Mountain Creek

[highpeaksdrifter]

I know I’ll never ski there, everybody craps on it all the time, but every ski area has some redeeming values. MC skiers tell those of us who have never been what’s good about the place.

 

[Dr Skimeister]

What was it my mother used to tell me? Something about' "if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything.".......

Good things about MC-it's close to where I work and live. I can see the lifts from my office. It is possible to have a nice time on a week day after a big snowfall, at least for 3-4 hours. Eventually the place is overrun with the kids that get a day off from school and the enjoyment factor and the safety quotient go to hell.

This season it will be the home to what they're claiming to be the largest terrain park in the east. They've devoted what I would guess to be almost half their acreage to trails that will be set up with terrain features.

 

[Hawkshot99]

I have never been there in the winter, but friends who have say that if you are a park rat it is great. If not, not so much.

 

[millerm277]

Granite Peak is good, Pipeline is actually steep, if very short (unless you want to hike up from the closed lower section), Devil's Bit is nice, and whatever the intermediate trail is, is nice.

Vernon is pretty terrible.
I have not been on the "backside" trails that aren't parks anymore, so they may be decent, but from what I've heard, they're nothing too special. Zero G and Eagle Hunt/Lower Eagle have a bit of pitch to them, but the way the beginner trail cuts across the mountain, it results in a bowling alley from out of control people hitting the beginners. That, and Zero G will most likely be closed for racing most of the season since they kicked the racers off of Big Bear.

South and Bear are now parks, which is a terrible place for them, as the trails aren't going to work well for it. If you can avoid the features on them this year, South is mostly intermediate, but usually icy, Bear has a bit more pitch, but less vert. (usually the better of the two).

Also, to connect between Granite and South, you have to take a long, very flat beginner trail, and to get back you have to take a long double chair.

Lifts:

Vernon
-"Gondola", you have to stand, there's a long line that you have to walk through, and it's open air. Oh, and you'll usually have to walk across a bunch of pavement when you get off of it. If you ski, stay away.
-Vernon Triple, when it's open, usually uncrowded, but it stops a LOT, as no one can seem to figure out how to load.

Granite
-Fixed-Grip Quad, fairly quick ride, not too crowded except for the mid-morning.

South and Bear
-HSQ's, can get lines, but not bad (although that may change this year).

Lodges:
Bubble at Vernon-"Temporary" after the old lodge burned down (at least 5 years ago), crowded and terrible.
South lodge-Nice lodge, upstairs isn't crowded normally.

Secrets:
If they somehow get a decent amount of natural snow, woods are decent, and there are a bunch of old trails no longer on the map that are fun.

 

[Method9455]

Ummm .... having ridden there 30+ days there for 5 years in a row, I would say there is nothing redeeming about it at all. At all. There are about 6 good trails on the whole mountain, and they are the last 6 to get snow, be groomed, and the first 6 to close. This year most of them are becoming park. The park was terrible last year for riders, who knows what all of this year's changing will bring. The mountain has potential if run by new managment, but while Intrawest is there I have no faith in it being corrected. The only positive is that it is close, but besides that, don't waste your time. I have never been to a worse mountain.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Apparenty they host a really good Slalom and GS course for ASRA racers each season..

 

[andyzee]

What was it my mother used to tell me? Something about' "if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything.".......

.

 

[NJSkiBabe]

The lodge at the Vernon base burned down in 1998,

MC is a good place to ski if you can go there at night. After around 7pm the place is empty. At least the South side was last year. All the kids got back on the buses and went home. Don't know what the Vernon side is like now. I haven't skied that side in a really long time.

ASRA is not sure if they are going to hold any races at MC this year.

 

[Method9455]

yea the race course - the only trail with any considerable slope to it besides pipeline (which is way too short for a course) is now a park. It is the super large park so i am expecting a big ass jump, they better put a 60 footer on that thing. It is the only trail on the mountain lined with fan guns and it is wide, steep, and in full view of everyone on both lifts.

 

[rjc1976]

I've been to MC several times, and I'll never go back. The one good thing about MC in my mind however, is that it draws a lot of the "punk" crowd. It helps keep that crowd away from other mountains. I've never seen a ski area with so much litter under the lifts, and it's the only place where I've seen fist fights. I'm usually one who can enjoy almost any ski area, even the small guys. However, I've had too many bad experiences at MC, and it's the only ski area I have written off.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

I've been to MC several times, and I'll never go back. The one good thing about MC in my mind however, is that it draws a lot of the "punk" crowd. It helps keep that crowd away from other mountains. I've never seen a ski area with so much litter under the lifts, and it's the only place where I've seen fist fights. I'm usually one who can enjoy almost any ski area, even the small guys. However, I've had too many bad experiences at MC, and it's the only ski area I have written off.

Fist fights for real? Blue mountain is tops for little...a disgraceful amount of trash under the lifts and sometimes right on the trails..Jibbing a 20 ounce gatorade bottle is easy though..lol

 

[Hawkshot99]

The only time that I have been there was summer time at the water park. Looking at the ski map, is the water park behind the white lodging note? Also what trail is right next to/above the really steep nearly vertical slide? I remember that trail looked pretty steep. Although it may have just been being so high on the slide platform.

 

[Method9455]

Yea there have been many. I would go far as to say a weekly I would hear about one. Hell a few kids have wanted to get into one with me before over stupid crap in the park. All these jersey thugs who don't know anything about park etiquette. At some point I just give up, if I call drop for an hour and you look at me, and I know I want to hit a rail, but don't move from the landing - and your a 14 year old punk in a basketball jersey. I'm hitting the rail anyway and if you get hit by me don't try to fight me over it. Its pretty out of character for me but those kids are just assholes day in and day out. At least they all suck so bad, you only ever run into them in the smaller parks, they wet their pants on the bigger stuff so those trails are always empty, and anyone you meet is chill. I always noticed there was an inverse proportion between how much trash you talk and how good you are.

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

Very interesting observations so far. From what I’m getting it sounds like a ski area, but not a ski area the way most of us think of one. It sounds like a ski area from an evil parallel universe or Hell’s ski area.

 

[dmc]

I used to shoot up here after work when I lived in NJ(Warren) 1989,1990..

Became an "advanced" snowboarder there.. I'd go by myself at night and just ride.. Eventually I got good enough to keep up with my friends on skis... Also taught my nephew to ski there when he lived in Sparta...
I haven't been there since it became a park meca... But I had some good times there...

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

You guys are really tough on the park rats...that's the future of our sport..

 

[Brettski]

Mountain Crack (VV) is where I learned to ski at night...40 minutes away

That said, I believe it's a tax write off for Intrawest

I won't take my kids there, I'd rather travle to the pokes...then when they said they were bored skiing there, we only ski the 'skills now...I mean what's an extra hour

EDIT: When I say only, I mean on day trips, or short weekends...So.VT is with a short weekend though...but finding good deals is tough

 

[BeanoNYC]

what’s good about the place.

Honestly...nothing. ...and I consider myself a very positive person.

 

[ERJ-145CA]

I'll go there maybe once a season, on a weekday, if I'm sure school is in session, just for a different place to ski. In about a month and a half I'm actually moving about 5 minutes away from MC but I'll still drive the extra 5 minutes to Hidden Valley if I want to go somewhere close.

 

[SKIQUATTRO]

been there mountain biking
been there skiing

just dont like the place