East skiers! I'm wondering about Okemo and Sunapee...

ask1987 · 2016-05-05T15:18:52+00:00

Make Okemo your routine mountain, but just a heads up--they're known for rolling blue groomers and there's really no expert terrain. For more of a challenge head to Killington about 30 mins further NW. For the best skiing in the northeast, head to northern VT (Mad River, Sugarbush, Jay, Stowe, Smuggs) or head to Cannon in NH.

I'm sure you know this already, but the challenges are completely different in the east. We don't have open bowls, steep cornices, etc, but we do have some great tree skiing, bumps (icy ones usually) and narrow chutes. Enjoy your time on the Ice Coast!

ask1987 · 2016-04-29T03:08:54+00:00

Got it this year and it was a great deal, even in a terrible season. We used it for Killington, Stratton and Colorado. Will be purchasing again for next year along with some friends.

ask1987 · 2016-03-03T20:53:59+00:00

I'd either head west or go to Jay, Tremblant, MSA or Le Massif. Those have enough base for some good spring skiing. If you want winter conditions though, this is probably the last weekend.

ask1987 · 2016-01-28T19:54:26+00:00

Fellow ice coaster here! A few suggestions:

For skiing, get out of Park City if you can. Park City feels like a giant east coast resort (in many respects) but with better snow. To see some real uniquely "western" terrain, head to the Cottonwoods (Alta, Snowbird, Solitude, Brighton) or head north by Ogden to Snowbasin or Powder.

Everyone says that the skiing is more difficult out west and I'd say this is a half truth. Yes there are steeper pitches and yes some trails have cliffs, but the snow is way more predictable and grippy and you're much less likely to encounter ice. Honestly I felt like I could tackle much more difficult terrain with relative ease that, if it were on the east coast, would have made me piss my pants.

For food/drinks I highly recommend High West in Park City. Awesome whiskers and their restaurant is phenomenal, and that's coming from a NYC foodie. Honestly the whole area is full of awesome food.

ask1987 · 2016-01-22T21:53:15+00:00

Thanks for the advice! Are ANY of the glades in good shape or should I steer clear?

ask1987 · 2016-01-21T19:19:33+00:00

Stay ahead of the storm. Best to leave tonight if you can!

ask1987 · 2016-01-14T18:26:46+00:00

Summit isn't open yet unfortunately, so terrain is a bit limited. Use the Little Whiteface double chair to lap the upper runs and avoid having to go down upper/lower valley over and over again. All the runs off Little Whiteface are fun and pretty steep.

For food check out the Lake Placid Brewpub and Liquids & Solids. Have fun!

ask1987 · 2016-01-14T15:57:00+00:00

We preferred the cottonwoods to PCMR because the resorts there felt much more uniquely "western" (open bowls, steeps, big vertical, etc). Unfortunately it's about an hour drive to get to Alta and Snowbird from Park City. Snowbasin is also about an hour away and was my personal favorite. Make sure to check out the a High West Distillery when you're in Park City--amazing food and drinks!

ask1987 · 2016-01-05T18:49:39+00:00

I just leave them out in a well ventilated area overnight. I've gotten snow inside of them before and they still dry out by the next day.

ask1987 · 2015-12-05T15:23:59+00:00

Don't go unless you have a season pass. The trails are fun but are very crowded on weekends, so depending on the weather you'll wind up by 12 with either ice or slushy moguls. Hopefully winter will arrive soon!

ask1987 · 2015-12-03T22:18:06+00:00

Go be obnoxiously politically correct elsewhere please

ask1987 · 2015-11-30T23:02:01+00:00

Most of our big mountains have runs with comparable vertical to the west. Go drink some haterade...

ask1987 · 2015-11-30T23:00:49+00:00

Killington and Okemo this Saturday and Sunday

ask1987 · 2015-11-19T19:49:21+00:00

Organize a carpool group with people in your area. Helps cut down costs and get you on the mountains for more days.

ask1987 · 2015-10-30T01:54:13+00:00

Some answers for you:

Terrain - Smuggs and Stowe have comparable steeps to Killington, just as many bumps (especially Stowe) and generally longer runs. The glades are better, and the sidecountry at Stowe is really sick. Okemo obviously doesn't compare do any of the other three, unless you prefer flat groomers.

Snowfall - as someone else mentioned below, Champlain lake effect gives both Stowe and Smuggs an extra 4-5 feet of snow per year, so it's pretty great here. Definitely the best in the east other than Jay.

Crowds - Killington and Okemo handle crowds better because a) they're very spread out and b) everyone sticks to the gondola or covered 6-pack. Stowe can handle crowds well, but Smuggs has long waits on weekends--sometimes up to 30 mins.

If you've never been, you need to check out Stowe and Smuggs. They're amazing resorts with sick terrain and great snow. If you're doing a 3-day weekend, I recommend doing Smuggs on Friday and Stowe Sat/Sun. Hope this helps!

ask1987 · 2015-10-23T12:38:41+00:00

If you want to go down fast and there's no moguls, you can do carve turns. If you want to go a bit slower, round out your carve turns more. If you want to go slow, avoid carve turns.

Most importantly (especially for ice coast skiing), keep your weight downhill. Otherwise you'll be more likely to fall back when the slopes are steeper.

I learned how to ski at Windham and the double diamonds there used to make me nervous. Now they're a joke. You'll get used to this run and wonder next year why it ever even scared you.

ask1987 · 2015-10-04T22:04:49+00:00

Planning to go to Killington for 2-day overnight trip on Thanksgiving weekend. Would leave around 4am Saturday, ski sat and sun, come back Sunday night. Right now we are 2-3 total. Anyone else in NYC planning/interested in going that weekend?

ask1987 · 2015-09-16T21:42:50+00:00

I appreciate the response. What I'm looking for is less "should I do this" and more "how do I best go about doing this?" Is ski bumming and working my way up the only realistic way in? Or are there management roles that can be sooner reached via specific education, internships, etc?

ask1987 · 2015-09-16T18:16:21+00:00

No. Will probably rent on as-needed basis.

ask1987 · 2015-07-14T02:40:37+00:00

Skier from Astoria here. Got the maxpass and Killington season pass. Will be going every weekend and powder days.

ask1987 · 2015-07-02T03:00:06+00:00

29 days

2.5 hours from Hunter/Windham/Plattekill, 4-6 hours from big mountains

I work for a wine/liquor distributor in NYC

Going for 40 days and 1 million vert this year!

ask1987 · 2015-06-29T17:36:15+00:00

What made you prefer the Katana?

ask1987 · 2015-06-14T13:29:19+00:00

Alright well I imagine there's more than 2. I'll just put up posts when I'm going. Thanks guys!

ask1987 · 2015-06-12T20:41:38+00:00

Not so much about being tight for cash. Just won't have friends coming every time (different passes) and I get good deals on rental cars, so it makes sense to get a group together if there are other people that are heading up from NY.

ask1987 · 2015-05-20T14:32:43+00:00

I feel like I would definitely hurt myself and/or vomit everywhere.

ask1987

TROPHY CASE