Stowe vs Sugarbush 2/20/15

Bosco DaSkia wrote

Nope. You can have that place.

Cool!! Come mid March I'm all over that shit.

I'd like to goto Stowe someday but, I don't see how I can get $108 worth of skiing in, in one day.

Sign up for the bypass program.  Tickets are 89 dollars then.  You can buy them online, even day of.

I cant get $89 worth of skiing in, in one day either.

I'm not saying that VT isn't a nice/fun place to ski....and I'm also not trying to say WF/GORE are the best places ever...

I've skied in numerous places in VT, including the NoVT big names Jay, Stowe, Smuggs, also done SoVT Killington/Okemo

Really not a big fan of killington crowds and a million intersections so it doesn't flow well in my opinion. But we're talking about NoVT here...

I know NoVT gets alot of snow...i'll give it that for sure...and I know Stowe for example is a really nice, big, challenging place.

However, I just don't think that NoVT is superior to the ADKs or vice versa.....they both have pros and cons...but for me personally I think VT is a bit overhyped, can get very crowded, and doesn't have as much of the big mountain (elevation/vert wise) feel that say, Whiteface does.  Just something about the surrounding high peaks area that makes you really say damn, this place is huge.  Just never got that feeling in VT.

Don't really understand the can't enjoy full vert comment...even the trails that run out below mid-station are fun to just cruise after hitting Skyward or similar hard from top to around where the facelift lets off.  Maybe it's not super steep all the way to the bottom but I wouldn't call it flat...descent blue cruiser status i'd say, except for the very very end, which actually pitches yet again in certain areas.  Also teh not impressed comment was more on a general overview of the whole experience not just analyzing individual runs.  Lake Placid/High peaks area really adds to the all around great vibe I think....not all built up with ski corporation BS.

Maybe I'm just a fan of long runs from skiing WF top to bottom my whole life...and maybe I'm not a huge woods guy (not that I don't enjoy it, just don't seek it out unless it's premo conditions in there), but I'd take skiing WF as my main place and the occasional trip to VT just to mix it up, any day over being a NoVT regular.

Glade Runner wrote

Is slidebrook what is under the traverse lift?  How do you get in there?  Can you get in without a guide?

Yes It is.. There are multiple access's.. You can go in from the top of North Lynx and Castlerock at south or off the Summit Quad at north. You can follow the Long Trail from one peak to the other and go in anywhere off there.

You can go any where without a guide. Getting out is another thing. You are on your own in there. There is some very tight, steep and rugged terrain in there.  There are definitely advantages to going with some one who has been through there before.

That being said the whole drainage ends up down on German Flats road eventually. Just keep heading down hill till you get there. You can get a pretty good idea of what your in for by scouting from the Slidebrook Quad.

I used to hitch a ride over to south to ski, and at the end of my runs, I would ski off of the back of North Lynx down to my house off Germans Flats road. Some nice lines in there once the snow fills in.

Nice I just looked on google maps.  That would be nice to live there and be able to ski right back home at the end of the day.  I've been over the Slide Brook trail on the lift once last year.  At the time I didn't even know there was access to it until I saw all the tracks in there.  Looks like a large area the size of the rest of Sugarbush.  Do you still live over that way?

Glade Runner wrote

Looks like a large area the size of the rest of Sugarbush.

It is absolutely Freakin Huge. And most likely, you will be the only one in there. It gets minimal traffic at best.

Glade Runner wrote

  Do you still live over that way?

Nope, I had all I could take of that crazy assed state after 10 years. I'm back in good ole' CNY. We see how long it takes me to get fed up with this here crazy assed state and move back again......

What's the most you can do

Thacheronix wrote

What's the most you can do

The most I did this year was $63 for a premium powder day at Magic.  The next highest amount was $46 for an early season purchase of a midweek k ticket at Killington.  I'm sure at some point I will just pay it to see Stowe but, I always search out deals, even as far ahead as the end of summer.  And I certainly would never pay to go on a busy day and wait in line.

Glade Runner wrote

I think sugarbush has close to 500 more vertical but that's probably not figuring in the vertical of the hike to terrain at Stowe, which probably makes them about even in vertical.

Skiing top to bottom at Sugarbush SUCKS. It has big vertical but the mountains aren't meant to be skied top to bottom. It is 100% a pod mountain with a typical horrid VT runout at the bottom of the mountains. That said, the pods are generous in vertical. Whereas Stowe is 2k vert every run with essentially no runout. I think Bush has the highest vertical drop in VT but it sure doesn't ski like it does...

I<3ADK wrote

 I just don't think that NoVT is superior to the ADKs 

IMO, not only is n.VT superior to the ADK, but it's not even a remotely close competition.   My 2¢.

I<3ADK wrote

Don't really understand the can't enjoy full vert comment..

Because the "full vert" of Whiteface, while impressive, is either an ice skating rink or on wind hold or suffering some other random malady much of the season.  When the summit of WF is good, it's great, it's just that it's not great all that often if we're being entirely honest.  And the Slides are open less frequently than the pool is for Caddies in Caddyshack.

I<3ADK wrote

maybe I'm not a huge woods guy 

This is starting to make a bit more sense.

riverc0il wrote

Glade Runner wrote

I think sugarbush has close to 500 more vertical but that's probably not figuring in the vertical of the hike to terrain at Stowe, which probably makes them about even in vertical.

Skiing top to bottom at Sugarbush SUCKS. It has big vertical but the mountains aren't meant to be skied top to bottom. It is 100% a pod mountain with a typical horrid VT runout at the bottom of the mountains. That said, the pods are generous in vertical. Whereas Stowe is 2k vert every run with essentially no runout. I think Bush has the highest vertical drop in VT but it sure doesn't ski like it does...

Yea we did spend most of the time there on the castlerock double and heavens gate triple upper mountain lifts.   The sustained vertical at Stowe interests me.  But, from my perspective Sugarbush was free and Stowe is $108.

Glade Runner wrote

 Sugarbush was free and Stowe is $108.

With those dynamics, I'd flip my page 1 response.

Not sure how you can put a price tag on skiing with your pals, but that's just me.

It's pretty easy when you already have a bunch of pre bought tickets, free or discount tickets, free work day tickets and a 4 day trip to Jay booked.  I'd have to use up the majority of them before I could bring myself to pay that at risk of some of those other tickets going to waste.  Stowe is definitely on my list just not sure if it is possible this year.

Glade Runner wrote

riverc0il wrote

Glade Runner wrote

I think sugarbush has close to 500 more vertical but that's probably not figuring in the vertical of the hike to terrain at Stowe, which probably makes them about even in vertical.

Skiing top to bottom at Sugarbush SUCKS. It has big vertical but the mountains aren't meant to be skied top to bottom. It is 100% a pod mountain with a typical horrid VT runout at the bottom of the mountains. That said, the pods are generous in vertical. Whereas Stowe is 2k vert every run with essentially no runout. I think Bush has the highest vertical drop in VT but it sure doesn't ski like it does...

Yea we did spend most of the time there on the castlerock double and heavens gate triple upper mountain lifts.   The sustained vertical at Stowe interests me.  But, from my perspective Sugarbush was free and Stowe is $108.

Killington has the highest vertical in Vermont.  Second in the east only to Whiteface at 3050.  It is not easy to ski top to bottom, but it can be done.

killington's number is bullshit.. just like their snow figures etc...1/2 of that number is a cross country trail..

this whole argument is nuts...like comparing a Ferrari to a Maserati..both incredible

snoloco wrote

Killington has the highest vertical in Vermont.  Second in the east only to Whiteface at 3050.

That figure is complete horsecrap because nobody would realistically want to ski that.

The reality is Killington has less "sure, I'll do this run", skiable vertical than even Stratton.

http://mountainvertical.com/best-skiing-east-coast-snowboarding.php

Yet these same people defend Gore's vertical.  Hunter has about the same true up vertical as Gore.  Best for sustained vert. in the east is Whiteface.  Go there if that's what you are looking for.  2400 feet off the gondola alone and 3,186 from summit to base.