• For more information on how to avoid pop-up ads and still support SkiTalk click HERE.

LKLA

Out on the slopes
Skier
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Posts
1,428
There are a number of ski areas across the Northeast that are fairly close to one another.

Which do you prefer:

· Killington or Okemo

· Mt Snow or Stratton

· Stowe or Smugglers Notch

· Sugarbush or Mad River

· Catamount or Jiminy Peak

· Hunter or Windham

· Bromley or Magic

· Bretton Woods or Wildcat

· Loon or Waterville
 

ScottB

Making fresh tracks
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Oct 29, 2016
Posts
2,163
Location
Gloucester, MA
There are a number of ski areas across the Northeast that are fairly close to one another.

Which do you prefer:

· Killington or Okemo ----------- Kton

· Mt Snow or Stratton -----------Mt Snow

· Stowe or Smugglers Notch ------------Stowe

· Sugarbush or Mad River ---------------Sugarbush

· Catamount or Jiminy Peak -------------------no opinion, too far from Mass.

· Hunter or Windham ---------------------no opinion, too far from Mass.

· Bromley or Magic ----------------------haven't skied either

· Bretton Woods or Wildcat --------------------Cat

· Loon or Waterville ----------------------Loon
 

Slide of Hans

Getting on the Red Chair
Skier
Joined
Nov 1, 2017
Posts
384
Location
West Peak
Assuming good snow

· Killington
· Mt Snow
· Stowe
· Mad River
· Jiminy Peak
· Hunter
· Magic
· Wildcat
· Loon
Top 3, MRG, SBush, Stowe
 

Doug Briggs

"Douche Bag Local"
Industry Insider
SkiTalk Tester
Joined
Nov 9, 2015
Posts
7,483
Location
Breckenridge, CO
This post reminds me of how long it has been since I skied my old stomping grounds.

I've only raced at some of those and not skied many.

My favorite places in NE were Sunday River, Abram, the Loaf, Saddleback (sadly they didn't open again this year, right?), the Kitty (Wildcat), Cranmore (my home mountain), Jay and MRG (for sentimental reason).

Of course there is the big one across from Wildcat, but that's not a ski area, per se.
 

Muleski

So much better than a pro
Inactive
Joined
Nov 14, 2015
Posts
5,243
Location
North of Boston
I'll weight in, and my choices are based on more than the terrain, and the "skiing" per se. I'm factoring in the whole experience. I also have some personal long time fondness for some over others.

Prime example is Stratton over Snow. Have one child who was at SMS, and going back to the 1960's with the occasional race at Snow.....not my place. Lots of history at Stratton. Stratton gets a bad rap by the allegedly hard core crowd. Plenty of USST skiers have come out of SMS. Just saying.....

Okemo over Killington. Don't really love either these days. Coached years ago at K. Have a few friends who own at Okemo. Mid week, if you want to relax on a buffed hill....pretty nice. None of my old crowd, may of whom owned at Killington and skied there for decades, ski there these days. Maybe it's my age. I do like the Kill WC support. Okemo has done a nice job. Many raving fans and owners

Stowe over Smuggs, unless great snow and crowd avoidance and just thinking about skiing, and trees. Otherwise, No. Smuggs is pretty tired.

Sugarbush over MRG. Gotta ski MRG, but only so much. Nostalgia? MRG leads the league.

Jiminy Peak over Catamount, by a nose. More days at JP, so I'm more familiar. May not be fair.

Magic over Bromley.

Wildcat....huge nostalgia and "real News England" vote. But the whole customer experience is pretty nice at Bretton Woods. Would bore me, but I know people who love it, often.

Waterville over Loon, for me. History, friends, a lot of race days.

I like Doug's post, ^^^^. too, taking it in another direction.

Sugarloaf over SR, for my family, by a mile plus. Probably a couple thousand days at Sugarloaf, and many hundred at SR.

I have skied Saddleback quite a bit, and hope it survives. The skiing can be great. Not "much" there. You're not going to confuse the two of Rangeley, in the winter, with Stowe.

Have incredible fondness for Mt. Abram, and Cranmore. Shawnee Peak as well.
 

S.H.

USSA Coach
Skier
Joined
Nov 14, 2015
Posts
1,821
Location
New England --> CO
· Killington or Okemo - do I have to go to either? ... Okemo

· Mt Snow or Stratton - Snow

· Stowe or Smugglers Notch - Smuggs

· Sugarbush or Mad River - Sugarbush

· Catamount or Jiminy Peak - Jiminy

· Hunter or Windham - Windham

· Bromley or Magic - Bromley

· Bretton Woods or Wildcat - Wildcat

· Loon or Waterville - Loon
 

Doug Briggs

"Douche Bag Local"
Industry Insider
SkiTalk Tester
Joined
Nov 9, 2015
Posts
7,483
Location
Breckenridge, CO
· Killington or Okemo - do I have to go to either? ... Okemo

· Mt Snow or Stratton - Snow

· Stowe or Smugglers Notch - Smuggs

· Sugarbush or Mad River - Sugarbush

· Catamount or Jiminy Peak - Jiminy

· Hunter or Windham - Windham

· Bromley or Magic - Bromley

· Bretton Woods or Wildcat - Wildcat

· Loon or Waterville - Loon

Shouldn't your title be USS&S coach? :huh::duck::roflmao:

I was reminded that the organization formerly known as USSA requires us to call it USS&S and that abbreviations are frowned upon. Note that I take that browbeating less seriously than they'd like. ogsmile I did however change all the references from the former to the latter on my website, skiracereg.com, so that I wouldn't be chastised further. :roflmao:
 

Guy in Shorts

Tree Psycho
Skier
Joined
Feb 27, 2016
Posts
2,168
Location
Killington
Killington wins as my home for the past 15 seasons. Okemo was my home mountain for 8 seasons.

Mt Snow as it was my first Vermont area that I skied.

Smugglers Notch as woodchucks are more my style than the jet set.

Da Bush as I can have as much fun skiing there as a day at Killington.

Jiminy Peak as I did go there once.

Hunter because I know some great bump skiers there.

Magic was my home in the 80’s but my kids learned to ski at Bromley. Bromley for the memories.

Wildcat was an old favorite before I left the Whites for the Greens.

Waterville for World cup worthy skiing.
 

KevinF

Gathermeister-New England
Team Gathermeister
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
3,345
Location
New England
  • Killington or Okemo -- Okemo. Killington definitely has more interesting terrain, but I always felt that Killington's runs feel short and you spend half your day just trying to get to them. Maybe this would be different if I knew my way around Killington better? I haven't skied Okemo in years, but it was always a fun place to go to arc some turns when only groomers would be available regardless of where you went.
  • Mt Snow or Stratton -- Mt. Snow. Stratton has a vibe that I want no part of.
  • Stowe or Smugglers Notch -- Hmmmmm. Lemmee think about this one. ;) In full disclosure, I've actually never been to Smuggs. But 90% of my New England ski days are at Stowe, so... You do the math.
  • Sugarbush or Mad River -- Despite the New England Gathering not having a MRG day this year, Mad River.is my preference over Sugarbush. I feel like if you want cruising terrain, then Stowe (an hour up the road) has better cruising, and if you want off-piste, MRG (across the street) has the Bush beat in that department as well. That said, when conditions are poor, Sugarbush definitely has an edge. Which is why it's in the Gathering and MRG was a "maybe".
  • Catamount or Jiminy Peak -- never been to either, don't know anything about them.
  • Hunter or Windham -- never been to either.
  • Bromley or Magic -- I'd have to give the nod to Magic, but I haven't been to either one in years.
  • Bretton Woods or Wildcat -- haven't skied either in many many years... BW really does have some nice glade skiing, Wildcat has some nice terrain as well.
  • Loon or Waterville -- Waterville. Loon is an insane asylum.
 

Michael V

Getting off the lift
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Jan 9, 2017
Posts
276
Location
New Jersey
· Killington or Okemo - I find it easier on a weekend to avoid the crowds at Killington. Also agree with KevinF, that runs feel short... cause they are. Also I find Okemo to be too well groomed.

· Mt Snow or Stratton - Spent about 20 years skiing Stratton with the family. Excellent ski school, fairly good food choices, and had a great vibe for the family. (avoided weekends for the most part, but heard weekends are a disaster due to crowds). Had many fund days at Mt. Snow back in the 80's though.. but in the end still preferred Stratton. However, I have avoided recently now that family is no longer skiing with me because Stratton has groomed all the fun out of the mountain.

· Stowe or Smugglers Notch - Haven't been to Stowe in 30 years, was over crowed then. Smuggs has some great terrain, but starting to hate the slow lifts.

· Sugarbush or Mad River - MRG is still on my must ski list. So have have to go with Sugarbush for now. Hard to beat Castlerock area, especially when conditions are prime.

· Catamount or Jiminy Peak - 50/50

· Hunter or Windham - Avoid on weekends, but mid-week Hunter has some of the best skiing within 2.5 hours of NJ

· Bromley or Magic - Magic, has a great vibe, and awesome terrain. My brain hurts thinking about skiing Bromely on a weekend. I think I had my worst ski lodge experience at a crowded Bromely base lodge.

· Bretton Woods or Wildcat. - Never boon to either

· Loon or Waterville - Never boon to either
 

jo3st3

Getting on the lift
Skier
Joined
Jan 5, 2018
Posts
194
Location
CT
Killington or Okemo... Killington. It's spread out enough to enjoy, lots of terrain to explore and paths to switch things up, and two gondolas to service the mountain (very welcomed in some conditions). During the week it's not crowded at all.

· Mt Snow or Stratton... Mt Snow for the person there to get after it, Stratton for the people that want to hang out in the village and that stuff. For me, I'm there to lay tracks so I'd say Snow. They've really upgraded their snow making and it's just a fun mountain that has lots of stress free blues. It's not too big or small, and the bubble chair is really nice to have at times (but the lines for it can get annoying on the weekends).

· Stowe or Smugglers Notch... Stowe. Smuggs has the best kids activities, but the place needs some investment. Old lifts and so so snowmaking, with accompanying 1980s lodging. Stowe is a little expensive but I think it's the better option provided you don't have little kids with you. If Smuggs invests in their lifts and snow making, maybe add a couple bubble chairs or something, it would easily be the most epic family place. But man, some of those lifts seriously need to be retired.
 
Last edited:

Josh Matta

Skiing the powder
Pass Pulled
Joined
Dec 21, 2015
Posts
4,123
· Killington or Okemo

Killington, both are my least favorite places in vermont but killington has better terrain by far.

· Mt Snow or Stratton

Stratton it has pitch

· Stowe or Smugglers Notch

Stowe, easily the best skiing in the east regardless of who skis there, and who runs it.

· Sugarbush or Mad River

Mad River Glen its actually different from every place else.

· Catamount or Jiminy Peak

no idea

· Hunter or Windham

windham, slightly less crowded and nicer

· Bromley or Magic
Magic, change for a nickle

· Bretton Woods or Wildcat

wildcat

· Loon or Waterville

Never been to either.

My favorites in the east are

1. Stowe
2. Le Massif
3. Smuggs
4, Mad River Glen
5. Jay Peak
 

Wilhelmson

Making fresh tracks
Skier
Joined
May 2, 2017
Posts
4,328
I haven't been to all these places, and went to some a long time ago.

Killington

·Went to Mt Snow along time ago haven't been to Stratton

· Stowe is great haven't been to Smugglers Notch but my sister likes it

· Sugarbush but close to a tie with Mad River (when there's enough snow)

· Haven't been to Catamount or Jiminy Peak

·Haven't been to Hunter or Windham

·Magic has a great vibe, haven't been to Bromley

· Bretton Woods (only when its fully open), the one time I went to Wildcat my friend was being a wuss.

· Haven't been to Loon or Waterville
 

ScottB

Making fresh tracks
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Oct 29, 2016
Posts
2,163
Location
Gloucester, MA
Much more interesting to hear everyones reasoning, I'll add mine. (and yes, I meant Jiminy Peak is too far from Boston or Eastern Mass)

· Killington or Okemo ----------- Kton has its faults (overcrowded, traverses, pricey) but they make a lot of snow, honestly I have have never skied Okemo, but its on my list of places to try

· Mt Snow or Stratton -----------Mt Snow because they make a lot of snow early, mellow terrain but can get good ticket price deals

· Stowe or Smugglers Notch ------------Stowe has some of the best advanced terrain around, pricey and elite, but great skiing. I can see why a lot of posters ski there regularly, but I bet all have season passes. Haven't been to Smugg's for a long time, more family oriented.

· Sugarbush or Mad River ---------------Sugarbush since they make snow, honestly I had a great day at MR the one or two times I skied it, and I have not hit Sugarbush on a really good day yet, maybe it will happen this season, I have half a quad pack to use up. MR is unique and a "must experience" when conditions are good.

· Catamount or Jiminy Peak -------------------no opinion, too long a drive from the Boston area for the size hill, I maybe wrong about that.

· Hunter or Windham ---------------------no opinion, too far from Boston

· Bromley or Magic ----------------------haven't skied either

· Bretton Woods or Wildcat --------------------Cat for nostalgia and the view of Tuck's. Bretton Woods is a pretty nice mtn, different terrain though.

· Loon or Waterville ----------------------Loon because thy have more diverse trails and better expert runs. I usually ski Loon for a quick day trip, but went to Waterville once this year. Was bored by the end of the day with the similar trails. They do have a good race program. There were three different races going on at the same time the day I was there, impressive.

Others that were not on the list:

Sugarloaf ---------- Probably my favorite East mtn. The Bracket Basin terrain puts this place over the top in any east coast comparison. Long drive and could use a new lift or two, but nice complex at base of mtn and expert terrain that easily compares to Stowe's.

Jay Peak ----------- My son is a freshman at UVM and has a season pass there. I have been skiing there a lot more than in the past for obvious reasons. It is an interesting place, trying to compete with Sugarloaf for their base complex, they have a waterpark on the mtn, so the kids love it. Very long drive from Boston, equal to Sugarloaf. Old style New England slopes and lifts. Serious expert terrain when open. I have "evolved" to skiing their glades pretty much exclusively and avoiding the groomers, which can be icy and over crowded. Prices are reasonable and they do get more snow than any other mtn, even Stowe which is probably second.

Cannon Mtn --------- One of my personal favorites and always a decision to get off 93 early and hit Loon or continue on to Cannon. When the tram is running well you can get a lot of top to bottom runs in. Very old school mtn and reasonably priced. Very icy and cold mtn too. Its a Mad River with questionable snow making.

Saddleback ------------ Hopefully this mtn will open again with a new lift out of the base area. I only skied it once, about 3-4 years ago, but what a great day. There was 5" of new powder and about 50 people on the slopes during this Friday late season morning. I picked one trail and made the first three set of tracks on it. I can't think of any other area that would have such a low skier to terrain ratio for that to happen. Maybe it explains why the place is shut down. The base lodge is beautiful, reminds me of Timberline Lodge at Mt Hood in Oregon. The Casablanca glades are fabulous and hold great snow. If it opens again I will go there as often as I can. I think TonyS knows the place really well and probably misses it more than I do.

Sunday River --------- I forgot this place, I go there a lot too. Its like a Killington, but more managable and with a laid back vibe. I like it a lot, but you have to know how to get around to avoid crowds. They have some nice, somewhat hidden glades, and their Oz peak has great terrain, but not a lot of snow making, so its not always open. Nice base and off mtn amenities as well. Its closer to Boston than Sugarloaf or Jay by 90 minutes and they have excellent snow making, so there is always something skiable there.
 
Last edited:

surfsnowgirl

Instructor
Skier
Joined
May 12, 2016
Posts
5,765
Location
Magic Mountain, Vermont
· Killington or Okemo - I've never skied Okemo but hope to get there. I like Killington and plan to take advantage of my Ikon pass

· Mt Snow or Stratton - although I'm sure stratton has great terrain it just seems pretentious to me. I'm a Mount Snow pass holder and it's one of my favorite places to ski for a lot of reasons. I'll likely be buying an Ikon pass and that'll get my a$$ to Stratton

· Stowe or Smugglers Notch - I have never been to either. Hope to get to Smugs at the end of March with my ski club. I'm sure Stowe has stellar terrain but I certainly can't afford to ski there and I'm just not in the fancy schmancy stuff. I'm the gal that likes a dive bar over a fancy restaurant.

· Sugarbush or Mad River - never been to MRG but I do love Sugarbush and hope to get back there soon, hello Ikon pass.

· Catamount or Jiminy Peak - never been either. I'm not overly in a hurry to get to catamount because of the slow chairs. I've heard Jiminy has some good pitch so I can ski there with my Bromley pass so one day

· Hunter or Windham - not overly motivated to go to Hunter and I've heard great things about Wyndham

· Bromley or Magic - I teach at Bromley so that's my vote as I love that mountain. I've never skied Magic but have spent plenty of time at the BLT

· Bretton Woods or Wildcat - Never been to either but will check out bretton woods next early season as I'm not sure about K'ton early season these days. I'd love to get to Wildcat

· Loon or Waterville - never been to waterville but I love loon and with the Ikon I'll get there more often
 

Seve

Live Free or Die Baby
Skier
Joined
Aug 10, 2016
Posts
28
Location
NH
K or Okemo.........K by a mile for a thousand reasons.
Stowe or Smuggs.......Stowe. Smuggs is great but the lifts system sucks.
Bush or MRG.......Bush. Love MRG but conditions too unreliable.
Bromley or Magic......Magic cause it has some great steeps
Bretton Woods or Wildcat. The Cat by a mile. BW is so incredibly flaaat.
Mt Snow or Stratton....I despise both but if I have to pick I'll take Mt Snow because of the North Face.
Loon or Waterville.....Loon, but it's a close call. Can I have Cannon instead please?
 

Crank

Making fresh tracks
Skier
Joined
Dec 19, 2015
Posts
2,623
· Killington or Okemo
Okemo: terrain is better at K but vibe is better at Okemo. None of my friends have been smacked into and hurt there.

· Mt Snow or Stratton
Neither please.

· Stowe or Smugglers Notch
Stowe: for the lifts but Smuggs has some great terrain and plenty of tree skiing.

· Sugarbush or Mad River
Sugarbush: more terrain and lifts. Castlerock and Paradise come close to MRG skiing.. and I have never even skied Slidebrook.

· Catamount or Jiminy Peak
A wash: Jiminy for the steeps but they groom everything and catamount for the old school vibe.

· Hunter or Windham
Huntah: by a New York mile. Much better trails.

· Bromley or Magic
Magic: Best terrain in southern VT.

· Bretton Woods or Wildcat
Wildcat: Ain't never been to Bretton woods.

· Loon or Waterville
Loon: has more and better terrain.
 

Sponsor

Staff online

Top