WHY is your favorite mountain your favorite?

[Boston Bulldog]

There is just something about that mountain. It's that place where the woods are just a little bit easier to ge immersed in, the trails ski just a little bit better; where the Mountain likes you just a little bit more. We all have that mountain, but WHY is that mountain so special to you.

Mine would have to be Sunapee.

Why? you would ask. Well, it all goes back to childhood.

1. Sunapee was my childhood stomping grounds. I explored every single nook and cranny there. That mountain was MINE. I had mastered it. I knew the mountain well, and the mountain knew me well. There were the crazy explorations down the backside with my friends to groomer ripping with my father. The mountain was a welcome home to me.

2. Trail layout. the trails are very convieniently spread around the mountain, especially the Sunbowl. (I love looking over at Porky and Wingding at the top of the Sunbowl Quad, the view of the lake along with the subtle wiggles of the trails always give me a good feeling) The trails have character to them, from Blast Off's rollers, to Skyway's wide cruise. There isn't a dull moment cruising down Sunapee's best product.

3. The View. When you are shooting down Wingding, or looking over your shoulder on the North Peak or Sunbowl lifts, you get an awesome view of the lake. The lake brings back memories of swimming, ice fishing, pond hockey, water skiing and much more. It's just incredible

4. "That Moment". We have all had it, the moment when you realize how much you love the place. Mine was in the Summit Glades. I was 16 at the time and was standing at the entrance. It had snowed a foot overnight and snow flurries were still falling. It was then when all the memories flooded back in and I was overcome with joy. That run was especially sweet and felt like it lasted forever. Ever since then, the my perception of the mountain changed forever.

While the mountain has changed for the worse somewhat (Loss of charecters, crowds), the place remains a special place to me.

How about you? What makes YOUR mountain special?

 

[bdfreetuna]

I'm not sure what my favorite mountain is. Could be Sugarbush, Jay, MRG, Magic or a few other places on any given day.

What makes them special is these hills actually have some steeper natural terrain and good woods.

I don't have too many criteria beyond that which makes a great ski area.

 

[ScottySkis]

I like so many for different reasons, but when their is lots of natural, you know am going to say Mountain Creek lol no really shocking I say Platty.
Most snow in the Catskills in normal seasons.
Not skiied off by 12pm on Saturday and Sundays.
Steeps and trees.
They should pay be for advertising, I think I am part of the reason why they been getting some good crowds this winter lol.

 

[andyzee]

Cause I like it.

 

[skisheep]

When it comes to Whiteface, it's got to be the sheer size of the place. It's the closest to a western ski experience you can get in the east, and the towering vertical is just too fun. Also, Lake Placid is a great ski town, and is way underrated compared to others, I'm always suprised how few people in NYC know about it, but know about Stowe, despite them being the same distance(Whiteface is also an easier drive, just straight up 87). Finally, the Adirondacks are a very special place to me; I spent 3 summers earning my 46, and return year after year to the mountains which I love, whether it be climbing them, hiking them, skiing them, or just being around them.
-skisheep

 

[andyzee]

When it comes to Whiteface, it's got to be the sheer size of the place. It's the closest to a western ski experience you can get in the east, and the towering vertical is just too fun. Also, Lake Placid is a great ski town, and is way underrated compared to others, I'm always suprised how few people in NYC know about it, but know about Stowe, despite them being the same distance(Whiteface is also an easier drive, just straight up 87). Finally, the Adirondacks are a very special place to me; I spent 3 summers earning my 46, and return year after year to the mountains which I love, whether it be climbing them, hiking them, skiing them, or just being around them.
-skisheep

Big thumbs up on most of your points. One error though, Lake Placid is probably around 50 miles closer to New York and to me is by far more of a ski town with a better vibe.

 

[steamboat1]

Stowe is also an easy drive from NYC. 95,91,89.

 

[St. Bear]

When it comes to Whiteface, it's got to be the sheer size of the place. It's the closest to a western ski experience you can get in the east, and the towering vertical is just too fun. -skisheep

This is kind of nitpicking, but I think Sugarloaf also comes close.

But you know what, I've never been out west, so what do I know?

 

[skisheep]

Agreed, Lake Placid is vastly superior to Stowe, yet people routinley bypass it for Stowe and others. I think that the fact that people don't know about it contributes to the vibe, it has the local flair to it that more well known and travelled places loose.

Just looked up the driving times, Lake Placid is an hour closer than Stowe. That makes it even more suprising that it's so overlooked, since it's actually a shorter drive. Oh well, more powder for me!

 

[skisheep]

As a resident of the SW CT corner of 95, trust me, it's not an easy road to drive. The stretch of 95 between NYC and New Haven(81) is ranked as one of the worst in the country for traffic, and rush hour on a friday night(assuming it's a weekend trip), while no picnic on 87, is nothing compared to the cluster^$*@ that is 95. (Thank god for Metro North, I would go insane having to drive into the city 5 days a week...)

-skisheep

 

[skisheep]

Never been to the loaf, but would be inclined to agree with that based on what I've read about it, the snowfields, along with the slides, are the eastern counterparts of western skiing, although they aren't as good as the real thing. Their 2820' is nothing to sneeze at, and is 3rd in new england(second if you don't count skyeship at Killington).

This is kind of nitpicking, but I think Sugarloaf also comes close.

But you know what, I've never been out west, so what do I know?

 

[ScottySkis]

Agreed, Lake Placid is vastly superior to Stowe, yet people routinley bypass it for Stowe and others. I think that the fact that people don't know about it contributes to the vibe, it has the local flair to it that more well known and travelled places loose.

Just looked up the driving times, Lake Placid is an hour closer than Stowe. That makes it even more suprising that it's so overlooked, since it's actually a shorter drive. Oh well, more powder for me!

For me it just natural snow happens more at Stowe and North Vermont resorts then Whiteface. That is why I go to North Vermont for 80% of eastern 3 day weekend. Not saying I don't like terrain at White F is awesome, but if I only go that far once or twice ,I rather go where better chance of snow is.

 

[ss20]

Mount Snow. It was my first ski trip in VT. There was snow piled up the 3rd story of the Snow Lake Lodge. I was an intermediate at the time, so I had about 60 trails I could ski. People. Vertical, size (remember, it was my first time in VT). Beautiful views. I could go on and on...but in a nutshell, MS is my favorite because of the sentimental attachment.

 

[deadheadskier]

Mount Mansfield. I can see why people might prefer other resorts better. But, in terms of best mountain? It's Mansfield. No mountain in the East has as vast options of terrain from it's summit with as much snow as Mount Mansfield has. Sugarloaf might have the most acreage for developed ski mountains, Whiteface the most vertical, Jay the most snow; and though not developed as a ski mountain, Mount Washington obviously is king in terms of unreal acreage of technical terrain. None of them has the complete package that Mount Mansfield has.

Some good Meathead footage, but they're really only capturing about 5% of the terrain available on Mansfield. The Chin footage on the Northface is very sick obviously, but most of the tree sequences are terrain out on or by Hellbrook and then under the Ice Fall on the Kitchen Wall, which that area is actually not really worth skiing outside of the photo ops in front of the Ice Fall. It's really only about 150 vert of fun stuff before it flattens out to Cliff trail (plenty of great, steep ass 700 vertical descents in other areas from the top of the kitchen wall though).

 

[deadheadskier]

a bit more raw, non-professional edited footage of just Hellbrook, which is less than 1% of what you can ski/ride from the top of Mansfield

 

[deadheadskier]

Uncut GoPro view of the whole run. Start at about the 2 minute mark and you pretty much get the full 2500 vert of Hellbrook in deep first tracked fresh snow in real time experience. I typically hate GoPro videos, but this one is sick. No editing, no music,just what you hear and see when your in the white room almost alone......yourself breathing, sound of your board(s) gliding in deep snow, the thwack, thwack, thwack of bushes as you go by and then brief stops and bursts of utter adrenaline fueled conversation with whomever your sharing the experience with. (8:30) Ends with him reaching route 108 and an easy cruise back to the Gondola to go up, hike and be skiing some other sick 2500 vert line within an hour, or just sticking to the lifts and skiing Stowe's incredible terrain between boundaries.

I've skied Mansfield about 500 days and feel I've onlyskied maybe 60% of what the mountain has to offer; hell, I've never once skied the backside down to Underhill and I'm sure there are hundreds of acres to explore there.

Take away the"resort/expense/hassle/vibe" aspect of the question and when you just focus on what is the best ski mountain in the East? Mt. Mansfield has no peers.

 

[snoseek]

^^^^sold

 

[jrmagic]

Its Magic for me. I love the terrain both on and off map and the people are awesome. Its kind of like waking into Cheers cause everyone knows my name. Corny but true. Its been a great mountain for my kiss to learn and explore as well. On top of that members of my family own six condos so it allows us all to get together regularly like when we were kids.

 

[Scruffy]

I absolutly love Stowe, and been skiing there for years, but when I think of fond memories of a mountain, I'd have to say MRG.

 

[octopus]

fishes and nugs,oh my! nice vids deadhead