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Lincoln Peak vs. Mount Ellen

Greg

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It's all good, but Lincoln Peak fan here. I know North has some great trails and according to BMM better bumps, but I find myself drawn to CR, Paradise/Spills, Twist/Moonshine, Morning Star and the Mall. You?
 

kcyanks1

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Lincoln Peak. Perhaps I should give Mt. Ellen a real chance in good conditions. Midwinter I'm always at LP.
 

thetrailboss

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I like Lincoln Peak, but it is too crowded for me to enjoy the terrain. Mount Ellen was the first of the 'bushes that I ever saw, and skied. It has an imposing face...I just love driving up 17 and seeing it. I love the view from the top. I love Lower FIS. I love the view from FIS. Exterminator, [Devil's] Elbow, and Brambles (the old one) are favorites as well. And I can ski most of the terrain using an HSQ. I'd like a bit more variety here, but admittedly, in 2002-2003, I skied almost every day at 'Ellen. I can hit all the trails I want multiple times in one day...and can get some great steep stuff, some great bumps, and some great cruising. It's about variety for me.

That said, LP has some of my favorites as well. Paradise, Ripcord, Murphy's Glades, etc. It just is too crowded for me on the weekends.
 
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Sugarbush South Hands down...although there are some sa weet runs over at Sugarbush North..like lower FIS..Bravo..Encore..and some cool twisty runs by Inverness..
 

Greg

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I like Lincoln Peak, but it is too crowded for me to enjoy the terrain.
...
It just is too crowded for me on the weekends.

:-o All this coming from a former Killington/A41 pass holder... ;)
 

KingM

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I usually ski LP, too, but here are some definite advantages to Mt. Ellen:

1. No matter what the crowds at LP, there are fewer people at ME
2. There are times when the snow is surprisingly good at ME and significantly better than LP
3. Lower FIS is a fantastic trail, one of the top 2 or 3 at SB
4. ME is better for beginners, so I took my son there a lot when he was learning
5. The view from Rim Run is the best in the MRV

The biggest downside for me is that I tend to get a little bored after a full day at ME and since I'm almost always skiing midweek, I can't take Slidebrook.
 

thetrailboss

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Both... thank god for Slidebrook.

Bingo. Love that lift:

From chairlift.org:

sb34.jpg


sb33.jpg


And Skilifts.org:

sbe_line3.jpg
 

BushMogulMaster

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Need I even comment here? :wink:

I've skied somewhere in the range of 170 days at Sugarbush in the past two seasons. About 140 of those were at ME. I'm not bored yet. I've certainly given LP a fair chance, and there's some good skiing there for sure. But for me, it doesn't compare.

LP's lift system is definitely unintuitive in comparison with ME. The only two chairs I like are Valley House and Castlerock. They make sense, and service quality terrain. Even at that, it's a pain to get to them most of the time, and Valley House only runs on Saturdays.

The trail layout is unnatural, barring Castlerock. I look at LP, and it just looks wrong. Trails in places where they just shouldn't logically be, like the planning was careless and rushed. Hard to describe, but it just seems off to me. The trail system just doesn't flow like ME's does. Lots of traversing, and just about as much of a runout as ME. Sure, Spring Fling gives you intermediate pitch to near the bottom. But that's about it. As far as the terrain I like to ski, the runout is still there, both at the base, and places like Castlerock.

Bumps are an issue at LP. I tend to think of them, even the Castlerock bumps, as Gaper Bumps. LP gets the majority of the holiday/destination/day ticket visitors, many of whom are incompetent and fearless: a bad combination in the bumps. What's left are irregular, odd shaped, wildly spaced bumps that... sure, they're skiable, but I'd rather not. Don't get me wrong, I've had some incredible bump runs on Middle Earth and Twist, for example. But in general, I'll take 4 or 5 different bump runs at LP, and head back to ME dissatisfied. After a run on Tumbler or Hammerhead or Black Diamond or Bravo or Exterm or Lower FIS, I'm all smiles again.

There's undoubtedly longer lines at LP, even on days when the skier visits at each mountain are essentially equal. ME's lift layout disperses crowds in a much more efficient manner than LP's. GMX to Summit and NRX nicely disperses the skiers across various portions of the mountain, keeping lines short and skiers skiing.

A lot of folks claim they like LP better because it skis "wider." No doubt, but if you know where you're going at ME, it can ski pretty wide as well. Just imagine if the pod above Inverness was developed!

I enjoy the tree options quite a lot more at Mt. Ellen as well. Bravo Woods, Tumbler Woods, Exterm Woods, and tons of off-map experiences that are simply a delight after a nice dump. They don't track out as quickly, because there aren't as many people in there!

As impressive as the new base area at LP is, I much prefer the quaint base area of ME. Even in the future when upgrades are made to ME's base, I believe it's crucial to maintain that "ski area" feel, rather than the upscale "resort" atmosphere. It feels more like home, and the ME staff seems more like a family to me.

NRX is one of the greatest parts of ME. It's a nice quick ride, and services the best terrain on the mountain. You can pound out a ton of serious bump-skiing/tree-skiing/steeps-skiing vertical just by riding that chair all day. Runs like Bravo-Encore, Bravo-Hammerhead, Exterm-Wayback, Tumbler, Exterm-Lower-Northstar are just phenomenal! Not to mention the cruising options like Elbow-Cruiser, or the unique runs like Elbravonator.

Everyone raves about Castlerock, but I get an equal thrill out of Lower FIS and Hammerhead and Semi-Tough. Okay, Rumble's pretty cool. But still. Black Diamond is a pretty incredible rush, and there's nothing like that at LP.

And you simply can't beat the view from Summit. Magnificent. Majestic. Matchless.

Sorry for the unending litany. I simply can't help myself. I'm in love, and her name is Ellen!

All of that said, Lincoln Peak is, IMO, still one of the top 5 mountains in the east. Mt. Ellen and Mad River being numbers 1 and 2, respectively. Regardless, Sugarbush is amazing, North or South. But you just had to ask, didn't you! :wink:
 

Talisman

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I tend to favor South because of Castle Rock and the other trails, but also really like North's trails like Lower FIS. The sparse crowd at North makes it a nice place to escape to via the Slide Brook.
 
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I like the Heavens Gate lift alot...Jester, Organgrider, Spillsville, Ripcord, Paradise, and the associated woods..it's a low speed chair but very direct
 

KingM

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I don't agree with everything you say, BMM, but I enjoyed your well thought out response. (Can't believe you dismissed the Heaven's Gate area, though.)

There's one thing for sure and that's that LP and ME have the feel of two completely different resorts in all but name. The trails have a different feel and the vibe of LP is more big-resort feel, while ME is more like MRG or Bolton.
 

thetrailboss

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Amen, BMM!

There's one thing for sure and that's that LP and ME have the feel of two completely different resorts in all but name. The trails have a different feel and the vibe of LP is more big-resort feel, while ME is more like MRG or Bolton.

I don't feel like I am at Bolton or MRG when I ski at ME...quite the opposite actually...trail-wise.
 

KingM

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Amen, BMM!
I don't feel like I am at Bolton or MRG when I ski at ME...quite the opposite actually...trail-wise.

That's not what I mean. I'm talking about everything that happens before you get on the lifts. The base area and parking lot are totally like a small resort, while the new Claybrook/Gatehouse area has given LP a big resort feel.
 

thetrailboss

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That's not what I mean. I'm talking about everything that happens before you get on the lifts. The base area and parking lot are totally like a small resort, while the new Claybrook/Gatehouse area has given LP a big resort feel.

OK. I agree with that...but BV has its Village at the base. Certainly I like Ellen because the focus is the skiing...and the Lodge is cool.
 

Talisman

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Isn't the debate on which is better Sugarbush North or South, a bit like saying the super model's left eye is prettier than her right eye?

Sounds like we all love Sugarbush.
 
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