Where should I go?

[Zand]

I have a choice this winter and I want some help on which mountain to go to. As long as it's in New England (preferably south of Sugarloaf) which is good for a low-advanced skiier? Thanks.

 

[Terry]

where should I go?

You should give Shawnee Peak a try. They are reasonable priced, less crowded, and a good variety of trails. They also offer night skiing at very reasonable prices. This is my home mountain, and I could show you around.
:beer:

 

[teachski]

Give Burke a try. Loads of steep cruisers for intermediate to advanced skiers.

 

[ChileMass]

As a low/beginning skier, you may want to avoid the bigger resorts due to volume/traffic on the slopes. Options closer to Mass that will allow you to get your feet under you in a relatively sane way include:

Berkshire East - old fashioned, smaller and very homey. Lots of natural Berkshire snow and small crowds especially during the week. 2 1/2 hrs from Boston out Rte 2.

Gunstock - a great medium-sized hill with excellent grooming and views of Lake Winnipesaukee. 2 hours from Boston.

Mt. Ascutney - family-oriented, but just expanded to 1800' of vertical, so definitely some fun to be had there. You can get the Vermont experience without going all the way to Stowe or MRG. 2 hours from Boston.

Good luck - have fun!!

 

[riverc0il]

here's another vote for burke. there's a lot of mountains out there that would meet your needs, do you have any other preferences?

 

[Lostone]

Is Burke south of the Loaf?

I thought it was pretty far up there? maybe just more east than where we have been skiing.

As a Sugarbush skier, I think it is a really good mountain, but I agree that if you are a lower level, you might not get all the use you should with a large mountain.

Two suggestions. Ragged Mountain and midweek. Ragged isn't big, but was a pretty good mountain with a fairly diverse amount of terrain. And if you haven't discovered the joys of skiing midweek, try it. It is a whole different view on skiing. :wink:

 

[Zand]

Where do you get that I am a low-level skier? I stated in my first post that I am low-advanced.

I've skied Sugarbush and handled everything over at South except for Castlerock Run and Snowball. (Long story.)

I really want a place with steep-cruisers kinda like Vertigo at Killington, with good snow and maybe some intermediate bumps so I can actually learn how to do them good. The ice-balls at Wachusett don't permit me to do that.

Thanks for all of the recommendations guys. Burke and Ascutney sound good for me so far.

 

[riverc0il]

burke is up north, but it's quick and easy to get to as it's right off the interstate. ~3 hours from boston, much much closer than the loaf, though i'm sure it's probably at approximately the same parallel - but it's far less east. plus the interstate makes it an easy drive.

thanks for clarifying Zand. burke is king for upper intermediate/lower expert cruisers. their blue squares ski harder than most other mountains comparitively and are awesome for cranking out some carves. the dippers are particularly good. usually can find a few of the blue squares bumped up with natural snow underneath dougs drop (lower dougs and another trail), though upper dougs and wilderness with good snow would be okay for learning.

ragged is also a good option as mentioned above. i have been there once and their bumps are very blue square in terms of pitch and would make for great learning bumps. they're groomed cruisers aren't too steep though. cannon has lots of steep cruisers, but their bumps can be rather mean. even the blue square bumps on rocket's right side can be pretty nasty sometimes.

wildcat may be a solid option too. i got started learning bumps there myself. while not the steepest mountain around, lynx is one of the best trails around for opening up some serious cranking turns. view ain't bad either (see my avatar ).