Ski's top 10 East

[riverc0il]

And that publication would be AlpineZone, KillingtonZone, TGR, etc......

ha! trick question. the best back country isn't publicized.

 

[riverc0il]

hey, since everyone else is throwing around personal top tens, i will do the same following mattchuck2's model of rating places by which place you would most rather ski. included in my ratings include price, value, terrain, driving distance, challenge, slack country options, lift lines, and powder frequency. not taken into account are any ammenities, snow making, grooming, layout, lifts, lodging, real estate, food, apres. new england only as i have never skied outside of new england:

1) Jay
2) Cannon
3) MRG
4) Burke
5) Saddleback
6) Stowe
7) Bush
8 )Loaf
9) Magic
10) Wildcat

that is obviously a personal list and driving distance and price weight HEAVILY into that list. also, i am of course more familiar with the local slack country and off piste options of the areas i most often hike and study, so results might be different if my knowledge of the other mountains was greater. smuggs should obviously be on there and i am sure whiteface would make the cut if i had skied at either of these locations. obviously places like burke and saddleback would be lower if other areas were not so damn expensive. jay gets top honors for glades and pow, two things very near and dear to my heart.

here is another idea... here is what i would offer for a solid and reputable list for the average skier looking for the best skiing options in northeast united states (i am going to exclude canada):

1) Stowe
2) Sugarloaf
3) Whiteface
4) Sugarbush
5) Mad River Glen
6) Jay Peak
7) Killington
8 ) Smugglers Notch
9) Sunday River
10) Bretton Woods

obviously, that isn't a list of my favorite ski areas but i think that is a fair representation on how new england areas line up for best of the best "all things considered" for the greatest amount of skiers. jay only makes the cut because it is the powder capitol and mrg only because it is the toughest terrain in new england and something really special. all the other areas pretty much have something for everyone and what people look for in a big name top notch eastern ski area. that is about as objective as i can possibly get and it is obviously not a list that would suit every skier, but would be a fairly representative sample for someone that is not dedicated to the sport and is strictly recreational and looking for the better places to go for your "average" skier/family.

 

[koreshot]

I think Ski should start publishing the worst 10 in the NE. I haven't been to enough ski resorts to have a complete list but I do have 2 that would fit into the 10 worst very nicely:

1. Stratton
2. Okemo
3. Jay Peak for anyone less than Advanced

Okemo must be the most boring, flat, gaperish resort I have been to. Jay Peak is an amazing place cause you can stay on the natural snow terrain and the woods all day and be very very happy, but if I was an intermediate looking for some groomers, its embarassing.

 

[riverc0il]

i am no fan of okemo, but the mountain makes a lot of people happy. just because someone can not rip does not make them by default a "gaper." i have recommended okemo as an excellent place for families that are looking for that type of thing. okemo would just barely miss my afore mentioned top 10 best in the northeast for the general public. obviously, not enough expert terrain to classify as a great mountain with something for everyone. but it is a great place for the right skiers and families. same with stratton. i don't ski there, but it certainly isn't the worst area around by a long shot. different strokes for different folks.

 

[sledhaulingmedic]

I would expect Okemo, Tremblant, Loon, SR, Stratton, Killington, Mt. Snow and other "resorts" to make Ski's list. They offer the type of "product" that apeals to Ski's target audience: People who going skiing and spend money. If you go skiing and spend the day skiing, you don't spend much. If you take the family, eat in the restauraunts, shop in the shops, get a footy massage and ski pedicure etc, you spend a lot of money.

So let's look at how we'd expect Ski's top 10 resorts to spend money at to turn out:

1. Stratton
2. Tremblant (depends on exchange rate)
3. Stowe
4. Loon
5. Killington
6. Okemo
7. Attitash
8. Mt. Snow
9. Sunday River
10. There is NO number 10

I'm baffled that Sugarloaf, Smugss and Whiteface make the list. I think some disgruntled misfits mistakenly call attention to these places by voting for them.

 

[AdironRider]

My top ten:

1) Stowe
2) Cannon
3) Whiteface
4) Gore
5) Sugarloaf
6) Bush (never been but Ill give credit based on public opinion)
7) Jay
8) Sunapee
9) Shawnee
10) Gunstock

Sunapee, Shawnee and Gunstock all crack the list as they are awesome little mountains with solid terrain and consistently good conditions.

 

[ChileMass]

......Sunapee, Shawnee and Gunstock all crack the list as they are awesome little mountains with solid terrain and consistently good conditions.

I absolutely agree. If you like them, you'd like Ascutney, too......

 

[Robbski]

Jay Peak is an amazing place cause you can stay on the natural snow terrain and the woods all day and be very very happy, but if I was an intermediate looking for some groomers, its embarassing.

Embarassing? If you were an intermediate looking for groomers and found yourself at Jay you would have either taken a wrong turn or gotten some very bad directions. It is what it is. The Jay skier isn't going to be happy at Gunstock and the Gunstock skier isn't going to be happy at Jay.

 

[loafer89]

My top ten:

1) Sugarloaf - It's Sugarloaf
2) Jay Peak - Great glades and powder skiing
3) Sugarbush
4) Killington
5) Saddleback - Great customer service and friendly people
6) Ski Plattekill - Nice old school style skiing and cheap prices.
7) Berkshire East - Alot of mountain in a small ski area.
8 Magic Mountain
9) Okemo
10) Cannon

 

[bvibert]

what/where is holiday valley?

Holiday Valley
Ellicottville, New York

 

[Npage148]

Going to school in Buffalo, I ride at holiday valley about 20 times a season. Sure its small, but it does a good job with what it has. Plus, we get lots of snow. Nothing is more fun than ditching school to burn laps in 12 inhces of fresh snow on a dead weekday. They also manage a good terrain park. They got some decent diamonds and some nice crusiers. ITs a fun place to bomb around. Plus they got night skiing!

 

[thebigo]

I was reading this rag during my morning 'routine' today (the only time it deserves to be read) and they called Ptarmargin at Attitash 'the steepest trail in NH'.

What a joke it isnt even the steepest trail at Attitash and not even close to the steepest in new hampshire. How can they honestly publish such a blatant mistruth and expect to be taken seriously.

 

[Birdman829]

Surely Avenger has to be steeper at Attitrash right? Maybe even Tim's Trauma or Idiot's Option. I'm also willing to bet that some of the stuff at Wildcat (maybe Lift Lion/Black Cat) or Cannon (Tramline for sure) is steeper.

 

[Grassi21]

Tim's Trauma or Idiot's Option

Great trail names!

 

[kickstand]

oh, I don't know. The section of Upper Ptarmigan, after you go under the lift, that is probably the steepest section of any trail at Attitash. I would agree Avenger probably has the longest sustained pitch of any trail, but I don't think any section of it is as steep as Upper Ptarmigan. I can't remember what Middle Ptarmigan is like, since I don't remember it being open at all last year. Besides, I like peeling off to the left or right for Whitehorse, Spillway or Moat at that intersection anyway. All the kids used to scrape off Middle on the way to the halfpipe.

 

[ski_resort_observer]

Even tho Holiday Valley is small in size it's huge in skier visits, over 500,000 last season which is probably how it got listed in the top 10.

 

[snowmonster]

I'm also willing to bet that some of the stuff at Wildcat (maybe Lift Lion/Black Cat) or Cannon (Tramline for sure) is steeper.

Same thing I thought -- Tramline at Cannon is definitely steeper than Ptarmigan.

Anyway, for what it's worth, here's SKI's 11 - 20 Eastern resorts:

11. Stratton
12. Loon
13. Sugarbush
14. Attitash
15. Waterville
16. Seven Springs, PA
17. Jiminy Peak
18. Sunapee
19. Snowshoe, WV
20. Mad River Glen

No Jay Peak? No Cannon?

Personally, my top 5 eastern ski places (a la "Hi-Fidelity"):

1. Sugarloaf - One word: Snowfields. Gondi and Narrow Gauge too.
2. Sugarbush - Castlerock to kick my butt and North Lynx to catch some sun
3. Cannon - A hit or miss mountain depending on how crummy the weather is
4. Jay Peak - The Frozen North (-30 last time I was up there). Great glades.
5 (with a bullet). Mad River Glen - Whole mountain kicked my butt and I can't wait to get back on it!

Bring on the Snow!!!

 

[thebigo]

Tramline at cannon is definetly steeper. Havent skiied it since I was a kid but I remember Pitch Pine at King Pine to be steep but short. Both Tims Trauma and Idiots Option are also steeper. One of my biggest complaints about attitiash how much of a pain it is to ski tims trauma and idiots option. If they let those two trails bump up and had a short double over there I would view the place much differently.

In general I would never think if Ptarmigan as an elite trail. Its a nice trail, with a few steep areas and a challenge when bumped up but not the steepest in the New Hampshire.

 

[riverc0il]

Ptarmargin at Attitash 'the steepest trail in NH'

{ski mag editors cut}that ski magazine's eastern ski writers have ever skied{/ski mag editors cut}.

:grin:

 

[kcyanks1]

My east top ten, including only places I skied, except Stowe, because I really don't think I got enough of a taste in my first day. I also really didn't get much of a taste of Stratton in my 1 day there, but I think I know about enough to get it in close to the right place.
1. Mad River
2. Sugarbush
3. Jay
4. Killington
5. Whiteface
6. Gore
7. Tremblant
8. Okemo
9. Stratton
10. Bromley

Ranking Gore that high is questionable. I've skied there so many times (but not in recent years), that I want to put it further down... I'm trying to avoid ranking it lower because of familiarity, though, and trying to imagine what I'd think if I had only been there about the same as other areas. So that would be the one that might be the most out of place.

Edit: Just wanted to add, in addition to intentionally leaving Stowe off my list because I don't think I've skied it enough, I have never been to any ski areas in Maine or New Hampshire. So my list is not intended to slight Sugarloaf, Sunday River, Cannon, Wildcat, or other areas in those states. I also haven't skied Smuggs. I figure Stowe, Smuggs, and Sugarloaf would definitely crack my top 10 based on what I know about them, and there's a reasonable chance Gore and Tremblant can be pushed off as well by some other areas I haven't been to/skied enough.