Bolton Valley vs Burke

There's really only 1 and a half ways down Burke from the top that isn't relatively steep, even the blues have a decent pitch.

I don't think of it as a beginner friendly mountain at all unless they are true beginners, the bottom part is great for learning.

Also, getting to Mid Mountain Express via any of the trails over on the Willoughby side has got to be a PITA for a snowboarder. You need to really carry momentum through there and you'll still end up poling over to the lift. Probably the biggest flaw in the trail layout (although the East Bowl run out is a contender as well).

bdfreetuna said:

Bolton is literally woods everywhere, half of them not on the map, and a good handful of them steeper than anything at Burke.

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You have obviously never skied Burke with someone who knows where they are going. There are of map glades between almost all of trails on the mountain.

Caveman at Burke has a pretty steep section but that's really the only thing that compares in terms of technical stuff.

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What??? Caveman is one of the easier glades at Burke. Wide spaced hardwood glade. A few steepish pitches but nothing super steep. Jungle, Dixiland, and a few others are easily more technical.

Anyway, the lower mountain at Burke has some beginner glades (Enchanted Forest) that can be a good introduction. The upper mountain has nice groomers like Upper/Lower Willoughby and the Dippers that are nice for snowboarding.
If you are on a board, avoid the East Bowl area as the traverse back to the lift is long and flat.

Bolton has a lot of long flat runouts/traverses as well. It is a fun medium size mountain but I would go for Burke over Bolton.

from_the_NEK said:

You have obviously never skied Burke with someone who knows where they are going. There are of map glades between almost all of trails on the mountain.

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Never needed to. I know Burke locals are very loyal and defensive of their hill, and I like it too, but it's not like it has immense acerage to explore.

from_the_NEK said:

What??? Caveman is one of the easier glades at Burke. Wide spaced hardwood glade. A few steepish pitches but nothing super steep. Jungle, Dixiland, and a few others are easily more technical.

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I said Caveman, I meant Dixiland. To be honest most of those woods in the East Bowl blend together for me, I just remember there's one that actually has a hard section. The tougher ones are the ones that start up higher and closer to East Bowl trail. I have skied them all plenty of times but not to the point of distinguishing each one specifically and accurately. For whatever reason I usually end up at Burke on powder days and I'm barely paying attention to where I'm going and what I'm skiing.

from_the_NEK said:

Bolton has a lot of long flat runouts/traverses as well. It is a fun medium size mountain but I would go for Burke over Bolton.

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Well, at least I think we have an interesting comparison here. Very different mountains, there's no way I would say one is universally better than the other. I just prefer Bolton over almost anywhere, personal opinion.