SKI Magazine Top 10 Lists East: Reader Resort Survey

[St. Bear]

yep I knew that. I suppose I could have defended my stance on Cannon more directly. My opinion is not based on what's on the map. That said, the tramline looks more gnarly than just about anything at Sugarbush, Sugarloaf or Killington.

I wouldn't want to hike up DJ's Tramline, nevermind ski down it.

 

[UVSHTSTRM]

yep I knew that. I suppose I could have defended my stance on Cannon more directly. My opinion is not based on what's on the map. That said, the tramline looks more gnarly than just about anything at Sugarbush, Sugarloaf or Killington.

Not saying it does, but 1 trail?

 

[UVSHTSTRM]

yep I knew that. I suppose I could have defended my stance on Cannon more directly. My opinion is not based on what's on the map. That said, the tramline looks more gnarly than just about anything at Sugarbush, Sugarloaf or Killington.

Well I guess we could argue this forever, kinda what makes it fun and each ski hill different and special.

At the end of the day you can ski any of them and that is all that counts.

 

[deadheadskier]

Not saying it does, but 1 trail?

no, all of the Mittersill stuff, the tiny % of off map trees I've skied. I also highly value rivercoil's opinion knowing his ability, desire to get off the beaten path and the amount of days he's spent up on Cannon.
As he mentioned, if that mountain got Northern VT snow, opinions would be a lot different about the place.

 

[UVSHTSTRM]

no, all of the Mittersill stuff, the tiny % of off map trees I've skied. I also highly value rivercoil's opinion knowing his ability, desire to get off the beaten path and the amount of days he's spent up on Cannon.
As he mentioned, if that mountain got Northern VT snow, opinions would be a lot different about the place.

I love Mittersill. Great on a powder day after the base has built up a little. Also one of the coolest villages anywhere, a real throwback. On a related note are they going to redevelop Mittersill still, I know the last I heard was cleaning up the trails and add a lift. I really hope they don't although I am sure the property owners there wouldn't mind it.

 

[St. Bear]

As he mentioned, if that mountain got Northern VT snow, opinions would be a lot different about the place.

And if the Presidentials got 500" with no wind, they would be the skiing Mecca of the US.

 

[UVSHTSTRM]

And if the Presidentials got 500" with no wind, they would be the skiing Mecca of the US.

But yet they dont' get 500 inches and they have lots of wind.....although I do think one year Mt Washington did get close to 500 or more inches.

 

[St. Bear]

But yet they dont' get 500 inches and they have lots of wind.....although I do think one year Mt Washington did get close to 500 or more inches.

Exactly my point.

 

[ski_resort_observer]

Dudes... this is a "reader survey" for freaking SKI Magazine. Don't take it too seriously. How many subscribers to SKI Magazine do you think ever ski at a place like Mad River Glen. For snow, a good percentage, perhaps a majority, of SKI Magazine readers probably care more about snow making than natural snow. The ability to book a trip months in advanced and have good conditions is king and way more important than natural snow to this demographic. The poll is a reflection of the readership which can change year to year as some year to year swings in the poll show. I can understand making light of these silly polls on their terms but I can not understand taking them seriously on your terms.
.

Taking the more objective perspective I think your underestimating the marketing value of the reader surveys for both the resorts and the guests in their decision making.

I am especially pleased to see the Bush's improvement in the On Mountain Food catagory. The EC was recently named the top chef in Vermont and the product shows that. Years ago the Bush's on mountain food was bad and the rating showed it. http://news.alpinezone.com/62809/

 

[Geoff]

How so? How much have you skied Cannon? There are parts of that mountain that are more unrelenting than anything around save for some of the steep top to bottom shots at Stowe. It is also home to some of my favorite tree runs... trees that put MRG and Jay to shame. If Cannon got twice as much natural and was in the snow belt that NoVT is in, people would look at the mountain quite different, IMO.

...but it doesn't. It gets less than half the natural snow of Stowe and about half that of MRG. It's kind of like talking about Whiteface and challenging terrain that's rarely skiable. At Stowe, you can reasonably expect 60 good days and some years with closer to 90.

 

[ski_resort_observer]

Last year Sugarbush was # 3 in the East,

Actually the Bush was #7 last year so this year is a slight improvement.
http://forums.alpinezone.com/17590-ski-magazine-releases-2008-top-50-resort-guide.html

 

[WWF-VT]

Actually the Bush was #7 last year so this year is a slight improvement.
http://forums.alpinezone.com/17590-ski-magazine-releases-2008-top-50-resort-guide.html

That link is to the 2007 Resort Guide issue. I have my copy from Oct 2008 and Sugarbush was #3 in the East.

 

[ski_resort_observer]

That link is to the 2007 Resort Guide issue. I have my copy from Oct 2008 and Sugarbush was #3 in the East.

Thanks for the correction :smile:

 

[arik]

Mount Snow did deserve the #1 it got for terrain parks

 

[riverc0il]

Taking the more objective perspective I think your underestimating the marketing value of the reader surveys for both the resorts and the guests in their decision making.

I don't think I underestimated that part of the survey. I simply did not address it at all. Indeed, Joe Average Skier loves these polls and many a family trip and romantic getaway are likely planned by folks that are more likely to get their information from a few magazines than an educated review of the marketplace. I was just responding to the folks taking the poll seriously from the perspective of "the end all be all realistic and accurate poll". Clearly, a big swing year to year for a particularly resort may indicate significant improvement from the perception of those that take the poll which may or may accurately reflect the true nature of things as I think most folks taking said poll probably have not skied enough resorts to accurately compare across the board. Etc. The marketing value surely is exceptional though, for sure.

 

[riverc0il]

...but it doesn't. It gets less than half the natural snow of Stowe and about half that of MRG. It's kind of like talking about Whiteface and challenging terrain that's rarely skiable. At Stowe, you can reasonably expect 60 good days and some years with closer to 90.

Sorry, Geoff. You can not change the argument midway because someone with experience at the mountain in question has suggested your initial proposition about the terrain is inaccurate. The issue in discussion was not that Cannon's challenging terrain was rarely skiable but rather that Cannon does not deserve a high rating in terrain compared to some other areas. That is like suggesting that Mount Washington is not an expert contender for terrain because most of the mountain is only safely skiable in its fullest for two months out of the entire year at best (a lot less when you account for bad weather days).

The amount of days I ski at Cannon compared to NoVT areas will clearly back up the fact that Cannon does not reliably have most of its expert terrain options available for safe passage more than a few weeks out of the year. However, my trip reporting will also attest that when Cannon gets a lot of snow and its options are in play, I don't bother with Vermont even on a season pass at the area in New England that gets the most natural snow. Terrain and amount of snow are two different categories and a combo category was not the issue and would only come into play for those booking in advanced.

 

[deadheadskier]

Sorry, Geoff. You can not change the argument midway because someone with experience at the mountain in question has suggested your initial proposition about the terrain is inaccurate. The issue in discussion was not that Cannon's challenging terrain was rarely skiable but rather that Cannon does not deserve a high rating in terrain compared to some other areas. That is like suggesting that Mount Washington is not an expert contender for terrain because most of the mountain is only safely skiable in its fullest for two months out of the entire year at best (a lot less when you account for bad weather days).

The amount of days I ski at Cannon compared to NoVT areas will clearly back up the fact that Cannon does not reliably have most of its expert terrain options available for safe passage more than a few weeks out of the year. However, my trip reporting will also attest that when Cannon gets a lot of snow and its options are in play, I don't bother with Vermont even on a season pass at the area in New England that gets the most natural snow. Terrain and amount of snow are two different categories and a combo category was not the issue and would only come into play for those booking in advanced.

a comparable comparison out west would be Crested Butte. Like Cannon, it's always top 10 for challenge. However, after a few good snow years it always pops up into the top 5 as more people get to experience lines that aren't often skiable.

One thing I will say is in just spending a day at Cannon last year and riding the lifts with regulars, no place I've been in New England has more of a vibe that there's something special there for the slack country enthusiasts that they don't want the word to get out about.