Friendliest mountains?

[sledhaulingmedic]

Inspired by various references to mountains with high sphincter populations in the http://forums.alpinezone.com/9198-what-areas-will-you-ski-again-but-hate-admit-3.html thread, I thought we could focus on areas with the friendliest patrons and staff. (There are plenty of mountains with rude patrons, we could probably get in to a fistfight over which mountain has the rudest).

For me, there are two that stand out.

In the West, Ski Santa Fe has the freindliest staff and customers. It's really a locals-only (or relatively local), (although I've never skied there on a Weekend, could get invaded by Texans for all I know.)

In the East, Saddleback. No attitude, layed back, real people working there, no corporate brainwashing that makes it hard to tell if you're buying a latte or a lift ticket. Friendly patrons (although not very many of them.) Really relaxed place to ski (OK, Intimidator is not relaxing.)

Where do you go to get away from the rudeness that seems to be WAY to easy to find?

 

[Buckeye Skier 1330]

Timberline and Canaan Valley in West Virginia have the friendliest people we've ever seen.
They are definitely down home folks. Easy going conversations on the lifts.
Gore surprisingly has been the friendliest in the Northeast. A couple of guys from NYC even offered us part of their lunch. It was a nice atmosphere.
Sugarloaf, Cannon and MRG all have that friendly vibe also. That laid back feeling can add a lot of enjoyment to a ski day.

 

[Terry]

I have to agree. Saddleback is the friendliest place I have ever been to. The place is just awesomely fun. Had a great time both times I have been there!

 

[andyzee]

Plattekill, very friendly folks.

For a bigger mountain, I've always found Sugarbush to be pleasant.

 

[thaller1]

Sugarbush!!

 

[riverc0il]

Burke and Saddleback are both really friendly.

 

[smootharc]

I think both...

...the bush and glen rate as very friendly. But that's probably just a reflection of the Mad River Valley overall...a mellow, friendly place.

 

[RISkier]

On my visits I've always found Pats Peak to have a very friendly vibe. Just a real comfortable place. Wish the run outs weren't quite so long, however.

 

[kingslug]

Plattekill and Belleayre in the east. Alta in the west, also Powder Mountain, hell, all of Utah is pretty friendly.

 

[andyzee]

Plattekill and Belleayre in the east. Alta in the west, also Powder Mountain, hell, all of Utah is pretty friendly.

Yeah, when you mentioned the Utah places, I was going to say Solitude was cool.

 

[tirolerpeter]

Friendly Mountains?

I really feel that whether or not you have a "friendly" experience at virtually any ski area is truly a reflection of your own attitude and behavior. When your own behavior toward other skiers around you is overtly "friendly" you are most likely going experience an equally reflected friendliness by those around you. I have certainly experienced "frosty" attitudes from skiers at various resorts, but in those cases, I wondered whether those individuals were themselves actually having a good time. They were easy to ignore, and given the size and layout of the average mountain, easy to avoid. Why go skiing if you don't like sharing the joy?

 

[Geoff]

East:
Pico is an alternate universe from Kmart
Cranmore is super-friendly

West:
In addition to Ski Santa Fe, Wolf Creek and Monarch are also incredibly laid back. None have any on-mountain lodging to attract the typical resort crowd. All have lifts tended by true ski bums. All three get Texans but they get the budget skiers in white Baptist church vans, not the Dallas high roller crowd. That sort of client doesn't ski ungroomed advanced terrain and they tend to brown bag their lunch. I never saw so many coolers with Wonder Bread, Bologna, and Miracle Whip with big bags of chips and twinkies & devil dogs.

Mt Baker is a pretty friendly place. It's snowboarder-dominated but the skill level is very high so there are no issues sharing the slopes.

New Zealand blows away anything in the US. I remember skiing at dinky Ohau Ski Field on a powder day. A 1000 vertical foot T-bar and maybe 50 customers. Every lap, the liftie would greet me with a big grin and a comment that there was noplace else in the world that could give you that kind of untracked skiing surface all day.

 

[kcyanks1]

Sugarbush is very friendly. By the time you walk from your car to the lodge, two or three different people have wished you a good morning and good day. I organized a weekend bus trip for my school, and when we arrived each morning a couple people came onto the bus to talk to make sure everyone was set and to see if anyone had questions -- Win's son being one of the ambassadors who did so.

 

[skibum1321]

...the bush and glen rate as very friendly. But that's probably just a reflection of the Mad River Valley overall...a mellow, friendly place.

I'm with ya.

 

[Bkroon9175]

Friendly Mountains

In general, I find smaller areas are friendlier than large mountains. Maybe because they try harder or maybe just because management / ownership is on site. Pat's Peak, Black Mountain and the Balsams all have friendly staffs. But I also think that most folks will be friendly if you just engage them in a polite conversation and reduce your own "attitude".

 

[Grassi21]

I really feel that whether or not you have a "friendly" experience at virtually any ski area is truly a reflection of your own attitude and behavior. When your own behavior toward other skiers around you is overtly "friendly" you are most likely going experience an equally reflected friendliness by those around you.

I wish everyone sported this attitude. I try to practice this all day everyday and it does work.

As for a friendly mountains, we were really impressed by the staff at Mohawk in Cornwall, CT.

 

[thetrailboss]

No surprises here....

Pats Peak and Burke have been VERY friendly in my experience. Pats really has done a great job listening to AZer's and implementing ideas. All staff, from the bottom up, are respectful and friendly. Burke is laid back. Home for me. Unpretentious. They have been responsive as well.

Honorable mention/most improved: Sugarbush. That place was a "black box" during ASC years and input/discussions went NOWHERE. Now Win, aka the Sugarbush Owner, makes an appearance every now and then in HERE and has made an effort to get management to focus on skiers and riders and their needs. I congratulate them on that....

 

[SkiDork]

No surprises here....

Pats Peak and Burke have been VERY friendly in my experience. Pats really has done a great job listening to AZer's and implementing ideas. All staff, from the bottom up, are respectful and friendly. Burke is laid back. Home for me. Unpretentious. They have been responsive as well.

Honorable mention/most improved: Sugarbush. That place was a "black box" during ASC years and input/discussions went NOWHERE. Now Win, aka the Sugarbush Owner, makes an appearance every now and then in HERE and has made an effort to get management to focus on skiers and riders and their needs. I congratulate them on that....

Next stop: Killington!

 

[madskier6]

Next stop: Killington!

Just a point of clarification. What is going to next stop at Killington: (1) the ASC black box where input/discussions went nowhere or (2) Win Smith as the resort's owner?? Just curious.

 

[SkiDork]

Just a point of clarification. What is going to next stop at Killington: (1) the ASC black box where input/discussions went nowhere or (2) Win Smith as the resort's owner?? Just curious.

Option 2. Doesn't have to be Win, just someone like him.

We can only hope.

PS - see my post about the collapse of the Centex village construction project at K.. Maybe that will foretell the deatch knell for ASC?