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Best Mountain in the Northeast?

17K views 35 replies 21 participants last post by  CheoSamad 
#1 ·
That's a pretty broad title.
I am looking for opinion on the best mountain in the north east region.
I am in charge of my schools ski/snowboard trip for this year.
(even though its a SKI/SNOWBOARDING trip we have to make sure we have plenty of stuff for the non riders to do that tag along on the trip. I personally think that since its a trip for riders they don't belong there and what they want should be irrelevant but that's just me)

The place we go has to have
Above all a nice resort (which sucks I wanna ride not chill in a hot tub)
Lots of ski able area
A really good park would be a plus
(personal bonus would be tree/bowl riding but that would just be a last priority since I'm already basically asking for heaven)

We are thinking sugarloaf. Any thoughts? Please respond asap.
 
#6 ·
Being from Mass, I ride all over New England. My top three in order are Killington, Okemo, & Jay Peak. Killington gives you everything you're looking for. Great terrain, a fun park, and a beautiful resort. Okemo is number two simply because I love their park. Jay Peak is great off piste after taking into consideration that you're in New England. Sunday River & Sugarloaf are also both fantastic. Sunday River will give you a ton of terrain & the whole resort aspect you're looking for. They might be higher on my list if they were closer to me.

I've only ridden Whiteface once and it wasn't anything fantastic to me.
 
#8 ·
Its stating to look like Whiteface to be honest. It is the closest to us (which I was willing to drive the 9 hours for Sugarloaf) so we would save the most money on renting the charter bus to get us there and back. I will probably be happy with anything bigger than my 800 feet of vert so it might not be the best but im sure we will have fun. Nothing is set in stone yet I'll keep updates.
 
#10 ·
Whiteface isn't too short of a drive either, and no resort complex. If you are looking at Whiteface, you might want to consider Gore mountain also. Gore is much closer and the conditions I find tend to be better. Not a park guy but their parks seem comparable.

Gore also has West mountain near it for those who are up for some night riding, and a pretty good park from what I hear.

Both are run by the ORDA, so state parks with no resort complexes.

Been to Sugarloaf a couple times and it's a great mountain, great resort complex and reasonable on the wallet minus the drive. Sunday River is much closer and a great place too. Other places to check out: Sugarbush, Stratton, Okemo, Killington (can be crowded though like the mountain I hate waiting on lift lines,) Jay for the trees and lots of snow, and if you want park stuff I would have to say Mount Snow.
 
#12 · (Edited)
Whiteface is a decent mountain and the town (Lake placid) is also nice. There's some activities to do since the Olympic Center is in town. If you don't get snow though, you'll most likely be skating on ice. Not to dis whiteface, but I've heard it been called iceface.
If you're looking for parks, Killington is definitely is better, though on the weekends the crowds can be rough. Okemo is also pretty cool with a nice park, but not really that steep. I can't speak for the other resorts since I haven't been to them yet. Check out the thread below, might offer some more insight.

http://www.snowboardingforum.com/snowboarding-location-reviews/43420-killington-whiteface-2.html
 
#13 ·
Sugarloaf is pretty awesome for the east, but its farther away than most. Killington is a great time too, prob gonna be more crowded. Jay peak is a cool mountain, big, and you can get some sweet snow there, but its all about timing, it gets a lot of wind, so if it hasnt snowed in a little while, its gonna be slick and skiied off.
 
#14 ·
I really would prefer we go to sugarloaf but I have been outvoted and the entire school wants to go to whiteface. If the upcoming winter is nice especially around the time of our trip I will go but if not I might just do a personal trip to Sugarloaf if I even travel at all this winter.
 
#16 · (Edited)
Whiteface should be a good trip, usually hit it up once a year or so myself. Glades there aren't bad, but it can be epic if you get a fresh dump. Big vertical, steep slopes, and if The Slides are open and you can handle them it's fantastic. Your classmates do know there is no resort on site though right?

If some are beginner skier/boarders, they might have a tough time. Slope ratings are relative to each mountain, and Whiteface does not cozy people with its slope ratings. Blues at Whiteface will be like blacks at most other east coast resorts.

Enjoy though, it can be a great mountain if you hit it with good conditions. Two years ago I went and it had gotten 2-3 feet a couple days before I got there, it was fantastic. Last year I went and it was a sheet of ice and someone died on one of the blues off Little Whiteface. I probably passed him by while he was in the woods taking my friend on a warmup run down the same slope.
 
#15 ·
killington and whiteface are always the top 2 resorts in most polls ive seen online, ive never been to whiteface myself because its like 6 hours away from me while killington is 3hours. This year i have a pass to killington. It seems to be a great mountain for everyone and they do a great job grooming. Ive never really waited in lines at killington because i know the best way around, but it can get crowded on weekends. I vote killington
 
#17 ·
I'm surprised no one here has mentioned Stowe. Yeah its a hike but I would take that over Killington, Stratton, Sugarbush, Okemo any day. The resort is the best in the NE in my opinion. The mountain is huge and you won't have to traverse like you do in Killington.
 
#20 ·
This coming from the guy planning the East coast meet at Jay :D I want to check out Jay Peak. Im still debating the meet..

Jay Peak end of conversation lol.

Your talking school trip?? Jay also has a new state of the art waterpark and kids love it. Gives them plenty to do after a complete day of riding or skiing with all levels accommodated.



They also hold the best glades and in fact the best and most snowfall in the northeast. Price wise its less than killington and has alot more to offer for the buck than some of the southern section mountains in Vermont like Stowe.



White face is a crap shoot because of conditions. Its well worth the drive to go all the way up to Jay Peak....For lots of reasons...

Now I am not dissin any other mountains mind ya lol...I like them alot....But overall there is noplace like Jay....
 
#21 ·
^^^^^I've went to jay a couple times last season and overall its a great mountain when theres snow, if theres no new snow, and its windy that place will be a skating rink. It's also insanely cold. I've had days there in the -15s and blowing 60 winds. The water park is pretty cool too, but it gets insanely crowded if your there a holiday or vacation. Basically jay is only great when you get pow and minimal winds which rarely happens in the east
 
#24 ·
I must have horseshoes up my ass then because every time I've been to jay we've had generally very good conditions. And yes the green mountain freezer gets cold but I don't have a vagina so it doesn't bother me! :cheeky4:

When it is cold I head for the glades and work up some heat in there. Always had a great time at Jay! :D
 
#31 ·
I used to work at windham, its okay for quick midweek trips but I wouldnt waste my time there. Their park is sketchy and they dont have a pipe anymore. If theres snow it can be fun, but thats typically not the case. To be honest I'd probably swing over to Hunter instead.

Okemo, Mt Snow, Killy and Jay are my favs. Again if there's snow Bromley is fun, and Stratton is a blast too. If you're going to head way up north Sunday River is pretty rad, but its a hike.

Whiteface (aka ice face) always seems to get whipped by winds, but the night life usually makes up for that.
 
#36 ·
Not to demean her, but the principle of my school is kind of a bitch. She changed the rules mid planning to say the only people that don't attend the school that can go are parents. (Which is stupid because since she favors certain students she lets them bring as many friends as they want)

We will be going to whiteface this year. While I see a lot of comments about it being ice we ride at Camelback which is often nothing but solid ice.

I still would have chosen Sugarloaf or jay Peak over Whiteface. Hopefully we get some nice conditions when we go, so it does not discourage people from wanting to do it again next year.
 
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