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SKI Magazine 2016-17 Eastern Resort Rankings

WWF-VT

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FWIW....

2016-2017 Eastern Top 20

1. Tremblant
2. Stowe
3. Whiteface
4, Killington
5. Smuggler's Notch
6. Sugarbush
7. Sunday River
8. Sugarloaf
9. Jay Peak
10. Okemo
11. Mt. Snow
12. Bretton Woods
13. Stratton
14. Loon Mountain
15. Gore
16. Cannon
17. Mad River Glen
18. Mt. Sunapee
19. Snowshoe
20. Wildcat
 

deadheadskier

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People tend to melt down over these lists, but that's not too terrible IMO. It's not how I'd rank them, but for the average ski vacationing family it seems reasonable.
 

joshua segal

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I don't remember Mont Sainte Anne ever making the cut but in my opinion it should.

Agree that both Le Massif and Mt. St. Anne are superior to most of the resorts in this list, but they are beyond the travel range of most eastern skiers.

First list of this kind I've seen without Holiday Valley from WNY The top 10 are all of 2K vertical.
 

Jully

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People tend to melt down over these lists, but that's not too terrible IMO. It's not how I'd rank them, but for the average ski vacationing family it seems reasonable.

I'm surprised that Whiteface is so far up there with the average ski family as the 'source' for the ranking. Lake Placid is great, sure, but the skiing at Whiteface itself I've never thought of as pro vacationing family.
 

deadheadskier

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I've never skied there, but have been to Lake Placid in the fall. I assume things like lodging, apres, restaurants and off hill activities have a strong influence on the rankings. LP/WF probably ranks top five in all those categories and I'd guess number 1 for off hill activities.
 

Jully

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I've never skied there, but have been to Lake Placid in the fall. I assume things like lodging, apres, restaurants and off hill activities have a strong influence on the rankings. LP/WF probably ranks top five in all those categories and I'd guess number 1 for off hill activities.

That's a good point. I suppose I forget that for many, ski vacations are not 100%, or even 70% driven by the skiing.
 

cdskier

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Wow...no Holiday Valley for a change. Not the order I would rank the resorts, but not terrible overall compared to some other years. The only one in the top 10 that I don't think deserves to be there would be Okemo. I would put Gore above Okemo for skiing (but I'm sure Gore loses points for the lack of lodging, off-hill activities, etc).

Did they provide a breakdown of individual rankings (i.e. rankings for Best terrain, Most challenging, etc)?
 

Jully

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Wow...no Holiday Valley for a change. Not the order I would rank the resorts, but not terrible overall compared to some other years. The only one in the top 10 that I don't think deserves to be there would be Okemo. I would put Gore above Okemo for skiing (but I'm sure Gore loses points for the lack of lodging, off-hill activities, etc).

Did they provide a breakdown of individual rankings (i.e. rankings for Best terrain, Most challenging, etc)?

I always find the breakdown of individual rankings actually informative sometimes and at a minimum way more fun. Best grooming is usually a funny one!
 

deadheadskier

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Hopefully Wildcat making the top 20 doesn't increase Saturday lift lines at the quad from 3 to 4 minutes or I'll be pissed.
 

BenedictGomez

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Gore should be much higher than #15 if we're just talking about skiing, the problem is, very few (relatively speaking) people have skied there, which hurts them in polling. And yes, lack of nightlife and "things to do" hurts them too.
 

thetrailboss

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All I would say is that there are 6 on that list that are not resorts. Where as they do not have lodging on site.

But there again is the issue--what is the metric they are using? Best ski area? Best resort? Who is doing to assessment?
 

BenedictGomez

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I'm surprised that Whiteface is so far up there with the average ski family as the 'source' for the ranking. Lake Placid is great, sure, but the skiing at Whiteface itself I've never thought of as pro vacationing family.

Lake Placid is the #1 ski town in the east (sorry Stowe), hands down. That's definitely the reason for the high ranking. That said, if you hit Whiteface with great conditions, it's as good as anywhere in the east, and with longer runs. Spectacular. Though, hitting Whiteface with great conditions is a bit of a Brigadoon problem.
 

deadheadskier

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No such thing as "hands down." That's an entirely personal opinion. I have only been once and as such I couldn't qualify as better or worse than Stowe. I know people who think N. Conway is better than Stowe. I don't and N. Conway is my primary hang these days. Some prefer the MRV to Stowe. There are others who prefer the Killington access road vibe.
 

abc

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I'm surprised that Whiteface is so far up there with the average ski family as the 'source' for the ranking. Lake Placid is great, sure, but the skiing at Whiteface itself I've never thought of as pro vacationing family.
The village of LP definitely make up for it when the skiing isn't good. Been there, done that.

When the skiing is good, the town doesn't matter quite as much because you're on the mountain from bell to bell. And you're dog tired by the time you wolf down your dinner. You only care about going to bed and getting up early the next day...

But this is the east. How often you end up with great condition on a pre-planned trip? (storm chaser excluded).

So, not just for families, but for the average skier who's up for a random weekend, the chance of so-so condition is high and what "other things" to do in town can really salvage a miserable weekend of boiler plate ice skating!
 
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