What's Your Favorite Mountain ... With a Twist

My recent trip to Smugg's got me to thinking about how weather conditions can dramatically change the character of a mountain. So with that in mind, given the following two scenarios:

1. It's January 15, and there hasn't been any natural snowfall or rain at all, however, the temperature has not gone above 25 degrees since Thanksgiving Day.

2. It's January 15, and there's been 3 to 6 inches of fresh natural snow every night since January 1.

Rate your top 3 to 5 Eastern mountains for each of the above scenarios.

Scenario A:

1. Stowe
2. Killington
3. Sugarloaf

Scenario B:

1. Sugarloaf
2. Stowe
3. MRG
4. Cannon
5a. Smugg's
5b. WF

#2 MRG all day long  #1 Gore maybe, Jay because what are the odds of that ever happening there, and hop a flight to Seattle and ski Mt Baker... back to #2 Sugarloaf and Sugarbush

For the first scenaio you are asking who makes the best snow and can and will cover a lot of terrain. In addition since it is man made the amount of traffic the mountain gets is a factor as well. Smaller mountains can actually do well in a scenario like this because they have less terrain to cover, grooming also becomes a major factor. The last factor is how convienient it is to go, why go out of your way for man made.  Finally for me and probably the most important factor in a scenario like this is the cost to ski. So this is a hard one but I will only draw from my limited experience.
1) Gore - anytime.
2 and 3 are a toss up.

Scenario two is for the powder hound. Terrain and crowds are important. Since you are talking about a record eastern snow fall (approaching 90") and no thaw, there really is only one choice:
1) Gore
If we are talking non-NY then Alta and Copper head the list.

In the interest of full disclosure, since I work at Gore there is really no other choice.

DackerDan wrote

For the first scenaio you are asking who makes the best snow and can and will cover a lot of terrain.

For me, the other big question for the first scenario is the nature of the trails themselves. If you're limited to the trails, which mountain has the best variety of trails that will keep you interested through an entire day.

Whiteface

I like the idea of this question. I think Hunter would be up pretty far on a zero natural snow year on list number one. Especially if there haven't been thaws. They do a great job there.

For number two, any mountain with steeps and trees will work. But is it a weekend? Windy? Who am I skiing with? It's so hard to pick from the great mountains we're lucky to have around here.

Option 1
Whiteface
Stowe
Killington

Option 2
Jay Peak
Whiteface
Gore
Stowe
Sugarbush

CONTENTS DELETED

Scenario A
Hunter
Killington
Okemo

Scenario B
Platty
Whiteface
Gore

1- Killington, Stowe, Gore (it's close and it wouldn't be worth driving far for current conditions)
2- Jay, Stowe, Pico

You can't ask the question without giving your list Face!

YUKON CORNELIUS wrote

1- Killington, Stowe, Gore (it's close and it wouldn't be worth driving far for current conditions)
2- Jay, Stowe, Pico

You can't ask the question without giving your list Face!

The reason I posted the question in the first place, is that I'm seriously hoping to do an Eastern mountain ski tour at some point in the future (probably not this season, but maybe next year). The idea, is to literally spend two or three weeks traveling from place to place throughout the Northeast, to see what they have to offer.

I'm actually hoping to do a scaled-down version this year, just 3 - 5 days, starting in the Poconos and then checking out central New York.

The problem is, depending upon the weather conditions, I would guess that there are some places you'd want to go based on the first scenario, and others you'd want to go based on the second scenario. I was hoping to get some guidance on that.

To be honest, I don't really have enough of a basis for comparison ... I was actually looking to others to help me out with this. That said, with my limited exposure to resorts other than Whiteface in the East ... here's my list ...

For scenario 1:

1. Whiteface (no doubt about it - if you're going to be skiing primarily groomed trails, nothing in the East can compare to the long runs and vertical that Whiteface offers)
2. Killington, solely based on the amount of terrain available there
3. Probably Hunter, based on their ability to crank out the snow, but the truth is, I really dislike Hunter. I've never really found the mountain to be terribly interesting. In fairness, however, it's probably been at least 10-12 years, maybe more, since I've skied there.

For scenario 2:

1. Jay Peak (I've only been there once, but I hit it right and the trees there were awesome)
2. Gore (once again, limited first hand experience, but from what I've heard and read, mostly on this forum, it sounds like Gore would be really good with lots of fresh snow)
3. Mad River Glen (I've never been there, but it sounds like the kind of place I'd like if there was a lot of fresh snow)

I love your idea about the East Coast Tour. I have been playing around with the idea myself this season.

Face4Me wrote

YUKON CORNELIUS wrote

1- Killington, Stowe, Gore (it's close and it wouldn't be worth driving far for current conditions)
2- Jay, Stowe, Pico

You can't ask the question without giving your list Face!

The reason I posted the question in the first place, is that I'm seriously hoping to do an Eastern mountain ski tour at some point in the future (probably not this season, but maybe next year). The idea, is to literally spend two or three weeks traveling from place to place throughout the Northeast, to see what they have to offer.

I'm actually hoping to do a scaled-down version this year, just 3 - 5 days, starting in the Poconos and then checking out central New York.

The problem is, depending upon the weather conditions, I would guess that there are some places you'd want to go based on the first scenario, and others you'd want to go based on the second scenario. I was hoping to get some guidance on that.

To be honest, I don't really have enough of a basis for comparison ... I was actually looking to others to help me out with this. That said, with my limited exposure to resorts other than Whiteface in the East ... here's my list ...

For scenario 1:

1. Whiteface (no doubt about it - if you're going to be skiing primarily groomed trails, nothing in the East can compare to the long runs and vertical that Whiteface offers)
2. Killington, solely based on the amount of terrain available there
3. Probably Hunter, based on their ability to crank out the snow, but the truth is, I really dislike Hunter. I've never really found the mountain to be terribly interesting. In fairness, however, it's probably been at least 10-12 years, maybe more, since I've skied there.

For scenario 2:

1. Jay Peak (I've only been there once, but I hit it right and the trees there were awesome)
2. Gore (once again, limited first hand experience, but from what I've heard and read, mostly on this forum, it sounds like Gore would be really good with lots of fresh snow)

Gore is a lot of fun when the trees are open and we have lots of fresh, but things can get 'boring' when the woods are shut. The key is to get to the fresh stuff first! (probably universal wisdom).

YUKON CORNELIUS wrote

Gore is a lot of fun when the trees are open and we have lots of fresh, but things can get 'boring' when the woods are shut. The key is to get to the fresh stuff first! (probably universal wisdom).

That's why Gore isn't on my list for scenario 1!!!

And once again, that was the reason for my post ... there are some places that you'd be very happy at, even if there isn't fresh powder, while for other places, if there isn't fresh snow, you probably wouldn't want to go there!

For example, and I'll probably get beaten up for this, I don't think fresh snow dramatically changes things at Whiteface, UNLESS, the fresh snow means The Slides are open. It's a great place to ski, but I'm VERY happy to ski there with or without fresh snow.

There's a lot of knowledge on this board ... I was hoping to leverage some of it.

Scenario 1:
Okemo (they make the best/most snow and relatively close to home in CT, no long drives for man made)
Killington (usually offer a decent variety of man made trails, but they dont make snow like they use to)

Scenario 2:
MRG (terrain is unreal and the vibe is worth the trip, though not a powder day weekend, line at the single is lonnggg)
Magic (awesome terrain especially for southern vt and the woods get better every year)
Gore (all of the hidden nooks and crannies make it a true gem with good snow)

honorable mention
Cannon (Mittersil is unlike anything else out there)
Jay Peak (Double the snow of most in the east but thanks to that darn water park now double the people)

A bit of a twist (and not using the same mountain for more than one scenario)

Another twist...low tide year versus powder day with good base

Scenario A:
1a. Stowe
1b. Sugarloaf
3. Whiteface
4. Ste. Anne
5a. Sunday River
5b. Tremblant


Scenario B:
1. MRG
2. Smuggs
3a. Jay
3b. Orford
5. Cannon

This should give a pretty good idea how Stowe would look in a lean January:


Stowe, today.

No natural snow since Thanksgiving through mid-January? Do something else besides skiing. By this time of year, if there isn't natural snow, I ain't going. If I had the need to kill groomers just to go out, I'd hit Cannon just because it is the closest and cheapest for me.

Need more qualifications for option two... what day of the week? MRG or Smuggs for mid-week, Cannon for the weekend.

Face4Me wrote

To be honest, I don't really have enough of a basis for comparison ... I was actually looking to others to help me out with this.
1. Jay Peak (I've only been there once, but I hit it right and the trees there were awesome)
2. Gore (once again, limited first hand experience, but from what I've heard and read, mostly on this forum, it sounds like Gore would be really good with lots of fresh snow)
3. Mad River Glen (I've never been there, but it sounds like the kind of place I'd like if there was a lot of fresh snow)

If you enjoyed Jay, put Smuggs on your list. I actually like Smuggs trees better than Jay's. Try to get to Mad River with someone that knows the mountain. You can have a lot of fun on their trail system but there are a lot of hidden spots that you won't be able to pick out on your first few times there. Problem with Mad River is everyone that skis there regularly knows the best lines so they get hit hard, early, and often.

riverc0il wrote

If you enjoyed Jay, put Smuggs on your list. I actually like Smuggs trees better than Jay's. Try to get to Mad River with someone that knows the mountain. You can have a lot of fun on their trail system but there are a lot of hidden spots that you won't be able to pick out on your first few times there. Problem with Mad River is everyone that skis there regularly knows the best lines so they get hit hard, early, and often.

A trip I took to Smuggs last year was the genesis for this thread. Unfortunately, when I went, there wasn't much in the way of fresh snow, so we were limited to the trails for the most part, with a few exceptions. That lead me to the thought that if all I could do was ski the trails, I'd much rather ski Whiteface than any other mountain I've been too (in the East). But, if there was a lot of fresh snow ... which mountain(s) would be the best to go to? As much as I love Whiteface, it wouldn't make my top three, even given the limited experience I've had at other mountains (unless The Slides are open).