Skiing, east coast

Kalaar kururuc · Dec 3, 2015

I'm looking to go skiing this winter and although I live in the UK it seems to be about equal price to spend a week in France vs a week skiing in VT, with a few days on either end in New York for shopping/sightseeing. TBH its pretty nuts that I can fly to the USA, stay 3 nights in NY, 5 nights in VT then another 3 in NY, with lift passes, ski hire and a car for the VT days for the same price as flying to France and being overcharged for beer.

So the question is, how are east coast ski resorts? I'm no extreme skier, me and the missus just enjoy cruising blue groomers so massive dumps of powder are fairly wasted on my mediocrity. I was thinking of somewhere like Killington as it seems to have a good selection of runs and isn't an insane drive from NY. I'd be going in February if that makes much difference.

Picasso3 · Dec 3, 2015

I have a season pass to snowshoe in wv if you want to come to bum fuck Egypt and shred.

What about the alps, man?

Kalaar kururuc · Dec 3, 2015

I just fancy a change of scenery, been to the Alps a few times before and when I lived in Calgary I did a fair bit in the Rookies. I'm not a big drinker, but in Meribel last time I went it was around $12 for a beer, which is just ridiculous.

If I can booked a ski break with a city break, all the better, especially somewhere like NY as I haven't been there for a few years. I did something similar with Japan, first week in Tokyo then a week in Furano, really enjoyed that.

.edited for typos

Vinen · Dec 3, 2015

Kalaar Kururuc_sl said:
I'm looking to go skiing this winter and although I live in the UK it seems to be about equal price to spend a week in France vs a week skiing in VT, with a few days on either end in New York for shopping/sightseeing. TBH its pretty nuts that I can fly to the USA, stay 3 nights in NY, 5 nights in VT then another 3 in NY, with lift passes, ski hire and a car for the VT days for the same price as flying to France and being overcharged for beer.

So the question is, how are east coast ski resorts? I'm no extreme skier, me and the missus just enjoy cruising blue groomers so massive dumps of powder are fairly wasted on my mediocrity. I was thinking of somewhere like Killington as it seems to have a good selection of runs and isn't an insane drive from NY. I'd be going in February if that makes much difference.

East Coast mountains are pretty chill. I find the Double Blacks to be simple and short, nothing overly complex but still a decent challenge.

Rangoth · Dec 3, 2015

Killington has the best nightlife. Decent skiiing.

Keep in mind that new england weather makes skiing suck. It's not like out west or the alps. You have really wet soggy snow and cold temperatures. Which means that unless you are skiing the hour after fresh powder fall you are skiing on a shitty layer of crusty ice/snow.

jeffvader · Dec 3, 2015

thread title is oxymoron. mods please delete.

in all seriousness, growing up on the west coast (seattle) i have really struggled to enjoy a day on the slopes for the last 10 years living in nyc. yes i'm a ski snob, i grew up 2 hours from whistler sue me.

i can recommend sugarloaf for all around good skiing (if you're lucky with weather) and smugglers' notch for famdamnilies.

Layzi · Dec 3, 2015

Killington gets crowded. I like to go to Sunday River for the long scenic blues

Palum · Dec 3, 2015

Have you skied in ice before? Pellets, sheets, panels and shards?

You will wantsharpenedshaped skis (you will hate old metal alpines or huge powder skis most likely) on most days in VT and NH, especially later in the season if you are doing late Feb or it gets unseasonably warm during the day.

Killington is nice but I would recommend Okemo as well. It is probably not as crowded and Ludlow is closer to NY. There's two peaks and two resort areas so you have options there, I would recommend starting in the secondary one and you can take two lifts to get over to the main areas if you want. When I was there it was snowing lightly and it was perhaps one of the most serene and amazing natural experiences I've had.

Hachima · Dec 4, 2015

I spent a few weeks in St Anton for a ski trip and loved it. Great food and drink were easy to come by. The place we stayed included a full course dinner each night and it was always something different for the whole 2 weeks. The cost was no where near what I'd pay for an equivalent high quality dinner at Park City/Deer Valley(High end resorts) either. With all of the Arlberg resorts you get access to with a single pass almost every day was different ski runs.

Personally I wouldn't consider a trip to ski in the East coast as an overseas destination due to the snow conditions there unless the skiing was a secondary interest for the trip. I've been spoiled though and have had season passes to SnowBird/Alta, Park City and Brighton in Utah and knew a bunch of out of bounds areas that were amazing.

Kalaar kururuc · Dec 4, 2015

Thanks all, the input is much appreciated.

I have 5 options really:

1. Go to the Alps again for a purely skiing holiday (be that Italy, France or Switzerland).
2. Go to the East Coast and have skiing as a secondary consideration, basically a few days in the middle of a city trip bookended by NY and perhaps Boston, both cities I've been to before but enjoy. This is also a relatively short flight.
3. Go to Colorado skiing and spend a week in Denver/Boulder (or possibly Utah and SLC, but can you enjoy a week in SLC in winter?). The compromises here are cost of the skiing portion of the trip and although I've got a Colorado holiday on my future list I'd intended it being a summer trip to take in other stuff as part of a driving holiday.
4. A Whistler trip with a week in Vancouver, but that's a hell of a flight from the UK and the other Canadian resorts like Revelstoke are too much of a drive from the airport. Plus I've been to Vancouver a few times already and as much as I like it I'm not in any real rush to go again over going somewhere else.
5. Sack off skiing this year entirely and have 3 weeks touring California in the summer

but then we're trying for kids at the moment so I can see that not happening due to pregnancy, assuming my swimmers aren't all swimming in circles.

edit to add: first world problem really

Cybsled · Dec 5, 2015

Layzi_sl said:
Killington gets crowded. I like to go to Sunday River for the long scenic blues

Sunday River is in Maine, though. If your plan is to wrap up with NY (not sure where in NY....NYC or upper NY?), then it is a pretty long drive. Not sure if you can cut across NH/VT quickly, but I remember it was a few hours from Kittery, which is at the bottom of Maine near the Mass border and it takes 3 hours to get from Kittery to Western Mass, which is near NY. However, it would be closer to Boston than the VT spots.

In any case, we are having a really warm winter so far here in New England. Not like last year where it was snowing constantly and Boston got buried ;p

Eomer · Dec 8, 2015

Kalaar_sl said:
4. A Whistler trip with a week in Vancouver, but that's a hell of a flight from the UK and the other Canadian resorts like Revelstoke are too much of a drive from the airport. Plus I've been to Vancouver a few times already and as much as I like it I'm not in any real rush to go again over going somewhere else.

You can always fly to Kelowna from Van to hit Revelstoke/Whitewater/Red Mountain. But yeah, those are still going to be 2-4 hours from Kelowna's airport, unfortunately. And from what you said, none of those resorts are worth it if you just want to ski groomers. If you're an enthusiast, though, they're some of the best in the world when the snow is hitting. Or you can fly in to Calgary and hit up Lake Louise, Sunshine, and Kicking Horse. Those are all within a couple hours of Calgary. You could stay in Banff or Canmore. Kicking Horse is by far the best of them terrain/conditions wise, but also the biggest pain to get to, with the worst nightlife and ski town atmosphere.

Really though, for international ski trips, Whistler is pretty hard to beat in terms of flights to Vancouver and ease of transfer to the resort.

In any case, the winter is off to a good start in the Canadian rockies, for the most part. A few resorts had record early openings, and most are fully open already. However, as I'm sure you know, it's impossible to say how they'll look in a couple months. Last year was actually a decent start as well, but then Jan/Feb were awful with warm temps, rain etc.

Kalaar kururuc · Dec 10, 2015

I really loved Lake Louise when I was living in Calgary, used to drive up Friday and come back Sunday. Quieter than the slopes closer to Calgary too.

Eomer · Dec 10, 2015

It's definitely the best of the Calgary-area resorts, but that's not saying much. The front side is generally garbage since it faces West-Southwest and gets too much afternoon sun. But yeah the backside and Larch can be pretty good. It's been a few years since I've been there, but I don't think it's all that quiet these days. The highway is fully twinned to it now, so it's a shorter drive. I've been finding all the resorts are getting ridiculously busy now. Population keeps growing, but there's been minimal expansion and no new resorts, so the existing ones are getting slammed. Even Kicking Horse on a weekend is way past it's lift capacity, now. If you want to beat the crowds you have to drive all the way to Revelstoke, or Whitewater/Red near Nelson/Rossland.

I'm going to make an effort and do some mid-week trips this year to beat crowds and chase the snow. We'll see if that actually happens, though.

Xarpolis · Dec 10, 2015

Every year they have a ski trip up to Sugarloaf, Maine. It's one of the 5 largest ski resorts on the east coast. The price is trivial at best. $325 (if you signed up early enough, they might be $50 more now) for lodging in a condo on the mountain and lift tickets. You're responsible for your own food and transportation. They have ski rentals if they're needed. This mountain is incredible. Skiing in the Poconos (that's where NYC people tend to ski) only have a single mountain that crosses the 1000 ft elevation. However, Sugarloaf is 4300 feet. And it's the best skiing on the East Coast that I've encountered thus far.

If you're interested, ask away. I can point you in the direction of the guy that sets it up every year. This years trip is January 24th through 31st.

Psypher_sl · Dec 11, 2015

Sorry, but Fuck skiing on East Coast US. I've been all over and East Coast isn't worth the time or money. East Coast skiing is for people that live close to it, so it's a short ride for them. Having a choice, West Coast all the time. I've been mostly just hitting Colorado the past few years.

LachiusTZ · Dec 11, 2015

Just go to Summit County.

Seriously, the east coast is dog shit for skiing.

Intrinsic · Dec 11, 2015

Picasso_sl said:
I have a season pass to snowshoe in wv if you want to come to bum fuck Egypt and shred.

What about the alps, man?

Funny story: back in 2001 (2001 not 2010 damn tablet) I broke both my legs in Snowshoe going down Pike's Revenge or whatever the other black was. About 9 or 10 am, first few runs of the day, we'd been down it tons the previous three days. Hit an angle wrong and went off in to the trees. Shattered both tibia, tore my acl, pcl, mcl, in my left, acl in my right.

Extra funny story, the quack at the bottom of the hill said I only bruised the bone on my left leg so I spent the next two days in a half cast popping oxytocin laying on the couch in the ski lodge in too much pain to do anything. Then when we got home the orthopedic surgeon was like, uhh.. Yeah.. You're pretty fucked up.

But Snowshoe was nice. We had a good time. About a year later they sent me a voucher for a free lift ticket.

Picasso3 · Dec 13, 2015

Should have sued them into the ground.

I'm going to get some skis off eBay i think. As a 195 pound 6 ft tall beginner ish (blue trail ok) kind of guy who just wants to go maybe 5 or 10 times a year what should i look for? Do i just need to get a size10 boot and that'll snap into about anything i pull off eBay?

Palum · Dec 13, 2015

Skis, whatever you can find at a price you're willing to pay but do yourself the favor of going to a real ski shop to buy boots that fit you perfectly. They are all slightly different fitting and it makes everything better and helps you concentrate on form instead of cramps. The difference is huge - 2-3 runs with cramps or sore calfs for your $80 lift ticket or skiing all day.

Skiing, east coast

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