New England Best on East?

[James]

Pure “True Vert”-
Whiteface 3,216ft
Sugarbush 2,552ft
Sugarloaf- 2,410ft
Stowe 2,132ft
Killington 1,645ft

Largest Ski Resort Vertical Drop, Highest Mountains - Ski Stats

 

[Tony S]

In general trail count/3 = trails.
There’s reasons for high trail counts besides marketing.
Well of the choices, Sugarloaf probably has the longest runs. Maybe @Tony S can compare the Loaf to Stowe, Sugarbush.

Stowe has the longest sustained, consistent pitch. The Loaf is no slouch in that department, but its advertised vertical is a little misleading. There is certainly nothing like the Fourrunner or the Gondola that takes you quickly up all the effective vertical in one swoop. In fact to get to the true summit takes three lift rides, only one of which is a high-speed lift ... and that one is actually a medium-speed lift in practice.

The terrain at Sugarloaf is very good, has decent variety, and is challenging ... IF. There are more "IF"s at Sugarloaf than at Stowe, is what it boils down to.
IF it's not too windy,
and IF there is decent natural snow base,
and IF it has not rained since the last major snow,
and IF you are not there on a holiday or Saturday
and IF they are well-staffed enough actually to be running all the meaningful major lifts (King Pine, Skyline, Superquad, Timberline)
... it can be totally awesome.

The wind is the biggest bugbear. It's not a matter of skier comfort; it's a matter of whether they shut down all the lifts. This happens pretty frequently. I'd guesstimate several days a month.

Grooming is decidedly average. If the underlying snow conditions suck, the groomers are not going to save the day. (I think Boyne saves the good groomer crews for Sunday River, figuring that the clientele care more, and mother nature needs more help. Both no doubt true.)

Last time I was there the snow was half-decent but you couldn't get from one side of the mountain to the other because a key cat-track was closed due to thin cover. Lifts fail to open, or close mid-day for reasons no one seems to understand. These things are very common.

The locals take all these infuriating hardships in stride. It's part of their hardy self-image, like Alta skiers enduring endless traverses and non-existent signage. If you complain, they will tell you to stop whining, drink a beer, and fire up your snow machine like any good Mainer. (Snow machine == snowmobile)

There are a few decent but not remarkable restaurants in the base village and vicinity. Nothing remotely like the Mountain Road and village of Stowe. Not. Even. Remotely.

Upsides: On a sunny spring day when there is decent cover, there is no place on the continent that has more rewarding skiing than Sugarloaf. The scenery of and from the mountain is superb. The backwoods feel is a great re-charge if you are from the city. (Even Portland.) As a bonus, there is a cat skiing operation on premises. I haven't tried it - fairly new and conditions-dependent. February and March are your best bets for this.

In short, if you want a low-odds but high potential reward kind of trip, Sugarloaf is worth visiting.

 

[Popaas]

In general trail count/3 = trails.
There’s reasons for high trail counts besides marketing.
Well of the choices, Sugarloaf probably has the longest runs. Maybe @Tony S can compare the Loaf to Stowe, Sugarbush.

this was so useful and good to know! Because i had some idea in mind but didn't want to bring it up , people already think i'm crazy for asking and wanting too much lol

 

[Popaas]

Stowe has the longest sustained, consistent pitch. The Loaf is no slouch in that department, but its advertised vertical is a little misleading. There is certainly nothing like the Fourrunner or the Gondola that takes you quickly up all the effective vertical in one swoop. In fact to get to the true summit takes three lift rides, only one of which is a high-speed lift ... and that one is actually a medium-speed lift in practice.

The terrain at Sugarloaf is very good, has decent variety, and is challenging ... IF. There are more "IF"s at Sugarloaf than at Stowe, is what it boils down to.
IF it's not too windy,
and IF there is decent natural snow base,
and IF it has not rained since the last major snow,
and IF you are not there on a holiday or Saturday
and IF they are well-staffed enough actually to be running all the meaningful major lifts (King Pine, Skyline, Superquad, Timberline)
... it can be totally awesome.

The wind is the biggest bugbear. It's not a matter of skier comfort; it's a matter of whether they shut down all the lifts. This happens pretty frequently. I'd guesstimate several days a month.

Grooming is decidedly average. If the underlying snow conditions suck, the groomers are not going to save the day. (I think Boyne saves the good groomer crews for Sunday River, figuring that the clientele care more, and mother nature needs more help. Both no doubt true.)

Last time I was there the snow was half-decent but you couldn't get from one side of the mountain to the other because a key cat-track was closed due to thin cover. Lifts fail to open, or close mid-day for reasons no one seems to understand. These things are very common.

The locals take all these infuriating hardships in stride. It's part of their hardy self-image, like Alta skiers enduring endless traverses and non-existent signage. If you complain, they will tell you to stop whining, drink a beer, and fire up your snow machine like any good Mainer. (Snow machine == snowmobile)

There are a few decent but not remarkable restaurants in the base village and vicinity. Nothing remotely like the Mountain Road and village of Stowe. Not. Even. Remotely.

Upsides: On a sunny spring day when there is decent cover, there is no place on the continent that has more rewarding skiing than Sugarloaf. The scenery of and from the mountain is superb. The backwoods feel is a great re-charge if you are from the city. (Even Portland.) As a bonus, there is a cat skiing operation on premises. I haven't tried it - fairly new and conditions-dependent. February and March are your best bets for this.

In short, if you want a low-odds but high potential reward kind of trip, Sugarloaf is worth visiting.

Thank you !! a LOT!
What is next or what is just after Stowe that me and somebody like me would like (if you read posts above). Asking just to consider because of your "IFS" lol. But yeah, February is a time!

 

[Nathanvg]

This might have been the case years ago, but not anymore. It's possible to get these prices off liftopia if you prepare way in advance and ski midweek, but tickets seem to start closer to $100 and go up from there, even if you get them at a ski shop. My experience in organizing trips is my less enthused gang procrastinates on prebuying tickets and generally deal with the sticker shock at the mountain. Of course they still complain, despite plenty of warning from me.

I agree though, the cost of flight, tix, lodging, and car rental in SLC is probably comparable to an eastern trip. They won't get the slopeside hot tub or convenience though.

In reality, the OP should suck it up and do Tremblant. It would be #1 in terms of nightlife and all the other things he's looking for. I'm not sure if there are border issues that take it off the table.

FYI, I looked it up and buying today for skiing in February, it's running 72-92 a day depending on the day. Multi-days are even cheaper.

Unfortunately the OP's friends are afraid to fly in planes so I guess it's irrelevant to him.

 

[Marker]

Hey, no matter where you end up for this trip, please consider attending the NE Gathering at the end of March. Real Killington experts (not me!) can show you the goods. Bring your friends. Do you have an Ikon or Epic pass?

2020 New England Gathering -- March 27th to 29th

Save some Stowe -- err, Killington -- days on your Ikon passes; Pugski will be invading Killington from March 27th to the 29th as per the poll results. Meeting place will be 9AM each morning at the base of the Snowdon six pack. See the orange-circled area. We'll do a couple laps off that...

www.pugski.com

 

[ADKmel]

I was at Loon in the summer and my impressions were it was nowhere near as big as Whiteface.

I skied Loon mid- December-I thought it was really nice, They blow tons of snow and have exceptional grooming and do leave trails to bump up. While skiing I stopped to thank a snowmaker and it was the guy that turns the water on for the guns. they can pump 10,000gallons a minute and can blast more than 300 guns Wall to Wall! Nice Mt BEAUTIFUL Fall Lines, Fun, twisting wooded trails. Plenty of Vertical, I liked there aren't Roads crossing the Mt. The South side only had a couple open but I'm going back No Green Trails, All Black except for a blue on each side of the South Mt. We stayed at the Econo-lodge- indoor pool, hot tub sauna,breakfast 65/nt! 5 minutes to town, Lots of great restaurants and pubs. I can't wait to go back. Size wise it's similar to white face and plenty of steep.

 

[Tony S]

I skied Loon mid- December-I thought it was really nice, They blow tons of snow and have exceptional grooming and do leave trails to bump up. While skiing I stopped to thank a snowmaker and it was the guy that turns the water on for the guns. they can pump 10,000gallons a minute and can blast more than 300 guns Wall to Wall! Nice Mt BEAUTIFUL Fall Lines, Fun, twisting wooded trails. Plenty of Vertical, I liked there aren't Roads crossing the Mt. The South side only had a couple open but I'm going back No Green Trails, All Black except for a blue on each side of the South Mt. We stayed at the Econo-lodge- indoor pool, hot tub sauna,breakfast 65/nt! 5 minutes to town, Lots of great restaurants and pubs. I can't wait to go back. Size wise it's similar to white face and plenty of steep.

View attachment 89683

Haven't been there in ... decades. Time to go back!

 

[Scruffy]

i can't just sit in the car and go to whatever nearest mountain is. You probably have something you like same way in your life (passion)

Yes we do have that same passion for skiing. That's why we go to small mountains and ski the same trails over and over and enjoy the subtle differences between runs, conditions, days, etc... When we can, we go to Europe or out west USA/Canada. I don't think you're really going to be satisfied with any north east ski experience until you reset your focus and expectations. If you got bored at Stowe, you'll be equally bored anywhere listed on this thread.
A lot of us enjoy skiing bumps and going off piste into the woods to add variety.

 

[no edge]

Yes we do have that same passion for skiing. That's why we go to small mountains and ski the same trails over and over and enjoy the subtle differences between runs, conditions, days, etc... When we can, we go to Europe or out west USA/Canada. I don't think you're really going to be satisfied with any north east ski experience until you reset your focus and expectations. If you got bored at Stowe, you'll be equally bored anywhere listed on this thread.
A lot of us enjoy skiing bumps and going off piste into the woods to add variety.

Bored.... Mad River has the finest top to bottom fall-line skiing in the east. Might not be as big or as tall, but you will be "on it" the whole way down, even the lower mountain. It's got bumps that can be skied, trails and terrain that is rolling and still rhythmic, glades steep as hell or low angle, rocks to hop or cliffs to huck. Place is run by people who are serious about skiing and that's very noticeable when you get into the vibe of the mountain.

I ski Killington, Stowe, Magic and others but Mad River is a true New England experience. Everyone in our group will be able to ski Paradise - you will get over the waterfall one way or another. You will to see Chute on the ride up and you will be able to chat with those of our group who happen to be skiing it while you go up. Hell you can chat with everybody else too. The single hugs close to the mountain on the upper section. The single is a fast fixed grip lift and you can get a lot of runs. The terrain on the double... it's so fine. The Slalom trail is really steep and so skiable - first few turns are a bit trying and fear inducing. Everybody watches as their buddies rip it up at the finish of the trail on the flat.

I absolutely love that mountain. I don't know if you will though.

 

[Popaas]

Yes we do have that same passion for skiing. That's why we go to small mountains and ski the same trails over and over and enjoy the subtle differences between runs, conditions, days, etc... When we can, we go to Europe or out west USA/Canada. I don't think you're really going to be satisfied with any north east ski experience until you reset your focus and expectations. If you got bored at Stowe, you'll be equally bored anywhere listed on this thread.
A lot of us enjoy skiing bumps and going off piste into the woods to add variety.

Never got bored of Stowe, i would and i will go back there again, loved it , and through all this posts and replies i'm searching comparisons with Stowe telling you guys that i would love to find something close to it if not better. And yes, i'm used to different, i don't go just like that to ski, for me everything is important, whole experience, not car to lift skiing. And i'm not going back there (Stowe) this year or anytime soon because want to see more and want to ski better (terrains, slopes, woods, trails). At least want to try to find it and need your help...

 

[SKI-3PO]

There.is.nothing.similar.to.Stowe.

 

[Wannabeskibum]

Hey, no matter where you end up for this trip, please consider attending the NE Gathering at the end of March. Real Killington experts (not me!) can show you the goods. Bring your friends. Do you have an Ikon or Epic pass?

2020 New England Gathering -- March 27th to 29th

Save some Stowe -- err, Killington -- days on your Ikon passes; Pugski will be invading Killington from March 27th to the 29th as per the poll results. Meeting place will be 9AM each morning at the base of the Snowdon six pack. See the orange-circled area. We'll do a couple laps off that...

www.pugski.com

Plan to be there - and am a "Killington expert" and the new tunnels on several trails have made top to bottom skiing on Snowdon possible (without intersecting skiers from other trails). Mountain skis totally different now that they have made these trail improvements and the lift load is balanced across the mountain, particularly with the addition of the Snowdon 6 express

 

[no edge]

I can go to Killington easily, it's close. It's got terrain and bumps and cruisers and some really good woods - easy and difficult. Too much travelling to the various sections. I like Needles Eye (Stitch Line), Vertigo is good. Last time I skied OL it kicked my ax.

 

[Wilhelmson]

Depending on the weather vermont or maine could have much better conditions. If you can keep yiur options open choose between sugarloaf or sugsrbush/stowe.

We stayed off mountain in eustis but didnt find loaf to have what i would call extensive extracurricular activities though i could be wrong

 

[rocdoc]

The OP mentions he usually skis 3 Vallees - amazing place, and one of my favorites too. Some expectation reset is required if he is to enjoy his Eastern trip. 3 Vallees skiable area is listed as 64k acres. That's roughly 8 times larger than the largest area in North America, Whistler-Blackcomb, at 8k and some... The largest in the East is, I believe, Killington, at 1.5k.
Also, Killington is a regular venue on the World Cup. Whiteface/Lake Placid had 2 winter Olympic Games. Yet the terrain is not up to snuff...
I'm afraid it may not be possible to find happiness on a Eastern US ski trip under the circumstances.

 

[KingGrump]

The OP mentions he usually skis 3 Vallees - amazing place, and one of my favorites too. Some expectation reset is required if he is to enjoy his Eastern trip. 3 Vallees skiable area is listed as 64k acres. That's roughly 8 times larger than the largest area in North America, Whistler-Blackcomb, at 8k and some... The largest in the East is, I believe, Killington, at 1.5k.
Also, Killington is a regular venue on the World Cup. Whiteface/Lake Placid had 2 winter Olympic Games. Yet the terrain is not up to snuff...
I'm afraid it may not be possible to find happiness on a Eastern US ski trip under the circumstances.

I have been to Les Trois Vallées among other European resorts. I have also skied both east & west in NA.
I believe this is more of a head game than anything else.

To be honest, my skis and I takes up very little space on a ski hill. I ski one turn at a time except when I am between turns. Then I am confused. I ski to enjoy the turns and the sport itself. It's a daily thing for me.
Others like the romance aspect of it. The stats. The views and often the bragging rights.

Doesn';t take much to make me happy. Others ...
Not my problem. Whatever floats your boat is OK with me.

 

[x10003q]

Your fear of parking far away from the lodge mid-week in the East is unwarranted. Unless you are planning to go during President's Week (Feb 17-21), Eastern ski areas are pretty empty mid-week. That means you can park pretty close to the lodge.

Whiteface conditions are hit or miss and unless the snow is good, odds are you will be bored skiing there for a week. The rest of Lake Placid is awesome and there are lots of other things to do besides skiing. There was a suggestion to try Gore (1:15 south of Whiteface). That would give you a totally different skiing experience and Gore is large and empty. You will need to get in the car everyday if you stay in Lake Placid.

The best skiing terrain is Sugarbush/MRG and you can be slopeside. Snow conditions are generally better than Whiteface or Sugarloaf. The nightlife will be much slower than Lake Placid and you will have to drive for some of the nightlife.

Sugarloaf has great terrain, but as mentioned in the thread, the weather is hit or miss. The nightlife is ok and you can just park the car. The drive from NYC sucks, and as mentioned, you will burn 8 plus hours each way.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

I'm afraid it may not be possible to find happiness on a Eastern US ski trip under the circumstances.

Well, he did find happiness in Stowe. Now he is looking for the next best thing.

 

[Bennoch]

Thanks, as been said, also going with a crew and since coming from NYC we have enough of nightlife and bars/club but yeah, when you plan to stay/ski 4-5-6 days some nights we do want to go out for steak and beer, or pool/spa to relax or just whatever outside of hotel room... bowling donno

Sugarloaf! Once you're done skiing.... The Bag, The Rack, Hug's, SugarBowl, Tufulio's, Shipyard Brew Haus. Great mountain, great village. Can be brutally cold (and windy) and we need some snow but things are looking up this week.