Survey on top eastern ski resorts

Just completed.

Gore and Holiday Valley are last on my list as I have never skied them. All of the areas needed to be ranked.

The bottom 3 choices for my selection are all pretty much non-important: Lodging, Après and Access from my home.

The price of the season pass has absolutely no bearing on whether I like a mountain or not.

Really, it comes down to this: I've had a pass at Whiteface for the last 10 years, and I skied there probably 50 times or so over those 10 years. I've had 3 or 4 great days, 5 or 6 above average days, 10 average days, and about 30 terrible days - Cold, windy, icy, annoying people, lift closures, trail closures, etc. Like I said, it's good when it's good, but when it's bad, it can get really bad.

One of my biggest problems with the mountain is the lack of terrain diversity. Everything from the midstation down is pretty much the same. Mountain Run/Wilderness are fun, but not interesting. Thruway/Parkway are real similar to each other, and kind of boring. Approach doesn't really go anywhere. North facing Essex is always an icy mess. I just always find myself asking the people I'm skiing with "Where do you want to go next?" and everybody being like "Meh . . ."

I guess my favorite trails are The Slides, Empire, Lookout Below, MacKenzie, some of the Glades, and Skyward/Cloudspin (but that is really condition dependent, and Lower Cloudspin is a mess - they should close off the connector from Excelsior). In fact, all of those trails are condition dependent/mostly closed. Like I said, you need to hit WF just right for most of my favorite trails to be in play. I've never skied Hoyt's High, but looking forward to that this winter because the pitch looks sweet.

When I was ranking the mountains, I was just going by which mountains I know for a fact that I'd have a good day at. I know I can find things at Jay, Sugarloaf, Stowe, Killington, Smugg's and Gore that would be fun to ski on almost every day I go there - I just feel like the chances are better for a solid day at those areas. Whether they get more snow, whether the mountain is more sheltered from wind, whether the lifts are more sheltered from the cold, I don't know, but I just seem to have more fun at other places.

I'm prepared for all of you WF lovers to come out of the woodwork and tell me it's because I don't know how to ski, blah blah, blah, but keep in mind any opinion survey will be subject to the opinions of the people taking it. I just have an opinion on WF. Every summer, I debate with myself about whether to work there or Gore, and every year I go back to Gore. I just like it better.

man you got one of them photographic memories!  I could not remember how many great, above average, average, terrible annoying people on wind hold days I had last year let alone over the past 10 years...  

They all run together for me, and basically I forget the bad and only remember the good ones anyways.  Find life much more pleasant that way.

enjoy your season fella.

one more thing,  are you one of them spreadsheet keeping kinda guys?

I just find it mind blowing you know exactly how many of each category days you skied on our beloved WF over the past 10 years....  Amazing!!  

GP would've been my #1 choice but it wasn't an option.

I had WF#1 and Smuggs #2-----why???? Above and beyond everything about the act of skiing (snow, terrain, weather, lifts, etc, etc.) I know I'm gonna have a blast at either of those 2 mountains......I like the vibe and the people over any of the other crap.

mattchuck2 wrote

Every summer, I debate with myself about whether to work there or Gore, and every year I go back to Gore. I just like it better.

I'm with you MattC.  I love Whiteface on a good day but hate the funnel below the midway lodge.  I spend the lower half trying to avoid accidents.  However, with good coverage you can't beat upper skyward or lookout below.  Gore seems to have better conditions on average.  Regardless, it certainly is nice to have the option to ski either mountain on the season pass.  And at around $700 you can't beat it.  My friends ski Stratton and pay around $1400 per ticket.  Not to mention that a locker costs almost $600 there.  

mattchuck2 wrote

...my favorite trails are The Slides, Empire, Lookout Below, MacKenzie, some of the Glades, and Skyward/Cloudspin..

I'm no WF expert, but I like that list.

CMR wrote

My friends ski Stratton and pay around $1400 per ticket.  Not to mention that a locker costs almost $600 there.

I'd rather have Plattekill season pass than a locker at Stratton.

Wow, $739 for a Whiteface/Gore combo pass? That is a really good value, especially considering what Whiteface charges for a full weekend day ticket. Are there any other season passes to destination mountains that pay for themselves in less than nine days?

Survey complete.   For those taking on a DROID phone.   Skip q1. Complete the rest of the questions the skim back to 1.     For some reason if you start on 1 the rest of the questions disappear.


Agree that ski destination polls are popularity contests.   ..  let them eat cake.   Many choose gore because, so far, that's not what they are about and tax payers subsidize what independent mountains gave to find revenue streams for.

All of my guests to Gore say its a great place to ski alone, w friends or family.   Gore does not rank because of night life, among other things.   90% of destination skiers want the TV or ski magazine version of a ski vacation.....hot tub, hot women, fine restaurant,  night club, and oh.....some skiing.   Gore has or could have more of this....but they need hotels, condos and housing.......   build it and they will come.    That's a whole new thread.

If I were a single skier wanting to make turns.....Gore.   wanting to hook up while making turns....Okemo,killington and For Sure Mt.Tremblant.....OMG!!!!!!

riverc0il wrote

Wow, $739 for a Whiteface/Gore combo pass? That is a really good value, especially considering what Whiteface charges for a full weekend day ticket. Are there any other season passes to destination mountains that pay for themselves in less than nine days?

Yeah, the Epic pass in Colorado.

CMR wrote

  My friends ski Stratton and pay around $1400 per ticket.  Not to mention that a locker costs almost $600 there.

Wait. What? A "locker"? wtf?

Benny Profane wrote

Yeah, the Epic pass in Colorado.

Yea, and I'd need two thousand dollars in airfare to hit the break even point. I meant in the east.

mattchuck2 wrote

Really, it comes down to this: I've had a pass at Whiteface for the last 10 years, and I skied there probably 50 times or so over those 10 years. I've had 3 or 4 great days, 5 or 6 above average days, 10 average days, and about 30 terrible days - Cold, windy, icy, annoying people, lift closures, trail closures, etc. Like I said, it's good when it's good, but when it's bad, it can get really bad.

So 60% of your days at Whiteface have been "terrible"?  That's hilarious.  Nice avatar pic, BTW.  What kind of day was that?

Noah John wrote

Nice avatar pic, BTW.  What kind of day was that?

Now that's funny!!!

Noah John wrote

So 60% of your days at Whiteface have been "terrible"?  That's hilarious.  Nice avatar pic, BTW.  What kind of day was that?

I laughed out loud.

I got a chuckle out of the avatar last night as well.  I'm thinking there's more than meets the "eye" w/ MCsquared animosity towards our beloved WF....  I'm thinking deep down inside MCsquared actually loves our beloved WF.

Come on MCsquared, admit it!  Let the truth set you free!!  FREEDOM!!    


 

Noah John wrote

Nice avatar pic, BTW.  What kind of day was that?

It looks like a blue bird powder day.  

checking excel spreadsheet, hold on running RankMySkiDays macro......  calculating..  

BING BING BING  3/17/2005: Great. Powder. Minor annoying people. Free Hot chocolate from Host Patrol. (Knew the saftey awareness code) All lifts open. I secretly love this place....

ScottyJack wrote

It looks like a blue bird powder day.  

checking excel spreadsheet, hold on running RankMySkiDays macro......  calculating..  

BING BING BING  3/17/2005: Great. Powder. Minor annoying people. Free Hot chocolate from Host Patrol. (Knew the saftey awareness code) All lifts open. I secretly love this place....

You're trying too hard!!!

CONTENTS DELETED

As the creator of this forum topic I'm going to step in as moderator here.  

Please let's not let this topic degenerate into the Gore vs. Whiteface free for all again.  They are both good but very different mountains.  Whiteface has sustained steeps and vertical that no other eastern ski area and it has Lake Placid.  Gore has some of the best tree skiing in the East and I think it is very ego boosting compared to leg burning.  I do agree with Gore 70's in that Gore skis like Killington as you only ski a thousand or so Vertical at one time at both of them and they both have lots of different exposures.   My glass is half full and my spreadsheet shows that I've had way more good days than bad at both Gore and Whiteface.

I will let the survey run thru next weekend and write up a summary of the results next week.  As of now Whiteface, Jay, and Stowe are all very close to each other as the top 3 in the survey.  Holiday Valley does not appear to rank as well as the brain trust at SKI Magazine ranked them.