Your FAVORITE ASC Resort

[thetrailboss]

OK, if you could only have ONE, which would it be?

I really like Sunday River, Pico, and K-Mart, but from what I've heard and seen, the 'loaf is where it's at. Can't wait to ski there!

The thing that is kind of scary is how SMALL ASC is compared to what it used to have:

Snow
Sugarloaf
Sunday River
Attitash
KMart/Pico
Canyons
Steamboat
Heavenly (?)
Waterville Valley
Cranmore
Sugarbush

Rumor had it that they were involved in Bromley as well...
[/b]

 

[NHpowderhound]

When did ASC own Waterville? I must've been absent that day.
Sugarloaf is my choice for ASC properties I hate the least. Big, steep at the top and far from the masses. Needs more natural snow and a better lift network.
((*
*))NHPH

 

[nancie2k]

i would rather be out west in the best snow on earth

 

[thetrailboss]

When did ASC own Waterville? I must've been absent that day.
Sugarloaf is my choice for ASC properties I hate the least. Big, steep at the top and far from the masses. Needs more natural snow and a better lift network.
((*
*))NHPH

ASC owned both WV and Cranmore for the first season that the entire conglomerate existed (1995 or so I think). They were trust-busted around that time and spun Cranmore and WV off to Booth but not before installing the new HSQ at Cranmore and shortening the WV HSQ. I might be wrong, but I believe ASC might have even owned Loon at around the same time. At any event, they sold WV and Cranmore and then in 2001 dropped SB due to financial problems. Heavenly got dumped around then.

I can't remember which mountain it was, but they got into a contract-snaffu with Triple Peaks that was just settled...were going to sell a mountain but then pulled out at the last minute.

 

[NHpowderhound]

Ahh, I think it's starting to come back to me. :dunce:
((*
*))NHPH

 

[BeanoNYC]

Mount Snow because I dig West Dover.

 

[Greg]

Sugarloaf, without question.

 

[tirolerpeter]

Favorite ASC resort?

I have only skied Killington, Pico, Snow, and Sunday River here in the east. And, I have only had one trip to Sunday River (which had good snow, but temps that day that began at -20F.)which made it a bit of a tough day. I can't really rate the other eastern ASC resorts not having skied them. The Canyons has that great "Champagne Powder" and some wonderful terrain. But, I find that there is quite a bit of "traveling" needed to get around the many peaks. That can be annoying. So, I didn't vote since it wouldn't really mean much without having had the chance to make prper comparisons.

 

[loafer89]

The choice for me would be fairly obvious. I agree that Sugarloaf could use more natural snow, but I really don't find many faults with the lift system.

I used to think that limited access to the snowfields was a bad thing, but the snow conditions really cannot handle alot of traffic, the cover is usually just too thin.

The Superquad and Whiffletree service most of the mountain just fine, Double Runner and Spillway are slow, but no big deal. I have never waited more than 15 minutes in a liftline there in more than 15 years of skiing.

ASC cannot afford new lifts right now, and Sugarloaf is not a big money maker, if it makes any at all.

 

[Vortex]

Sunday River bar far. Followed by Sugarloaf. I thought Waterville was owned by Killington limited. I did not know Carnmore was part of ASC. I think Loon was on its own until booth creek bought it. The River has fantastic snow making and great grooming. Sugarloaf's Reggae weekend has been the best weekend the last 2 years for me.

 

[Geoff]

I guess you guys haven't skied at Steamboat or The Canyons? It's apples & oranges.

I picked Steamboat. The Canyons would be a close #2 though you can make a pretty good argument for The Canyons as #1. Nothing in their eastern portfolio comes close. Much better snow quality. Much bigger mountains. Much more variety of terrain. Much better ski towns.

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

I guess you guys haven't skied at Steamboat or The Canyons? It's apples & oranges.

I picked Steamboat. The Canyons would be a close #2 though you can make a pretty good argument for The Canyons as #1. Nothing in their eastern portfolio comes close. Much better snow quality. Much bigger mountains. Much more variety of terrain. Much better ski towns.

I picked The Canyons, never been to Steamboat.

 

[loafer89]

I've been to Steamboat once, and I did not care for it all that much. The base elevation is quite low for a Colorado ski area, and the snow around the base got really mushy and that was on a sunny late December day.

The skiing was alright, nothing super challenging. I would preffer Winter Park/Mary Jane, Breckenridge, or Vail instead. But when compared to the east, nearly all western skiing has better conditions.

 

[Geoff]

I've been to Steamboat once, and I did not care for it all that much. The base elevation is quite low for a Colorado ski area, and the snow around the base got really mushy and that was on a sunny late December day.

The skiing was alright, nothing super challenging. I would preffer Winter Park/Mary Jane, Breckenridge, or Vail instead. But when compared to the east, nearly all western skiing has better conditions.

That's like complaining about mushy and firm snow at the bottom of Whistler. Nobody skis the lower mountain. Steamboat has a base elevation of 6900 but the peak is 10,500. That's the same as Snowbird or Alta. You upload on the gondola and ski the upper mountain lifts all day. Steamboat doesn't have much in the way of oh-my-gosh steeps. The numbered chutes and the glades at the very top have some good pitch though they're really short. Some trails like Rolex have pretty decent pitch. The reason to ski Steamboat is to catch the tree skiing on a powder day. Shadows & Closet on a bottomless powder day are amazing.

The Canyons has much more challenging terrain but a bunch of it sits in the sun and is prone to melting out. 9990 gives you the same big mountain skiing feel you get at AltaBird.

 

[loafer89]

Maybe it's just me but Steamboat was my least favorite mountain in Colorado. I did ski in the trees at Steamboat, but it was not a thrill for me.
The base area looks like a bomb shelter with all of the concrete that it's constructed from.

The back bowls of Vail, and the bumps of Pallavicini
at A-basin are my cup of tea.

 

[Lostone]

ASC is to skiing what MacDonalds is to eating. :roll:

 

[ga2ski]

based on tghe way the question was asked: Being close to ONE mountain:

I would have to order them this way: (I'm also asumming they are not crowded)
Steamboat
Canyons
K
Loaf
SR
pico (although i never been there)
snow (although i never been there)
attitrash

Based on actual distances from my house, crowds, terrain and conditions, I pick SR.

Also I don't ever remember WV as part of ASC, but maybe my mind is slipping. I remember SR, ABP, abd Cranmore, but no WV.

 

[Geoff]

Also I don't ever remember WV as part of ASC, but maybe my mind is slipping. I remember SR, ABP, abd Cranmore, but no WV.

Waterville was owned by Killington/Preston Smith/Ski Ltd. When Les Otten bought the Killington empire, they had to unload some of their combined ski areas to avoid antitrust. There may have been a very brief period of time where Les Otten technically owned Waterville before ownership was transferred.

 

[Geoff]

Maybe it's just me but Steamboat was my least favorite mountain in Colorado. I did ski in the trees at Steamboat, but it was not a thrill for me.
The base area looks like a bomb shelter with all of the concrete that it's constructed from.

The back bowls of Vail, and the bumps of Pallavicini
at A-basin are my cup of tea.

Vail and A-basin obviously aren't owned by ASC. Steamboat is hardly my favorite Colorado ski area but it's clearly a better overall experience than anything ASC owned in the east. My favorite in Colorado is Wolf Creek.

 

[Charlie Schuessler]

Being a Killington skier for most of three decades, I wish they were still SKI, Ltd. in lieu of ASC....otherwise all things considered, Killington is my favorite ASC Resort with Sugarloaf and Sunday River 2A & 2B respectively...