What's the Coolest "Little" Ski Area That You've Been To?

[riverc0il]

how big are we using for a definition of little? a lot of areas already mentionred i think of as mid-sized. mittersill and magic, for example, i see as larger than mid-sized (~1400-1600 verts). black mountain in NH is my favorite of the mid-sized areas.

 

[thetrailboss]

Agreed, Riv. I was thinking places under 1,000 vert or so...and not a destination resort per se.

 

[eatskisleep]

Having a 1,100 foot vertical drop, Black Mountain is the best in my book. Classic feel and there is some great skiing to be found. If you think Black doesn't have steeps, head into the Carter Notch glades and you will change your mind fast!

 

[Flan]

Bryce Mountain in Virginia on the WVA border. Only about 300-400(?) vertical. Skiied in back in the '80's. Neat little place. There was a small airport adjacent to the base area. I remember some guy working on his bi-plane all day on the runway. Also the smallest area I've been to.

 

[Npage148]

Holliday Valley, NY.

I lived in Buffalo for quite some time and SUNY Buffalo had a great ski club. There was such a thing as skiing on the cheap.

Im a suny buffalo and thats where is ski most of the time. Im also a member of the ski club. Its a great deal, $110 and skiing 9 times a week at 3 different mountains. Every night of the week and during the day twice a week.
I wouldnt really call HV a small hill anymore though, its more of a resort now. The 2 high speed quads kinda disqualify it.

Royal Mountain was sweet when I was a kid. Tiny, but they only open on Weekends (as far as I know), so the powder builds up all week.

Ill second that. The highlight of my winter break is going home and riding there. I learned to ride there and had many great times. They have some nice glads and its so laid back. Plus, the chili in the lodge is great and you can drink in the "bar" with the owner and his gang of friends. The pro snowboarder, Jamil Khan came out of there. Sadly he was killed in an avi a few years ago

 

[andyzee]

First thing to pop in my mind is Plattekill, but it's not fair to call it little. So, other then that, I have to say Mt Peter in Southern NY. It's a cool little hill I went to once, stats are as follows:

Total # of Trails: 11
Beginner 45% (4)
Intermediate 33% (3)
Advanced 22% (3)
Total # of Lifts: 3
Double Chair: 2
Surface Lifts: 1
Mountain Stats
Top Elev.: 1400
Base Elev.: 1000
Vertical Drop: 400
Lift Capacity: 2400 /hour

Longest Trail: Rim Run (1.00)

Not bad for beginners or just to get in an hour or two of skiing close to home.

 

[teachski]

OK, Here's little....
Pine Ridge Snow Park...225 Vert., T-bar and rope tow, 7 trails.

Also, Ski Ward's vert is only about 200, not 300 like someone else here reported.

I'm really surprised that no one has mentioned Suicide 6. S6 has a GREAT history. It is of MAJOR importance in the development of skiing in New England.

 

[pepperdawg]

definitly a fun, mellow place...have to add Wolf Creek, even though getting there is a pain...

Yep. Mine are Wolf Creek and Ski Santa Fe. Too bad Ski Santa Fe doesn't get Wolf Creek's snow. The terrain is great and Santa Fe sure blows away Pagosa Springs.

Not to mention PS is Stinky - literally....

 

[sledhaulingmedic]

definitly a fun, mellow place...have to add Wolf Creek, even though getting there is a pain...

Yep. Mine are Wolf Creek and Ski Santa Fe. Too bad Ski Santa Fe doesn't get Wolf Creek's snow. The terrain is great and Santa Fe sure blows away Pagosa Springs.

Ski Santa Fe? Little? That's 2000' vertical!

Little: Darrow School ROpe tow (Lost): 300" vertical of terror only to be repeated by riding a tow powered by a Model T operated by a drunken Frenchman! Long gone, but the rusted engine block remains.

Blue hills. When the snow piles high to the South, the glades and nooks and crannies of her massive 400' vertical loom large. (and she's within 128!)

 

[JohnL]

I'll add an additional nod to Middlebury College Snow Bowl - it's where I learned to ski.

Roughly adhering to the 1000 foot vertical rule: Blue Knob and Laurel Mountain in PA, Timberline and Canaan Valley in WV. Timberline and Canaan get around 150-180 inches of snow a year.

Ignoring the 1000 foot vertical rule but keeping the spirit of local's areas that most people haven't skied:
Homewood in Tahoe. The base lodge (a trailer) is probably 100 feet from lake Tahoe. Probably the best views of Lake Tahoe, even better than Heavenly.
Powder Mountain in Utah. Old, slow lifts, practically no facilities, out in the middle of nowhere, not much vertical by Utah standards, but a vast amount of terrain. They have snowcat rides for $7 dollars a pop (a group of riders gets towed behind the cat in a multi-person water-skiing rope-type set-up.) You can ski a Powder Country area that funnels down to the access road. An old blue school bus does a circuit between the lodge and points on the access road. At one point you have to ski over a road that leads to a (very, very small) condo development near the top of the mountain. They leave that section of the road mostly unplowed, so you just ski over the road. Pretty funky set-up.

 

[ski_resort_observer]

I skied the North Creek Ski Bowl when I was a kid. Lot of fun. I remember the best trail was Hudson and the top of the T-bar was pretty steep.

 

[trackbiker]

Sping Mountain is really where I learned how to ski. At 420' vertical, I think it qualifies as small.
My mother used to drop us off then pick us up. The rope tow would shread a pair gloves in no time. I used to put a pair of pigskin gloves over mine to ride the rope tow then put them in my pocket for the ride down.
When I could drive I would make the extra 20 min. drive to Bear Creek (then called Doe Mtn.)
But when I was in college I could ski at Spring Mt.for $5.00 on Fri. nights because they had a gym class there. I never took the gym class, but I used my I.D. for the $5.00 lift ticket. OK, I'll even admit that I used my I.D. to ski there for $5.00 a few times the first year I was out of college.
Spring Mt. was closed for a year recently, but then reopened when it was bought by the Buckman's who own several ski shops in the area under the same name.
I haven't skied there since moving back to the area 3 yrs. ago. There are better areas only a little bit farther drive for the same money.
But my neice and nephew learned to board there, and I plan to ski there a few nights this year as it is only 20 min. away, and I want to support the new owners for keeping it off of NELSAP!
By the way, the rope tow was replaced by a triple chair. I now sound like my mother, who used to walk 10 blocks in the snow to school, uphill both ways, when I tell my neice and nephew that I learned how to ski there on a rope tow.

 

[frozencorn]

Learned to ski at Black Mountain, so I've got a spot for that place. Plus Jackson is such a downright cool place, and the Wildcat Tavern the perfect atmosphere.

 

[smootharc]

Suicide 6

I'm really surprised that no one has mentioned Suicide 6. S6 has a GREAT history. It is of MAJOR importance in the development of skiing in New England.

Excellent observation....and the hill is "tres stout and stealth burly". A little beast, with beautiful aesthetics. I have a few pics I'll try to post.

 

[RossiSkier]

Coolest little place in my area is Willard Mountain www.willardmountain.com . Twenty miles from my front door! Night skiing! Bar!

Number of Trails 14 (they lie like the big hills!)
Maximun Downhill Trail Length (ft) 85
Vertical Drop (ft) 550
Number of Tows/Bars 3
Number of Double Chairs 2

I learned at this hill in the 70's and my wife recently learned to ski here via private lessons. It has a great program for kids called The Little Colonel Ski School. And lessons are inexpensive. A fraction of what you'd pay at a resort.

They just put in a new high speed lift. Go figure!

Best of all, the ski shop is an authorized Rossignol dealer and has great deals on all types of skis and ski equipment. Got a great deal on a pair of season-before boots. They're selling the new mid-fat Rossi B1 for $360! There's a ton of deals to be had there.

 

[mattchuck2]

Did they really put in a high speed lift!?!?!?! HA!

I remember that mountain being fun. I used to practice there for the Shen Ski Team. Best run is the signature trail right down the front. . . The COLONAL!

 

[Paul]

Used to like Mt. Tom in Holyoke, MA (Lost)



Learned, and still frequent the Mighty, Mighty Powder Ridge ( www.powderridgect.com )

 

[RossiSkier]

Did they really put in a high speed lift!?!?!?! HA!

I remember that mountain being fun. I used to practice there for the Shen Ski Team. Best run is the signature trail right down the front. . . The COLONAL!

It's hard to believe isn't it?

It's a very well run little hill.

 

[JimG.]

First thing to pop in my mind is Plattekill, but it's not fair to call it little.

Sure it is...granted it's got 1000' vert, but consider:

2 lifts, both fixed grip, a double and a triple.

Opens Monday-Thursday only if there is a powder dump.

Usually open only Friday-Sunday.

Very limited snowmaking, depends mostly on natural snow.

Skiing is boundary to boundary...use the trails to access the woods.

 

[dmc]

Bridger Bowl in Montana... By far the coolest little ski area I've been to...