear up that groomer or whatever.

 

[KingM]

Stratton, Okemo, Loon.........many of the more intermediate oriented mountains, but that could simply be ski forum machismo talking.

I've really only seen Sugarbush bashed once in here and that was someone saying how awful the cruising terrain is there. That went over like a fart in church in here :lol:

That was the guy who complained that Sugarbush didn't have enough blue groomers and then promptly listed all the blue groomers that the groomer types love.

 

[Talisman]

This is coming from a major lack of Stratton experience, but you think the Powder and tree skiing at Stratton is better than Magic???

Stratton has better tree skiing than Magic because there is a lot more of it. For example the Test Pilot Glade is pretty big and not many people will lap the glade as a two lift ride is required.

Powder at Magic lasts longer than Stratton, though Magic runs the groomer more frequently than a few years ago.

 

[BackLoafRiver]

I can attest to this. Most diehard Sugarloafers in Maine HATE Sunday River. Having grown up in Maine I can honestly say that I have never known anyone that skis both mountains regularly. Kind of a shame seeing that both are great mountains and both have their advantages and disadvantages. I have been in more Sunday River vs. Sugarloaf debates than I can count.

I started out as a 'Loafer 5 years ago. One powder day, I decided to try SR as it was about 15 minutes closer. Fell in love with it. Really love some of their cruisers and it is where I first tried some black stuff. Went back to Sugarloaf a few seasons ago. I like both. Appreciate the differences. On a busy day, I prefer Sugarloaf.

I am curious about the Bromley thing. Haven't really heard much of a gripe about it.

 

[Riverskier]

I don't hate Sunday River but if the two hills were next to each other on a sunny wind-free day, I'd pretty much always pull the Sugarloaf lever. If I'm an every-weekender from Boston and had to ski Maine, I'd probably opt for Sunday River because of the drive time, more reliable snowmaking, and less wind issues.

If I had to choose on a wind-free day after a storm in the middle of the Winter with a good base, I would almost always choose the Loaf. Which mountain is better overall? Well, that's debateable. There are many reasons I choose to ski Sunday River and personally think it is a better overall mountain, but distance is the real deciding factor for me.

 

[Highway Star]

This is coming from a major lack of Stratton experience, but you think the Powder and tree skiing at Stratton is better than Magic???

Certainly. Stratton's summit elevation is roughly 4,000 ft vs. Magic's 2,800 ft. This makes a significant difference in base depths and what they get out of a storm. They have many marked glades, but more importantly, they have LOTS of natural, almost unskied glades. It's easy to find deep untracked snow there for many days after storm....much easier than Killington, Stowe, Sugarbush, Magic, MRG or Jay, where you have many people mobbing the unmarked glades. Granted, the major on the map glades get skied out like any other area. However, aside from the tightness of some of the natural glades, the terrain isn't as technical as other places.

Take this with a grain of salt because I've never skied Magic and have skied skied Stratton extensively.

 

[ski_resort_observer]

I have always enjoyed the day no matter what ski hill I was at. Spent a day at Burke and it rained most of the day but we still had a good time. Never skied Hunter but there is enough folks that like skiing/riding there so I assume it's a good place.

Kmart does get a bad rap but I think if you go there during the week, the bad intersections won't be a problem and lack of crowds will allow it's awesome terrain to shine thru.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

That's just crazy talk.

I agree..I was on the bus with someone at Jackson Hole who lives 10 minutes from Elk but doesn't bother to ski there so his first day of the season was in late January in Jackson Hole..so this guy hates one of the best ski areas in PA....Loser

 

[JD]

what surprises me about this is your love of kayaking. Going down bumps on skis is no different than following the flow of water through rapids. You try and go as smooth as you can, but ultimately get bucked around by the ever changing terrain.

If you made the above statement and were a flat water kayaking enthusiast, it would make a lot more sense to me.

I completely respect your choices and enjoyment of outdoor activities. That said, if I were to compare you're strict outdoor restrictions with skiing experiences to a diet, yours would pretty much be gluten free vegan with a side of nut allergies. It's like Hasidic Judaism, I completely don't understand it. Respect your choices, but I end up saying to myself, F that, I'm going to go tear up that groomer or whatever.

Kayaking is Soft like powder. If you could ski untracked POW everytime you went skiing, would you? That is the question, and the choice I make is "yes". Actually, pow skiing only approaches the emersive and flowy nature of running white water for moments at a time...White water is way more intense, but nothing like bump skiing. I would describe my ski diet as local, organic, and diverse. It lacks processed, unnatural foods that were man made or altered by human tinkering. I want to ski the snow that nature provides, as it lay on the ground, preferably in some natuarlly open woods.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Kayaking is Soft like powder. If you could ski untracked POW everytime you went skiing, would you? That is the question, and the choice I make is "yes". Actually, pow skiing only approaches the emersive and flowy nature of running white water for moments at a time...White water is way more intense, but nothing like bump skiing. I would describe my ski diet as local, organic, and diverse. It lacks processed, unnatural foods that were man made or altered by human tinkering. I want to ski the snow that nature provides, as it lay on the ground, preferably in some natuarlly open woods.

I heart Vermont Hippies keeping it real....keeping it Organic..lol

 

[deadheadskier]

Kayaking is Soft like powder. If you could ski untracked POW everytime you went skiing, would you? That is the question, and the choice I make is "yes". Actually, pow skiing only approaches the emersive and flowy nature of running white water for moments at a time...White water is way more intense, but nothing like bump skiing. I would describe my ski diet as local, organic, and diverse. It lacks processed, unnatural foods that were man made or altered by human tinkering. I want to ski the snow that nature provides, as it lay on the ground, preferably in some natuarlly open woods.

B-O-R-I-N-G

and way too heady for me, but to each their own.

 

[Greg]

I don't think people hate Sundown........I think they just feel sorry for it.

Cute. The reality for me is that with two small children, job, wife, etc., getting up north more than a 2-4 times a month is not an option. Hitting the bumps at Sundown on a Sunday night or mid-weeknight is a great way to stay dialed in, hang with some ski buds, etc. It's my understanding that Sundown had better bumps from late November well into December than most places further north last year. Last March when everything in Vermont was bullet proof most of the month with no powder anywhere, we were ripping spring bumps on Gunbarrel under sunny skies. When we do score the random 1 foot dump in CT (we seem to be getting two each season lately) it's nice to not have to drive far to be able to ski during the storm. On the weekends, my kids love it. It's a small little hill, but it's home for now, and I always bump into several people I know there. There are many, like me, that love it. If you live nearby and like to ski moguls or hit the park, there's no reason not to. If you're looking for big, steep groomed vertical, it's obviously not right for you. It's hard to argue the fact that they do a better job with their 15 trails and 600 vertical feet than many of the resorts 4-5 times its size. They do a great job with what they have.

 

[trtaylor]

Cute. The reality for me is that with two small children, job, wife, etc., getting up north more than a 2-4 times a month is not an option. Hitting the bumps at Sundown on a Sunday night or mid-weeknight is a great way to stay dialed in, hang with some ski buds, etc. It's my understanding that Sundown had better bumps from late November well into December than most places further north last year. Last March when everything in Vermont was bullet proof most of the month with no powder anywhere, we were ripping spring bumps on Gunbarrel under sunny skies. When we do score the random 1 foot dump in CT (we seem to be getting two each season lately) it's nice to not have to drive far to be able to ski during the storm. On the weekends, my kids love it. It's a small little hill, but it's home for now, and I always bump into several people I know there. There are many, like me, that love it. If you live nearby and like to ski moguls or hit the park, there's no reason not to. If you're looking for big, steep groomed vertical, it's obviously not right for you. It's hard to argue the fact that they do a better job with their 15 trails and 600 vertical feet than many of the resorts 4-5 times its size. They do a great job with what they have.

+1

This is also the reality for those of us who live in the Mid-Atlantic and ski hills like Blue, Camelback, etc. much of the time.

 

[St. Bear]

Cute. The reality for me is that with two small children, job, wife, etc., getting up north more than a 2-4 times a month is not an option. Hitting the bumps at Sundown on a Sunday night or mid-weeknight is a great way to stay dialed in, hang with some ski buds, etc. It's my understanding that Sundown had better bumps from late November well into December than most places further north last year. Last March when everything in Vermont was bullet proof most of the month with no powder anywhere, we were ripping spring bumps on Gunbarrel under sunny skies. When we do score the random 1 foot dump in CT (we seem to be getting two each season lately) it's nice to not have to drive far to be able to ski during the storm. On the weekends, my kids love it. It's a small little hill, but it's home for now, and I always bump into several people I know there. There are many, like me, that love it. If you live nearby and like to ski moguls or hit the park, there's no reason not to. If you're looking for big, steep groomed vertical, it's obviously not right for you. It's hard to argue the fact that they do a better job with their 15 trails and 600 vertical feet than many of the resorts 4-5 times its size. They do a great job with what they have.

I think you're preaching to the choir here. 90% of the "flat-landers" on this site can't move to the mountains for family/work/life reasons and have passes to a local hill that tide us over until we're able to get up to the larger resorts. It doesn't matter if we're talking about Sundown, Mountain Creek, Wachusett, Camelback, Blue, Pats Peak, etc , and whether you're looking for bumps, groomers, or park, it's not the "ideal" set-up, but it's the best around and better than nothing at all.

 

[RENO]

If it were't for 12 years of internet postings from GSS, I doubt any of us would have ever heard of Blue Mountain. I think I knew Camelback existed before the internet happened but I didn't have a clue that Blue Mountain existed.

Nothing in the Poconos compares to anything north, but Blue is the best the Pocono's have to offer...

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

+1

This is also the reality for those of us who live in the Mid-Atlantic and ski hills like Blue, Camelback, etc. much of the time.

for sure..I've never had much respect for people who live in PA but don't ski PA..

 

[tarponhead]

Nothing in the Poconos compares to anything north, but Blue is the best the Pocono's have to offer...

Elk (so I'm told)

Screw HS's comment

 

[trtaylor]

Elk (so I'm told)

Some people don't really consider Elk in the Poconos.

 

[deadheadskier]

for sure..I've never had much respect for people who live in PA but don't ski PA..

some people need more than what that part of the country has to offer. I'm really not that picky of a skier as evidenced by my trip reports for smaller areas. However, Wisp bored the hell out of me when I worked there for a season Seven Springs wasn't quite so bad, but that winter I skied only about 12 days. Part of the reason was I worked from 9 AM until 9 PM, 6 days a week and was just too damn tired on my day off, but a bigger reason was that the skiing at Wisp was so boring. Blue appears to be a much better mountain though, so perhaps I would enjoy it more.