The 10 Most Challenging Ski Resorts in The United States?

[dlague]

Joke or no joke - Hunter is the only east coast ski area.

http://unofficialnetworks.com/2015/08/the-10-most-challenging-ski-resorts-in-the-united-states


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[ScottySkis]

Hunter probably for any area south of K probably true.

 

[skiNEwhere]

Unofficial network states:

"if you have ever skied Hunter you know that the challenge doesn’t come from the terrain, but rather avoiding the out of control blue jean clad Long Islanders fueled up on Bush beer and jagerbombs."

Using that criteria I can think of a lot of other places that could be mentioned as well.....mountain creek, big bear (Cali), even WaWa. But I'm assuming hunter is mentioned because the non-skiing general public has heard of it, it's close to a large metro area, and actually has more legit terrain than any of the previous places I mentioned.

 

[ss20]

Big Sky? Never been, but I've heard about some nasty lines from the top of the tram.

 

[St. Bear]

Big Sky
https://instagram.com/p/zvzKPhGaVP/

 

[deadheadskier]

Big Sky
https://instagram.com/p/zvzKPhGaVP/

Are those hike to only or can they be accessed from the top? Most of those chutes are well beyond what I'm interested in skiing these days, but a couple of the wider ones remind me a bit of Highland Bowl. I'd consider doing those with the right skiing partner.

 

[snoseek]

Not used to my hill making any sort of list. Also that sign was indeed real, front and center on chair 10

 

[SIKSKIER]

Bad facts in that piece.First one I saw was claiming Alyeska has the lowest base elevation in the US at 250ft.LaMassif is about 130 unless they consider the top of the mt the base,which it kind of is.

 

[Jully]

Let Massif is in Canada though

 

[St. Bear]

Are those hike to only or can they be accessed from the top? Most of those chutes are well beyond what I'm interested in skiing these days, but a couple of the wider ones remind me a bit of Highland Bowl. I'd consider doing those with the right skiing partner.

I have been. I can't tell from the trail map, but I think it's only hike to.

Pretty sure Big Sky will be my next trip out West in 2017.

 

[St. Bear]

Not used to my hill making any sort of list. Also that sign was indeed real, front and center on chair 10

Looks familiar... oh yeah, that's right.

 

[MadMadWorld]

Yea I don't know what I would change but I think some of the Montana mountains (Whitefish and Big Sky) need more respect.

 

[VTKilarney]

Bad facts in that piece.First one I saw was claiming Alyeska has the lowest base elevation in the US at 250ft.LaMassif is about 130 unless they consider the top of the mt the base,which it kind of is.

Somebody needs a geography lesson.

But what about Camden Snow Bowl? Liftopia says that their base elevation is 150 feet.

 

[Jully]

Somebody needs a geography lesson.

But what about Camden Snow Bowl? Liftopia says that their base elevation is 150 feet.

Maybe it's not a "resort" or something because Alyeska is quite different from the Camden Snow Bowl.

 

[steamboat1]

Big Sky
https://instagram.com/p/zvzKPhGaVP/

Pretty sure what you are looking at are A-Z chutes. They're not off the tram but are pretty easy to access from the top of the Challenger chair. Anybody thinking of going to Big Sky I say go. Yes they have quite a bit of gnarly terrain if that's your thing but they have even more intermediate terrain. Out of all the places I've been Big Sky is my favorite.

 

[Scruffy]

I skied the Wall at Kirkwood on tele skis, and my wife did it and she's not gnar. We didn't think it was "one of the scariest runs in the United States" There are tougher runs at there if they wanted a callout to kirkwood.

 

[St. Bear]

There's a lot of variation, even within the same named run. I skied Lake Chutes at Breck, which routinely shows up on the Hardest Named Runs lists. It was steep, for sure, but I wasn't launching off any of the rocks, so I didn't think it was that bad.

 

[Mapnut]

Somebody needs a geography lesson.

But what about Camden Snow Bowl? Liftopia says that their base elevation is 150 feet.

I get 250 feet from topo for Camden Snowbowl.
Mount Southington, CT, 210 feet.
Yawgoo Valley, RI, 110 feet.
Bradford, MA, 70 feet.

But I suspect Alyeska has the highest ratio of vertical drop to base elevation. (After Le Massif.)

 

[jimk]

Of the places I've skied, in no particular order, and random, representative photos:
Taos, CO
Castor Glade

Aspen Highlands, CO
Highland Bowl

Squaw Valley, CA
Granite Chief Peak terrain

Kirkwood, CA
False Peak Chute

Arapahoe Basin, CO
West Turbo

To be continued...

 

[St. Bear]

Of the places I've skied, in no particular order, and random, representative photos:
Taos, CO

Aspen Highlands, CO
Highland Bowl

.

That Highlands pic is sweet.