Which eastern ski areas will open first?

[Terry]

Wildcat, with a huge snowstorm in September...

I like your thinking! It sure would be fun to get another monster storm and open in Oct like a couple years ago!

 

[hardline]

i was thinking about this we should have some sort of party the first open weekend that snow opens. i will probally go up thursday night and ride friday and sat. saturday night would be fun for beers and food.

 

[andyzee]

My money's on Mt Creek.

 

[hardline]

My money's on Mt Creek.

wise ass. the creek keeps skillz sharp.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

wise ass. the creek keeps skillz sharp.

fo shizzle..some skiers in the Garden State don't even bother with the Creek but you can't turn your nose down at midweek night sessions..bonus skiing in my book..:idea:

 

[hardline]

fo shizzle..some skiers in the Garden State don't even bother with the Creek but you can't turn your nose down at midweek night sessions..bonus skiing in my book..:idea:

that why there 5x7 pass was perfect days and night durring the week and nights on the weekends.
i love it when it clears out a 730 8 and i just rack up runs. basically the whole mountain to myself. plus i sit on the floor of the gondola and sess.

 

[dropKickMurphy]

I think how north an area is, their elevation and slope aspect plays a much greater factor in the spring in terms of holding snow than in the fall when everyone's hoping the ground freezes. This is why Sugarloaf typically has better late season goods than just about anybody despite averaging 100 inches of snow less than the northern greens.

I agree. I'd love to see Saddleback, with its 2400 base elevation, try to stay open as long as the Loaf. I think a lot more people might be inclined to make that long drive in the spring if there both areas were open. That region of Maine has great potential to be the king of Eastern Spring skiing.

 

[powderman]

I predict this exceptionally cool weather will continue thru October and we'll get dumped with 2+ feet of snow then resulting in every Northeast ski area opening on October 18th.

 

[drjeff]

I agree. I'd love to see Saddleback, with its 2400 base elevation, try to stay open as long as the Loaf. I think a lot more people might be inclined to make that long drive in the spring if there both areas were open. That region of Maine has great potential to be the king of Eastern Spring skiing.

If you could just geographically move that area of Western Maine 2 to 4 hours closer to the NY metro area, you'd have a chance.

It just seems that for true late season viability, you need to be located in VT where you're a reasonable drive to both the Boston and NY metro areas to maximize the number of customers for what is relatively speaking a limited niche market(die hard lift served late spring skiers/riders)

 

[hardline]

maine will never have the draw that vt has. it only has one population center to draw from. vt has both nyc and boston. nobody i know in nyc will drive to maine.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

maine will never have the draw that vt has. it only has one population center to draw from. vt has both nyc and boston. nobody i know in nyc will drive to maine.

I'm not driving to Maine..I could be skiing out west faster...I skied Sugarloaf and Sunday River in college and they don't compare to northern Vermont in terms of terrain and natural snowfall..

 

[deadheadskier]

I'm not driving to Maine..I could be skiing out west faster...I skied Sugarloaf and Sunday River in college and they don't compare to northern Vermont in terms of terrain and natural snowfall..

they certainly don't compare in terms of Snowfall, but I think Sugarloaf is right there with Stowe in terms of having the best terrain in the east. Definitely no where near as good of natural snowfall as the northern greens though and the lift system kinda blows.

 

[eastcoastpowderhound]

I'm not driving to Maine..I could be skiing out west faster...I skied Sugarloaf and Sunday River in college and they don't compare to northern Vermont in terms of terrain and natural snowfall..

phew, what a relief! OldsnowboarderME is dancing for joy!

 

[eastcoastpowderhound]

nobody i know in nyc will drive to maine.

ayuh, and thats the way most mainers would prefer it...not too many of them want to drive to nyc either.

 

[hardline]

ayuh, and thats the way most mainers would prefer it...not too many of them want to drive to nyc either.

but the resorts would love to have the money from nyc. vermont i tough sell. most people just fly out west.

 

[eastcoastpowderhound]

but the resorts would love to have the money from nyc. vermont i tough sell. most people just fly out west.

maybe - but sunday river does similar skier visits to mount snow so proximaty to nyc isn't the holy grail of success in NE. I remember a stat (simmer down GSS) that at least 50% of the skiers at resorts in ME are from ME and there's plenty of $$ kicking around SR, Portland, Falmouth, Cape Elizabeth and the rest of southern ME...not to mention seacoast NH...sure, its not manhatten vc money or investment bankers but its not peanuts. With the boyne plan for SR's future they're in good shape to draw more visits year round.

 

[hardline]

maybe - but sunday river does similar skier visits to mount snow...I remember a stat (simmer down GSS) that at least 50% of the skiers at resorts in ME are from ME and there's plenty of $$ kicking around SR, Portland, Falmouth, Cape Elizabeth and the rest of southern ME...not to mention seacoast NH...sure, its not manhatten vc money or investment bankers but its not peanuts. With the boyne plan for SR's future they're in good shape to draw more visits year round.

thats absolutly possible that the majority of thier visits come from maine but geographicly maine will never suport the skier vists that vt generates. vt draws on the boston,nyc and philly metro areas.

 

[eastcoastpowderhound]

thats absolutly possible that the majority of thier visits come from maine but geographicly maine will never suport the skier vists that vt generates. vt draws on the boston,nyc and philly metro areas.

Never said it would...but it doesn't stop sunday river from having as many visits as most of the larger vt areas aside from k-town...the other half of SRs visits are from MA...economically ME is still pretty much a colony of MA...the draw from boston is solid
We're both right anyway...you'e right that ME is too far away from NYC and the gang to do the visits VT does...and I'm right in saying an eastern resort doesn't have to be within 3 hrs of NYC to do big visits by NE standards. Time for a :beer: instead of a :argue:

 

[Terry]

ayuh, and thats the way most mainers would prefer it...not too many of them want to drive to nyc either.

Post of the day right there! All Mainers I know feel the same way.:beer:

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Post of the day right there! All Mainers I know feel the same way.:beer:

Mainers are a different breed....kind of like the anti-Jersey..lol