Least Favorite Ski Areas

[skibum1321]

Okay so what ski areas do people hate and why?

My list includes:
Loon - long lift lines, easy trails, crowded

Mt. Snow - I feel that this mountain has no character. It has no runs that set it apart from any other mountain. Most stuff is groomed and wide. There is also a dearth (word of the day) of natural snow. Okay for newbies but not much else.

Waterville Valley - Same reasons as Loon.

Stratton - overcrowded, overpriced, icy, easy trails that are almost all groomed.

In general, I am not a fan of Southern VT/Southern NH skiing because many of the mountains meet the characteristics above. On the other hand, Sugarbush, Stowe, MRG et al have trails that are distinctive, challenging, and make you pick your lines carefully. Also, the tree skiing is far superior in No. VT.

 

[awf170]

ohhh no :roll: i hate threads like this but there just to much fun to pass up

sunapee- the place just blows for an advance or expert skier, everything is groomed to death, only decent when there is snow and the glades are open

stowe- heard it was just because i went on a weekend but man everything was packed, and the terrian didnt seem that great,some was pretty cool just sees to much traffic though...(this would probably all change if i knew all of the OB stuff though :wink: )

attitrash- went there once when i was like 10 or 11 and thought i was lame... need i saw more

on a happier note wanna have a favorate ski area thread... i no we had one before but it is summer so it always fun and there are a lot of new people, the i guess we could put the top 5 into a poll and see what the most popular ski area is for alpinezoners!!!

 

[NHpowderhound]

"Let your hatred flow and your journey to the Dark Side will be complete!"
In NH the Dark Side makes me hate Loon and Waterville. No character.Too crowded.Not enough challenge. Rude clientel.
IN Vermont Killington is the Death Star of skiing. Out to engulf the state of Vermont(or soon to be part of NH)in its quest for 100% control of the skiing market. I'm surprised they dont have a $2.00 toll booth on the mountain road!(Steve W.,I bet you wish you thought of that! :lol: )That place could be so much better if it diddnt have any lifts! :lol:
In Maine Sunday River makes me feel like it's Attack Of The Clone Trails. I can't tell Jordan Bowl From Aroura Bowl from Bear Peak(Attitash post ASC). McTrails.And Waaaaaaaaay too many condos.
I am strong with the Dark Side.
((*
*))Darth NHPH

 

[sledhaulingmedic]

I think mine must be K-mart. I hate how crowded and skied off it is when I go and I hate that once they have good terrain open, I won't go there, because other places are open with good terrain.

I hate seeing whats happened to Wildcat, not that I've bothered skiing there in about 15 years...

 

[riverc0il]

when i think of least favorite ski areas, i tend to think of those that are over crowded with people that are rude and/or have bad attitudes and trails that lack character and are really wide and straight.

attitash, sunday river, waterville valley, loon, and killington all fit the bill (i have not skied mount snow but i would guess it would be similar). of those areas, they are all run by corporate ski chains which is not just a coincidence.

interestingly enough, some of those places have lots of decent terrain to offer. sunday river has oz and some good tree runs, loon has east basin and some great tree runs, and kmart has some nice trees and steep bump runs. most of the ski areas i listed are horendously bland and boring and over run by the masses on the weekends. sunday river is especially guilty of almost every groomed trail looking, feeling, and skiing the exact same.

i'll throw loon up as an exception to be bland and boring and i disagree skibum1321's assessment that loon has easy trails. while not horrendously challenging, loon is in NH's top three for challenging in bounds terrain when you look at the east basin trails and their tree runs. the ski area was originally laid out by a new england skiing legend and a lot of trails still have some charm to them. however, if the magnitude of the crowds weren't enough to keep me away, the attitude is amongst the worst in new england right behind kmart. if the bad attitude's of NY and NJ flock to kmart, that of boston goes to loon. the ticket prices are also rediculously crazy weekend or mid-week. those issues aside, i think loon is a fine place to ski mid-week or late season.

 

[Charlie Schuessler]

How could anyone hate a ski area?

 

[loafer89]

I despise Yagoo Valley. Is it really a ski area or just torture for the vertically challenged?

Alpine Mountain in P.A, is another place I hope I never have to ski again, at least not without medication :lol: My driveway is more interesting to ski.

 

[Vortex]

I don't like negitive threads.
I love Loon bought a place there. I love Sunday River I make the ride as often as I can. I'm with Charlie here. :idea: Loon is crowded thats' cause its popular and close. Sunday River is awesome, my favorite. You can just jump in at get lost in the wide open area. I do understand the reason people feel the way they do. Just don't get the vibe.

As for the rude people at Loon. I'm not rude I invite all people I see going to loon to join me for a run. There are rude people in every large area. We have a great civil gang that hangs together all year long. I have like and dislkies. I don't hate my passion. Ya I'm harsh and understand other views. Just don't go there if you don't like them. Rant done.

 

[Treeliner]

In general, I am not a fan of Southern VT/Southern NH skiing because many of the mountains meet the characteristics above. On the other hand, Sugarbush, Stowe, MRG et al have trails that are distinctive, challenging, and make you pick your lines carefully. Also, the tree skiing is far superior in No. VT.

I would agree here with the exception of Magic Mountain. Okemo, Stratton, Killington, Bromley, Mt. Snow are all such bland mountains, full of corporate bs and money. Magic is really a gem though; it's south of killington and has so much character and distictivness. It's got a very low budget and in fact reopened after having been closed for a few years. It's not full of wide open cruisers, but more skinny, intimate, winding trails, not to mention the double blacks that are pretty challenging to say the least, and there's no shortage of great tree skiing either. Heh, I feel like a Magic Mtn spokesperson :roll: but I'm jus trying to give the little guy some recognition.

On the topic of Least Favorite Ski Areas, I would have to say a little mountain in southern New York called Thunder Ridge. This mountain is mess. First of all, it has one of the worst trail lay outs I've ever seen. Secondly, the attitude at this place is unbearable. I actually had my worst day of snowboarding ever here. It was this past january, and we had just received some snow, so I headed out to Thunder Ridge to try the place out since it was so close by. It was a windy day, and the cover on the mountain was light. Report online said they had 6 trails open, but when I got to the top (or halfway to the top, the top was closed) I found that they had one. Yes, ONE trail was open that day, with the entire population of kids in a 20 mile radius who had school off right there on the mountain. Also, did I mention this trail was the easiest way down? Oh, and it was bulletproof, I mean classic boiler plate. Picture an over crowded trail full of weak intermediates/begginers who are having an extremely hard time not falling on the windswept ice. A friend and I did some hiking and poached a trail or two to get our moneys worth, but it was definitely not a pleasant experience.

 

[dmc]

Bad thread...
Every ski area that operates has something that someone likes...

One bad weather day can ruin the opinion of a ski area for some people... And that opinion can keep people from going... And beofre you know it...

NELSAP....

 

[ALLSKIING]

One bad weather day can ruin the opinion of a ski area for some people... And that opinion can keep people from going... And beofre you know it...

NELSAP....

Good Point!!

 

[Greg]

How could anyone hate a ski area?

Agreed. Sure, there are ski areas I like better than others, but I'd rather be skiing more than just about any other activity (almost ) so even if the place is a bit small or boring, or even crowded, I still have fun.

i'll throw loon up as an exception to be bland and boring and i disagree skibum1321's assessment that loon has easy trails. while not horrendously challenging, loon is in NH's top three for challenging in bounds terrain when you look at the east basin trails and their tree runs. the ski area was originally laid out by a new england skiing legend and a lot of trails still have some charm to them. however, if the magnitude of the crowds weren't enough to keep me away, the attitude is amongst the worst in new england right behind kmart. if the bad attitude's of NY and NJ flock to kmart, that of boston goes to loon. the ticket prices are also rediculously crazy weekend or mid-week. those issues aside, i think loon is a fine place to ski mid-week or late season.

...Loon is crowded that cause its popular and close....

As for the rude people at Loon. I'm not rude I invite all people I see going to loon to join me for a run. There are rude people in every large area.

Another Loon supporter here. Granted, I usually only ski Loon mid-week, but I really enjoy the place. We go each year and ski four days and there's enough terrain to keep us occupied. The East Basin is great. Triple Trouble is one of my favorite runs anywhere (however, anyone notice that the choke point seemed much wider last season?). Walking Boss is always a fun screamer. The seeded bumps on Rumrunner and Flume are a blast. I would argue that top-to-bottom on Speakeasy first thing in the morning is one of the best cruisers in the NE. The cruisers off the Kanc quad are fun. I was just introduced to some of the tree runs last season (Mike's Way and the one off Angel Street, skier's right) but they seem to offer a solid challenge to tree skiers. The Angel Street headwall is always a rush. I could go on.

Again, my exposure to Loon Saturdays is pretty limited (I've only skied there once on a Saturday) but I haven't found the clientele to be overly rude or obnoxious, at least mid-week. I have always found the lifties and other mountain staff to be very friendly.

As far as crowds at Loon go (again, a mid-weeker here), something can be said for knowing the skier traffic patterns. Start early on the Kanc Quad or make a dash to North Peak. Eat lunch early and then after 1:30 or so, the place empties. Avoid the gondola unless it's first thing in the morning or the line only extends to just outside the shed. The mountain's minutes off 93 so you have to expect the weekend daytrip crowd. Ski it on a weekday and you'll have a different experience.

I'd much rather see another "favorite" thread, personally...

 

[thetrailboss]

Didn't we already have a thread like this some time back?

 

[loafer89]

Regarding the bad attitude of New Yorkers, I TRY the UTMOST to be polite and civil at ALL times. Besides being correct, it sets a good example to kill those kinds of stereotypes.

A kind word, and good attitude goes allooooonnnng way

I get to practice my preaching frequently on Long Island, as some of the people are less than friendly.

 

[snowsprite]

I guess the ski area I like least within driving distance of me is Stratton. Mostly because I don't love the way the terrain is laid out and it isn't as 'rustic' as I like my ski areas to look.

But a week skiing there, even in a perpetual ice-storm with 7000 "Muffys and Buffys" from Greenwich, CT, would still beat going to work every day!
:wink:
Sprite

 

[dmc]

Regarding the bad attitude of New Yorkers, I TRY the UTMOST to be polite and civil at ALL times. Besides being correct, it sets a good example to kill those kinds of stereotypes.

I hear ya... We New Yorkers rule... I like to disspell the stereotypes too...

But I have to do it for both being a NYer AND a snowboarder...

I spend 90% of my time on chair rides disspelling...

 

[skibum1321]

ohhh no :roll: i hate threads like this but there just to much fun to pass up

stowe- heard it was just because i went on a weekend but man everything was packed, and the terrian didnt seem that great,some was pretty cool just sees to much traffic though...(this would probably all change if i knew all of the OB stuff though :wink: )

attitrash- went there once when i was like 10 or 11 and thought i was lame... need i saw more

Stowe has some great terrain but as you mentioned it is best midweek and if you know the OB. It's not my favorite mtn but it's definitely up there. Even if you don't go OB there is some good, less crowded stuff on Spruce, although that is about to change....

As for Attitash, I totally agree that it sucks - I went there for the first time last year and hated it. There are no good trails and everything is a boulevard or a flatout.

 

[dmc]

As for Attitash, I totally agree that it sucks - I went there for the first time last year and hated it. There are no good trails and everything is a boulevard or a flatout.

I went to Attitash last winter...
A little flat for me.. But lot's of people were enjoying it!

 

[Vortex]

Bad thread...
Every ski area that operates has something that someone likes...

One bad weather day can ruin the opinion of a ski area for some people... And that opinion can keep people from going... And beofre you know it...

NELSAP....

Seems like we tend to agree on alot of ski related issues. If you find a local also you tend to find the positives and not the negitives.

 

[dmc]

Bad thread...
Every ski area that operates has something that someone likes...

One bad weather day can ruin the opinion of a ski area for some people... And that opinion can keep people from going... And beofre you know it...

NELSAP....

Seems like we tend to agree on alot of ski related issues. If you find a local also you tend to find the positives and not the negitives.

Negatives are easy to find.. And easy to blame on the area..

I can give you negatives about Jackson Hole if you want them... I been there with bad snow, bad weather etc... But it's still one of my favorites..

I can see past the "boiler plate" and crowded tram and find the soul of the place...

Local knowledge will help for sure...
Just ask Greg - JimG took him around Hunter(which gets more negative stuff said about it then any other area in the US), but Greg had a great day.. Cause JimG knows that mountain better then anybody..

Not every place is for everyone... You just have to be in tune with the soul of the area..