Boston Globe: Skiing Showdown

[Nick]

I'm having a hard-time too. Kind of like wondering which cheerleader to take to the prom. Coincidentally, these are my top 4 mountains in the East.

The good thing is, like a prom, this is not a lifetime commitment, so the pressure is a lot less :lol:

 

[MadPatSki]

The good thing is, like a prom, this is not a lifetime commitment, so the pressure is a lot less :lol:

I've know some people that dropped their dates and switch girls during their prom, as for myself, I went alone with no date issues.

 

[rocojerry]

If I could have 4, at the same time, I probably would

Maybe i'll never commit to one for life -- time will tell.

 

[snowmonster]

A few things:

I'm surprised that: Stowe, Loaf, Jay and Bush are your top 4 in the East.

MRG would round out my top 5. I have sentimental attachments to some of these mountains. Places take on a strange kind of glow because of memories associated with them.

I'm not surprised that you would mentioned that it was like "Kind of like wondering which cheerleader to take to the prom".

You know me well. I'm getting predictable.

The good thing is, like a prom, this is not a lifetime commitment, so the pressure is a lot less :lol:

The prom IS a lifetime commitment.=)

I've know some people that dropped their dates and switch girls during their prom, as for myself, I went alone with no date issues.

I wanted to go by myself for all the wrong reasons.

 

[MadPatSki]

MRG would round out my top 5. I have sentimental attachments to some of these mountains. Places take on a strange kind of glow because of memories associated with them.

Maybe, although I have a strong attachment to Tremblant, the area is maybe no. 11 of my East list., however I skied many of my days there went they still had two single chairs still running.

I wanted to go by myself for all the wrong reasons.

Bestfriend's gf was too young for hitting the bars (hey, this was Montreal in the early 80s)...he was stuck with her (in a bad sense (ie. whining and stuff)).

He mentioned years later that he should gone solo like I did, he would have had much more fun if he would have been free that night.

 

[snowmonster]

This just in: Sugarbush posted on FB that they are neck and neck with the Loaf. They're asking their fans to vote. Went on the Boston.com site and the 2 areas are separated by only 20 votes. This is getting interesting.

 

[snowmonster]

Final match-up: Bush v. Jay.

This I did not expect.

 

[speden]

Looks like maybe there was some ballot box stuffing in the Loaf vs. Sugarbush matchup. There were 2645 votes in that match versus only 2075 in the concurrent Stowe vs. Jay matchup.

 

[MadPatSki]

Looks like maybe there was some ballot box stuffing in the Loaf vs. Sugarbush matchup. There were 2645 votes in that match versus only 2075 in the concurrent Stowe vs. Jay matchup.

That confirms it...

The best skiing isn't necessarily what the masses prefer. See Ski magazine survey of reader to further reinforcement.

For the record, I like both Jay and Bush...but they aren't in my top 5 in the East and they best in my opinion the best two areas in the East IMHO.

 

[skidmarks]

I Voted Today

Final match-up: Bush v. Jay.

This I did not expect.

Two of my favorite places to ski. I had to cast my vote for Sugarbush in the end. While Jay gets more snow and has all those great glades, Sugarbush has much more terrain and much longer runs.

 

[dropKickMurphy]

That confirms it...

The best skiing isn't necessarily what the masses prefer. See Ski magazine survey of reader to further reinforcement.

For the record, I like both Jay and Bush...but they aren't in my top 5 in the East and they best in my opinion the best two areas in the East IMHO.

I wouldn't equate this to the Ski Magazine poll at all. Otherwise we would have had Stratton and Okemo in the finals.

I agree that Stowe and Loaf are the 2 best in New England. But I personally would include Jay and Bush in my top 5 or 6. There are legitimate reasons for skiers to consider either one of them the best in NE.

To be honest, I can pick about 8 of my favorite NE ski areas, but have a very hard time choosing between them.

 

[MadPatSki]

But I personally would include Jay and Bush in my top 5 or 6. There are legitimate reasons for skiers to consider either one of them the best in NE.

To be honest, I can pick about 8 of my favorite NE ski areas, but have a very hard time choosing between them.

I was talking about the East, not New England. Bush and Jay would be included in the cluster between 6 and 10 - that really choose between them.

My top 5:
1 - Stowe / Sugarloaf
3 - Whiteface
4 - MRG
5 - Smuggs
6 - a bunch of areas from Mont Ste-Anne (only Canadian area in my top 10), Jay, Bush and probably a few others.

 

[dropKickMurphy]

I haven't skied any of the Canadian or NY areas. Of the major New England areas, I've skied them all except Smuggs and MRG.

I suspect WF, MSA, Le Massif, Smuggs and MRG would all be on my list.

In the end, it's all about snow and terrain. Whether snow is more important than terrain, or vice versa, is an individual preference.

But as the eastern area with the best snow, I won't argue with anyone who considers Jay to have the best skiing in the east.
I also wouldn't argue with anyone who'd choose Stowe, Loaf, Bush, Burke, Saddleback, Cannon, Wildcat, etc. Amenities aside, I know that all of those areas can have superb skiing with the right conditions.

Similar to how I feel about areas in Utah. I've skied Alta, Snowbird, Soli, and Snowbasin. I've met people who considered each one of those as the best place to ski. They all had a legitimate argument.

 

[snowmonster]

Looks like maybe there was some ballot box stuffing in the Loaf vs. Sugarbush matchup. There were 2645 votes in that match versus only 2075 in the concurrent Stowe vs. Jay matchup.

More like a "get out the vote" drive. Just before midnight, there was that post on the Bush site about the clase race. At that time, only 20 votes separated the Bush and the Loaf. Granted that the Bush was probably ahead at that point but it looks like Bush pulled away in the last seconds of the game.

That confirms it...

The best skiing isn't necessarily what the masses prefer. See Ski magazine survey of reader to further reinforcement.

Amen, brother. The mountain itself (terrain, snowfall, etc.) and the amenities (dining, off-hill activities, etc.) will push the area in polls of this nature.

I wouldn't equate this to the Ski Magazine poll at all. Otherwise we would have had Stratton and Okemo in the finals.

Yeah, I think there's some legit-ness to this when I saw Wildcat beat Okemo. Pretty interesting results, actually.

Still kind of surprised that neither Stowe nor the Loaf made it to the final round. I was just discussing this with a friend and she thinks it's probably because more NYers/NJers voted in the poll since VT resorts are more accesible to that market than ME resorts. This would probably be true except that it's a Boston-centric website.

 

[snowmonster]

Final: Sugarbush in a romp.

 

[riverc0il]

And the real winner is... the Boston Globe.

 

[Geoff]

Similar to how I feel about areas in Utah. I've skied Alta, Snowbird, Soli, and Snowbasin. I've met people who considered each one of those as the best place to ski. They all had a legitimate argument.

I can even give a pretty legitimate argument for Deer Valley.

Sugarbush is an interesting winner considering the American Skiing Company dumped it for next to nothing because it never generated enough skier visits to be profitable. Other than a new base lodge and a fortress resort hotel that's inaccessible to day skiers, it's still the same mountain with roughly the same number of skier visits.

The Boyne pass owns the Boston market. If people actually voted for the place where they ski, you'd have Sunday River and Loon winning easily. I'll bet that many of the people voting for Jay Peak and Sugarbush have never actually been there. They hear the Jay Peak 350" and glitzy base development pitch and the Castlerock/Slidebrook pitch and click away. Kudos for Steve Wright and Win Smith for superior marketing.

 

[Geoff]

Yeah, I think there's some legit-ness to this when I saw Wildcat beat Okemo. Pretty interesting results, actually.

Okemo really isn't the Boston market. If you did this in the Hartford Courant, you'd get totally different results. My 79-year-old mother loves Okemo midweek. I escort her around Killington occasionally and have to really plot my course to try to give her a similar experience. If your criteria is perfectly groomed intermediate cruisers, Okemo certainly delivers the goods. Most of the public is looking for exactly that kind of terrain. If people were being honest, they'd be pulling the Loon/Okemo lever.

 

[ScottySkis]

For overall it's got to Sugarloaf even though i haven't skiied their since i was a kid so big, Stowe would be second with back country

 

[MadPadraic]

Okemo really isn't the Boston market. If you did this in the Hartford Courant, you'd get totally different results. My 79-year-old mother loves Okemo midweek. I escort her around Killington occasionally and have to really plot my course to try to give her a similar experience. If your criteria is perfectly groomed intermediate cruisers, Okemo certainly delivers the goods. Most of the public is looking for exactly that kind of terrain. If people were being honest, they'd be pulling the Loon/Okemo lever.

I'm not sure I understand the point of your post? Is it that the voters are dishonest, or that most people at the hill want a gentle experience?

I'm not sure the point about Loon being a groomer hill is all that strong. Yes it has lots of cruisers, but its main selling point is proximity to Boston, and it is noteworthy or being more popular than closer but more gentle mountains (Gunstock and Sunapee (I've never been to Waterville, so I can't comment)).

Obviously we know what Okemo is and how they market themselves. Clearly they are popular, but the much tougher Killington charges higher rates (indicating higher demand). Also: Stowe exists and thrives.