Where should i buy a ski pass for this year

[FRITOLAYGUY]

Ok im looking to get a ski pass for a mountain thats within a 2hour drive from Stamford CT or maybe a few mins further if its worth it, I had the asc and stoks pass before but i hate truckin it up to Vermont, and i never stay overnite so it turns out to be a long long day by the time i get home.. Ive had suggestions from belleayre, hunter, jiminy, catamount, to sundown.. I love catamounts price at 199 but its just a little smaller than what i want.. On the other hand i do like belleayre but they charge 700 for a season pass, which i guess isnt too bad with no restrictions.. I just want some decent skiing for an intermediate, at a decent mountain without the crazy crowds if possible, any options would help?

 

[Sky]

Sorry, I can't help with the immediate question. But I'd like to offer a perspective....If what you want is day-trip skiing...consider keeping it close to home (less than 2 hrs?) so you're more likely to hit the slopes more frequently. (time on snow is time on snow).

The other slice to this thought...is if you can keep your pass price down AND keep it close to home...then maybe there's room in the budget to make a decent day trip to something more challenging.

If Jiminy is an option....they belong to the Mountains of Distinction program http://www.getskiing.net/tip3.cfm

MoD allows you to ski 1/2 price at participating resorts.

Good luck!

 

[thetrailboss]

I can't really help either. I've only skied Wachusett and BEast in SNE where you are...two very, very different experiences.

 

[FRITOLAYGUY]

Never been to Jiminy Sky, but i do like their MOD program

 

[BeanoNYC]

Jiminy isn't a bad option. Not too sure if it's in your 2 hour range though.

 

[ALLSKIING]

I would go with Jiminy for a few reason:
1) Its about a 2hr drive from you.
2) The Mt skies bigger then it is.
3) Due to great snowmaking they have a pretty long season for Mass.
4) With that big six-pack you can ski a ton of vert in a day.
5) Very good night skiing.

 

[Greg]

I would go with Jiminy for a few reason:
1) Its about a 2hr drive from you.
2) The Mt skies bigger then it is.
3) Due to great snowmaking they have a pretty long season for Mass.
4) With that big six-pack you can ski a ton of vert in a day.
5) Very good night skiing.

I agree with all these points except #1. Jiminy is 1:45 for me and I'm probably an hour from Stamford. I would guess Jiminy is in the 2:30 - 3 hour range depending on road conditions. I agree with Sky that you want a place you can get to often. Does a close to 3 hour drive allow for that? Only you know. At $199 I would still go with the Catamount pass. It's a bit small, and the skiable terrain is limited, but at 1,000' vert, a steep run in Catapult, some cool bump lines, and a new summit quad this season it's still a decent mountain. A steal of a pass at two hundred bucks, For less than the price of a Belleayre pass, you could get a Catamount pass and a pass at a place like Butternut (great for intermediates, and only another $200) or Sundown for an even closer option.

 

[YardSaleDad]

On the other hand i do like belleayre but they charge 700 for a season pass, which i guess isnt too bad with no restrictions..

The key question is how many days do you plan to ski?

I spent $386 for 17 days at Belleayre this year, I just paid attention to the specials, and ski club discounts. I bought the kids season passes since it's $170 for them.

 

[Grassi21]

I've only skied Jiminy once but loved the mountain. I lived in Stamford for a number of years and would have to agree with Greg's estimate on driving time. Catamount and Butternut have great deals on season passes, but as mentioned earlier, the terrain is limited. As an intermediate/aspiring advanced skier, I was loving Sundown and Mohawk this season (I would give a slight edge to Sundown). My only gripe with the 2 CT mountains is that a season pass can cost around $450ish depending on when you purchase. The price seems high for the available terrain but if you put in a serious number of days your per day cost drops.

I have been back and forth on which mtn. to buy a pass at so this thread is helping me too.

 

[Greg]

I was loving Sundown and Mohawk this season (I would give a slight edge to Sundown).

I think Sundown has it all over Mohawk, hands down. Sundown has less runs, but all runs at Mohawk feel the same. Sundown has better pitch, a nice seeded bump run, great scenery and a cool vibe.

 

[thetrailboss]

YSD has a good thing to consider--put a $ figure on how much you ski. I hit 43 days this season, so almost any pass is a good price and for my student rate, it was a firebrand price. I paid less than $5 per day for my programs. Now, if you are a "once in a while skier," who skis when the conditions are good, I would not blow a lot of money and go for the lowest and closest resort. If you are a more serious skier and gets in about 20-30 days a season, then you can be more selective and choose from a broader range of resorts with different prices. If you drop $500 for your pass (probably less), that's $20 or so a day....still quite reasonable since the "walk up" rate for weekends at most places is now ranging between $40 and $55.

So the amount you will ski will help you narrow it down. This is my general advice seeing that I don't ski down where you are.

 

[Grassi21]

I think Sundown has it all over Mohawk, hands down. Sundown has less runs, but all runs at Mohawk feel the same. Sundown has better pitch, a nice seeded bump run, great scenery and a cool vibe.

True. The number of trails at Mohawk "seems" like an edge over Sundown. I skied the last two days of the season at Sundown and loved the place. It also seems like Sundown does a better job in terms of snow making. And from the AZ challenge, it sounds as if there is a possibility of Sundown cutting a new trail. The view from Gunbarrel is great.

 

[Greg]

True. The number of trails at Mohawk "seems" like an edge over Sundown. I skied the last two days of the season at Sundown and loved the place. It also seems like Sundown does a better job in terms of snow making. And from the AZ challenge, it sounds as if there is a possibility of Sundown cutting a new trail. The view from Gunbarrel is great.

Cool. Maybe we'll make some turns this season. We've got a pretty good Sundown crew forming for next season...

 

[Grassi21]

Cool. Maybe we'll make some turns this season. We've got a pretty good Sundown crew forming for next season...

Definitely. If the family planning goes as we hope, I will be doing a lot of solo days this season.

 

[FRITOLAYGUY]

Greg ive skied both sundown and mohawk, i defidently noticed that gunbarrel was alot steeper than anything else mohawk had to offer. I just think after a few times id be bored with both places.

 

[Greg]

Greg ive skied both sundown and mohawk, i defidently noticed that gunbarrel was alot steeper than anything else mohawk had to offer. I just think after a few times id be bored with both places.

Understood. If they didn't have the bumps set up on Nor'easter last season I don't think I would have skied Sundown as much as I did. I consider it bump practice. Although with my daughter starting out this season, I expect to be at Sundown quite a bit, bumps or not.

 

[FRITOLAYGUY]

So the question is are you going to be there enough to buy their pass?

 

[Greg]

So the question is are you going to be there enough to buy their pass?

Probably not enough to "buy" their pass...

 

[snowsprite]

I'm in Stamford and I make the haul to Killington almost every weekend! It's not so bad. I have gone to all the places you mention (except Jiminy) and while they are okay I cannot imagine getting a season pass there.

You should just suck it up and make the drive...it's totally worth it and with the cheap pass prices at Killington even more so. Or consider Mt. Snow which saves you like an hour travel time.

Sprite

 

[FRITOLAYGUY]

I dont mind the drive there its the drive back which is just brutal after skiing all day