Mad River Valley, Vermont Appreciation Thread

[Greg]

Yeah, from January 1 - March 31.

Am I that transparent?

 

[ski_resort_observer]

smooth...sweet pic! I feel the Bush and MRG are two of many great places to ski in the northeast. I can honestly say I have never had a bad day skiing no matter where it was or how big a place it was. I think some would be very surprised as to how much fun people have even at a place as small as Lost Valley, Maine.

 

[win]

Now, here is a truly "unbiased" opinion. Since the middle of January, I can not remember a better winter of skiing! It is no surprise that 91 of my 94 days have been at the Bush. These past five days have been frosting on the cake. Who would have believed that we would have had over 40 inches of light powder in April after the 80 inches we received in both February and March. And, the forecast for the week is still looking good. We received a foot of snow up top last night and it was a Powder Day like the middle of February. With only the morning to ski, I did runs down Middle Earth (up to the thigh), Rumble, Lift Line, Domino Chutes, Paradise, Ripcord to Spillsville, Stein's, The Mall and Twist.( I would have gone into Slidebrook if I had more time. I was there yesterday and it was perfection.) What a morning! It makes owning a mountain worth it. Thanks for your compliment, Greg, about the MRV. This is the only place I would own a ski Resort, and it is wonderful having a neighbor like MRG! There is still a bunch of great skiing and riding left. We will be open everyday through Sunday April 22nd and will reopen if conditions allow the following weekend. After that ?????. Remind everyone that the best vacation week next week for families in New England is right here in Central and Northern Vermont.

 

[Talisman]

Now, here is a truly "unbiased" opinion. Since the middle of January, I can not remember a better winter of skiing! .

Glad this is a completely unbiased opinion! Win do you remember the winer of 1968-69? That winter was like the best part of this winter but from Dec to April as it snowed every week and had some major storms.

 

[riverc0il]

So Mr. Shill, are you saying that your days at Jay, Stowe, Burke, and Killington couldn't compare to MRV?

:lol:

 

[from_the_NEK]

Speak for yourself. :wink:

I've seen them mentioned as on similar par.

Easy there...
As much as I love Burke, it is not in the same league as MRG in challenge or the league of large mtn feel that exists at the interconnected peaks of SB (large variety of terrain). I will say that Burke offer the much of the best of both worlds (lots of challenge and a wide variety of terrain) in a relatively small area (one individual peak vs a series of 4000' peaks).
You have to admit that although Burke skis much bigger than it looks (it does have a 2000' vert) it just doesn't have the "Big Mtn" feel that you get at SB (Burke = 45 trails on a couple hundred acres vs MRV = close to 200 trails on nearly 1000 acres*).
Burke has a great overall consistently steep pitch. However, other than a few places here and there, it does not have much for really steep stuff (e.g. the upper part of Castlerock Lift Line is defininity harder/steeper than Foxes Folly).
I'm not saying any one of these places is better than the other. Just don't put Burke out there to take knocks by puttiing it in the same boat as MRG and people don't find the complete association.

*includes all areas inside the "Ski area boundary" i.e. Slide Brook area.

 

[riverc0il]

Speak for yourself. :wink:

I've seen them mentioned as on similar par.

I want a reference cited for this! I love Burke, but it does not have the terrain or the natural snow fall of Bush or MRG. But that said, it is cheaper, doesn't have crowds, and offers more powder potential on a weekend when the crowds are at the bigger areas. It has more character and old school charm than Sugarbush and offers something quite different. Obviously not a superior mountain overall but definitely worth the trip, especially when the Northern Greens haven't been recently hit with up slope powder, conditions are similar, or when you want a powder day without competition.

 

[from_the_NEK]

I want a reference cited for this! I love Burke, but it does not have the terrain or the natural snow fall of Bush or MRG. But that said, it is cheaper, doesn't have crowds, and offers more powder potential on a weekend when the crowds are at the bigger areas. It has more character and old school charm than Sugarbush and offers something quite different. Obviously not a superior mountain overall but definitely worth the trip, especially when the Northern Greens haven't been recently hit with up slope powder, conditions are similar, or when you want a powder day without competition.

I think we are on the same wavelength here

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

I know some folks accuse us of shilling for places like Sugarbush
[/B]

We only say it because it's true.

I appreciate MRG in ways you will never know ...

Tell us and then we will know. I think that's what this thread is about.

I think that the two or three big rivals in VT for regions are:

Killington-Pico
Mad River Valley
The Southern Crew (Manchester, VT area...Magic, Stratton, Bromley, and maybe Snow).
Other areas fill in the cracks (Jay, Burke, Bolton, Okemo, etc).

If that makes sense....

If this is a ski areas close together catagory then I can't believe no one has mentioned Stowe/Smuggs. To bad they never got together with an interchangeable ticket where you could ski back and forth between areas. IMO if they did it would be hands down the best in the Northeast.

Whiteface/Gore would also be on the list for the Northeast.

 

[andyzee]

Debate started, mission accomplished

 

[ski_resort_observer]

Debate started, mission accomplished

I believe there is no "best" ski hill, doesn't exist. It's all based on personal preferences. Things like distance from home, price, size, vert, amount of natural snow, the amount of snowmaking, the size of the lodge, the vibe, the cleanliness of the bathrooms, the quality of the food, the parking, the terrain, the lifts...the list goes on and on.

Sure, for me, I think the Bush is the cat's meow and I feel fortunate to live here but I realize there are plenty of other perspectives out there. Ever since SV bought the place the place has gone thru an almost complete rennaissance and it's only going to get better.

 

[BushMogulMaster]

MRV = close to 200 trails on nearly 1000 acres*).

*includes all areas inside the "Ski area boundary" i.e. Slide Brook area.

Actually, if you're including Slide Brook + all in bounds, you've got well over 4000 acres in the MRV.

 

[andyzee]

I believe there is no "best" ski hill, doesn't exist. It's all based on personal preferences. Things like distance from home, price, size, vert, amount of natural snow, the amount of snowmaking, the size of the lodge, the vibe, the cleanliness of the bathrooms, the quality of the food, the parking, the terrain, the lifts...the list goes on and on.

Sure, for me, I think the Bush is the cat's meow and I feel fortunate to live here but I realize there are plenty of other perspectives out there. Ever since SV bought the place the place has gone thru an almost complete rennaissance and it's only going to get better.

Well said my friend, well said. For some a mega resort will do it, for others a smaller hill has it all.

 

[KingM]

Well said my friend, well said. For some a mega resort will do it, for others a smaller hill has it all.

I think this is true. I live and make my living in the MRV and love both SB and MRG, but I sometimes take the kids to Bolton because it's their favorite. They love the little winding trails and the corny stuff like The Enchanted Forest. To me that has nothing to do with the skiing, but it makes for a fun time for the family.

Having said that, there's one thing that hasn't been said about the MRV. There's nowhere else that I know of where you can stay and realistically ski so many places on consecutive days. In addition to the three valley mountains, you're an hour or less from Stowe, Bolton, Snow Bowl, Killington. You could stay seven days and never ski the same place twice.

 

[JD]

2 words.
Smuggler's Notch.

 

[thetrailboss]

If this is a ski areas close together catagory then I can't believe no one has mentioned Stowe/Smuggs. To bad they never got together with an interchangeable ticket where you could ski back and forth between areas. IMO if they did it would be hands down the best in the Northeast.

They DID at one time have such a ticket. It has since been cancelled. You used to be able to ski to and from Smugg's to the top of Stowe's Spruce Peak.

 

[Greg]

Debate started, mission accomplished

I guess so. :-? So let's get on with it, shall we?

We only say it because it's true.

Oof. Low blow. And you don't shill for Whiteface? My point of this thread was initially meant to be a positive one, but I guess my "quite arguably the best region in the Northeast for skiing" comment opened things up for debate. Anyway, Skip. Let's be intellectually honest for a minute. All things considered, is Whiteface truly comparable to the MRG/SB combo? I know it's got the big vert, steep terrain, slides, etc., but from a strictly skiing experience standpoint do you feel it's better than the MRV? The MRV ski areas are accessible for me, at 4 hours. Am I better off making the 4.5+ hour drive to Whiteface a couple times per year?

I will say it now - I will have you give me the WF tour next season. I followed through with you on the Gore visit this season (although we could have picked a better day) so I'm promising now. Feel free to quote this thread next season. Anyway, if it lives up to the hype you post, I will post it here in big caps and bold lettering. Just let's pick a better day than we did for Gore.

If this is a ski areas close together catagory then I can't believe no one has mentioned Stowe/Smuggs. To bad they never got together with an interchangeable ticket where you could ski back and forth between areas. IMO if they did it would be hands down the best in the Northeast.

Whiteface/Gore would also be on the list for the Northeast.

I could see the Smuggs/Stowe argument, but I think Whiteface and Gore are too far apart to make a fair comparison.

I believe there is no "best" ski hill, doesn't exist. It's all based on personal preferences. Things like distance from home, price, size, vert, amount of natural snow, the amount of snowmaking, the size of the lodge, the vibe, the cleanliness of the bathrooms, the quality of the food, the parking, the terrain, the lifts...the list goes on and on.

Sure, for me, I think the Bush is the cat's meow and I feel fortunate to live here but I realize there are plenty of other perspectives out there. Ever since SV bought the place the place has gone thru an almost complete rennaissance and it's only going to get better.

Well said, SRO. My comments are purly subjective and obviously different people consider different things important in terms of qualifying their skiing experience.

 

[ski_resort_observer]

Talking about some mutli-resort SPs from the past. For one season, I think 98/99(?) there was a Sugarbush/Stowe/Jay SP, maybe called the Big Pass. I do remember there were some problems since the resorts did not share information. For example, if you bought it at the Bush and were skiing at Stowe but forgot your pass you were pretty much SOL.

 

[andyzee]

Greg, when I say debate started, please don't take it personally. I think this thread went pretty well and brought out some good points. There were no real attacks or put downs just a good honest discussion. Isn't that the purpose of a forum?

 

[Greg]

Greg, when I say debate started, please don't take it personally. I think this thread went pretty well and brought out some good points. There were no real attacks or put downs just a good honest discussion. Isn't that the purpose of a forum?

Certainly no offense taken, Andy. I sort of left myself open to it and I can hold my own in debates/discussions. And I can see the points made about me claiming the MRV is the shiznit without skiing several other key Northeast mountains like Stowe, Jay, Burke and Whiteface. So if there is indeed another Northeast ski region which offers up the quantity and quality of terrain that you can find in the MRV, with ski areas within 15 minute drives of each other, post it here cuz I want to go there....