Favorite Ski area in Vermont and why

kidzach

kidzach

Well-Known Member
I grew up hitting Vernon Valley/Great Gorge every weekend in the winter as a kid . But for those special weekends we would head up to Vermont. Mostly Killington, sometimes Sugarbush, Stowe and Okemo. As a kid Okemo was my favorite. Back then you would get to the top of the mountain with those old school Poma lifts which I still believe kept us much warmer than lifts because we were not above the trees in the elements. But as an adult Killington is by far my favorite, much more terrain than most others and plenty of places to hide from the crowds.
 
I've done a lot of skiing in Vt. I've skied all the decent mountains starting in the south at Mt. Snow to Jay in the north. But my favorite, by a mile and where I've done most of my skiing, is Mad River Glen. It's not a big mountain. Many of the skiers are deep regulars who own chalets or are part of clubs that own chalets on the mountain, so there is a family feel to it. The mountain is very challenging; the trails are not wide and not groomed like the bigger mountains, so it demands a more than a decent command of technique. There is a lot of "off-piste" skiing, which you have to discover on your own or watch/follow regulars. Keep in mind that many of these hidden gems are last run type of adventures that do not end at the parking lot, but somewhere off the beaten path. These adventures are usually planned in advance and a car is left at the location for the end of the day ride back to the lot.

The lift prices are reasonable compared to many of the others in the state. The food is decent.

Now the downside, which for me wasn't much of a downside, but if you're used to places like Killington could be a dealbreaker:

Gotta get there early. The parking lot is not so big.
The lodge is not huge. We would always take breaks at odd times, such as an earlier or later lunch. Or lunch mid-mountain.
Snowmaking is not a big production. MRG has been known to close mid-week, mid-season just to recover from a rain or warm spell.
thin snow cover that would close a trail at other places is considered a slight inconvenience at MRG.
There is no snowboarding. There is no terrain park (the whole place is a terrain park, actually).
There is not an abundance of seats going uphill (a single and 3 doubles). This, of course, means that there's not a lot of traffic on the slopes.
There are not a lot of creature comforts.

Here's a quick video of Paradise, which for years was only on some of the trail maps:

 
Jay.

The only place I've been where it snows nowhere around it and they get a foot.

It honestly was way better before the pumped all kinds of offshore money into it.

It does have an indoor waterpark and a flowrider

I rarely have an average day at Jay. It's usuall all-time or absolute shit-show. Very little in between.

I've been going here for 25 years and I still find spots I've never been

Basically there is no out ot bounds here, so the woods are well-skied and an endless exporation adventure.

More like an western Mtn in a lot of ways.
 
I’ve been to Mt Snow, Killington , Stowe. Stowe is my favorite. Big mountain, pretty reliable snow, great for families, plus plenty of great terrain for non-ski snow sports. the town is varied, fun, and walkable. The drive is long, but worth it.
 
The Squirrel said:
I've done a lot of skiing in Vt. I've skied all the decent mountains starting in the south at Mt. Snow to Jay in the north. But my favorite, by a mile and where I've done most of my skiing, is Mad River Glen. It's not a big mountain. Many of the skiers are deep regulars who own chalets or are part of clubs that own chalets on the mountain, so there is a family feel to it. The mountain is very challenging; the trails are not wide and not groomed like the bigger mountains, so it demands a more than a decent command of technique. There is a lot of "off-piste" skiing, which you have to discover on your own or watch/follow regulars. Keep in mind that many of these hidden gems are last run type of adventures that do not end at the parking lot, but somewhere off the beaten path. These adventures are usually planned in advance and a car is left at the location for the end of the day ride back to the lot.

The lift prices are reasonable compared to many of the others in the state. The food is decent.

Now the downside, which for me wasn't much of a downside, but if you're used to places like Killington could be a dealbreaker:

Gotta get there early. The parking lot is not so big.
The lodge is not huge. We would always take breaks at odd times, such as an earlier or later lunch. Or lunch mid-mountain.
Snowmaking is not a big production. MRG has been known to close mid-week, mid-season just to recover from a rain or warm spell.
thin snow cover that would close a trail at other places is considered a slight inconvenience at MRG.
There is no snowboarding. There is no terrain park (the whole place is a terrain park, actually).
There is not an abundance of seats going uphill (a single and 3 doubles). This, of course, means that there's not a lot of traffic on the slopes.
There are not a lot of creature comforts.

Here's a quick video of Paradise, which for years was only on some of the trail maps:

Click to expand...

Oh yeah, Mad River is awesome. I was a member of The Whiz Skiers Club for like 2 seasons. If you are a 1st timer you owe it to yourself to find a local/regular while in the lift line. Which is always fairly easy because of the single chair lift line and people are very helpful.
 
F' single chair is the ballz
There's a reason for so many mentions of Mad River. Smuggler's was great, but that Vail thing has me leary. Haven't been there since so can't speculate.
 
Sugarbush is one of my favorites for tight steep trails and decent lifts when I know mrg is gonna be mobbed.
Okemo is great for the kids and some decent glades. The heated seats and cover is great for those cold windy days.
Jay is awesome if you don't mind the drive and a chance of-30 wind chills.
Killington gets crazy on the wkds but they have the most terrain to choose from if you don't mind getting lost trying to get to every part
 
Jay is probably the best mountain I have skied on the east coast in terms of terrain. I have only been twice and once it was insane cold and the other time it rained...But the terrain is impressive for sure. The drive tho...wow...I would rather just drive to EWR and hop a plane to SLC.

I really enjoyed Smuggs...Had alot of that raw feeling Jay has, lot of glades and steeps...Not as good as Jay but its also somewhere near civilization.

I have a sentimental attachment to Bromley and Manchester as my Dad used to take me there alot. Always had fun there.

Agree with @Chris26er about sugarbush too
 
I used to go to MRG as a kid with my uncle. Back then, on cold days they would offer you a wool poncho for the single ride up. They were made by the Johnson Woolen Mills. I was a shareholder the first year they were offered, eventually selling it a few years back because we weren't going up anymore.
 
Having a house share for couple years on access road to Killington was all we needed. The mountain was way big. We just followed the sun or not. Start first tracks a bear and work your way towards pico. I never had a bad day at pico, something about that hill made it feel euro. And we have been a bunch to the alps and dolimites.

Always like okemo
Smugglers
Jay peak is just way fun
I am one of the few and not a great skier so take it with a grain but my one time a mad river wasn't a good one. Wasn't a good snow year and Volkswagen everywhere. So I struggled.
 
Killington for your group of pro friends, Okemo for a family day and still have a few fun runs.
 
UtahJoe said:
Jay is probably the best mountain I have skied on the east coast in terms of terrain. I have only been twice and once it was insane cold and the other time it rained...But the terrain is impressive for sure. The drive tho...wow...I would rather just drive to EWR and hop a plane to SLC.

I really enjoyed Smuggs...Had alot of that raw feeling Jay has, lot of glades and steeps...Not as good as Jay but its also somewhere near civilization.

I have a sentimental attachment to Bromley and Manchester as my Dad used to take me there alot. Always had fun there.

Agree with @Chris26er about sugarbush too
Click to expand...
Jay is def on my list of Vermont areas as is Magic, which I have heard some great things of from local Vermonters
 
mattybfat said:
Having a house share for couple years on access road to Killington was all we needed. The mountain was way big. We just followed the sun or not. Start first tracks a bear and work your way towards pico. I never had a bad day at pico, something about that hill made it feel euro. And we have been a bunch to the alps and dolimites.

Always like okemo
Smugglers
Jay peak is just way fun
I am one of the few and not a great skier so take it with a grain but my one time a mad river wasn't a good one. Wasn't a good snow year and Volkswagen everywhere. So I struggled.
Click to expand...
That is the biggest problem with Mad River, has to be a great snow season for it to be worth it.
 
Grew up going to Smuggs every year. Took the family there for a few years also... Killer kids camps. Great in the summer too.
 
Obviously, whoever has the best snow is the place I like best, but if all things condition wise are equal. I guess Stowe. I like the terrain there, it’s got a little something for everybody, all off the same lift. Great trees, tight twisty trails like chin clip, wide open groomers. Spruce mountain has some real good treees, also. It also has great night life. Sugarbush is really awesome also, and you can score better deals there, then you can at Stowe.
I am not a fan of the single chair at Mad river. It’s great that it keeps skier traffic down on the trails, but I’ve waited in some excruciatingly long lift lines there.
I’ve only been to smugg’s once, and all I can remember was steep!!! And really old double chairs that took forever, I don’t know if that’s changed. But I do remember it having serious terrain.
Killington is really great when they have snow also.
I guess I don’t have a favorite, except the place that I’m skiing on any given day!
Sorry for the long winded answer. I really can’t make a long story short!
 
Have boarded most mountains in VT other than the mid-state greats like Stowe and Sugarbush, so can’t comment on those (though hope to get there some day). But the answer depends on what’s most important to you. For me, other than good conditions, which is really weather dependent rather than in direct control of the mountain operator, my #1 criteria is no crowds. Unless it’s a (rare) powder day I prefer carving big turns on wide slopes, not something easy to do with a wealth of people on the trails. For this reason, Pico is my first choice. Crowds and lines are non existent, even on holidays and weekends.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom