Otis Ridge, MA 11 Feb 2010

[billski]

I started doing this with my kids. Like you the rules are the area must be skied to pick up the pin. My collection includes the following list:

Mountain Creek - NJ
Hidden Valley - NJ
Shawnee Mt -PA
Camelback - PA
Elk Mountain - PA
Ski Big Bear - PA
Ski Plattekill - NY
Belleayre - NY
Hunter Mt - NY
Gore Mt - NY
Whiteface - NY
Butternut - MA
Mt Snow - VT
Ascutney - VT
Killington -VT
Bolton Valley - VT
Smugglers Notch - VT
Jay Peak - VT
Bretton Woods - NH
Loon Mt - NH
Waterville Valley - NH
Tenney - NH
Gunstock - NH
Mt Sunapee - NH
Ragged Mt - NH
Dartmouth Skiway - NH
Sunday River - ME
Aspen Mt - CO
Aspen Highlands - CO
Buttermilk - CO
Snowmass - CO
Alta -UT
Snowbird - UT
Solitude - UT
Brighton - UT
Deer Valley - UT
Caynons -UT
Snowbasin - UT
Powder Mt - UT

My wife has a Loveland and Kitzbuhl pin in addition to these. I should have more. I've been too Iax at times and forgotten to get some. I should have picked up Cannon and Wildcat last spring and didn't. Sno Mt PA and Blue MT PA when I was there in January. Gives me an excuse to go back and add them to the list. Don't have the great hat to mount them on and am still looking for the best way to display them.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

Very cool. Nice list. Makes me think we could do an AZ list and cover the whole eastern seaboard! Other people's pins don't count! I've got several areas that don't have pins. I like the hat 'cause it's portable, though I don't really like it to leave the house. Replacing it would be too much work.
Hey, I think you'll enjoy this - http://mysite.verizon.net/vze7d2cw/woodyskiodyssey/index.html

 

[polski]

Great report Bill. Long live the places that refuse to go NELSAP!

 

[telemarklarry]

Otis Ridge

Bilski
You really hit it on the mark. A great review of the people and the community that makes Otis a little ski area that won't quit. Come on back and see us again.

 

[billski]

Billski, have you ever skied Blandford ski are ( about 20 minutes from Otis off Rt 20)?

I was scouting Blandford last week, trying to find an angle to ski there. Need another pin fix. Well, they don't seem to have a day rate. You need to buy a season's pass. It's not expensive as passes go, but a lot more than a Stowe day ticket. Help!

 

[Steve]

Thanks for such a great report! Although I've never been there, this reminded me exactly of what skiing was on the very early 60s when I started skiing and we had all these little family run areas in and around New England.

Even Wachusett was like this in 62.

The report also reminded me of what I do on my motorcycle in the other three seasons. I love venturing out to find little towns that time forgot. Otis is a perfect example. The clock stopped there about 40 years ago and it's just continuing to be 1960.

Ain't it great!

Thanks!

 

[billski]

Nice pics billski!
If you are away from the highways connecting urban New England think you might find Otis Ridge to be similar to many community slopes with t-bars only. Visited a Mt. Jefferson on a freebie Sunday, a few miles outside of Lee, Maine...~12mi east of Lincoln...just SE of Medway/Millinocket.

BB, I am trying to figure out how to do a ski safari to the community areas in Maine. Two big hurdles, one is the distance between them and the other is that most are only open on weekends, which means I can't get to too many in one trip.