Best Expert Terrain Pod in the East

[cdskier]

I'm surprised to see the Canyon area of K mentioned so much. Good terrain, but didn't overly blow me away as far as expert terrain goes. I'm not going to say Castlerock is the "best" as I haven't skied all the various areas mentioned, but it is a great expert area and would get my vote for now. Love the unique character of the area and each trail.

 

[BenedictGomez]

"Come ski the 2" of fresh powder!"

Yup.

"We got a dusting of fresh powder" at Camelback!

Even though it's debatable as to whether or not its a pod, I have to go with the single chair terrain at MRG.

It's not a pod.

 

[xwhaler]

Everyone seems to be so hung up on semantics of the defintion of what a "pod" is here so let's make this easier so we get some good debate going.
What lift (regardless of pod or no) offers the best collection of expert level terrain in the East?

 

[Savemeasammy]

What lift (regardless of pod or no) offers the best collection of expert level terrain in the East?

M1



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[deadheadskier]

M1



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+1

 

[jimk]

I have skied Madonna, Jay, and Castlerock, but not extensively and don’t feel qualified to comment on them. Also, I’m probably not fully factoring in the valid variables raised by Xwhaler. But...and speaking very subjectively, of the places I have skied in recent years I would say MRG single chair and the Forerunner Quad at Stowe. I also have a lot of respect for Killington’s black diamond terrain, but it’s been almost 15 years since I’ve been there. Outer Limits is still burned in my brain as THE bump run in New England. I have only one day at Saddleback, but I got a good dose of Casablanca Glade and skied Muleskinner twice. Really loved the place and think the scenery and vibe is among the best in the East, but didn’t seem as gnarly as MRG and Forerunner terrain. Hard to leave Whiteface out of this discussion, but seems like the good stuff is divided among several lifts there. For intermediate-advanced terrain, which is more my every day ability sweet spot I really like all the great stuff you can ski off the HSQ at Wildcat and there is some gnar there too.
Bottom line: MRG single chair.
Maybe later when I have time I’ll edit my post with some photos:razz:

 

[St. Bear]

1. Single chair
2. Madonna
3. Jay Tram
4. Forerunner

Honorable Mentions (factoring in slackcountry): Red Chair, Cannon Tram, Wildcat HSQ

 

[JimG.]

Slides at Whiteface trump any pod mentioned to this point.

 

[St. Bear]

Slides at Whiteface trump any pod mentioned to this point.

Yup (#11).

 

[skiMEbike]

Of the places I have frequented....These would be my top four I am not sure I could really rank them as it would be too difficult...

1. Stowe Forerunner,
2. Sugarloaf Skyline,
3. Saddleback Kennebago
4. Jay Tram

 

[deadheadskier]

Slides at Whiteface trump any pod mentioned to this point.

I'm sure they do.

I just think the policies they have in place for them are lame. Definitely on my bucket list of eastern skiing experiences.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Of the places I've been, probably Madonna.

 

[BenedictGomez]

I'm sure they do.

I just think the policies they have in place for them are lame. Definitely on my bucket list of eastern skiing experiences.

The Slides are just slightly more restrictive than

Honest to god, it's absurd.

 

[Tin]

I'm surprised to see the Canyon area of K mentioned so much. Good terrain, but didn't overly blow me away as far as expert terrain goes.

I was never a big of it until last year. Caught it the first day open after about 14" in early December. The thin cover, grass, and waterbars gave them some, dare I say, character. No ledges, ice falls, etc. but a good time.

 

[thetrailboss]

What about Stowe's Forerunner Quad? I know it serves some intermediate runs too, but the expert runs off the lift are quite prime for the east.

My vote as well. And I spent a lot of time at Sugarbush, but the "Front Four" certainly is legit expert terrain.

 

[skiNEwhere]

I find it funny how I said:

Even though it's debatable as to whether or not its a pod, I have to go with the single chair terrain at MRG. I think it fits the definition of a pod in that you can lap the trails without having to take another lift to get back where you started.

And you truncated the part of my post where I explain why I think it qualifies as pod, only to state it's not a pod without giving an explanation as to why you disagree.

Even though it's debatable as to whether or not its a pod, I have to go with the single chair terrain at MRG.

It's not a pod.

 

[skiNEwhere]

1. Single chair
2. Madonna
3. Jay Tram
4. Forerunner

Honorable Mentions (factoring in slackcountry): Red Chair, Cannon Tram, Wildcat HSQ

Not a fan of Castlerock?

 

[fbrissette]

The Slides are just slightly more restrictive than

Honest to god, it's absurd.

The slides are excellent examples of avalanche terrain traps which explains why they are overly cautious. Terrain traps should only be attempted in the most stable of snow conditions (and preferably never).

If you really want to ski slopes when avalanche danger is above the 'low' category, you don't want to pick a terrain trap. You want a fighting chance if you're ever caught in a slide.

Skiing the slides in unstable conditions is a death wish and since the typical eastern skier is clueless about avalanches they HAVE to be overly cautious.

 

[St. Bear]

That list was in response to xwhaler's post of best lift (regardless of pod). All those lifts service in entire mountains. Castlerock misses the cut because it's a pod. It's definitely on the short list for the original thread topic though.

 

[moresnow]

Everyone seems to be so hung up on semantics of the defintion of what a "pod" is here so let's make this easier so we get some good debate going.
What lift (regardless of pod or no) offers the best collection of expert level terrain in the East?

Hunter west

Now you can say it.