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Mid-Atlantic Moving to Baltimore, MD- Which mountain within 5 hr drive or less has the best vertical and most expert terrain?

dbostedo

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Sorry, in my defense I had a massive crash on the MTB yesterday and wasn’t thinking clearly.

“When I go to camelback” I’ve been there on the wrong weekends when it’s littered with people who obviously aren’t the talented, die hard locals who avoid those days. The terrain is fun. Blue is easy for me to get to, CBK is prob only :30 min further from Baltimore.

GPS data for Blue shows 1099’ vertical. Take it all with many grains of...machine made snow. The 47 degree slope? Who knows. I think it’s from airing it out over the last pitch at the bottom of the “double diamonds”. View attachment 99610
Yeah... GPS apps tend to get a little weird for slope ratings over small distances. There's no slope/run near 47 degrees anywhere south of NY/New England. 30-35 degrees is probably the max for more than a couple of turns. And that's rare. (And actually, everywhere, 47 degrees is relatively rare, even out west.)
 

cantunamunch

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Yeah... GPS apps tend to get a little weird for slope ratings over small distances. There's no slope/run near 47 degrees anywhere south of NY/New England. 30-35 degrees is probably the max for more than a couple of turns. And that's rare.

Can you think of a good argument for why free-flowing water can't cut slopes as steeply as ice can?

Hint: water pressure is isotropic.
 
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Relegate

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...actually, everywhere, 47 degrees is relatively rare, even out west.)
100% agree. I haven’t been up to New England since moving back to the East Coast, but def want to check out some of the places I skied as a kid up there. I remember some icy, steep, narrow trails all over there.
 

dbostedo

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Can you think of a good argument for why free-flowing water can't cut slopes as steeply as ice can?
Eh... I'm not sure it's that steep slopes don't exist in the east, as much as they don't put ski slopes on them. Plus, the eastern mountains are so much older than the Rockies and other ranges out west, so less opportunity for big steeps. (In the east, Tuckerman's for instance, has a bunch of over 40 degree terrain. But that's not where "they" put a resort.)
 

cantunamunch

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Eh... I'm not sure it's that steep slopes don't exist in the east, as much as they don't put ski slopes on them. Plus, the eastern mountains are so much older than the Rockies and other ranges out west, so less opportunity for big steeps. (In the east, Tuckerman's for instance, has a bunch of over 40 degree terrain. But that's not where "they" put a resort.)

You had it right in your first post - NY (Long Island) is the terminal moraine of the East Coast glacier(s). Every mountain north of that has been glacier-modified within the last 30K years, and every mountain south of that hasn't. But pressure underneath ice isn't completely isotropic so it cuts down faster than it cuts sideways.
 

Uncle-A

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Lower K-27 is one of my fav spots to hang out and practice moguls. I hate the top of East Side Drive when it's icy. One big ice patch. I like Hunter West the best (when there's enough cover to ski it!)
Have you skied the new trails that connect to the west side? I like those a lot.
 

Uncle-A

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I’d recommend Blue Mountain in PA. Legitimate 1082’ vertical, some pretty fun runs, good uphill capacity, great ski shop and 2 lodges to spread out the crowds. Although they say they have 40 runs, it’s more like 25. That being said, it’s 1:10 from my house and less crowded / Better skiers than Camelback. Elk is sort of cool too, it’s 1000’ vertical but I do like the throwback feel there and it tends to be less crowded. They still use printed tickets.
I second the recommendation of Blue Mt. it is my favorite in PA.
 

mdf

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Eh... I'm not sure it's that steep slopes don't exist in the east, as much as they don't put ski slopes on them.
There are lots of big cliffs that you drive by, or see from the top, when you ski in the East. (At least NorthEast - don't know SouthEast.) It would be really strange if there weren't any angles in the range between vertical and typical ski runs.
So I think the steep slopes exist, but we aren't skiing on them. Why?
I think it's a combo of:
- less snow and worse snow makes steeps less skiable
- older resorts were laid out when the limits of what was considered skiable were different
 

Marker

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I googled the drive from Baltimore to Blue and it is just shy of 3 hr. The route was up US 83 to Harrisburg then US 78, pretty direct and you avoid the US 95 s**tshow. However, you have to drive past Roundtop off 83 at about 2 hr, so the temptation will be to pull off there. Camelback, Montage, and Seven Springs (western PA) are all at 3.25 hr, and Elk at 3.75 hr. The Catskills are just under 5 hr, so why stop there, just continue on to Vermont.:ogcool:

Roundtop is about the same time as Blue for me to drive, although closer as the roads are not as direct. So I've never been to Roundtop, but a colleague of mine that lived further west of Delaware used to have that as his home mountain. He moved into sales and out west, so he stops in my office to tell me how great the skiing is out there.:rolleyes:

Since I've been skiing at Killington regularly, and taking lessons there, my perception of "steep" has changed. I haven't skied at Blue, JF, Montage, or Elk for the last 3 years, all of which have some steep if short portions of runs. I have a feeling they wouldn't look or feel as steep now. The only run at Blue that I didn't ski regularly was Challenger because it was usually ungroomed if not actually bumped up. I'd like to visit Blue again to give it a go.
 

John Webb

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Extrovert at Blue Knob is as challenging as anything south of Stowe and east of the rockies. They never groom it and would probably need a winch cat to try. pPoblem is, it requires 100% natural coverage which is getting more and more rare around here.
Second that. Unfortunately they take poor care of the place and minimal snowmaking, Extrovert is closed most of the time due to ice or lack of snow. Only recommended if there is recent natural snow with some base underneath.
 

martyg

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I never skied when we lived in the Mid-Atlantic. Too far of a drive. Too much traffic. Too much of a pain in the ass. Driving for an extended period only to be greeted by a brown landscape with ribbons of white running down them.... Not compelling. Because I was in the ski industry, and travelled extensively out West, that is when I got my ski time in.

If you have ever had a desire to immerse in kayaking however, there may be no better place. There are several US Team Centers of Excellence. Consequently the overall level of instruction and coaching is exceptional. There is also a lot of gradient in the Appalachians, and a lot of water. Having the Potomac at my disposal was a gift that I didn't apprecate until we moved away.
 

cantunamunch

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If you have ever had a desire to immerse in kayaking however, there may be no better place. There are several US Team Centers of Excellence. Consequently the overall level of instruction and coaching is exceptional. There is also a lot of gradient in the Appalachians, and a lot of water. Having the Potomac at my disposal was a gift that I didn't apprecate until we moved away.

As someone who lives just above Brookmont, :thumb: :thumb:
 

martyg

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As someone who lives just above Brookmont, :thumb: :thumb:

Nice! I have spent a lot of time there, and trained in the Model Boat Basin in winter. One of the Hearns also lives in Durango (where we live). I still keep in touch with many of that class.
 

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