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New2

Out on the slopes
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Spokane
Skibowl (though it's close enough to town to have too many GoPros)
All those folks quit after Presidents Day. The spring at Skibowl is empty and awesome, and they have the best budget bars on Mt. Hood.

All of the Colorado resorts that stay open late essentially turn to dirtbags areas mid-April through closing. Unless it dumps, then you'll have a lot of new friends from Denver for a day but they will go back home quickly... Same with every big CO resort their last week or so of their season. The crowds are gone, the skiing is usually fantastic, prices are cheap, and the character of the resorts very much change starting in April.
That might be true everywhere. Spring is definitely dirtbag season :)
Alta has reverse snobism of it's Altoids.
Probably Powder Mt should be on there. Even Brighton.
I saw a bit of old-fashioned snobbism at Alta. But agree Brighton for sure; PowMow's in transition... not sure how long it can stay on the list, but for now, yeah :)

Insult to injury - this year is my last on the Powder Alliance (*curses vail*), hence the Bridger trip. Keep the CO tips coming. My Atlanta brother & sister in law are definitely the Aspen/Vail/Park City type, so we rotate trips out that way some years and love to tack on a "palate cleanser" day or two on the back end.
Can't remember, is Crested Butte still on the Powder Alliance this season? It's been more than a decade, but my memory is that it was significantly more dirtbag than the other big Colorado areas.

One more to add in... White Pass, Washington is a great spot, even if they have one of those high-speed quads you hate. Mid-mountain was just bottles, but I'm betting the main lodge has pitchers. But very laid back, un-pretentious, and with fantastic views if you can get a sunny day.
 

Tricia

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Insult to injury - this year is my last on the Powder Alliance (*curses vail*), hence the Bridger trip. Keep the CO tips coming. My Atlanta brother & sister in law are definitely the Aspen/Vail/Park City type, so we rotate trips out that way some years and love to tack on a "palate cleanser" day or two on the back end.
Palate cleanser! :roflmao:
 

chilehed

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Never personally been there, but from everything I've read, Mt. Bohemia in Michigan is as "dirtbag" as it gets.
^this. 900 feet, average pitch is 30+ degrees, mostly (almost entirely) trees, no grooming, no snowmaking. A friend of mine patrols there for a week every year, and everyone I know who's been there says it's the real deal. They've got a great series of videos on youtube.
 

Tricia

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Crank

Making fresh tracks
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Dec 19, 2015
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Burke Mtn. VT. Good trees, slack country funky old bar with pitchers in mid mtn. lodge. Serious racers lapping the T-bar. Hardly any tourists. Ridiculously charming part of VT.

Smugglers Notch VT, though it markets heavily to families the terrain is great the lifts are old and slow and trees are many.

Seconded from above:

Powder Mountain UT. Get there before the Summit Group gets it together enough to change the place. Not sure they ever will. Hope they never do.

Magic and Mad River in VT.

Taos

Whitefish, great tree skiing. Watch out for tree wells. Cool town as yet unspoiled by upscaling.

Mt Orford in Eastern Townhips part of Quebec? Not sure but am going in a few weeks.
 

focker

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^this. 900 feet, average pitch is 30+ degrees, mostly (almost entirely) trees, no grooming, no snowmaking. A friend of mine patrols there for a week every year, and everyone I know who's been there says it's the real deal. They've got a great series of videos on youtube.

A season pass is $100 I believe if you buy it early enough. I should add though, that is likely no ski area in the entire US that is more 'out of the way' than Bohemia. it's at the tip of the keweenaw peninsula and the drive is pretty insane from most any major city.
 

Slim

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A season pass is $100 I believe if you buy it early enough. I should add though, that is likely no ski area in the entire US that is more 'out of the way' than Bohemia. it's at the tip of the keweenaw peninsula and the drive is pretty insane from most any major city.

Yep, That pretty much sums it up. Make sure to go only after fresh snow though.

I doubt @Analisa wants to drive all the way to the UP from the PNW ;-).

It’s a great spot for us midwesterners, beacuse of what it is, but I am sure there is much more of that kind of terrain and snow (along with more snow and more vert) to be found in the PNW.
 

Posaune

sliding
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Bellingham, WA
A couple of places I visited last month that I haven't noticed listed yet are Montana Snowbowl (of Gonzostrike from Epic fame), and Discovery. Both rather remote (especially Discovery), local places. Good ski hills, but I was there when conditions were not so great so I didn't get a good intro.
 

djetok

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Edmond, OK
Can't remember, is Crested Butte still on the Powder Alliance this season? It's been more than a decade, but my memory is that it was significantly more dirtbag than the other big Colorado areas.
.
Crested is now a vail resort now.

Monarch and Wolf Creek are great mountains. Go during the week in non holiday and you very well could have the mountain to yourself. I started my kids at Monarch and booked group lessons for both. They ended up with private lessons for 3 days. It was awesome. My wife and I got to ski Mirkwood A LOT those trips.

Monarch base right now
latest.jpg



https://www.powderalliance.com/monarch-mountain-co-makes-20-powder-alliance-resorts-1819/
"Powder Alliance Resorts include Angel Fire, NM, Bogus Basin, ID, Bridger Bowl, MT, Castle Mountain Resort, AB Canada, China Peak, CA, Kiroro, Japan, La Parva, Chile, Loveland Ski Area, CO, Ski Marmot Basin, AB Canada, Monarch Mountain, CO, Mountain High, CA, Mt Hood Ski Bowl, OR, Schweitzer, ID, Sierra At Tahoe, CA, Silver Star, Canada, Stevens Pass, WA, Sugar Bowl Resort, CA, Timberline, OR, and Whitewater, Canada."
 
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Mike Rogers

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Come ski with me and Liz at Castle in Alberta. It has a good RV community at the base, and the T-Bar is a great authentic après stop. The lift that brings you to the goods is an old double that was retired by Sunshine in Banff 20 years ago. Owned by the community and not shopping at the base. Truly all about skiing!

And the longest fall line in Canada (so they claim).

castle ski.jpg

On the Powder alliance.

Kicking Horse in Golden tries to fancy, and it's owned by a billionaire, but the lift infrastructure is sparse, there's a good RV lot, and the town of Golden is no Aspen..
 
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Nick Hammer

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
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Feb 5, 2019
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Ok...so...I'm new here...but...this is why I registered...6 generation in the Colorado mtns...you guys missed plenty ---

--- St Mary's Glacier...been closed a long time...but great skiing into June, good parking
--- Eldorado Mtn Ski Area..absolutely awesome skiing, relatively cheap, low key, good parking...
--- Echo Mtn Ski Area...complete with parking lot smaller than one run...but...very low key...expect about 30 other skiers per day
--- Berthoud Pass Ski Area(mentioned above...closed in the 90s)...but the runs are still there
--- Pikes Peak Ski Area(opened partway in 1981...aWwwesome skiing) have to take the cog railway to the top
--- Guanella Pass Ski Area(closed in early 90s), but very nice runs
--- Snowy Range, outside Laramie...cheap, nice, good parking....low key, very neat little area
--- Monarch Ski Area - mentioned above...but...good parking...very nice terrain, low key
--- Wolf Creek Ski Area... huge parking, low key, incredible snow and terrain
--- Durango and Purgatory - nice...low key, big parking
--- Silverton Mtn - low key...great terrain
--- Sunlight Ski Area...hahahaaaa...the old west in a ski area...similar to Eldora
--- Powderhorn Ski Area - outside Grand Jct, very nice, small, little place, awesome snow, also like Sunlight


And of course, Ski Cooper, A-Basin and Loveland...but theyve become expensive Jr Resorts, and wayyy upright on the parking.


For the money, cozy up to a helo pilot, and six skiers can have a day of heli-skiing for about a day of 'Big-Ski Area'...and the snow and terrain is epic!!
 
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Analisa

Analisa

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Come ski with me and Liz at Castle in Alberta. It has a good RV community at the base, and the T-Bar is a great authentic après stop. The lift that brings you to the goods is an old double that was retired by Sunshine in Banff 20 years ago. Owned by the community and not shopping at the base. Truly all about skiing!

And the longest fall line in Canada (so they claim).

View attachment 64760

On the Powder alliance.

Kicking Horse in Golden tries to fancy, and it's owned by a billionaire, but the lift infrastructure is sparse, there's a good RV lot, and the town of Golden is no Aspen..

Wait, this is the terrain you're working with? How has this not been on my radar? What's the catch?

capture2.PNG
 

Ken_R

Living the Dream
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Denver, CO
Come ski with me and Liz at Castle in Alberta. It has a good RV community at the base, and the T-Bar is a great authentic après stop. The lift that brings you to the goods is an old double that was retired by Sunshine in Banff 20 years ago. Owned by the community and not shopping at the base. Truly all about skiing!

And the longest fall line in Canada (so they claim).

View attachment 64760

On the Powder alliance.

Kicking Horse in Golden tries to fancy, and it's owned by a billionaire, but the lift infrastructure is sparse, there's a good RV lot, and the town of Golden is no Aspen..


I NEED to go there.

Road trip!
 

Ken_R

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Thread Starter
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Analisa

Analisa

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@Mike Rogers - sent the Castle reco to my boyfriend and just got the response “where?” But a few shots of the trail map & terrain and it’s on the list. I think I’ve finally out-dirtbagged him, which is saying a lot considering he looks like Sage Cattabriga Alosa but with a terrible mustache for ski season.
 

Mike Rogers

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Haha. That's awesome!

Castle is a blast. I studied at the University of Lethbridge, which was only 1.5 hours away....and loaded up on tough courses in the fall so I could ski a bunch in the winter.

I don't make it down quite as often these days, but it is usually good for 3-5 of the best days of the season. It's really tough to beat on a powder day.

The downside is the wind. Castle can be REALLY windy. The winds deposit a lot of fresh snow in chutes, but it can also shut down the top (red) chair. The hill is quite small without the Red....but if you time it right....
 

Ken_R

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In that travel time you could hit Monarch and CB. Sunlight and Telluride. Maybe skin up Chugara or whatever that lost area is called. Or, fly to Japan and ski half a day.

Exactly, that is the problem. :doh::huh::D
 

LuliTheYounger

I'm just here to bother my mom
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The skiing is legendarily bad, but Swain "Resort" (???!) boasts a section of basecamp that was built by a bunch of volunteers who got bored a couple summers ago & built the whole thing in the middle of July, without the knowledge of the mountain's owners or their insurance company.
 

Philpug

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Hickory Ski Center in NY. It makes MRG look like Stratton. You can get to the lodge from the parking lot....lodge is a generous description, it is more like a barn..a cinderblock barn. Lifts are a couple of T-bars and Pomas. Vert is still over 1400ft too.
 

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