The single best on piste run in the Northeast

[freeheelwilly]

What?

How about Empire or Upper Cloudspin at Whiteface? How could those not make anybody's list of the top 20? How is that POSSIBLE??? Oh that's right, why would they be included. Everybody knows that the Adirondacks aren't part of the Northeast.:roll: Bizarre.

 

[skibum1321]

How about Empire or Upper Cloudspin at Whiteface? How could those not make anybody's list of the top 20? How is that POSSIBLE??? Oh that's right, why would they be included. Everybody knows that the Adirondacks aren't part of the Northeast.:roll: Bizarre.

It's just that most of us haven't skied at Whiteface. It's kind of hard to include a trail from a mountain that you've never been to. No one here denies that Whiteface has some great stuff, most of us just haven't been able to ski it.

 

[riverc0il]

How about Empire or Upper Cloudspin at Whiteface? How could those not make anybody's list of the top 20? How is that POSSIBLE??? Oh that's right, why would they be included. Everybody knows that the Adirondacks aren't part of the Northeast.:roll: Bizarre.

your animosity is exasperating. most people here haven't skied whiteface. not because it isn't worthy, but rather because it is one of the furtherest resorts from many population centers in new england. now that i am in StJ, i will probably try to give whiteface a shot as it isn't a horrible drive. but i wouldn't even consider whiteface from the boston area, especially considering a $63 day ticket price, substantially higher than i am willing to pay for a single day of skiing.

simply put, it is not a slight that whiteface trails were not suggested. i am not getting pissy because only three people voted paradise at MRG. it maybe that only three people who voted actually skied paradise! you can't expect people who have never skied a trail to vote it best... which is essentially the silly aspect of a thread like this as most people haven't even skied HALF the trails listed, but i still think it is fun and i like hearing other people's opinions..

 

[Greg]

which is essentially the silly aspect of a thread like this as most people haven't even skied HALF the trails listed, but i still think it is fun and i like hearing other people's opinions..

You're right! I've only skied six of them! Who suggested this stupid poll anyway...? :-?

 

[riverc0il]

i might have suggested the poll, but you started the thread like i said, i still think it is fun and interesting, as silly as it may be

 

[Treeskier]

Rumble or Paridice at MR a tie

1st) Rumble at Sugarbush and Paridice at MR are a tie both offer 8-10' drop offs and I have done both in knee deep....this year.

2nd) Staircase at Jay Peak

3rd) Egan's Woods (all of it including the lower section that has been taken off the map but has 3 large drops in a row. Awsume in 2' of snow)

4th) Valhala at Jay

5th) Lift line at Sugarbush

6th) Chute at MR

7th) Goat at Stowe

Other favorites. Black Dimond, and Tumbler at North, Fall line at MR, River Quei at Jay, Then there is the May vote Superstar at Kmart

 

[kingslug]

I haven't skied any of them. Sux living on Long Island, everything is a faaaaar drive. I need a driver so I can snooze on the way up.

 

[ChileMass]

How about Empire or Upper Cloudspin at Whiteface? How could those not make anybody's list of the top 20? How is that POSSIBLE??? Oh that's right, why would they be included. Everybody knows that the Adirondacks aren't part of the Northeast.:roll: Bizarre.

Willy - dude - as a native of Glens Falls, longtime Adirondack skier and 20 year resident of Massachusetts, I thought long and hard about Cloudspin before submitting my faves. That's tough, gnarly trail with huge wind most days and crusty, demanding conditions. I love that freakin' trail even thuogh I broke my !#@$#!@! shoulder on it 1984. So maybe that's why it didn't make my final list. But as you'll see from other posts - I am a big Whiteface and Lake Placid advocate for the uninitiated over here in eastern New England......

 

[madskier6]

I voted for Paradise at Sugarbush based on the terrain variety on that one trail (gentle sloping terrain at the top that is great with fresh powder, steeps with moguls, glades on skiers left, nice runout at the bottom, etc).

Paradise at MRG is a close second as is Middle Earth at SB. I really enjoy Rumble also but that trail is so demanding that, while I love it, it's hard for me to rate it as my favorite. Lift Line at MRG is right up there as well. Lynx to Beaver at MRG are also a couple of my favorites.

Obviously I have a bias towards trails in the MRV but I would love to try some of the other trails mentioned. I realy want to ski at Whiteface when the conditions are good.

 

[AdironRider]

While Cloudspin is a great trail I just cant justify it as the best in the east. Its to wide if you ask me, but the windblown powder often shows up there days after a storm. Skyward, Upper and Lower Mak as well as Empire are all better runs at the face IMO

 

[JD]

Was this thread "ganarliest trails in the NE" or "best trails in NE" or are they the same thing?Personally, I don't think those two things are always the same. Assuming there's 2' of snow...any trail with enough pitch and vert is gonna be a run of a lifetime.
To me, trails that are steep and stright down the fall line are very challenging, and bmped after the first day they are open. I like stuff where you can just let 'em run the whoe way down. Even if it isn't super gnar.

 

[riverc0il]

Was this thread "ganarliest trails in the NE" or "best trails in NE" or are they the same thing?

a little of the same thing but not exactely the same thing. for example, i nominated lower antelope which is a roller coaster but far from gnarly. east bowl at burke is much the same. i think to be one of the "best" runs in the northeast, a pre-requisite is an interesting trail, that changes, rolls, opens up, closes down, presents multiple lines and aspects, no run is ever the same twice, etc. that sort of definition does not imply gnarly, but the gnarliest runs almost always fit that description... you don't find many groomers or open slopes that are really interesting trails, imo. upper cannon and jester might fit the fill or upper antelope/catamount.

 

[freeheelwilly]

your animosity is exasperating.

It's not "animosity". It's frustration mixed with a bit of amusement.

most people here haven't skied whiteface.

I know. "Why?" is the question I will forever ask given the other options.

not because it isn't worthy, but rather because it is one of the furtherest resorts from many population centers in new england.

Myth! :dunce: And one of the most persistent ones with which Whiteface struggles. Thanks for continuing to spread it though dude.:uzi:

And Adironrider: You're obviously talking LOWER Cloud. Upper Cloud is no wider than Skyward. And it's 10x cooler - more natural snow, double fall lines, cool fall aways and largely left ungroomed. We don't call it the "snowfields" for nothing. And you're right about Mackenzie - topnotch trail.

Guys my point is simply this: I've skied most places in Vermont (but not, for some reason, Jay. Don't ask .) Whitey is at least twice as good as anything south of the MRV. MRG and Sugarbush are awesome. But to see a trail at Burke mentioned in the poll, all of the front four at Stowe (that's a little cliche' Greg:wink: ) and three trails at Cannon, without even one Whiteface trail being listed is just....I dunno...funny. You GOTTA get out more.

 

[Marc]

Myth! :dunce: And one of the most persistent ones with which Whiteface struggles. Thanks for continuing to spread it though dude.:uzi:

That's not a myth, that's a statement of absolute fact, although with a mild dose of ambiguity.

Steve wrote word for word "not because it isn't worthy, but rather because it is one of the furtherest resorts from many population centers in new england. "

The link you provided listed driving times from NYC, which, last time I looked, was not a population center in New England. Basically, from any population center East of Worcester, Whiteface is about as far as you can go in terms of north east mountains. From that locale, it is farther than the Loaf and Jay.

So, from population centers such as Worcester, Providence, Boston, Taunton, Manchester, etc. etc., Whiteface is the furthest major resort and from locales from Springfield to Worcester, it is about the same to Whiteface as it is to Jay or Sugarloaf. Therefore, saying Whiteface is one of the furthest resorts from many population centers in New England is not only not a myth, but perfectly factual.

 

[kcyanks1]

How about Empire or Upper Cloudspin at Whiteface? How could those not make anybody's list of the top 20? How is that POSSIBLE??? Oh that's right, why would they be included. Everybody knows that the Adirondacks aren't part of the Northeast.:roll: Bizarre.

I think the poll choices were based on trail names thrown out during the discussion before the threat became a poll. I don't recall people mentioning Empire or Clouspin at that point, so Greg probably didn't put them in for that reason.

IMO, neither trail would make my favorite. Empire would definitely be in consideration, I think. While the vert on Cloudspin is great, it's too much of a "supertrail" for me to be considered my favorite. I like trails with more character (if that is the right word).

 

[Greg]

Interesting poll results. I'll let this go for several more days and then take the top three for non-gladed trails and post some new polls. Help me out here - are Valhalla and Kinsman the only gladed runs in this list? I guess both Paradises could be considered partly gladed thought, right? Never done MRG Paradise, but I would consider SB Paradise more non-gladed.

 

[jackstraw]

It's not "animosity". It's frustration mixed with a bit of amusement.



I know. "Why?" is the question I will forever ask given the other options.



Myth! :dunce: And one of the most persistent ones with which Whiteface struggles. Thanks for continuing to spread it though dude.:uzi:

And Adironrider: You're obviously talking LOWER Cloud. Upper Cloud is no wider than Skyward. And it's 10x cooler - more natural snow, double fall lines, cool fall aways and largely left ungroomed. We don't call it the "snowfields" for nothing. And you're right about Mackenzie - topnotch trail.

Guys my point is simply this: I've skied most places in Vermont (but not, for some reason, Jay. Don't ask .) Whitey is at least twice as good as anything south of the MRV. MRG and Sugarbush are awesome. But to see a trail at Burke mentioned in the poll, all of the front four at Stowe (that's a little cliche' Greg:wink: ) and three trails at Cannon, without even one Whiteface trail being listed is just....I dunno...funny. You GOTTA get out more.

cheese w/ that whine!!! bahahaha!!!

honestly, ive skied WF a loongg time ago and that hill rocks! i would love to get back there but it's a tremendous 'hike' for me. the trails fhw mentions should have been listed, just HPD!! forgot to mention them!! hahaaha!!

 

[Bumpsis]

This whole discussion is a bit pointless at best and bordering on ridiculous.
It's sort of like medieval scholars arguing as to how many angels can fit on a head of a pin.
Point being, this is a bit absurd.

There is no such thing as a single best trail in NE. They are all teriffic runs in their own right and everybody's experience is subjective. Give me enough powder and I'll be happy on most slopes. For some, a nice intermediate cruiser is where they will get a nice rush, for others, it maye the air drop into the top of Starr.

The common element in most of the included trails is the level of skill necessary to ski it. If skiing Goat (just an example) is in you comfort zone, there is no reason why you wouldn't have a blast on any other trail mentioned (ok, you maybe falling asleep on Hardscrabble - again, subjective experience). Given good snow conditions, all of those trials will let you have a blast.

 

[jackstraw]

This whole discussion is a bit pointless at best and bordering on ridiculous.
It's sort of like medieval scholars arguing as to how many angels can fit on a head of a pin.
Point being, this is a bit absurd.

There is no such thing as a single best trail in NE. They are all teriffic runs in their own right and everybody's experience is subjective. Give me enough powder and I'll be happy on most slopes. For some, a nice intermediate cruiser is where they will get a nice rush, for others, it maye the air drop into the top of Starr.

The common element in most of the included trails is the level of skill necessary to ski it. If you skiing Goat (just an example) is in you comfort zone, there is no reason why you wouldn't have a blast on any other trail mentioned (ok, you maybe falling asleep on Hardscrabble - again, subjective experience). Given good snow conditions, all of those trials will let you have a blast.

word!

 

[AdironRider]

I never said Cloudspin was a bad trail, I just think that Whiteface has got better. Your right that Skyward is just as wide though, guess Im just partial as the best run Ive had at Whiteface this year was 14" of first tracks down Skyward.