Most over and underrated ski resort in NE?

[fbrissette]

Taking NE as north-east:

Overrated - Tremblant - Lots of interesting trails, but it is way too crowded and the mid mountain false flats on each side kill the fun out of it. The village is what makes Tremblant such a hit, not the skiing anymore.

Overrated -Killington - A bunch of smaller mountains put together. Overcrowded. It needed the bear mountain mogul challenge and the longest season in the east to overcome its shortcomings.

Underrated -MRG, Smuggs

 

[SKIQUATTRO]

overrated: killington for a host of reasons
underrated: Burke and Bolton Valley ( i was blown away by the size and amount of glade skiing there)

 

[summit62]

Underrated - Magic Great mountain especially when the snow is good.

My overrated (and I hate this because I don't want to offend or get in any arguments) Whiteface NY. The place has spectacular vertical but the several times that I've been there the conditions were just not so hot. I keep on wanting to get back on that elusive 50 degree spring day that would probably change my whole attitude about the place.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

I would put Whiteface on my underrated list. Incredible vert, tree skiing is excellent, Lake Placid is probably the best ski town in the east. With the level of many skiers/riders that we have on AZ, I am surprised that I don't hear people talk about Whiteface more. However, I always plan my annual Whiteface trip in mid-March (by design), and have never experienced the mid-season ice sheet that I continually hear about.

Most underrated: Gore. I know, clearly I am a fan of NY skiing. No matter what type of skier you are and what gets you going, Gore has it. A large mountain with little to no slopeside development. Bigger than many of the mega-resorts but without all of the fluff.

Also underrated: Smuggs. Surprises me when I hear people say its not worth the drive. I usually only hear that from people who haven't been yet.

Most overrated: Killington.



Alex (also)

 

[The Sneak]

overrated: loon. i can't stand that place.
underrated: magic, BEast, Burke, Ragged....all depends on the snow though

 

[xwhaler]

UnderRated: Pico, Black Mtn (NH), Smuggs, Bolton Valley, Whaleback, Saddleback. Pico has some great trails that can satisfy any level of skiier and the trails are usually quiet with Pico being forgotten next to big brother K.
BV is pretty cool---they get a lot of snow and while the pitch leaves something to be desired the glades are fun. It's also a great place to bring a family.

Saddleback has some of the best glades in all of New England in my opinion.

For folks who like old school, classic New England terrain give Whaleback a shot. Folks are super friendly, its a great value and I put the terrain up against any other mtn its size in New England.

OverRated: Waterville Valley---never have been that into WV....it skis smaller than its vertical would suggest in my opinion.

I would like to try Stratton this season. I generally shy away from mega resorts and the fake vilage type places but the comments on the terrain being interesting do make me want to try it.

 

[The Sneak]

Totally agree on Black Mtn NH. In fact, I'm listed as a testimonial on their site:

"Great Mountain! Terrain has real character, classic fall line, real New England trails. Had more fun in four hours than a full day at Someday Bigger"

 

[skiberg]

Overrated: How about Sunday River. Very enjoyable cruisers but bad natural snow history and very limited expert terrain.

 

[skiersleft]

I don't see to many people knocking Stratton. I often see it juxtaposed to Magic since they are near each other and very different mountains. But Stratton has good skiing, surprisingly so actually, so in that sense it may be underrated for skiing quality. I can't stand the place for other reasons but as far as trail quality goes, the trails actually have some character and as noted there is some nice glade skiing to be had.

I have seen many people here knock Stratton. Last time I saw it was in a recent thread about where to go for a ski vacation in NE. I suggested Stratton and the slew of negative comments started. Some obviously had to do with the village, but others had to do with the terrain.

In any case, I agree that Stratton has surprisingly good skiing and it may thus be underrated. Also agree that trails have some character and there's nice glad skiing. It's a place I think I also underrated. I first visited last year and wasn't expecting much from the terrain because of what I had heard. Turns out I had a blast. As I said, not terribly challenging, but really fun. It's big enough for exploring, has enough character for you not to be bored and glades are fun. Much better than I expected. Again, it's not Stowe, Sugarloaf or Kton, but it's good.

BTW, replies here reveal that Gore is really underrated. Only two of us have found it to be so. No comments from the rest. I take most here haven't skied there. Which is interesting, because it is better than most big hills in the east. I think it's better than Stratton, for example, and as you can seem I like Stratton. I also think its better than Tremblant.

Actually, Riv, I think I recall you writing in your blog some time ago that you visited Gore with Harv and being pleasantly surprised. When I read your post it seemd like the hill had exceeded your expectations. Which is what "underrated hills" do.

Perhaps that's a good way of defining overrated and underrated. A hill is underrated if based on what you hear from people here, mags and elsewhere, you were pleasantly surprised when you skied it for the first time. The hill exceeded expectations based on what you had heard. In contrast, a hill is overrated if after you skied it for the first time it failed to live up to expectations.

 

[Nick]

For those guys that say you need some constraints around what it meants to be under or overrated, just qualify your answer with those constraints <-- that's the project manager in me coming out. Fill your gaps with assumptions :lol:

I have to expand my horizons a bit but based on what I've read here it sounds like in terms of "not well known for expert skiers" Smuggs is a big one. It seems that it is identified as a family mountain but the steeper, more technical stuff gets missed.

 

[snowmonster]

+1 on Smuggs. It's promoted as a family mountain but has some of the best terrain in VT.

+2 on Smuggs. When I first saw their ads, I thought it was a family learning mountain and didn't pay it much attention because I was looking to progress. I only found out about its rep after hanging out on this board. It is very legit and can kick anybody's butt.

 

[skiNEwhere]

For those guys that say you need some constraints around what it meants to be under or overrated, just qualify your answer with those constraints <-- that's the project manager in me coming out. Fill your gaps with assumptions :lol:

I have to expand my horizons a bit but based on what I've read here it sounds like in terms of "not well known for expert skiers" Smuggs is a big one. It seems that it is identified as a family mountain but the steeper, more technical stuff gets missed.

I agree, I wasn't trying to get people to bash each others ski area when I made this thread. I just wanted people to explain what makes a ski area over or underrated in their own eyes, vs. what ski magazines or the public says we SHOULD like. My intent was not to get people to put each other down.

 

[Nick]

My intent was not to get people to put each other down.

Well you probably can't stop that :lol:

 

[Smellytele]

BTW, replies here reveal that Gore is really underrated. Only two of us have found it to be so. No comments from the rest. I take most here haven't skied there. Which is interesting, because it is better than most big hills in the east. I think it's better than Stratton, for example, and as you can seem I like Stratton. I also think its better than Tremblant.

I plan on hitting Gore the 1st of March for the first time. After spending a few days at Whiteface for the first time. I hope both pan out to be good.

 

[Warp Daddy]

There. Is no such thing as a bad mountain or poor skiing experience IMHO , JUST some better than others ! they are all a great day outside and beat the hell out of the alternative . I do feel that Gore now especially with the latest expansions of the past couple of years is basically an under rated and relatively modestly know venue . Tremblant is glitzy the skiing is fine but can be overcrowded and cold and now with upside down exchange rates will be pressed to compete with other Eastern big boys . I too like others have suggested love some lesser known , retro , family oriented local regionals . they are not only the backbone of the sport and feed the big boys but provide an outstanding product and experience for the price ,

BUT in the end it is ALL good dammit

 

[skiersleft]

I plan on hitting Gore the 1st of March for the first time. After spending a few days at Whiteface for the first time. I hope both pan out to be good.

You won't be disappointed. By either hill. I prefer Gore over Whiteface, because Whiteface skis small in spite of its massive vertical. The reason for this is that Whiteface is very narrow and most runs thus funnel into the same area. After a while, you feel as if you've skied it all. However, Whiteface's vertical is amazing and it's steep and challenging. Plus, Lake Placid is the best ski town in the East, IMHO.

Gore, in contrast, is not as challenging as Whiteface and obviously not as much vertical. It skis much bigger, however. For two reasons. First, it simply is bigger. In terms of skiable acreage it is considerably bigger than Whiteface. It's also spread out, so you can do a fair bit of exploring. Feels like you don't ski the same area over and over again. Also, the tree skiing is excellent. Especially now with the burnt ridge area. 1400 of continuous vertical with several top to bottom tree runs. Simply amazing. And the blue cruiser under the lift called Sagamore is über fun. Downside: absolutely nothing to do at night.

You will have lots of fun!

 

[ScottySkis]

Gore beats all of south Vermont ski areas for sure.

 

[steamboat1]

Killington is underrated judging by all the bashing it gets here. I happen to love the place, especially during the week.

Haven't been to Gore in several years but skied there numerous times in the past. Maybe expansion made it better but I never liked the place. With the exception of a couple of relatively short decent drops off the top the mountain is flat.

Overrated is Okemo's snow making & grooming. Been there several times when they had issues with ice while other areas skied in the same time frame didn't. The mountain doesn't drain very well after a rain event which we all know is common in the NE. When it freezes there's ice.

Agree Stratton is better than some make it out to be. Who cares about a village, I go there to ski.

Smuggs is a great place to ski when they have good snow but when they don't their snow making ability is seriously lacking. Instead of putting all their money into condo's they should invest a little more in the mountain.

That's it for now. I'm sure I'll have opinions about other areas since I've skied just about all of them many times.

 

[Downhill Threads]

I'm with those who have said "who cares... if there's snow, it's all good". But I'll chime in with an opinion anyway.

Overrated: (by Ski Magazine... every year) Tremblant. Yes, village is amazing, but its almost impossible to plan a trip there in advance. SOO COLD! Last time I was there they had to close the mountain because it was -30 degrees F. The steam off your face would literally freeze to the inside of your goggles and make you blind going down the mountain. I'm sure that place is a lot of fun when the temps are in the positives, but I don't think it deserves a #1 ranking for the last 15 years or so in a row.

Underrated: I'll go with the resorts in the middle of nowhere Vermont... Mad River Glenn and Jay Peak. (although I hear Jay Peak is or has been building the surrounding up a bit more). Those mountains are pure Vermont magic. Great snow, glades, bumps, people. Just make sure you have 4-wheel drive getting there and back when it snows.

 

[skiNEwhere]

What's all the hype behind the village? I only ask because I've never been there

 

[steamboat1]

What's all the hype behind the village? I only ask because I've never been there

Which village are you talking about? There really isn't much of a village at Stratton but people seem to talk about it alot. I haven't been to Tremblant since they built the new village so I really can't say.