Small and local or big and far?

[andyzee]

If you had 1000 feet of vertical 20 minutes away, or 2000 feet an hour away, what would make you go to the local hill? I'm curious what you guys think about local areas, and why so many make it to the NELSAP list.

Don't have anything within 20 minutes, waiting for Xandau to be built. And don't have anything within an hour. My choices are Mountain Creek or Hidden Valley neither of which I care for, they are about an hour away. The nearest I find worthwhile is the Catskills, 2.5 hours. After that it's VT and NH. So my criteria for which one I go to depends on duration, If I'm going for a day, it's Catskills. Two day it's VT or NH. In either case I'm a happy camper cause I'm going skiing

 

[riverc0il]

big and local :beer:

i have spent a decent portion of my ski days seeking out smaller areas, even when i lived in MA i made it a point to find places like black mountain, tenney, ragged, etc. and give them a shot. people get too concerned with size, you can have just as much fun at a 1000-1200 vert area as the 2k boys. especially if you are only skiing groomers all day, what the heck is the difference? not much. for that reason, i always recommend crotched mountain as the best non-powder december option for south eastern new england.

 

[nelsapbm]

Big & local for me. 'Bush, MRG, Bolton, Midd (medium size). Hope to get my "nephew" on skis next season at Cochrans or the Bowl.

 

[AHM]

Hammer the hill.................

Whether it is Mt Brighton MI or Whistler, get out and hit whatever hill you can. It has absolutely nothing to do with the size and all to do with the fun factor. Small hills can provide as much fun as any big hill; it's all in the eye of the beholder. I've had passes at hills from 200 - 3000 verts and I find I can have fun at all of them.

If you find that local hill no longer challenging..........try this. Most of you have some old XC boards in the garage/basement, well drag them out and go hit the local hill. The flatest greens will all of a sudden be pretty challenging on an XC boards..............feeling brave, nothing like taking a bumper on a pr XC boards.

Too much is made of how "big" the hill is. Do the kids care ?? No, they are just out rippin', laughing and having a great time. I think most need to take the lead from the kids and just go out and have fun. See how many turns you can make down the hill or go tour it at night. You'll get some exercise, still get to ski and then you won't feel you are on the lift the whole time at a small hill.

That said: small and local or big and far..................although I rarely only have one day to ski..............if I do, I have no problem rallying 4 or 5 hours to hit a big hill I like............and that's passing up Gore, Plattakill(sp), hunta, Snow, Flatten, West, K, etc as I head to the bush, MRG, Jay etc. Life is short, ski as much as you can and just soak in the scene that is skiing............

 

[bvibert]

Hell, even Powder Ridge still manages to open every year, and if any place deserved to go the way of the dinosaurs, that be it.

Well, not this year it appears...

http://fox61.trb.com/news/hc-powder-ridge,0,1099953.story?coll=wtic-news-3

Discuss here:
http://forums.alpinezone.com/10125-powder-ridge-not-opening-season.html

 

[FRITOLAYGUY]

I actually prefer both, if i went twice a week skiing, the first day would be a 3hr drive to somewhere large, the 2nd day would be somewhere close to home so i can be back at a decent hour. I believe you can have just as much fun at a smaller hill as a larger one. Its what you make of it.

 

[tirolerpeter]

Big v. Small

Strictly terrain dependent...I'd rather ski a steep 1000 vert hill like Plattekill than a 2000 vert bunny hill like Stratton.

Same for me. And, for a "daily" workout, why would I want to spend my time riding on my butt. Living on LI, makes Hunter that "small, local" hill for me compared to going all the way to Snow, K, SB, etc. The "hill" nearest to me (barely) worth skiing is Mountain Creek. It is 98 miles door to door. Unfortunately, the first 50 are a total PIA, so, for another hour or so, Hunter works for me.

 

[hammer]

I'm partial to small and local for the following reasons:

• Family management on the slopes is a lot easier
• I don't own a resort condo, so daytrips are the rule
• As an intermediate, I don't need to pay steep lift ticket prices for availability of trails that I'd never make it to or be able to ski yet

I think the key is to try to make it to hills that have some character and variety and that can deal with fickle New England winters. I'm fortunate that I have two places that do this well within an hour of home (Pats Peak, Crotched).

 

[billski]

For me, it's all about the crowds (or stashes I can flee from them.) I go where there are fewer people. I've learned how to make skiing fun and challenging where ever I am. It's what you do with the terrain that counts most.

It's all about coming down with a grin on my face.