What’s the best in the Berkshires?

[highpeaksdrifter]

I’ve only skied Jiminy and Brodie. How do the others stack up against Jiminy?

It also sucks that they closed Brodie. Dang that Brian Fairbanks.

 

[Greg]

Berkshire East is great. Really awesome after some recent snowfall. The best natural snow terrain in the Berks, without question.

Catamount is cool, but there are not many of the steeper trails. Butternut is much flatter than Catamount.

 

[Zand]

Berkshire East is the MRG of the Berkshires on a powder day. Don't bother going if it's windy or if there hasn't been much snow.

 

[thetrailboss]

I've only skied the BEast and it was on a not-so-great day, but I can see how it's pretty gnarly. Gonna try Butternut this year and maybe Jiminy.

 

[sledhaulingmedic]

B-East is a great "Little" Place. I guess I can't really comment on the Bizerkshires since I've only skied B-East and Jimmininninny Peak (and the last time I skied Jimminy, they still had the Mueller center pole Double, now rusting at Highmont )

 

[riverc0il]

i have only skied the beast in western mass and really don't see the need to ski the other areas out there (thunderbolt aside which i'll hopefully get to soon). though i wouldn't quite call beast the mrg of western mass. nothing even comes remotely close to mrg any where, but especially not western mass. it is a great old school type hill with good steeps, some wood shots, and nothing too wide except the beginner trails. classic base lodge with no base development. cheap, no frills area that is all about the skiing.

 

[tirolerpeter]

Berkshires skiing?

I have only skied Butternut, Jiminy, and Catamount. Butternut is basically a kids "learning" mountain. terminal boredom for me since my youngest outgrew it at about 10 years old (she's 21 now). Catamount is very nice when there is lots of natural snow and you are there mid-week. Otherwise, there are slim pickings and slow lifts. Jiminy is great mid-week when you can cycle endlessly to the "Six Pack" lift with no lines. It is best when the quad that services the blacks is open, but unfortunately they don't tend to open it mid-week so you have to huck uphill to get to most of the black terrain. This gets a bit tiring. I refuse to pole, so I skate, but I really prefer using my energy to make turns downhill. Still, considering that it, and Hunter are fairly well within "day-trip" distance for me, I do tend to hit it 4 to 5 times per season. Never have made it to Berkshire East in all my years of skiing.

 

[Joshua B]

My vote is for Berkshire East.

 

[teachski]

Skied Butternut, BEAST, Bousquet and Jiminy (Brodie when it was open too).

I agree with most that has been said above.

A little on Bousquet...it's not a bad little hill. It's not all cookie cutter trails. They have one good steep "Roberto's Chute" that is rather short. It's greatest attribute is NIGHT skiing, as it is uncrowded. It is best suited for families.

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

Looks like the Beast it is. As someone who doesn't ski in the Berkshires often (Jimmy Tues. nights) I find it interesting that not too much has been said about Jiminy (good or bad). I was under the impersion that they were the major player there and the other mountains were 2nd tier compared to Jiminy.

One of the many good things about AZ is you learn something new every day.

 

[Greg]

I was under the impersion that they were the major player there and the other mountains were 2nd tier compared to Jiminy.

I love Jiminy and ski there a lot. It's about a complete 180 from Berkshire East though. I like both for different reasons. Jiminy is great (when it's not too crowded, i.e. weekdays) for racking up the vertical from the six. Even if it is somewhat busy, on weekends the quads are usually dead. Some nice steeps and a few good bump runs. It's kind of resorty so some aren't into that. The BEast is a completely different animal. It's a true skier's (or rider's) mountain. Great trail layout; decent glades; and the best natural snow trails in the region. The lifts are basic fixed grips (never rode the HSD) but it's not usually that crowded so a fair amount of skiing can be had, even on weekends.

One of the many good things about AZ is you learn something new every day.

Nice to hear. Again, glad you found your way here.

 

[tirolerpeter]

Berkshires skiing?

I totally forgot the other good thing about Jiminy! They have the 8 hour ticket that starts whenever you buy it, and goes 8 hours or until the lifts close at 10 PM. And they also have a "any 4 hours" ticket. That is really a great way to run things. It means that you do not have to worry about getting there at the "crack of dawn" to get your money's worth. And, when you are there, you just suit/boot up, get your gear settled, and then go to the window to pick up your ticket..no wasted ski time off the clock and usually no lines since everyone starts at different times. BTW, since I use a Bronze at ASC, I just buy the Jiminy "Value Card." Last year you paid $29 for the card, got a FREE anytime lift ticket when you bought the card, then got $10 off every time you used the card, and if I went on Tuesday (NY State Day) I got another $5 off. Net full 8 hour price came to $25! They also gave us a free day during late spring skiing to boot. That card is a NO BRAINER for someone who skies there a few times a year.

 

[Sparky]

I’ve only skied Jiminy and Brodie. How do the others stack up against Jiminy?

It also sucks that they closed Brodie. Dang that Brian Fairbanks.

Apparently one of the reasons Brodie was not economically feasible was the liability insurance. The previous owner ran it for 11 years without any. That is a substantial savings but a ridicules risk. This additional expense plus the aging infrastructure and a couple of other things made it a no go.

 

[Greg]

Re: Berkshires skiing?

I totally forgot the other good thing about Jiminy! They have the 8 hour ticket that starts whenever you buy it, and goes 8 hours or until the lifts close at 10 PM. And they also have a "any 4 hours" ticket. That is really a great way to run things. It means that you do not have to worry about getting there at the "crack of dawn" to get your money's worth. And, when you are there, you just suit/boot up, get your gear settled, and then go to the window to pick up your ticket..no wasted ski time off the clock and usually no lines since everyone starts at different times.

I was always impressed by this approach. They simply timestamp your lift ticket with an "end time". I don't know why more ski areas don't do this.

 

[loafer89]

I have been to nearly all of the ski areas in Ma, and Bosquet is worth trying . The upper mountain is on the steeper side and the place ski's big for 750' of vertical.

The lift tickets are cheap, they offer night skiing as well.

 

[bvibert]

Re: Berkshires skiing?

I totally forgot the other good thing about Jiminy! They have the 8 hour ticket that starts whenever you buy it, and goes 8 hours or until the lifts close at 10 PM. And they also have a "any 4 hours" ticket. That is really a great way to run things. It means that you do not have to worry about getting there at the "crack of dawn" to get your money's worth. And, when you are there, you just suit/boot up, get your gear settled, and then go to the window to pick up your ticket..no wasted ski time off the clock and usually no lines since everyone starts at different times.

I was always impressed by this approach. They simply timestamp your lift ticket with an "end time". I don't know why more ski areas don't do this.

I agree, Sundown here in CT does a similar deal, except the time starts the first time you use the lift. I think they even have a 2 hour ticket on weekdays. The only problem is that you have to be scanned everytime you ride the lift, which some people don't like. Its not really a big deal though if there's anyone else in line in front of you, by the time they load you've already gotten your ticket scanned and are ready for the next chair... If you have your ticket ready that is...

 

[ChileMass]

Re: Berkshires skiing?

I totally forgot the other good thing about Jiminy! They have the 8 hour ticket that starts whenever you buy it, and goes 8 hours or until the lifts close at 10 PM. And they also have a "any 4 hours" ticket.

I was always impressed by this approach. They simply timestamp your lift ticket with an "end time". I don't know why more ski areas don't do this.

Didn't know about that - Jiminy's only about 2 hours away, so I may have to try that some weekday.

In general, though, Jiminy gets really crowded and scraped on weekends. The Beast is a terrific alternative.

 

[Greg]

Re: Berkshires skiing?

In general, though, Jiminy gets really crowded and scraped on weekends.

Saturdays, maybe. Sundays are usually fine. There's usually a busy period by the 6-pack between 10:30 and 1 PM. I usually take an 11 AM lunch (burger at Christiansen's) and ride the quads during that busy period. Even at it's busiest, if the line is ten minutes with a 5 minutes ride, the total time is only 15 minutes.

Scaped? Not usually too bad. Jiminy blows a hell of a lot of snow, more than any other Berk area for sure. I usually find their surface conditions to be pretty good. Whitetail and Whirlaway can get slick, but those trails are screamers anyway so it doesn't matter. Sides of the runs are usually pretty sweet. Jericho, Turkey and the Foxes are some of my favorites.

I'd be happy to give anyone a Jiminy tour...

 

[ALLSKIING]

Re: Berkshires skiing?

In general, though, Jiminy gets really crowded and scraped on weekends.

I'd be happy to give anyone a Jiminy tour...

I will take you up on that.

 

[tirolerpeter]

Re: Berkshires skiing?

In general, though, Jiminy gets really crowded and scraped on weekends.

I'd be happy to give anyone a Jiminy tour...

I will take you up on that.

I would love to join you both for that. Any chance you guys can get out there on a week day? Remember, I'm retired so I avoid weekends like the plague!

Even when the center of those black diamonds get scraped off, the snow ends up on the edges. It's lots of fun "dancing" around on those powdery edges!