A Free Lifetime Pass to Any Mountain

No unfortunately I don't have one to give you. But I was just thinking - where would you ski most if you could?

What mountains would you choose for a lifetime pass and why?

I'm looking for three answers:

1)  A mountain in NY
2)  A mountain in the Northeast outside of NY
3)  A mountain anywhere outside of the northeastern US

Would love to hear as much of the thinking as you have patience to provide.

1) Whiteface, - the more i ski Gore, the more I want to ski Whiteface.
2) Sugarbush, - you can see Whiteface from Mt. Ellen
3) low-key place in Utah. I'll probably move to UT at some point

not much thinking was involved ...

Forget the price of plane tickets:

1. Whistler-Blackcomb
2. Revelstoke
3. Verbier

1) Gore/Whiteface works perfectly fine. I wish I could get to Whiteface more often though.
2) Do college passes count? The Triple Major is an awesome pass - Jay, Mad River and Bolton for $289.
3) I'd have to travel more to figure that out. Of the places I have been, My favorite so far is Alpine Meadows (the one in Tahoe, not the NELSAP one of Corinth) - But that is probably because of the conditions when I went to other Mountains. Solitude was really nice, too. EDIT* I'll go with Matt and throw Jackson Hole on here, too.

CONTENTS DELETED

1) Hunter....Because I live 1.5hrs away
2) Stowe... I think it has the best terrain in the east , also the top 3 when it comes to snowfall.
3) Whistler/Blackcomb..The place blew me away, also great windsurfing near by. I forgot summer skiing too. The west's coolest city,Vancouver...

Gore-Whiteface in NY (maybe Hickory if I knew it would be an epic winter)
Mad River Glen  in the east...My version of the best ski area in the east
My anywhere outside the northeast is hard because I still have a bucket list
Top of my list is Jackson Hole
From what I have skied I would put A-Basin at the top but wait I can afford the $299 season pass so let's go with Whistler-Blackcomb  best village, skiing, vibe for a major resort

Whiteface – IMO there is nothing close in New York and it is in the conversation for best ski area in the Northeast. There is no place I’d rather be for a variety of reasons.

Stowe – I think the best terrain of any Vermont ski area I’ve been to, Sugarbush would be a close second. I have not skied in New Hampshire or Maine.

Snowbird – I think the best place I’ve been to in the West, but there are certainly others that are close.

Verbier –I’ve only been to Europe once and only got to ski Verbier one day, (We were with a tour group), but the place blew me away.

1) Gore-Whiteface
2) Mad River Glen
3) Silverton Mountain

1)  Whiteface/Gore - No brainer, Whiteface is it, but would like to throw Gore in for the days when Whiteface reverts to it's old moniker.

2) Killington - There are many things not to like about Killington, but at the same time it gets far more abuse than it deserves. I've seen far better conditions here than at other mountains that are known for their great snow/grooming/open terrain/etc....The only real negative here is lack of continuous vertical.

3) Solitude, UT - While Alta/Bird get all the raves about snow and challenging terrain, Solitude gets just as much but keeps it longer because it doesn't get the raves.

Based on my current reality-
1. Gore/WF
2. Killington
3. Snowbird/Alta

Based on fantasy lifestyle
1. Gore/WF
2. Sugarbush w/Stowe a very close 2nd
3. Aspen (Ajax/Highlands/Snowmass/Buttermilk)

I am suprised that nobody has picked annual Eastern top 20 winner Holiday Valley for NYS.

x10003q has the right idea. You'd have to pick places that are easy to get to so you get the most bang for the buck (i.e., why would I want a season pass to Verbier, when I'd have to pay to fly to Europe every time I wanted to use my pass?).

So my list is the same as his:

1. Gore/Whiteface
2. Killington
3. Altabird

If I could somehow get a free season pass plus travel and lodging expenses to anywhere, My list would be:

1. Gore/Whiteface
2. Stowe
3. Jackson Hole

1. Bearpen mountain  If only this place was operating.
2. Jay Peak  Even in a non snowy winter they still will get their share.
3. Mammoth Mountain  Was headed to Cali in 1985 then my sister divorced and moved back to Pa.

because I know it so well all the nooks & crannies  and can get out of jail so easy Gore does have appeal. Jay peak is incredible . Since it fresh in my mind ABasin was really cool but I have little westen experience

Since we're talking "lifetime" pass, and my assumption is that I would be living near the mountain of my choice, and further that at some point, the more extreme aspects of skiing will have to pass me by, I'd have to go with the following:

1) In New York, there's no question ... Whiteface.

2) In the Northeast outside of New York, I think I'd have to choose Sugarloaf. I've never been there, but I've heard good things.

3) Anywhere in the world ... Either the Italian Alps or Park City, UT. I've never been to the Alps, but I sure do hope to get there someday!!!

1. Whiteface...it's simply the best and PJ's (in lake placid) has the best beer
2. Smuggs...it's cool
3. can't answer, I've only skied in the NE

Harvey44 wrote

No unfortunately I don't have one to give you.  Doh!

But... I was just thinking - where would you ski most if you could?

What mountains would you choose for a lifetime pass and why?

I'm looking for three answers:

1)  A mountain in NY
2)  A mountain in the Northeast outside of NY
3)  A mountain anywhere outside of the northeastern US

Would love to hear as much of the thinking as you have patience to provide.

So Mr. Harvey, would you care to answer these?

Funky Polak wrote

So Mr. Harvey, would you care to answer these?

Not sure if my answers will be very satisfying but I'll give you what I've got.

1) Gore. As a old guy telemarker I thrive on trees, and Gore's 600-800 vertical pods. I like fixed grip chairs, and the traverses. I love the fact that Burnt Ridge and the Ski Bowl stay fresh because "it's sooo hard to get over there." The multiple facets of the mountain excite me.  If Gore is 100% open, you have to ski hard all weekend to hit it all. And no slopeside condos, at least for now. I like Gore's place in the history of skiing.  And I love North Creek. With the money I save on my Gore pass, I'd buy a Hickory Pass.

2) Jay Peak.  To me Jay Peak is like Gore on steroids. More than twice as much snow and more widely spaced trees.  The Jay Cloud is magic.  While I'd probably like Jay Peak more without the waterpark, it's a minor inconvenience.  The condos are well hidden.  Mansfield is clearly an awesome mountain, but the area around Jay feels more like the country to me. The town of Stowe is too upscale for my tastes.

3) Whitewater Resort.  Looks like my kinda skiing.


Full disclosure - The only Vermont hills I've skied are Killington, Okemo, Stratton, and Stowe.   The only mountains I've skied outside of the northeast are Squaw Valley, Beaver Creek, 10th Mtn Huts and Arosa Switzerland. And except for Stratton, I skied all those hills pre-2007 when I became a tree skier. I did ski trees on the hut trips.

My choices are Whiteface,Stowe and Jackson Hole but will settle for just a MRG pass.

Harvey44 wrote

Full disclosure - The only Vermont hills I've skied are Killington, Okemo, Stratton, and Stowe.  

Hmmm. So who was that guy named Harvey we skied with at Jay Peak?