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East coast pass options suck.

boston_e

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Jul 25, 2007
Messages
709
Points
43
1- I am not buying 2 passes.
2- Mount Snow has an excellent pass product; but without a west option, it really isn't feasible. I go out west usually every year, but without a pass, it would be $1000+ for me and my son to ski a week. I have a pass this year, but didn't go out west. I'm going out west next year, so not an option.
3- When I say local, I mean up to 2.5 hours. The IKON only has 2 mountains within that distance for me. Stratton is 1.7 hours and Killy about 2.2 hours. Sugarbush is 3 hours so I could do a couple day trips a year but wouldn't want more than that. So that's 12 days local.
4- IKON has like 12 unlimited options for the $649 pass; yet none in the North East. I'm not a huge Stratton fan, but hell, at least give me that unlimited for the hardpack/ice days.
5- EPIC pass is decent with unlimited OKEMO and a little Stowe. But - Stowe is about 3.5 hours, so it's defiantly not a day trip. I prefer Mount Snow over Okemo because Okemo can be a little flat...

Honestly it seems as if you might be looking for something that isn't realistic. If you used all 5 days at Stratton and Killington plus 2 at Sugarbush, then took a western trip and got 5 days in out there, that brings your daily cost to appx $38 per day which is really pretty reasonable.

Depending on your sons age, that brings his cost to either $15 or $29 per day (child pass or young adult pass pricing)

With that said, I can see how the IKON is much better for a Boston based skier than a CT/NY based skier as it more easily opens up the days at SR, SL and Loon to add to the mix. It would seem like Ikon should somehow get a NY resort into the mix.
 

KustyTheKlown

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Mar 1, 2013
Messages
5,405
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Location
Brooklyn
Phantasy tour black board is thataway bro ---≥>>

Pretty sure Brownstein would call you out on some of the elitist hettier than tho posts you've been posting up lately.

Sent from my XT1635-01 using AlpineZone mobile app

lol. that's a funny post. i like it.

in real life, if i say jump, brownie says 'how high?'. he owes me a BIG ONE for some old personal stuff. i got to write the setlist for my 100th show bc he owes me his damn life.

i've been surly lately on here. i'll tone it down.
 

pauldotcom

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Feb 5, 2019
Messages
60
Points
8
With that said, I can see how the IKON is much better for a Boston based skier than a CT/NY based skier as it more easily opens up the days at SR, SL and Loon to add to the mix. It would seem like Ikon should somehow get a NY resort into the mix.

Agree. Sunday River is a nice option but much closer for Boston folks.

Not looking for unrealistic pass; just want the Max Pass back lol.
 

boston_e

Active member
Joined
Jul 25, 2007
Messages
709
Points
43
Agree. Sunday River is a nice option but much closer for Boston folks.

Not looking for unrealistic pass; just want the Max Pass back lol.

I agree with you there... the max pass had much more appeal to me than ikon or epic. I did the “add on” to our home mountains season pass and it was a great value.
 

prsboogie

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Joined
Aug 13, 2014
Messages
1,764
Points
38
Location
Swansea
1- I am not buying 2 passes.
2- Mount Snow has an excellent pass product; but without a west option, it really isn't feasible. I go out west usually every year, but without a pass, it would be $1000+ for me and my son to ski a week. I have a pass this year, but didn't go out west. I'm going out west next year, so not an option.
3- When I say local, I mean up to 2.5 hours. The IKON only has 2 mountains within that distance for me. Stratton is 1.7 hours and Killy about 2.2 hours. Sugarbush is 3 hours so I could do a couple day trips a year but wouldn't want more than that. So that's 12 days local.
4- IKON has like 12 unlimited options for the $649 pass; yet none in the North East. I'm not a huge Stratton fan, but hell, at least give me that unlimited for the hardpack/ice days.
5- EPIC pass is decent with unlimited OKEMO and a little Stowe. But - Stowe is about 3.5 hours, so it's defiantly not a day trip. I prefer Mount Snow over Okemo because Okemo can be a little flat...
If I wasn't willing to day trip 3.5 I would never ski. Must be nice being 1.5 hours away from places bigger and less crowded than Wachusett or 2 from Crotched. They serve a purpose but need more options than that.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
 

BenedictGomez

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Joined
Jan 26, 2011
Messages
12,174
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113
Location
Wasatch Back
If I wasn't willing to day trip 3.5 I would never ski.

Same. The "closest" place I ski is Platty at 2h 45m.

Most of my days are spent in n.VT which is 6.5 or 7 hours, PLUS the 1.5'ish RT drive to the hills.

A few trips each year to Lake Placid at 5h, and last year & this year I've thrown Magic into the mix as it's "only" a 4h drive. The number of hours I spend driving each season just to ski is probably staggering, I say "probably" because I've never added it up.
 

ironhippy

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Joined
May 16, 2014
Messages
408
Points
18
Location
NB Canda
Jeepers I thought the people in Denver had it bad with their I70 commute.

I just wouldn't ski if the closest hill was 3 hours away.

Hell based on some of your weekends, the Chic Chocs are a day trip for me (5 hours one way)

I've driven 6 hours for a weekend, but I find it harder and harder to justify that and haven't done it in a few years.
 

deadheadskier

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Mar 6, 2005
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I certainly wouldn't be making the journey from Jersey to VT with any sort of frequency if I lived down there. Probably 3-4 trips a year and then Poconos and Catskills to scratch the itch.

If I had to rely on NYC metro for employment, I'd likely be looking to live somewhere around Nyack to shorten the commute to ski country.

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Edd

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Nov 8, 2006
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113
Location
Newmarket, NH
We’ve got it good on the N.H. seacoast but the Manchester area is a sweet spot as it cuts 45 minutes off the drive to the VT areas. Then you’ve still got easy access to everything up to Burke.


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Smellytele

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Jan 30, 2006
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Right where I want to be
We’ve got it good on the N.H. seacoast but the Manchester area is a sweet spot as it cuts 45 minutes off the drive to the VT areas. Then you’ve still got easy access to everything up to Burke.
Concord area is even better. Living just west of Concord 2 hrs can get me all the way to Sugarbush or Burke everything in So Vt under 2. Wildcat around 2:15 is the only large NH ski area over 2. Only ME and way north in VT (Jay and Smuggs) are pushing the day trip envelope. I have 3 ski areas within a 1/2 hour - Pats, Crotched and Sunapee - that can scratch the itch.
 

cdskier

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Mar 26, 2015
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NJ
I certainly wouldn't be making the journey from Jersey to VT with any sort of frequency if I lived down there. Probably 3-4 trips a year and then Poconos and Catskills to scratch the itch.

If I had to rely on NYC metro for employment, I'd likely be looking to live somewhere around Nyack to shorten the commute to ski country.

There's quite a few of us down here in NJ that go to VT on a regular basis. I drive 5 hours to Sugarbush pretty much every weekend. You do get used to it, although every once in a while I do start to wonder wtf I'm doing.

According to Google Maps, Nyack would shorten my trip to SB only by about 20 minutes, however it would also add about 20 minutes to my daily commute (I live in North Jersey and work in Central Jersey).

I'm definitely jealous of people that live within much shorter times to mountains (MA, NH, etc)
 

deadheadskier

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There's quite a few of us down here in NJ that go to VT on a regular basis. I drive 5 hours to Sugarbush pretty much every weekend. You do get used to it, although every once in a while I do start to wonder wtf I'm doing.

According to Google Maps, Nyack would shorten my trip to SB only by about 20 minutes, however it would also add about 20 minutes to my daily commute (I live in North Jersey and work in Central Jersey).

I'm definitely jealous of people that live within much shorter times to mountains (MA, NH, etc)
My perspective might be a bit different than some due to all the traveling I do for work. I put 4600 miles on my vehicle last month alone, about 4400 of that work related. So, even 2:15 to Wildcat can seem long and if I don't anticipate good conditions, I'll opt for 1:15 to Crotched to scratch the itch.

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drjeff

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Jan 18, 2006
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Brooklyn, CT
I certainly wouldn't be making the journey from Jersey to VT with any sort of frequency if I lived down there. Probably 3-4 trips a year and then Poconos and Catskills to scratch the itch.

If I had to rely on NYC metro for employment, I'd likely be looking to live somewhere around Nyack to shorten the commute to ski country.

Sent from my XT1635-01 using AlpineZone mobile app

There's quite a few of us down here in NJ that go to VT on a regular basis. I drive 5 hours to Sugarbush pretty much every weekend. You do get used to it, although every once in a while I do start to wonder wtf I'm doing.

According to Google Maps, Nyack would shorten my trip to SB only by about 20 minutes, however it would also add about 20 minutes to my daily commute (I live in North Jersey and work in Central Jersey).

I'm definitely jealous of people that live within much shorter times to mountains (MA, NH, etc)

Without putting much thought at all into it, I'm able to think of basically 10 families whom I either ski with, or my kids race with, who are Jersey/Long Island/NYC, who make the drive to Mount Snow basically every weekend between mid November and mid April, and don't even think twice about it and their anywhere between 3.5 and 5+ hour drives each way.....

Makes me realize that I shouldn't complain about the 2:40 drive I make each way each weekend....

There comes a point where it becomes part of one's, and one's families lifestyle, and you get used to it for sure.... It also "helps" to have other friends who make the same, if not longer drives, with the same frequency you do, to make you realize that you really aren't that crazy! ;)
 

lerops

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Jan 28, 2008
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Westchester, NY
I certainly wouldn't be making the journey from Jersey to VT with any sort of frequency if I lived down there. Probably 3-4 trips a year and then Poconos and Catskills to scratch the itch.

If I had to rely on NYC metro for employment, I'd likely be looking to live somewhere around Nyack to shorten the commute to ski country.

Sent from my XT1635-01 using AlpineZone mobile app

Well, I did exactly that and moved to Northern Westchester, and my commute to the city was horrible approaching 3 hours a day RT. So I moved back to the city. Now I drive extra for skiing. I don’t mind it but it is hard on the kid, and I don’t want her to dislike skiing because if the drive. So I ski a bit less and keep sane.
 

gladerider

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Jan 2, 2005
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NJ
There's quite a few of us down here in NJ that go to VT on a regular basis. I drive 5 hours to Sugarbush pretty much every weekend. You do get used to it, although every once in a while I do start to wonder wtf I'm doing.

According to Google Maps, Nyack would shorten my trip to SB only by about 20 minutes, however it would also add about 20 minutes to my daily commute (I live in North Jersey and work in Central Jersey).

I'm definitely jealous of people that live within much shorter times to mountains (MA, NH, etc)

i managed to convince my wife to do the trip every other weekend. it is a long drive from here in NJ.
 
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