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Jiminy vs. the Cats hills?

abc

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I'm about equal distance from Jiminy and the Catskill hills (Belleayre/Plattekill/Hunter). But for some reason I've NEVER been to Jiminy! :-o

From time to time, I wonder if I'm missing anything!

And the last storm had me seriously wondering about that again!!! Coastal storms have a tendency to dump a lot more inches to the Berkshires than on the Catskill. And it looks like this being the year of the coastals!!! :-o

This coming Sunday also happens to be discount ("Flex day") for both Jiminy and Belleayre, so lift ticket will be under $40. And if the storm turns out to be like the last one, Jiminy stands to get the main dish while Bell gets only the appetizer... :(

(ok, the reason I'm always at the Cats is because it's easier from my old home at the city, so I kept going there even though I've since moved. I know those hills well -- how to avoid crowds, where the good trails to hit on certain days...)

Most of the people I ski with are all Cats' people. Few of them know Jiminy well. I just don't run into people who knows both Jiminy and the Cats. How does Jiminy compare, especially to the lessor known Catskill hills of Belleayre & Plattekill? Terrain, crowd (lack of), vibe, whatever...

While I enjoy the Cats and am sure will continue to go there. There's also a part of me to want to "experiment" a bit and go "experience" different mountains from time to time. With the potential storm coming coinciding with decent discounted lift ticket, will this be a good time to give Jiminy a try when it's at its best?
 

ScottySkis

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I only been to Jiminy a few times but to me it kind of Mountain Creek, some expert but kind flatten out after down about 30% of the trails. Fast 6 pack chair. Crowded on weekends with family. 1000 vertical maybe like Windham which I only been to once. I never been to Berkshire East but I think if you like steeps, trees and few crowds that is were I would go if I was skiing MA this weekend.
 

abc

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Berkshire East is too far. Plus the last stretch of the drive is pretty slow, hairy in bad weather. (I go to Charlemont for WW kayaking a lot and know the road well. Wouldn't care to drive that in winter)
 

ss20

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Jimminy is my most visited hill, so trust me on that info. Only been been to the Catskills once, so I won't even bother with that. Jimminy is a great all-around mountain. Expert trails aren't too too steep, but pack a punch for Massachusetts. Their expert trails aren't like other mountains in the area- you have to be on your game the whole time, because the pitch is consistent. 6-pack means you can get 6 runs an hour, even on weekends. 8 hour tickets are good for 8 hours, none of that "day pass" or "night pass" crap. Good parks too, if you like that sort of stuff. The mountain has no true glades on the map, but I've skied a certain tree trail 5 times in a row, on a Saturday- only my tracks led in and out. PM me and I'll tell you where the goods are. 1,150 vert and 170 acres, about the same as Bellayre. I've never had a problem with crowds or ice, even on the 6-pack.
 

TropicTundR

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I went to Jiminy for the first time in Dec. Love that wind turbine along Outback, makes for great sunset pictures along with the mt wall icicles. No complaints about terrain vibes, but don't say Jersey or NYC, there's always some prejudice against "city slickers"
 

emmaurice2

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I like Jiminy, and would recommend trying it out, especially if there is a discount ticket. I've been there on really crowded days, but they handle the crowds very well and the staff is attentive. If the six pack gets backed up, I've had good luck with the F lift and for a change of pace, the trails off the H lift are a nice diversion and usually crowd-free. If there is fresh snow, check out Rik's Run then the Catacombs, I often find these get ignored by the masses and fresh snow is usually to be found. Cutter is a fun, albeit short trail, usually bumped up. That's my 2¢.
 

C-Rex

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I'd say the only thing that really takes away from Jiminy is the prices. If they were priced more like Butternut or Catamount it would easily be the all around best in the Berkshires. To avoid the crowds, just stay off Left Bank and West Way. Upper and Lower Fox are usually good. John Hancock is fun if you can hit it without a crowd getting in your way. If you want a challenge and there's enough snow, and you're willing to duck a rope or two, follow the lift line of the Peak Triple all the way down. There's some old lift pole foundations that make great mini-cliffs to drop.
 

ScottySkis

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I'd say the only thing that really takes away from Jiminy is the prices. If they were priced more like Butternut or Catamount it would easily be the all around best in the Berkshires. To avoid the crowds, just stay off Left Bank and West Way. Upper and Lower Fox are usually good. John Hancock is fun if you can hit it without a crowd getting in your way. If you want a challenge and there's enough snow, and you're willing to duck a rope or two, follow the lift line of the Peak Triple all the way down. There's some old lift pole foundations that make great mini-cliffs to drop.
Potter Brothers has pretty good deals for Jiminy, I guess 1 time I will try this hill.
 

skiking4

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I love Jiminy Peak. I live in the Hudson Valley, so I've skied the 4 main Catskill areas (Hunter, Windham, Platty, Belleayre) and the 3 main Berk areas near me (Catamount, Butternut, Jiminy Peak). Here's how I'd compare.

For steep groomers, Jiminy offers a bunch of 1000 vertical STEEP diamond trails with little runout (Wild Turkey, Jericho, Whitetail, Whirlwind-Exhibition). With good snow, these are IMO the best sustained steep groomers in the berks and cats (or maybe tied with some of Hunter's, but still). Crowds are easily avoidable wtih plenty of chairs that go up the mountain and a small separate peak that offers some fun terrain. The side trails, as said earlier, (Westway & Left Bank) are super crowded so you might want to stay off those. Head to the looker's right trails (the stuff off Westway) when it gets skied off on the Left Bank diamonds, there's plenty of fun trails there (Fox is pretty steep, North Glade to Exhibition is steep but has a kinda flat part in the middle). The mountain skis pretty big IMO, as the trails are steep and sustained. Problem here, however, is the lack of bumps and super steeps. All the Cat mountains might have harder trails and more moguls, but don't have the steep groomers that Jiminy offers (besides Hunter).
 

abc

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Thanks for all the replies. I'm definitely going to give it a try one day. Though this weekend's storm seems to have fizzled out. Maybe I'll wait a bit longer for another opportunity...

So is it fair to say Jiminy is more of a steep groomer dominant mountain?


In my mind, I have a few catch images for the Cats:

- Platty: Uncrowded with good terrain and surfaces :D but only in good weather :eek:

- Hunter: Every kind of terrain & excellent snow making :D:D oh but those CROWDS, they trash the trail in no time! :eek::eek:

- Bell: half way between Hunter and Platty (snowmaking and crowd), terrain is weaker but in a good way for the less hard core :)


How would you put as Jiminy's key strength and weakness?
 

skiking4

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Thanks for all the replies. I'm definitely going to give it a try one day. Though this weekend's storm seems to have fizzled out. Maybe I'll wait a bit longer for another opportunity...

So is it fair to say Jiminy is more of a steep groomer dominant mountain?


In my mind, I have a few catch images for the Cats:

- Platty: Uncrowded with good terrain and surfaces :D but only in good weather :eek:

- Hunter: Every kind of terrain & excellent snow making :D:D oh but those CROWDS, they trash the trail in no time! :eek::eek:

- Bell: half way between Hunter and Platty (snowmaking and crowd), terrain is weaker but in a good way for the less hard core :)


How would you put as Jiminy's key strength and weakness?

Key strength = Steep groomer paradise, best mountain to lap (extremely fast chair with lesser crowds often)
Key weakness = Bumps, trees, less snow than Cats (I think)
 

bdfreetuna

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Jiminy Peak is the 2nd best mountain in Mass. Berkshire East is a much more fun mountain to ski if you're an advanced skier.

Jiminy grooms almost everything. There is a run out issue towards the bottom on most runs, and the top of the mountain is flat, requiring you to skate around quite a ways. Their front trails are decently steep but typically groomed flat and often skied off. Their other trails are honestly not that interesting IMO. Jiminy has no woods or glades to speak of except for a couple small hidden pockets of trees that almost nobody skis there. It's often very crowded. It seems like they are happy to be the Stratton of Massachusetts.

Berkshire East is just a bit further but 10x better. You will find a handful of trails there with moguls on any given time. There are several on-map woods and twice as many off map woods which aren't hard to find. There is some actual expert terrain. The front face trails are similar in pitch to Jiminy except at Berkshire they are mostly narrower and have natural bumps. And there is stuff at Berkshire that is steeper than anywhere south of Magic as far as I've found. Berkshire East is rarely crowded. The biggest crowds you'll see there are the kids on the race teams.

Also somebody said Jiminy is a good mountain to lap. I disagree... the run out and flat top make it terrible for that. Berkshire East is a mountain that can seriously be lapped as it's straight pitch from top to bottom. You could probably lap more vert at Berkshire East than a lot of bigger mountains (if the lifts weren't kind of slow)

Just my 2 cents I know you said it's too far.. but really it's not.
 

ScottySkis

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Jiminy Peak is the 2nd best mountain in Mass. Berkshire East is a much more fun mountain to ski if you're an advanced skier.

Jiminy grooms almost everything. There is a run out issue towards the bottom on most runs, and the top of the mountain is flat, requiring you to skate around quite a ways. Their front trails are decently steep but typically groomed flat and often skied off. Their other trails are honestly not that interesting IMO. Jiminy has no woods or glades to speak of except for a couple small hidden pockets of trees that almost nobody skis there. It's often very crowded. It seems like they are happy to be the Stratton of Massachusetts.

Berkshire East is just a bit further but 10x better. You will find a handful of trails there with moguls on any given time. There are several on-map woods and twice as many off map woods which aren't hard to find. There is some actual expert terrain. The front face trails are similar in pitch to Jiminy except at Berkshire they are mostly narrower and have natural bumps. And there is stuff at Berkshire that is steeper than anywhere south of Magic as far as I've found. Berkshire East is rarely crowded. The biggest crowds you'll see there are the kids on the race teams.

Also somebody said Jiminy is a good mountain to lap. I disagree... the run out and flat top make it terrible for that. Berkshire East is a mountain that can seriously be lapped as it's straight pitch from top to bottom. You could probably lap more vert at Berkshire East than a lot of bigger mountains (if the lifts weren't kind of slow)

Just my 2 cents I know you said it's too far.. but really it's not.
Sounds like Platty, you should try Platty one day, I be their this weekend and it will be great.:)
 

abc

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I know you said it's too far.. but really it's not.
From where I am, it's too far.

Platty is about the same distance from me as Jiminy, just a tad over 2 hrs each way. Bell and Hunter are actually a bit closer, sub-2hr. Charlemont is pushing 3 hrs one way, which is totally beyond day trip distance.

I'm sure it's a nice place, from the sound of it. Just beyond my driving range.
 

ss20

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There are a lot of trees if you've skied the mountain for a few days. Sometimes the sides of Jericho and Whitail are bumped. I was at Jimminy last weekend and found no moguls on Cutter or The Mogul Thing (which I have NEVER seen or heard of moguls on).
 

Bene288

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Jiminy Weak - it's ok every now and then, but I'd stay in the Cats if I had a choice. The weekend and e-coupon days are usually packed. I ski Jiminy when I need a fix but can't travel all that far.
Trails are boring. Advanced terrain really isn't hard, but does get incredibly scraped off by 11:30 usually. There are hidden tree areas, but if you get seen in there, they will take your pass. Night skiing there can be fun but also can be very crowded with ski clubs.
 
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