Christmas holidays, intermediates, where to go?

freeheeln wrote

west mt and willard could be an option plenty of lodging in glens falls ,lake george  1 hr from albany . would fit ability levels. west offers shift skiing -4 hrs from the time you buy your ticket.

Wow, never occurred to me that Massanutten, my home mountain in northern VA, has more vertical than about 20 hills in NY.  I knew it's got more vertical than all the ski areas in PA.  Just by about 20 ft over Blue Mountain and Blue Knob, but that's enough for the brag.

Discovered that I can sort a stats list on OnTheSnow.
http://www.onthesnow.com/new-york/statistics.html?ud=0&o=vertical

I think my friends are thinking that the reason to ski in NY/VT is to experience bigger mountains than VA/MD have.  But now I know where kids can learn who live in the Albany/Troy area.

x10003q wrote

marznc wrote

I figure that with AEII installed at Gore, lift lines at the base won't be as bad as recent years during the holidays.  Gore is listed as 445 skiable acres.  But the downside to a bigger mountain for relative novices is that they may get frustrated trying to find their way around when they only have a day or two.  My friends have only been skiing at ski areas under 100 acres.  No need to look at a trail map when a place is that small.

Despite one poster's emphatic opinion, even on the most crowded days there were minimal lines. At worst, there might be a 10-15 minute line on the gondola at around 10am-11am and right after lunch. If the high speed quad (was a high speed triple) is running the line for the HSQ will be nonexistant. There were never lines when it was a HS triple unless the gondola was not running. The rest of Gore's lifts are generally ski right on. There are days (holiday after a snowstorm in flatlandia) when they are turning people away because there is no parking left and the mountain is not crowded.

Your friends will love Gore.

I finally figured out why it made sense to me that AEII would make a difference.  I skied Gore with my daughter on Jan. 4 last season.  The line for the gondi got pretty long.  Can't remember if AE was running or not.  We had stopped for lunch early so didn't hit the worst of the line.

In any case, I'll pass on what I've learned.  I'm sure they can find some place to have a good time as a bonus for driving several hundred miles to visit friends and family during the holidays.

January 4th was during the time that the AE1 crapped out for a few weeks.  You had to take the gondola to get out of the base.  A good strategy for all holidays at Gore is to avoid the base area and stay on the upper mountain, Burnt Ridge, or if it is open, the ski bowl.  There is now a way to go between the ski bowl and the upper mountain without going into the main base.

Gore's layout allows it to spread the crowds out a lot, but with only one base area for over 450 acres, few people get to the further out sections.  There is also only 2 lifts from the base area that allow you to access the rest of the mountain.  The gondola and the AE2 are those two lifts, but for most people, they only take the gondola leaving the AE2 ski on.  From my experiences, gondolas seem to have a magnetic field around their base terminals which sucks in all the crowds away from the other lifts.  If you know the mountain, you can get to the further out sections and ski onto the lifts all day.  Those who don't will spend all day waiting for the gondola and playing demolition derby on Sunway.  I would also eat at the Saddle Lodge so you don't have to go through the base area during lunch.  If you know Gore, you can easily ski it without any lines whatsoever.

For people of your skier type, the North Side seems ideal with lower level blues.  However, it is served by one of the slowest lifts on the mountain and will likely not be upgraded anytime soon.  That section may not be open during Christmas.  The front side is also good, but don't ski Sunway except early in the morning.  Showcase is my favorite on the front side and it is now served by the new AE2.  Echo on Burnt Ridge should also be good, but once again, that section will probably be snowless with the lift rattling in the wind.  If you want to go to the summit, access it via the AE2 and High Peaks Chair and not from the Gondola and Straightbrook Quad.  You won't have to wait out the gondola line and you don't have to ski Pine Knot which is usually an icy, windswept, overcrowded, demolition derby.  Cloud is the only blue from the summit and it is pretty narrow, so ski it early in the day, or it will be icy.

Sno - How many days have you skied at Gore?

About 20 days, mostly on holidays.

So you're an expert then?

I'm not an expert but I do have experience from Gore on holiday weeks.

YUKON CORNELIUS wrote

So you're an expert then?

With all due respect Sno,

Gore really isn't ever over crowded except MLK weekend.  And by then most of the mountain is open allowing the crowds to spread out.  Yes, the skibowl and BR may be closed at that time, but that still leaves a huge amount of open terrain.  You apparently were there on one of those horrible days when the AE1 was down.  I agree, it was awful.  I made the mistake of skiing down to the base area unaware that it was down, and when faced with the crowds, my group decided to call it a day.  Now with the AE2, that should never be a problem.  

snoloco wrote

About 20 days, mostly on holidays.

exactly why i dont ski lift serviced on holidays

CMR wrote

You apparently were there on one of those horrible days when the AE1 was down.

I was there in 12-13, not 13-14 which was the season the AE1 was down.  The day I was there was after 2 back to back snowstorms and that brought the entire universe out.  My dad and I were originally going to ski Hunter that day, but we had left 45 minutes earlier than usual in anticipation of poor driving conditions.  The roads turned out to be fine, so we got to the Hunter exit at 6:45am.  We decided to keep driving to Gore rather than waiting over an hour for Hunter's lifts to open.  Because of this, we were not arriving quite as early as we normally do.  It was about 8:00 when we turned up the access road.  It was about 8:30 when we finally got up it due to the entire universe of backyard effect inflicted people showing up all at once.  We decided to pay for the premium lot so we would get on the slopes quicker, but that didn't help much.  The lift ticket computer broke and that took at least 15 minutes to fix.  Meanwhile, we heard that the worst was happening and that the Ski Bowl and Burnt Ridge didn't have enough snow to open that day and the entire upper mountain was closed for wind.  Only the gondola and AE1 were open.  By 9:30 when we were finally ready to go, the gondola line backed up all the way to the Sunway Chair.  That had to be at least 30 minutes, so we went to the AE1 and waited about 2 minutes.  I knew it was going to be a bad ride from how cold it was when I first got on, but it was still better than wasting 30 minutes or more in the gondola line.  I ALMOST GOT FROSTBITE ON THAT THING CAUSE I FORGOT TO PUT MY FACE MASK ON.  Once we were up there, we just ran into the Saddle Lodge to warm up.  Then I put my face mask on and we headed down the North Side and the Ski Bowl was open.  That was about the first good thing that happened that day.  We had a great time skiing the wind protected Ski Bowl with no lift lines whatsoever.  We also skied Burnt Ridge and the upper mountain, but we sure didn't ride the gondola or AE1 at all later that day.  The Ski Bowl actually saved our day from being a bust.  Ahh, the joys of the backyard effect.

marznc wrote

freeheeln wrote

west mt and willard could be an option plenty of lodging in glens falls ,lake george  1 hr from albany . would fit ability levels. west offers shift skiing -4 hrs from the time you buy your ticket.

Wow, never occurred to me that Massanutten, my home mountain in northern VA, has more vertical than about 20 hills in NY.  I knew it's got more vertical than all the ski areas in PA.  Just by about 20 ft over Blue Mountain and Blue Knob, but that's enough for the brag.

Discovered that I can sort a stats list on OnTheSnow.
http://www.onthesnow.com/new-york/statistics.html?ud=0&o=vertical

I think my friends are thinking that the reason to ski in NY/VT is to experience bigger mountains than VA/MD have.  But now I know where kids can learn who live in the Albany/Troy area.

Keep in mind it is not all about the vertical, especially for a "lower intermediate".  There are also a lot of small community mountains up here that really cater to the local family's.  These offer a style of skiing that few places that actually advertise can.  They are cheaper, less crowded, and much more friendly.  You'll never pay 80 bucks an day and have to ride in a bus to get to the hill.

Back on topic... the run from the top of the Gondola at Gore to the base can be a real slog for a person that is not totally comfortable on skis.  It can easily take 30 minutes to get down for a slow skier.  It is a LONG 2.5 mile run.  If your not into the runs off the gondola (or the AE2 I guess) then it is the sunway chair for you.  At that point you might as well be at Willard and pay a lot less.  Unless these people are really itching for the challenge of a big hill then West and Willard are great options.  Save same cash, save some lodging, and deal with less crowds.  Both of these mountains have a great small town/local vibe.  Willard and West both have some runs that are steep and challenging.  Not saying do the whole trip there, but if your looking multi day and first day of the season it might be a way to start.  If you can do all of west without thinking about it then you can move on to Gore or WF.  

Footer wrote

Keep in mind it is not all about the vertical, especially for a "lower intermediate".  There are also a lot of small community mountains up here that really cater to the local family's.  These offer a style of skiing that few places that actually advertise can.  They are cheaper, less crowded, and much more friendly.  You'll never pay 80 bucks an day and have to ride in a bus to get to the hill.

Back on topic... the run from the top of the Gondola at Gore to the base can be a real slog for a person that is not totally comfortable on skis.  It can easily take 30 minutes to get down for a slow skier.  It is a LONG 2.5 mile run.  If your not into the runs off the gondola (or the AE2 I guess) then it is the sunway chair for you.  At that point you might as well be at Willard and pay a lot less.  Unless these people are really itching for the challenge of a big hill then West and Willard are great options.  Save same cash, save some lodging, and deal with less crowds.  Both of these mountains have a great small town/local vibe.  Willard and West both have some runs that are steep and challenging.  Not saying do the whole trip there, but if your looking multi day and first day of the season it might be a way to start.  If you can do all of west without thinking about it then you can move on to Gore or WF.

Nobody is driving long miles to ski the same little mountain they ski at home. Part of the excitement of skiing are big mountains, the monster views of wilderness and long runs. Gore also has the wonderful North Quad area for beginners and low intermediate skiers, so its not all about the main face. Low intermediates can even ski Cloud from the top of the High Peaks double all the way to the Saddle Lodge or even down to the  Top Ridge Triple.

West and Willard are great local ski areas, but with limited ski time, I would rather be on a big mountain.

Windham has some good terrain between the difficulty of the Sunway Chair and the AE2.  One of those trails is Wanderer off of East Peak.  Windham has a green trail from the top unlike most mountains do.  It is about a 1.5 mile run.  There is also the C-Lift which is 3,500 feet long and serves a nice wide open low level blue called Wonderama.

Their terrain gradually steps up with each lift you move to and there are no big leaps like at so many other mountains.  Here is how I would step things up over the course of the day.  If you go, start on D-Lift and take a run on White Way or What's Next.  If comfortable, step it up and go to the C-Lift skiing Wonderama or Lower Wipeout.  The go up East Peak via the D-Lift and East Peak Express.  Wanderer is the only run up there that is good for lower intermediates.  After that, go the the main HSQ and do Wraparound, Wolf's Prey, or Windfall.  Whistler is slightly harder, but you pass over it on the lift, so you can see what you are getting into.  

Windham is a great mountain for intermediates of any kind, lower or upper.  It will be crowded, but it isn't as crowded as Hunter is, and will be less packed than Gore if they can't fully open.  It is kind of expensive, but well worth it if it has the experience you are looking for.  I think that Windham would be a perfect fit for your group based on what was described.

I have introduced two of my friends to big mountain skiing at Windham and they loved it and wanted to go again.  They both skied only at Mount Peter before that, but by the end of the day at Windham, were totally used to the longer runs and skiing at a bigger mountain.  I think it would be the perfect fit for your group once again.  If they know how to step up the difficulty level, they will have a great time and want to ski the place again.  Once again, I look forward to hearing about their experiences there.

snoloco wrote

I have introduced two of my friends to big mountain skiing at Windham

Huh?  

When did a big mountain get defined as something only slightly bigger than mole hills in NJ?

x10003q wrote

Gore also has the wonderful North Quad area for beginners and low intermediate skiers, so its not all about the main face. Low intermediates can even ski Cloud from the top of the High Peaks double all the way to the Saddle Lodge or even down to the  Top Ridge Triple.

From an intermediate who skies with beginner to intermediate kids, +1 on the North Side.  Great runs that can challenge a low intermediate all day.  The lift is a little slow but its a nice pod.

Petronio

x10003q wrote

Footer wrote

Keep in mind it is not all about the vertical, especially for a "lower intermediate".  There are also a lot of small community mountains up here that really cater to the local family's.  These offer a style of skiing that few places that actually advertise can.  They are cheaper, less crowded, and much more friendly.  You'll never pay 80 bucks an day and have to ride in a bus to get to the hill.

Back on topic... the run from the top of the Gondola at Gore to the base can be a real slog for a person that is not totally comfortable on skis.  It can easily take 30 minutes to get down for a slow skier.  It is a LONG 2.5 mile run.  If your not into the runs off the gondola (or the AE2 I guess) then it is the sunway chair for you.  At that point you might as well be at Willard and pay a lot less.  Unless these people are really itching for the challenge of a big hill then West and Willard are great options.  Save same cash, save some lodging, and deal with less crowds.  Both of these mountains have a great small town/local vibe.  Willard and West both have some runs that are steep and challenging.  Not saying do the whole trip there, but if your looking multi day and first day of the season it might be a way to start.  If you can do all of west without thinking about it then you can move on to Gore or WF.

Nobody is driving long miles to ski the same little mountain they ski at home. Part of the excitement of skiing are big mountains, the monster views of wilderness and long runs. Gore also has the wonderful North Quad area for beginners and low intermediate skiers, so its not all about the main face. Low intermediates can even ski Cloud from the top of the High Peaks double all the way to the Saddle Lodge or even down to the  Top Ridge Triple.

West and Willard are great local ski areas, but with limited ski time, I would rather be on a big mountain.

My guess is that my friend's DH is looking to ski on his first "big" mountain.  If I were going with them, Gore would be top recommendation.  But they will be on their own.  Normally, my friend is happy to ski on her own while DH cruises the black runs (remember, VA hills).  But hard to know exactly how things will work out when she doesn't know the mountain at all.

Footer wrote

Back on topic... the run from the top of the Gondola at Gore to the base can be a real slog for a person that is not totally comfortable on skis.  It can easily take 30 minutes to get down for a slow skier.  It is a LONG 2.5 mile run.  If your not into the runs off the gondola (or the AE2 I guess) then it is the sunway chair for you.  At that point you might as well be at Willard and pay a lot less.  Unless these people are really itching for the challenge of a big hill then West and Willard are great options.  Save same cash, save some lodging, and deal with less crowds.  Both of these mountains have a great small town/local vibe.  Willard and West both have some runs that are steep and challenging.  Not saying do the whole trip there, but if your looking multi day and first day of the season it might be a way to start.  If you can do all of west without thinking about it then you can move on to Gore or WF.

Don't think that run getting back to the base would be any problem.  It's about the same pitch as the steeper blue at Massanutten that my friend spends most of her time on.  Obviously a lot longer, but she can always break it into sections with a few stops.  Hopefully to enjoy a view if visibility is good.

Good point about going to a smaller place for the first day of the season.  Would keep the husband from doing something . . . too hard on Day 1.

  No ski area should ever be judged sole based upon skiing it on Holidays. If that was the case ,most ski areas I would not return to.  On Presidents weekend I only either ski my home area till 11 am or hit Plattie. If you visit On the snow web site almost all negative reviews are from Holidays at any given ski area.
   
http://www.onthesnow.com/new-jersey/mountain-creek-resort/reviews-b.html?review_id=649
This place was lousy every time I went there

DRINK!!!