Credit Where Credit Is Do Thread

[highpeaksdrifter]

We all have certain mountains that are not our favorites for a variety of reasons. I thought I’d try to get a thread going where you pick a mountain that’s not one of your top picks, but post one thing it does do really well that you like.

I pick Jiminy Peaks snowmaking. I’ve never been that mountains biggest fan, but I do admire how they lay down product. On MLK day they ran a segment on our local news about how the warm winter was effecting ski areas. They did it from Jiminy Peak. It was raining and brown spots everywhere, really looked depressing. Brian Fairbanks (owner) said they would start up snow making Tuesday morning.

I’ve been taking my high school ski club there nites for decades, so I know they have great snow making. However, with the rain and then the big freeze, I thought we would be skiing on a couple of inches on man a made over ice. After all they had only been making snow for about 10 hours.

When we got there Tuesday at 4:00 it was like being inside of one of those snow globes you shake up. They where blowing everywhere.

I kept skiing the Foxes and no one else was ever on the trail. The snow was perfect manamade pow. When I took a run and came back I could barely make out my tracks from the last run, they where pounding those trails. I usually like to ski kinda fast, but I slowed down to make the run last longer. No exaggeration that trail was one of the most fun runs I’ve skied this season. I never expected to write that sentence about a trail at Jiminy Peak.

Props to Jiminy’s snow tribe, second to none.

 

[Greg]

Jiminy can make snow with the best of them, no doubt. I would put them in the Hunter or Killington category in terms of aggressiveness, without question. I skied Jiminy last month and felt, while not side-to-side, the number of trails they had open was impressive given the limited snowmaking windows they had. Left Bank and West Way alone covered a lot of miles. Now that it's seasonably cold, we should see some of the steeper terrain in Jericho, Whirlaway and Wild Turkey open soon.

Loon gets ragged on a lot, but I've normally had a good experience there. Quality snowmaking and seeded bump runs that are second to none.

I have to again give props to the little local haunt. Sundown packs a lot into a limited amount of terrain. They are also emerging as one of the top snowmakers in SNE and I normally have a lot of fun there despite it only being 625' vert.

 

[Grassi21]

I have to again give props to the little local haunt. Sundown packs a lot into a limited amount of terrain. They are also emerging as one of the top snowmakers in SNE and I normally have a lot of fun there despite it only being 625' vert.

You beat me to the punch. Out of the 7 days I've been out this season my trips to Sundown have had some of the best condition. Now if I can only get there when the bus loads of kids aren't around...

 

[Greg]

Now if I can only get there when the bus loads of kids aren't around...

That was an anomoly for sure. School nights are typicaly much quieter.

 

[2knees]

I'll bite. I bust on killington alot. I think it's overrated and has many shortcomings. But, i consistently, at least for me, still go there. Why? Cause no matter how crappy the weather, i can almost always find something to keep me entertained. the crowds, the crossovers, the pushy rude people... yeah we've heard it all and i've whined about it too but i gotta give em credit. They STILL blow alot more snow then anyone else and they still provide alot of killer bump runs.

 

[JD]

J. They suck, the run out-to the lift, and lift configuration sucks, grooming sucks, but somehow they convince people they have a different weather pattern then the rest on NVT.

 

[KingM]

I know that a lot of people like Bolton, but it is often overlooked when people talk about that Central Vermont corridor from Stowe through Sugarbush/MRG and down to Killington. I went there yesterday with my wife and was struck by how good their beginner trail system is. I like to take my wife and kids there because they can ski a variety of greens and feel like they're really skiing instead of just going down the same straight, short bunny slope a million times. Also, coming down from the top I was able to take some interesting blacks and then connect again with her green at various points instead of just skiing off in a different direction and meeting her at the bottom.

 

[billski]

BV+

I know that a lot of people like Bolton, but it is often overlooked when people talk about that Central Vermont corridor from Stowe through Sugarbush/MRG and down to Killington. I went there yesterday with my wife and was struck by how good their beginner trail system is. I like to take my wife and kids there because they can ski a variety of greens and feel like they're really skiing instead of just going down the same straight, short bunny slope a million times. Also, coming down from the top I was able to take some interesting blacks and then connect again with her green at various points instead of just skiing off in a different direction and meeting her at the bottom.

BV is great for intermediates. It's easy on the pocketbook, especially if your the skill set in the group will never use half of what Stowe for SB have to offer. Plus it's in a sweet snow spot and has great elevation. No real apres-ski, but a good place families and those who like granola, so-to-speak.

 

[56fish]

J. They suck, the run out-to the lift, and lift configuration sucks, grooming sucks, but somehow they convince people they have a different weather pattern then the rest on NVT.

Thanks dude...more lift serviced pow/trees for me!:wink:

 

[MRGisevil]

I would have to say Berkshire East. I rank on it alot w/my friends because I tend to find conditions to be overly icy. They have a great vibe there though, people are nice, and the attitude definately beats that of some of those northern VT resorts.

 

[TreeLine]

I'll bite. I bust on killington alot. I think it's overrated and has many shortcomings. But, i consistently, at least for me, still go there. Why? Cause no matter how crappy the weather, i can almost always find something to keep me entertained. the crowds, the crossovers, the pushy rude people... yeah we've heard it all and i've whined about it too but i gotta give em credit. They STILL blow alot more snow then anyone else and they still provide alot of killer bump runs.

I hate to admit it as well, but K-Mart can be a blast if you hit it midweek. Without the crowds, there is just such a good variety of trails, albeit a good number of them lack a lot of character and were poorly planned. Just stay away from K-1. Even so, if you have a mixed group skiing, they can taylor to anybody, and actually I find they offer the best deals/packages early and late season. If someone else knows a better deal, let me know!!

 

[riverc0il]

i agree with 56.

i bust on kmart all the time, but they blow a ton of snow and open up more terrain than any one early season. granted it is human slalom and has some of the most dangerous intersections that i have ever seen. just because i don't want to ski there doesn't mean i won't point people in the right direction if they are into that sorta thing and trail count is more important than personal safety and sanity

i make corrections on jay's trail and snow reporting a lot. but let's give credit where credit is due, at least they are no wildcat.

OUCH! :lol:

wildcat has nice mid-sized soft bumps on comfortable pitches and excellent spring skiing for the record

 

[awf170]

i agree with 56.

i bust on kmart all the time, but they blow a ton of snow and open up more terrain than any one early season. granted it is human slalom and has some of the most dangerous intersections that i have ever seen. just because i don't want to ski there doesn't mean i won't point people in the right direction if they are into that sorta thing and trail count is more important than personal safety and sanity

i make corrections on jay's trail and snow reporting a lot. but let's give credit where credit is due, at least they are no wildcat.

OUCH! :lol:

wildcat has nice mid-sized soft bumps on comfortable pitches and excellent spring skiing for the record

Yesterday was "[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Purrrrrfect[/FONT]" at Wildcat.

http://www.skiwildcat.com/display_image.html?id=496

Atleast they finally got rid of the pictures from the Oct. storm in the snow report! They had that link up until around mid december this year.

Don't forget to visit snow-henge!
http://www.skiwildcat.com/display_image.html?id=496

 

[drjeff]

I'll go out on a limb and say ASC is general. As much as they have some issues, and as much as we all bash them from time to time, they do/can put down the snow, and especially the last season or two, there is a much more customer friendly vibe going on with them.

Thats where I'll throw some credit! :argue: :beer:

 

[jaywbigred]

I'll chime in on Okemo...I constantly give it a hard time for lack of challenege, but I think they do a good job with snowmaking and especially seeding nice hero bumps; I also feel as though they do a good job seperating skiiers by ability on the upper mountain portions, the base runs to the lodge not withstanding...

...also, shouldn't it be "credit where credit is due?"

 

[Buckeye Skier 1330]

I know a lot of people don't think much of Stratton but they really make the snow when they need to. The first 2 years we came to NE we hit Stratton. The first year we hit good snow, a 34 inch Nor'easter. The second year the weather had been warm and the snow had turned to granular. But it got cold and at the end of the second day almost all trails had been turned to manmade powder. I've seen the same scenario at Sunday River and they made snow on only one or two trails per night.Stratton has the fast lifts for skiing starved people like me. We've since discovered several NE mountains we like better, but we'll hit Stratton this year for one day. (Well we do have free lift tickets)

 

[miskier]

Take it from someone who lives in S.E. Michigan and you have to drive 60 miles just to ski 300' vert. and an avarge trail lenght of 1400'-1600' long. There are lots of things resorts in the east do well.

 

[snoseek]

This year sunday river has impressed the hell out of me. I have skied around quite a bit and the snow there just seems to be a little better. maybe it's been slightly colder in Maine?

 

[mattchuck2]

I'll give credit to HPD . . .

Sure he loves Whiteface with an unadulterated zeal that most of us reserve for ummm . . . decent mountains. And it is true that he misspelled the word "due" in the title of this thread. And sure he enjoys getting in meaningless arguments about nothing over the internet . . .But he really believes in himself . . . and that's commendable.

Also, I believe that, on a perfect day, Whiteface is the best mountain in the East too. . . I'll just never admit it if I see HPD in person . . . ;-)

 

[ctenidae]

Credit Where Credit Is Do Thread

Afraid I can't give credit to your spelling, as no credit is due.

That said, every mountain has something that appeals to some people. Saying you don't like certain things is fine, saying a mountain sucks because it doesn't appeal to your particular desires is just silly. With that, I'll say that Gunstock during the day is pretty boring for me, adn pointless. At night, though, it's pretty great, and the terrain park is a lot of fun.