CT Mountains

[bendm]

where's "here"?

any legit mountain in the rockies, cascades, or sierras.

there are eastern equivalents too of course e.g. Alpental in Washington; Skibowl in Oregon; Boreal and Soda Springs in CA; Nordic Valley in Utah; Granby Ranch in CO, etc. but i'm referring to the likes of Baker, Crystal, Hood, Bachelor, Squaw, Kirkwood, Snowbird, Alta, Vail, Snowmass, etc.

 

[usedtoberats]

morris (mountain)- aka Chuck Alexinas

 

[alexd]

any legit mountain in the rockies, cascades, or sierras.

there are eastern equivalents too of course e.g. Alpental in Washington; Skibowl in Oregon; Boreal and Soda Springs in CA; Nordic Valley in Utah; Granby Ranch in CO, etc. but i'm referring to the likes of Baker, Crystal, Hood, Bachelor, Squaw, Kirkwood, Snowbird, Alta, Vail, Snowmass, etc.

Based on your comments so far, were you planning to start a "Western U.S. humungous mountain black diamond ski areas vs. CT hills" thread?

 

[bendm]

Based on your comments so far, were you planning to start a "Western U.S. humungous mountain black diamond ski areas vs. CT hills" thread?

hey i didnt intend to poo poo anything until the challenge of mohawk's black diamond was mentioned and the hills were compared to park city and big sky. but i moved across the country to ski, in part, so i was obligated to speak for my new environs. as i said i still love those places so i tried to be as gracious as possible.

 

[superjohn]

i'm familiar with all those... learned to ski at loon it's the size of bunny hill. had a season pass at killington and the only trail that consistently had snow was superstar. if devils fiddle/outer limits etc had a 4' snow base theyd be equivalent to a blue out here but it's the giant icy moguls that make it hard and that's not fun. never bothered going to pico. mad river cant get away without snowmaking anymore. stowe was easily my favorite but it doesnt compare to the cliffs and avalanches and tree wells you find out here. i was trying to be sensitive about this since i grew up there and will always have fond memories for the most part and what's happening now breaks my heart but i cant take those suggestions too seriously

You work with what you've got. I was incredibly lucky and got to learn how to ski at Telluride which I consider the best, at least in Colorado but I did most of my skiing at Mohawk with day trips up to Butternut and Jimini Peak and longer trips to Stratton, Bromley, Pico, Stowe, Sugarbush etc. You can have a good time and get pretty good on any size mountain. The east has some of the best skiers because they have to deal more with the elements.

I love skiing and have amazing memories but there's a pretty good chance I'll never ski again.

 

[bendm]

I love skiing and have amazing memories but there's a pretty good chance I'll never ski again.

i imagine living in the midwest doesn't help those odds. chicago was my GF's preferred destination when we decided to move from CT but i had to veto it for that reason.

 

[Hoophound]

The biggest issue with the east is you have to get to the mountain when the snow is good. When we are in Stowe and it is even an average winter, there are a lot of great days, including several days of light fluffy powder. Stowe gets a lot of snow. It just isn’t the quality of snow that the west produces.

The other problem is people work and have lives and very few can work with the schedule Mother Nature provides. Out west, the snow is superior and feels great even when it hasn’t snowed in a while and is packed. It’s just dryer, which is always better. Still, I love Stowe and at this point in my life it provides more epic days per season than I’d care to ski if I was there all winter.

 

[Jaker]

and i'm sure living in the midwest doesn't help those odds. chicago was my GF's preferred destination when we decided to move from CT but i had to veto it for that reason.

Ok so where out West do you live and ski??

 

[bendm]

Ok so where out West do you live and ski??

Seattle. Cascades primarily. The snow can be heavy (cascade concrete = sierra cement) but we get more than the Rockies. Supposed to snow 5' between last night and saturday.

Under 3 hr drive to Mount Baker which holds the world record for snow in a year (1,140") and averages 650"

Under 2 hr drives to Stevens Pass (Epic Pass) and Crystal Mountain (Ikon Pass). Stevens gets the 4th most snow per year (475") in the lower 48 after Baker, Snowbird, and Alta. Had the best ski day of my life there last season. Crystal is the biggest ski area in WA, on the northeast shoulder of Mt. Rainier

Under 2 hour flights to Salt Lake and Tahoe. Did long weekends at Alta and Heavenly last year. Was supposed to go to Whistler this year (4 hr drive). Sun Valley, Whitefish, Jackson Hole, and Steamboat are all ~2 hr direct flights...goal of 2 long weekends per year in Canada, Rockies, or Sierras plus local day trips until my knees give

 

[superjohn]

i imagine living in the midwest doesn't help those odds. chicago was my GF's preferred destination when we decided to move from CT but i had to veto it for that reason.

Yep. No mountains anywhere near me, too expensive, and fear of wrecking my knees.

 

[Waquoit]

i tried to be as gracious as possible.

I suppose it's a relative term