Most Over/Under Rated Ski Trails

[Newpylong]

That trail at Wildcat looks sick, how have I missed that?

 

[deadheadskier]

That trail at Wildcat looks sick, how have I missed that?

It's an easy trail to miss. Unless you want to take a short hike up Cat Track from Lynx, you have to either ski Pole Cat and not miss the turnoff for the Tomcat trail or take the Tomcat Chair to get to it. I often forget about skiing it on my visits to Wildcat.

 

[yeggous]

It's an easy trail to miss. Unless you want to take a short hike up Cat Track from Lynx, you have to either ski Pole Cat and not miss the turnoff for the Tomcat trail or take the Tomcat Chair to get to it. I often forget about skiing it on my visits to Wildcat.

That trail is often a sheet of ice (from the ground water) covered by powder. It can be really tough conditions.

Wildcat has several trails like this that are hidden all over the mountain. People unfamiliar with the mountain often leave disappointed that there aren't more well marked cruisers with snowmaking, but Wildcat is a real skier's mountain.

Regulars know to move around and explore. I'm talking about trails like Haynesville Pass, Cat Cutoff, Stray Cat, the Chutes, Hairball, Leo's Leap, and Al's Folly. I'll leave out the unmarked trails, but there are plenty of those too.

It's not that their underrated; it's that most people aren't even aware that they exist.

 

[TheAmazingShrinkingSven]

Front 5...

I will give the wide comment on four of the five. Pauly's is a perfect IMHO.

The trails that I hate By-Pass and Upper Middle Cannon. Terrible layout when the HSQ went in. It should have terminated in the open area below Big Link.

I'd add to this threat - if you get yourself to the far far far skiers right and right under the base of the cliffs and keep going right, you'll find the goods on that front face - when the mountain is cold, and windy, with new snow.... there is nothing better than those shots... I agree on Pauly's, and the new glade over there isn't too bad either...

Just my 2 cents...

 

[TheAmazingShrinkingSven]

Most Overrated - White Heat: Someone else said it - shitty snow conditions (hard, huge, whales) do not constitute a challenge, they just suck...

Most Underrated - Kinsman Glade, Cannon...

 

[mattchuck2]

I agree that the Front Five at Cannon and Jericho at Jiminy are overrated.

I think OL at Killington deserves it's rating. Name a better pure bump trail under a lift, in front of a lodge, in the east. It's a rare commodity in this area and it should be celebrated, preferably while drinking beers and soaking up the sun in April.

Underrated? Any number of trails at Gore and Whiteface because most skiers in the east are Vermont biased. Timbuktu at Jay is great on it's own (even if you don't go "beyond"), so the main path is overlooked/underrated. There's entire mountains that fit that description, too (Black, Hickory, every mountain in the Eastern Townships of Quebec).

 

[canobie#1]

I think wildcat is just an underrated mountain it's self. Attitash sucks but with wildcat with them, it's nice to ski the cat, then spend the last hour or two on bear peak. The attitash side just sucks but wild cat and Bear peak make up for it.
Leroy's leap is a very under rated little trail but feline is one of my favorite trails period.

 

[St. Bear]

I don't know about that. They get a lot of love here, and consistently show up in ski rankings for a few different categories. I'd say they're properly rated, as one of the best in New England.

 

[slatham]

Under rated - Magic, all of it. And it does have true, wipe out and be harmed, double blacks.....

 

[deadheadskier]

Not as much as Wildcat, but I like Attitash. *shrugs*

 

[giantfan]

I think OL at Killington deserves it's rating. Name a better pure bump trail under a lift, in front of a lodge, in the east. It's a rare commodity in this area and it should be celebrated, preferably while drinking beers and soaking up the sun in April.

Superstar - in May.

 

[mattchuck2]

Superstar - in May.

I like the headwall of Superstar... After that it's meh and the bottom has a tendency to be a shitshow.

 

[steamboat1]

I think OL at Killington deserves it's rating. Name a better pure bump trail under a lift, in front of a lodge, in the east. It's a rare commodity in this area and it should be celebrated, preferably while drinking beers and soaking up the sun in April.

Tram line at Cannon.

Not that I'm taking anything away from OL.

 

[mattchuck2]

Tram line at Cannon.

Not that I'm taking anything away from OL.

Oooh, that's a good one. But not really the pure bump showcase that OL is.

OL is "watch me" bumps of a kind usually reserved for runs like Gunbarrel at Heavenly. I just respect it for what it is and think it's a shame for people to call it overrated.

 

[steamboat1]

Oooh, that's a good one. But not really the pure bump showcase that OL is.

OL is "watch me" bumps of a kind usually reserved for runs like Gunbarrel at Heavenly. I just respect it for what it is and think it's a shame for people to call it overrated.

OL is groomed most of the time now. At least 1/2 the trail is at least. Yeah it bumps up on busy days but nothing like the VW sized bumps of yesteryear. We have a great old poster of OL at our house in VT. Top to bottom side to side bumps.

 

[EPB]

Not as much as Wildcat, but I like Attitash. *shrugs*

Me too. It serves its purpose, but certainly isn't anything outer worldly. It gets typical low elevation NH/ME snowfall so there's not much to see in terms of bump runs, but the Attitash side does have great character and low traffic due to the triple chair. The runs are also pretty long by eastern standards.... Its surprisingly difficult to find places with lifts that are 6000+ feet long or serve 1700 vertical feet.

 

[EPB]

I'd say Winter's Way at Sugarloaf is underrated purely because Bubblecuffer seems to get all the attention. I'd also like to give the nod to the Ryan trail at Tremblant (including the not-so-secret bottom of Ryan Bas). Top to bottom, it's definitely one of the more interesting trails I've ever skied. Perhaps some of the Montreal guys on this forum might agree.

 

[laxski]

I second Superstar in May. The glades at Mt Snow are awesome and they have had much needed clearing this summer,so they might be in play earlier in the season.Ledge and uncles are Faves but all depends on the Snow

 

[Smellytele]

Under - Hardscrabble at Cannon
over - North face area at Mt Snow - While it is the best area at Snow most of the trails really are blues with a few blacks thrown in.

 

[Newpylong]

Under - Hardscrabble at Cannon
over - North face area at Mt Snow - While it is the best area at Snow most of the trails really are blues with a few blacks thrown in.

Seriously? I don't consider it overly difficult but the entire North Face would be considered black at any other area in the East save the far skier's left trail, Olympic (used to be blue). The rest have consistent black pitch.