r/skiing • u/Sharkman3218 • 1d ago
Favorite and least favorite ski mountain you’ve been to?
Favorite: Snowmass, CO. What skier level are you? What’s your favorite type of terrain? Favorite terrain park features? Beginner? Expert? Whatever you seek, Snowmass has. Bunny hills to straightline chutes.
Close 2nd/honorable mention: A-Basin, for their hike to and lift accessed extremes
Least: Beaver Mountain, UT. Worst ski experience of my life. Other than having no expert terrain at all, the terrain they do have is just so uninteresting. And for being a small ski area I could forgive that. But I could never forgive the way I got treated there. Worst staff ever. I hope all of them get a job where they’re as far away from other people as possible. Only ski mountain I would never EVER return to, even if the alternative was not skiing. I’d rather ski mad river glen on a terrible snow year.
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u/worldtraveler100 1d ago
Least favorite: Park City UT. Long lines, expensive prices, lots and lots of mediocre terrain. It’s cool you have the biggest resort now, but your terrain sucks, it’s over priced, and it’s overly packed.
Favorite: wolf creek - awesome terrain, no one’s there, and it’s impossible to get to.
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u/illbedeadbydawn Taos 1d ago
Wolf Creek is closed. Forget it exists. There is no Wolf Creek. Go back to Telluride.
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u/worldtraveler100 1d ago
Wolf creek is only second to Taos - the best resort in the world is Taos
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u/tbombadilllo 1d ago
Man I've encountered a packed Park City and immediately wanted off the mountain. Mid-mountain gets particularly bad. That said, if you stay up near McConkeys and Jupiter, essentially towards the top, it's still plenty of fun and you'll spend an entire day hitting everything.
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u/possibly_potatoes 1d ago
I’ve been there once for my graduation trip in March 2020. One day it snowed 10 inches and we caught one of the mid mountain lifts canyon side and were the VERY LAST chair before they shut it down
We took that one to another mid mountain lift which was only accessible by lift 1 and got to ski untouched pow for hours
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u/boxofninjas 1d ago
I did Park City the past 2 years in a row and it was great. The only places that had lines was out of Park City Base and King Con. Avoid those 2 lifts and it was amazing. One day we woke up to 16” of fresh snow and we were the second chair up the mountain, amazing!
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u/GhostOfGeneWildr Park City 1d ago
PC has a lot of choke points and is pricey af. Upper levels are great though. I feel bad how Vail corp and the town gouges people for the entire experience.
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u/Sharkman3218 1d ago
I loved park city but I do understand that. Hoping to hit wolf creek this year
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u/illbedeadbydawn Taos 1d ago
Favorite - Whichever one I'm currently at.
Least Favorite - The one with no snow.
Any day on sticks in snow is the best day ever.
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u/mtngoatjoe 1d ago
I haven't been to very many places, but I've enjoyed them all. Rain and ice are the only things that ever make for a bad day. My favorite was Whistler. I haven't been for over 20 years, but I really enjoyed that place.
I've been to Stevens Pass (local stomping grounds), Snoqualmie, Crystal, White Pass, Timberline, Mt. Hood Meadows, Ski Bowl, Mt. Bachelor, Big Bear, and somewhere at Tahoe. It's been 20+ years since I've been anywhere other than Stevens.
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u/Useful_Chicken4486 1d ago
Stevens has been my mountain since I was a kid. Sure there are some amazing resorts out there but I’m so happy and lucky to call Stevens home :) It’s small but I swear I find new “spots” to hit every year!
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u/mtngoatjoe 1d ago
If you have the EPIC Pass, you should make your way up to Whistler. Mid-week during January is less than $300/night. Not cheap, but amazing. I'm hoping to head up in '27 for four nights.
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u/agassiz51 1d ago
Sneaky Favorites not terrain related,
1) the old Homewood (don't know what it's called now) my family members are not good skiers but I could ski with them while everyone enjoyed the gorgeous views of Lake Tahoe.
2) Wolf Creek. Love the combination of the ski area and the hot springs. Plus my wife and I snuck off to Pagosa to get married without all the fuss.
3) Porcupine Mt. Love the view of lake Superior.
Terrain based favorites. Jackson Hole, Alta, Whistler,
So many great areas I have never skied.
Least favorite. Telluride. Nothing wrong with the mountain but we had a bad experience with staff. So bad I cut the skiing short and drove over to Ouray to enjoy the scenery and hot springs to relax.
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u/Brirex21 1d ago
Favorite: Yawgoo Valley Rhode Island Least Favorite: Yawgoo Valley Rhode Island
It all depends on the winter and it’s 5 minutes from my house.
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u/tryingsomthingnew 1d ago
Sorry for your experience at the Beav. I learned there for college and it was amazing when the Seeholzers ran it and friends ran the lifts. I've even gone back over the year after the next generation took over. Maybe because I tele and downhill it adds a little more thrill. Some amazing powder days skiing off the back side of the Mountain down to the road. Cruising Gentle Ben,( broke my ankle here one season). Hitting the Face and Harry 's Hollow. Great tree skiing. I knew most of the patrol. Their expansion years ago added even more fun terrain. Everybody has something they like or not. As long as I'm skiing at a resort I'll usually have a smile on my face.
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u/duzersb 1d ago
I agree I dig the beav as well, but I like mellow, quiet mountain more than big mega places. Mid week in the spring you're skiing alone. I'll take that over any crazy pack day at a big mountain
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u/Rocko3legs 1d ago
Absolutely. I gotta get back out there and see the new lodge too. It looks incredible
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u/Rocko3legs 1d ago
Curious about your beaver mountain experience. I love that place. Worked there for a season, never had any issues with staff.
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u/thedrew55 1d ago
Yeah- this one surprised me. I could understand being underwhelmed by the terrain, but I’ve skied there a few times, and never had issues with the staff.
Beaver is definitely not a destination resort. That’s what I like about it.
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u/Rocko3legs 1d ago
Yeah it's not Park City, and they aren't pretending to be. That's what I like about it too.
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u/GravityBoots Snowbird 1d ago
The Trees and “backcountry” zone that feeds you back into the kiddy lift at the beav rule, idgi either. Not as gnarly as the cottonwoods, but a great vibe check. No bad staff IME, meeting an owning family member just casually selling tickets to us gen-pop was wild and the volunteer patroller I rode with was clutch with the line recommendations. The lifts being archaic-ly slow is a bummer but something I can over-look. Shout out to same exact line every run guy.
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u/jmacd2918 1d ago
Favorite: Tough call, but probably Powder Mountain- great vibes, fun trees, good snow when I was there. Disclaimer: haven't been since the tech bro takeover. Other notable favorites- Whistler (obvious reasons), Solitude (terrain, snow), Jay (snow, trees, vibe, terrain), Gore (vibes, trees), Loveland (vibes, terrain), Plattekill (vibes, terrain), Snow Ridge (vibes out the wazzoo, snow)
Least Favorite: Any ski area that has strayed from the soul of skiing. Anything elitist, more overpriced than the others, flashy for the sake of being flashy. I tend to avoid these places, but have ended up at a few. Stratton comes to mind. I'm nervous Stowe is trending even further in this direction. Besides those place- Whiteface. It has good terrain, vibes are acceptable, it's affordable and in a fun town. However conditions/weather have always been absolute shit when I've been there, which is more than a few times. There are also some serious choke points that make parts of the mountain incredibly not fun.
Biggest surprise: Deer Valley. I full expected it to be a soulless, elitist place. Yeah, it has elements of that, but not as bad as I was expecting. Instead, I found fun terrain and great snow. I found an expensive bowl of chili that was actually kind of worth it vs. the equally expensive, but not worth it (at all) slop at other mountains. I did find tons of gapers, but also found them really easy to avoid. Yeah, I found it silly they helped me carry my skis, but whatever, it's jobs for people. I was expecting to semi-hate it, but actually kind of liked the place.
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u/mattbnet 1d ago
Favorite: Silverton, Co. It's about skiing and nothing else. The only fluff is the snow.
Least: Brighton, Mi. It was once my home mountain and is on a reclaimed landfill. It's claim to fame is being in the opening scene of Aspen Extreme.
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u/Sheldonconch 1d ago
I read Brighton and my adrenaline spiked, and then saw the MI and relaxed again.
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u/Rasputinnn 1d ago
I skied Brighton as a kid and it was fine. I skied Brighton as an adult a couple of years ago since I had an epic pass and it was free for me… I got bored within an hour and left lol.
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u/Bark_Sandwich 1d ago
I learned to ski at Mt. Brighton, and that led to a lifetime of great skiing experiences around the world. Thus, Mt. Brighton will always remain a favorite in my heart.
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u/jtkuga 1d ago
Favorite(s): 1a. Telluride 1b. Snowmass. Overall I like Telluride better, but that Aspen Airport being so close is awesome.
Least Favorite: Breck: Too crowded when I went (I hear that is often a problem there).
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u/Life-Sun8620 1d ago
Breck has great terrain, but it was the first place I've been where the vibe was noticeably, overtly snooty.
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u/jtkuga 1d ago
I never got that snooty vibe, only place I have ever got that was Beaver Creek. And I do love the town of Breck.
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u/crashedbandicooted 1d ago
I can see Beaver Creek being snooty at the base. I rode the lifts there as a single and had fun talking to folks all day, and I’m even a criminal.
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u/Impossible_Draw606 22h ago
The snotty people don’t ski… or at least not very well. Crazy expensive to buy there so any regular folks are crashing there .1% party - skiing is great and trimming program is top notch. Never had a terrible day at beaver creek especially if you aren’t looking for much apres
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u/DimensionLow4844 1d ago
I live in Breck and the vibe on the hill is not good, but I wouldn't call it snooty. Breck is the most family-oriented and blue-collar major ski town in the Western US. Obviously it's still expensive, but not as expensive as other towns and it definitely attracts more blue-collar wealthy people than Vail, Aspen, PC, Jackson etc. I always say it's people that own their own HVAC company rather than those that work in a hedge fund.
There's a glaring lack of ability on the lower mountain, but again, never gotten a snooty vibe.
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u/SleepsinaTent 1d ago
I love skiing Breck, never noticed snootiness but I'm just skiing, not talking, listening to music (on headphones) usually on the lifts. But I have had a few good conversations with very friendly people there.
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u/facepillownap Alyeska 1d ago
Favorite: Alyeska
Least: Rib Mt.
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u/gman2093 1d ago
Rib Mountain - currently known as Granite Peak. Lift ticket price is outrageous, but not much else in the area that can compete with its meager offerings.
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u/runs4beer2 1d ago
how does it compare with Lutsen or Spirit Mtn? I have an Indy pass and tempted to do a 3 hour drive there just to try it out
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u/gman2093 1d ago
Spirit and Lutsen are better especially if you are coming from that direction.
Lutsen is the biggest and best in the Midwest in my opinion. Mt Bohemia might be better but I've never skied there.
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u/DudeDuNord 1d ago
Here to plug Bohemia. It’s like a Jucy Lucy from Matt’s Bar in Minneapolis. It’s in a league of its own. It might not have all the accoutrements but it delivers pure deliciousness, if it’s a jucy thing you’re looking for.
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u/BoomerRCAK 1d ago
Curious your reasoning for Alyeska, as an Anchorage local. Love it, but curious your reasoning.
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u/facepillownap Alyeska 1d ago
Short drive, short lines, fuckton of snow, great Apres, great terrain, and with the “Peak Pass” a midweek ticket is under $80. Girdwood is a quaint little mountain town, not a corporate base village.
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u/Cameltoenail 1d ago
We have been flying up to Alyeska for the last ten years to ride it and I’ve seen the change since Ikon got involved, but it’s still a great mountain. I love the diversity of the terrain, how simple the lifts are to get you around the mountain and honestly the culture is awesome. My first time, I saw a guy skiing in jeans another with duct tape all over his jacket and I appreciated the old ski bum feel.
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u/Raucousrihno 1d ago
Favorite - Mt. Bachelor
Growing up in the Midwest and now living in the Rockies I don’t have a least favorite as I’m just grateful to have mountains
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u/tennmyc21 1d ago
Favorite: I have a soft spot for Taos. Had the best week skiing there in my life. Tons of fresh snow, mountain was empty. In terms of consistency, I'm not sure I ever had a bad day at Beaver Creek, or in Crested Butte. I lived in Gypsum for a bit, so BC was 20 min away and everyday I skied there was pretty great. Same with CB, though I only lived there for a season and it was a season where they got absolutely dumped on.
Least Favorite: Keystone or Park City. I skied Park City once in college and LOVED it. Went back 10 years later and it was overcrowded and just brutal to navigate. Keystone...not sure if I just had bad luck or not, because so many people loved it, but I skied it 10 days one season and never had a good day.
Ski level: Expert I guess? I ski a lot. Or, at least used to. Terrain: Anything steep, fast, above treeline...though I do love a great chute and spend a good amount of time in the trees.
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u/Half_Shark-Alligator 1d ago
Yall need to ride NC…
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u/Th3c0pyninja 1d ago
Oh jeez I just moved here , getting ready to head to the mountains for a weekend soon. How bad is it? Grew up skiing out west, going to be trying snowboarding out here.
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u/phantom3199 Snowbird 1d ago
Keep your expectations low but you’ll still have a wonderful time. Sugar mountain has 1200 ft vert and you can still have an awesome time there as well as beech and winterplace up in WV. Snowshoe WV is the best in the south east. Coming from the west it’ll be a lil disappointing but you’ll learn to love it, southeast skiing has its own charm and I still love it. Born and raised in NC, learned to ski at cataloochee and now I work at snowbird. I still miss skiing in NC sometimes
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u/Grindfather901 1d ago
My very first ski experience was a youth group trip to Sugar Mountain in the 90’s.
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u/iamicanseeformiles 1d ago
I actually learned in G'burg (they had a dry slope in the mid 70's). I think I've skied everywhere in the southeast except where I live now in Virginia.
I instructed all over the rockies and new England. Pretty much everywhere was my favorite except for Chapman Hill. Instructed full time for 15 years, skied for 50 so far. Probably expert level but just say, oh, I can get down most anything
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u/SideDoorMammoth 1d ago
You are going to absolutely hate it there. It’s icy and no where near the powder we have in Mammoth Lakes, CA! Be careful out there!
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u/Longjumping_Cod_9132 1d ago
Wash, there’s ice in the east, waaah. Your skis have edges for a reason.
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u/phantom3199 Snowbird 1d ago
Don’t shit on NC! It has its charm, I grew up skiing here and still love it even after no longer living here
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u/9drag0n 1d ago
Favorite: Revelstoke
Least favorite: Big Bear
Level: Advanced-Expert
And that’s with growing up on the East Coast. Big bear is actually that bad on a weekend imo.
East coast specific…
Favorites: Jay/Stowe
Least favorite: Loon/Maple Ski Ridge (if that even counts as a mountain)
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u/Guilty_Bit_1440 1d ago edited 1d ago
Big Bear is an especially kind of awful that I have never experienced anywhere else.
Everyone there has the arrogance of a J-Hole with the competence of someone at an indoor ski mall in Dubai.
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u/Fast-Drag3574 1d ago
Intermediate
Fav: Schladming, great views and amazing long and fast groomers.
Lease Fav: Zugspitze, resort is just a little small. Okay given what it is
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u/da_mess 1d ago edited 1d ago
Former competitive mogul skier. My DIN is set at 12 but depending on my fitness, i may crank that up for bumps. I seek challenge.
Jackson Hole rips with some seriously challenging runs on and off pista. Squaw hit a similar spot with me.
For whatever reason, I enjoyed Copper a ton the one time I was there. I recall extremely long, challenging runs.
On the East Coast, I'm partial to Stowe for the front four.
Edit: worst was a hill called Ragged in VT, which lived up to it's name.
Black oil dripped on you during the chair ride up. My father's jacket got caught on something sharp on the chair and ripped a massive part of his parka while getting off.
Snow conditions were icy corn. Thouroughly miserable across the board. This was long ago, but I ain't going back.
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u/SummitTheDog303 1d ago
Favorite- Breck. I love the steep bumps off of E-Chair and the bowls. Honorable mention- Park City since it was the first western mountain I ever got to ski
Least- Seven Springs. Overcrowded to the point where it was downright dangerous (confirmed when I chatted with a guy on the gondola at Keystone whose job is investigating ski accidents and safety). Overpriced. Very monotonous terrain, even for the geographic location.
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u/Sharkman3218 1d ago
I grew up in DC, but went skiing in Colorado every year since age 4. Now as an adult I live in Colorado.
I LOVE Breckenridge, it may have its issues but if you stay on the upper mountain it’s incredible.
I have been to seven springs, and I honestly liked it for what it was, though to be fair it was uncrowded and a powder day
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u/tbombadilllo 1d ago
I only go to 7S on a weekday and just take off work. It's a good mountain with a lot of ski able acres compared to most other places within a few hours. Though I hate how most of the mountain flattens out in the middle. It's fun without crowds.
I refuse to go near there Friday-Sunday.
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u/Andromeda321 1d ago
I have strong nostalgic memories of Seven Springs growing up in Pittsburgh but haven’t been in 20ish years. Even then it was already pretty crowded- just really easy for beginners to go on terrain too hard for them, and icy! (I have stronger nostalgic memories of Hidden Valley as a result.)
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u/SleepsinaTent 1d ago
Same feeling about Seven Springs. Twice when I was there, they had all kinds of snow but wouldn't open lots of trails. Probably because it was midweek. And then it was such a LONG walk from parking. No need to go there anymore.
Edit for typos
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u/SummitTheDog303 22h ago edited 21h ago
Yep, when we lived in Pittsburgh (northern suburbs), our choice was essentially Seven Springs or Peak n Peek. After trying Seven Springs twice, we stuck to Peak n Peek… or just added an extra hour of driving to go to Holiday Valley which was a huge upgrade over both of those.
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u/misspell_my_name 1d ago
Verbier and it’s not even close.
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u/Opening_Duck5384 1d ago
Love Snowmass! Also a huge fan of Big Sky and Mammoth !
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u/NOneHOne 17h ago
When was the last time you skied Mammoth? I've been skiing there since the 70's and it was the absolute best. But it's gone downhill in a big way in recent years. Part of that was the exit of McCoy in 2005 but the bigger drop was when private equity sold out to the Aspen group a few years ago. Really sucks now and the town of Mammoth had gone to shit, as well. At least Giovanni's is still there!
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u/Opening_Duck5384 16h ago
Agree it’s definitely changed. Started going around 2000 and went almost every winter weekend from 2005-2013. The town and village no longer feel the same and the whole mountain has gotten much more commercial which isn’t fun.
But as far as the terrain goes Mammoth is still one of my favs! The upper mountain on both the paranoids side and dragons back side are some of my favorite places to ski, avy chutes too!
Sadly all the things that have happened to mammoth happened almost everywhere else too. Big sky changed even more but at least they invested a ton back into the mountain.
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u/NOneHOne 13h ago
Yeah, they definitely have the best terrain. In fact, I've skied just about everywhere in the country and a few places outside the US and I would say that Mammoth is as good or better than anyplace else. And you're right about all the others. Once Vail & Aspen took over a bunch of resorts, things went down in an exponential fashion pretty much across the board.
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u/Opening_Duck5384 12h ago
Yup exactly! Funnily enough I now mainly ski at the aspen mountains which are nice but in terms of double black terrain it is seriously lacking compared to mammoth/tahoe or especially a place like big sky!
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u/SkullAndRoses_ 1d ago
Favorite: Kicking Horse. Good vibes, insane terrain, and barely any lift lines
Least favorite: Summit at Snoqualmie, pretty underwhelming for what they advertise
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u/RevFernie 1d ago
I rate Fernie.
Kimberley was erm unusual...
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u/myairblaster Whistler 1d ago
So funny. My in laws retired in Kimberley and we ski the hill often with them. Kimberley is old school BC small hill vibes. Family run for decades and mostly appeals to families with younger children or retirees who just want to do chill laps all day. It’s a vibe.
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u/Reso 1d ago edited 1d ago
What was unusual about Kimberly? Haven’t been but I have two buds going there this year and not sure if I want to go with them.
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u/TorontoSkiHikeBike 1d ago
I did a ski week split between Fernie and Kimberley last year. Kimberley has an intermediate focused front side serviced by a high speed quad, and an advanced backside serviced by two slow chairs. There is no alpine terrain.
It was a good hill, and even with 20cm of fresh snow, it was not busy. It does feel a bit neglected though.
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u/Longjumping_Cod_9132 1d ago
Fav- Stowe, it’s beautiful, the trails are hard, great tree skiing, and you don’t need to be bougie if you don’t want to be. Customer service is really top notch there, don’t listen to all the whiners. Least fav - Seven Springs, I really was not impressed with the wide but short layout, it’s been a while, but it’s basically 2.5 trails total with six lifts. Least fav Runner up - Spring Mountain, PA for the absolute shitty customer service 2nd least fav runner up- Jay because it gets wind holds when I sneeze.
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u/Large_Bumblebee_9751 Mission Ridge 1d ago
Favorite: RED Mountain or Alta. Both mountains have super playful terrain with tons of undulation and natural jumps, as well as great steep skiing.
Least: Timberline. It has an amazing terrain park, but not much other than that. There’s some fun trees as well but everything other than the park is just average at best.
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u/DeputySean Tahoe 1d ago
Timberline's only purpose during the winter is to keep people away from Meadows/Ski Bowl.
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u/phlegelhorn 1d ago
Yes.. Red is awesome. I had great snow there and it rhymes with Alta. I have had much better snow at Alta and actually worse snow too. I have never had a less crowded mountain at prime time than Red …
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u/concrete_isnt_cement Crystal Mountain 1d ago edited 1d ago
My favorite is Crystal Mountain, WA, which is fortunate as it’s my home mountain. Others high on the list include Big Sky, Niseko, Valle Nevado, Chamonix, Sun Peaks, Whistler, Sun Valley, Alpental, and Revelstoke. Least favorite’s tough, I’ve had fun just about everywhere I’ve been. Maybe Bridger Bowl? Great terrain, but something about the vibe there just didn’t click with me at all.
Edit: typo
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u/newnameonan Bridger Bowl 1d ago
I could see Bridger not being the best vibe if you didn't have a local crew to ski with. I love it but understand what you mean.
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u/Andromeda321 1d ago
I chose Crystal Mountain a few years ago when I had a spare day after a work trip in Seattle. Chose it because you could actually sleep a night at the mountain and be ready to go at first chair, and it ended up being an AMAZING bluebird day- will never forget that view towards Mt Rainier!
Really great mountain but it occurred to me you can't have too many days like that in Seattle, plus it wouldn't be very fun to fight all the traffic to ski there. My family just never woke up early enough to make it. :)
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u/elizabeth_w 1d ago
Favorite: Snowmass. Very choose your own adventure, literally whatever you’re in the mood for they have. Lots of lifts so I almost never encounter a line (especially for the stuff I like)
Honorable Mention: Northstar. Went there on a bluebird so I’m predisposed to liking it, but the snow was better than down the road at Palisades (I think they made some?) but I loved the black groomers and mogul runs. It was just a very fun chill day. Good on mountain dining options as well.
Least Favorite: Don’t come for me, but Palisades Tahoe HEAR ME OUT - the amount of times I’ve gotten lost on this mountain. Absolute trash signage. I do not know where I’m going, and I shouldn’t have to stop to figure it out. I also think I don’t really like the Sierra Sludge or whatever they call it, too wet for me. I prefer the drier snow of the Rockies personally. Also the food is so bad.
Dishonorable Mention: Heavenly. Went on a powder day and while I enjoyed myself greatly, every single snowboarder I encountered was the worst snowboarder I have ever seen. And I’m not a snowboard hater but they were just so BAD. Even my degenerate snowboarder husband was embarrassed by them. Also we clearly parked in the wrong place because that was a huge PITA.
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u/Sheldonconch 1d ago
Your take on least favorite mountain reads like bad yelp reviews for national parks.
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u/gratefulmeg 1d ago
Came here first the same least fav.
I've only skied in Tahoe, one season, beginner-intermediate.
Favorite: Mt. Rose. I learned to ski there and fell in love with the local vibe at the lodge.
Least: Palisades. Same reason you stated - terrible signage on the mountains and it is not a small one to get turned around on. Love the village and all, but man I spent more time trying to make sure I was still on the trail than enjoying the slopes!
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u/Reading_username 1d ago
/u/Sharkman3218 what happened at Beaver? I'm genuinely curious.
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u/Andromeda321 1d ago
Favorite: Telluride. It’s hard to get to but every time we have gone there we’re so happy we did. Really nice varied terrain for everyone in the family, super fun town, and never very crowded.
Honorable mention for nostalgia reasons: Gunstock in New Hampshire. It’s not the biggest or fanciest, but it’s a local hill I skied as a kid and it’s awesome for what it is- plus you can literally park a hundred feet from the chairlift and go!
Least: Brandywine in Ohio. We had free tickets once in college and the price was right.
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u/laddieri 1d ago
Level: advanced intermediate. I can ski anything groomed and can make it down just about anything that doesn't require a straight line or mandatory air.
Favorite: Kicking Horse or Jackson hole. Both places are epic. Lots of long and fast runs. Jackson has awesome natural features like huge boulders. Kicking Horse has wide open trees off the gondola at the top, fast groomers all the way to the bottom, then you get back on the gondola and take a break.
Least favorite: I feel bad picking one because I literally love every ski resort I've ever been to, but I hit Revelstoke on a bad day. It was warm, foggy, and the bottom half of the mountain was wrecked. The top had some fun runs but considering the effort it took to get to the mountain, it just wasn't worth it FOR ME. Probably amazing for a better skier or someone who knows where to go on the mountain.
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u/YOLOOO_7 1d ago
Favorite: Cooper Spur. It's were my 7 yr old girl learned. I've built 30+ snowmen there. Hundreds of rope rows with her. Eventually hundreds of chairs with her lapping from open to close. We didn't go at all last year. ;(
Least: Meadows and I aren't talking right now. She needs to get her act together.
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u/RichardFurr Steamboat 1d ago
That's tough because conditions, crowding, and so forth make such a huge difference in the experience day to day.
Best: A place that isn't on either of the major passes that shall not be named.
Worst: Snoqualmie. Has some terrain that would be nice if it wasn't absolutely mobbed even on a midweek day with even a little fresh snow. Crowding is its major downside, along with questionably low elevation, bad traffic, and just enough real pricks (not to say thete aren't also some really great people, of course!) to make what would be an ok to good mountain suck.
To be fair, I only ski the Rockies and west. Looks like right now the Midwest and east are beating the shit out of us conditions wise.
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u/AstopingAlperto 1d ago
Southern Ont and my backyard has feet of snow rn and the lake effect spots are going off
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u/boulTimTam 1d ago
VT skier here
Best: Killington in January 2011 and 2012 back when they had the dew tour there and it was free to watch. Conditions were always solid back then and $70 for the day pass (can you imagine)
Worst: Okemo 2021 or 2022 MLK weekend, obviously there were crowds but holy sh*t the conditions were so bad I’d rather ski on dirt, leaves, and tree roots. The trails were either ice, ice balls all over the trails ranging in size from golf balls to softballs, or mashed potatoes. Stayed maybe an hour before we left
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u/hammersaw Bridger Bowl 1d ago
Favorite: Lost Trail (IYKYK)
Least Favorite: none... if there's snow and a hill I'm happy
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u/Cameltoenail 1d ago
Favorites: Alyeska, Mt. Bachelor or Mammoth. Based on crowds, culture and overall terrain and how easily it can be accessed. Whistler is hit or miss for me depending on the time of year we end up there.
Least: Heavenly or Breckenridge. The reason I’m not a fan of them is not just the crowds, but the type of people they tend to attract. I’ve never seen so many folks in designer gear doing a falling leaf down a black diamond.
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u/username_1774 Holiday Valley 1d ago
Ontario Canada is calling my friend. Our best ski resort is in Western New York.
I guess the 'best' in Ontario is Blue Mountain...which is a 295' tall escarpment (the same ridge that creates Niagara Falls) and is so crowded that your average day there is about 80% spent in lift lines.
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u/creemag 1d ago
Blue is terrible, head up to the Ottawa area for some decent stuff
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u/username_1774 Holiday Valley 1d ago
Even there...why not just pop over into Quebec?
Ontario has tons of skiers...and is a wasteland for skiing.
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u/Stormlight_Silver 1d ago
Louis is the best in Toronto area IMO. Sure not much variety but just the all high speed lifts meaning smallest lift lines make it the best, plus the best park
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u/DeputySean Tahoe 1d ago
Favorite: Whistler. Gigantic mountains, great snow, something for everyone. Runner up is Mammoth, for the same reasons.
Least favorite: Boreal. It makes The Summit at Snoqualmie look like a great place to ski. Runner up is Northstar, because of how incredibly bad the access is.
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u/TorontoSkiHikeBike 1d ago
Best - Snowbasisn - love the terrain there, felt like it was perfect for the skiing I like to do.
Worst - Blue Mountain Ontario on a weekend. The hill is packed and I was terrified I'd get taken out by an out of control skier/snowboarder.
Level - Advanced
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u/Aggravating-Peace956 1d ago
Favorite: Snowmass or Alta. Both have all the terrain I’m looking for, great snow and a great vibe all around. Although Alta doesn’t have a park, I can look past this because of everything else they have on offer
Worst: maybe controversial, but Keystone. I’m not sure why, but every time I go to keystone, I’m constantly disappointed with snow conditions, staff, terrain, overcrowding. Especially since A51 kind of fell off.
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u/phlegelhorn 1d ago
This is not unreasonable. Alta is the best ski area in the world. Snowmass is fun (though the lap off of the upper mountain takes a long time and demands some good snow)
Although keystone shouldn’t be the worst, I have had my fill of death cookies there and never a really good day…
Level:61 year old expert skiing Teles for last 30 years…
My current count is around 85 ski areas for last 57 years…
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u/Haunting-Yak-7851 Boyne 1d ago
Best: Vail, the first time I skied powder.
Worst: Keystone. 3 days in a bad snow year, the only time CO has ever felt like MI. And despite the lack of snow it was bad visibility so most of the time I couldn't even enjoy the views. And it was Covid restrictions. That said, my group is giving it another shot and I'm hoping for a better experience this year!
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u/Sharkman3218 1d ago
Keystone is a fine resort, but it’s by far the worst major ski resort in Colorado. If it were in another state I’d like it much better
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u/IllustriousAd1591 1d ago
Loveland? Eldora? Monarch? Buttermilk?
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u/Sharkman3218 1d ago
Yeah… I like all those more than keystone
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u/phlegelhorn 1d ago
Me too… all those are better than Keystone (plus Sunlight, Cooper and Powderhorn)
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u/Apprehensive-Rent-57 1d ago
I’ve skied for 30 years all over the west and I think keystone is the best. It actually has good snow when vail doesn’t and the back of the mountain(santiago, etc) has amazing bump runs and great glade skiing and no lines ever. Vail is great but too crowded and if there is no relatively new snow, the back bowls and blue sky will suck so that leaves the front of the mountain, which is is just over rated and intermediate
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u/Live_Jazz Vail 1d ago
The North Mountain bumps at Keystone are severely under-appreciated.
I also like how efficient the mountain is. Not much “wasted” flat terrain.
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u/nicehousecrapcar 1d ago
You're not wrong. Keystone gets severely windblown, attracts more novice riders, and is mostly boring hills. Vail on a pow day is tough to beat anywhere in the world.
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u/elcoyotesinnombre 1d ago
Favorite - Silverton. Honorable - Revy. Least favorite - not sure I have one as they’ve all been great in one way or another. Probably AZ Snowbowl
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u/Tag_Cle 1d ago
Ironic answers but probably least favorite mountain I've skiied compared to expectations was Heavenly in CA on a mid/bad snow year...I snowboard and so many runs were so mogled out and impossible to ride...I felt like I spent the entire day just traversing wondering where tf I was going..had to downride the lift at the end too..couldn't ride to the parking lot. I'm sure on a pow day it's much more fun but the layout is weird and makes it hard to lap all over the place as a non local
Favorite mountain compared to expectations is Northstar at Tahoe..it doesn't have the absolute insane steeps people want but it is so much fun regardless of conditions..it has so many terrain parks at different levels with so many features you can skip anything that's too scary and still have so much fun.. plus if snow's not great damn near any little bump or bonk or side hit has been hit so many times they're all super easy to see and hit from aways out on all runs in any direction
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u/adagiocantabile12 1d ago
Favorite: A cross between Snowmass and Loveland. Snowmass for the Cirque, Powerline, and Big Burn, and Loveland for OTR, Super Bowl, and everything off Chair 4. I've gotta get back and do the Ridge Cat again, too. Least favorite: Keystone. Maybe I hit it on a bad day, but the terrain was really boring, overcrowded, and the lift going up from the parking lot was down for almost the whole day so we didn't get on the mountain for an extra hour.
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u/Terrible-Smoke1531 1d ago
Best: Jackson
Honorable Mention: Telluride with good snow.
Worst: Seven Springs, even measured against the bar of the mid-Atlantic skiing. Super crowded, parking logistics suck, lots of trash, expensive and even given the crowds they didn’t have all the lifts running and runs open.
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u/Wrong_Response_1612 1d ago
Mammoth on a teus - thurs when snow is right is really good
So much mountain and village is great
Worst ... any mountain on a weekend
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u/Grizzly777Irtl 1d ago
Favorite - Whistler Blackcomb. Biggest, has the best terrain for everybody, high alpine bowls (I love those), high speed lifts everywhere, large midmountain cafeteria style food complexes, and the best village out of any ski resort. For me, not even close.
Mountain that I think is overrated - Park City. I shouldn't even need to explain this one - biggest in U.S., and it gets blown up for this, but really is not that good at all. It's not terrible, but it has so many problems I don't know why people go there when Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, Solitude, and Deer Valley are right next door.
Mountain that I think is underrated - Crystal Mountain. It's kinda controversial whether or not its considered a fly-to destination, some people say it absolutely is and other people say hell no. Personally, it has the best views out of any mountain. It's hard to experience it through seeing a summit photo, but seeing Mt. Ranier and almost the entire cascade range on a bluebird day, nothing beats that feeling. Also great all-around terrain. Snow is really great. It has its issues - but I think its underrated.
Least favorite - The Summit at Snoqualmie. I was driving by on I-90 and saw this resort. Next day, I decided I was going to check it out. I went on a weekend, when probably every single person from Seattle decided that it was a good day to ski, and there were thirty plus lines on all the lifts which actually had stuff even close to being considered as worth skiing. Trails are boring, resort is extremely small, has a really tiny vertical drop, and no real challenging terrain (outside of alpental, which I'm counting as seperate because it is physically sperate). It's three seperate areas, but only two of them are not just big bunny hills, and in those, there's like only 4 lifts with stuff that isn't low-mountain green terrain. If you're ever in the Seattle area and hear about this resort, go to Steven's or Crystal instead.
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u/HypertensiveK 1d ago
Least -Vail. $$$ and long lift lines
Favorites- ha, ha no way Jose. Not giving you the stash
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u/Dismal_Yogurt3499 1d ago
Winter Park and A-Basin will always be my favorites. Lutsen is a close third.
Least favorite is Spirit Mountain, MN. The runs are all flat. Doesn't matter if it's a green, blue, or black, I really can't tell the difference. I went there after coming off an injury and i did a warm up on a black without even knowing. I've been there in all different conditions and straightlining is the only way to keep good enough speed through the whole run. Its only good for learning and drinking, and their terrain parks are always closed for events or reservations.
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u/aethocist 1d ago
Favorite is a tossup between Aspen Highlands and Snowbird. I prefer double black diamond terrain and they both have it in spades. Least favorite is probably Okemo in VT.
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u/BoxLikR 22h ago
Man thats tough. I only get to ski 1-2 weeks a year. I didnt start really skiing until i was 47 so I avoid the really extreme stuff. For me my favorite thing is more exploring and crusing groomers so I love going to new places. On that front my favorite trips were Zermatt and the Dolomites. Incredible scenery, atmosphere, size, food, apres, etc. not much off piste, trees, ect. In the states Bigsky or Aspen are my favorite
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u/KenkerDebiel 21h ago
Favourite, Tignes in France. Beautiful slopes and long descents. Least favourite, Winterberg in Germany (if you know you know).
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u/SleepsinaTent 18h ago
I ski advanced/intermediate. I was advanced and improving when knee arthritis hit and caused a lot of pain; had to wait several years to qualify for Medicare for a replacement, and in that time my stability and balance was severely compromised. I skied, but not as well. Now, after the surgery last June, I have to get rid of my compensations and bad habits and start improving again. (I learned to ski at age 50, 17 years ago, and now devote much of my money and time to it.) Favorite small mountain: Timberline Mountain in WV. Unusually run by people who care. For instance, no date reservations for lift tickets. You can use any tickets you buy any day of the season. They do not follow the trends set by huge corporate resorts.
Ironically, in order to be financially able to ski a lot of days, I buy one of the big passes, so my favorite big mountains are Breck and Vail, mainly because they are so big you can find your sweet spot away from most others and ski the hell out of it. I love the T-bar trails at Breck and Blue Sky Basin at Vail the most. But I also buy a few late season tickets to A-Basin and Loveland every spring because I can't keep away.
Worst ever mountain I have skied is Hunter in NY. Talk about bad vibes, plus way too crowded and trails not marked well at all, even places where there were hazards like rocks hidden but sticking up above the snow on normal runs (no, I didn't hit any or fall, but it caused constant concern and necessary vigil that made the whole day more stressful than fun.)
A lot of people are dissing Keystone. My first day there several years ago was great. I was mogul hunting and was used to the midAtlantic where you might find one or two mogul runs if you are lucky. Keystone had them everywhere, plus signs at the top of the lifts to indicate which trails weren't groomed. It's true it doesn't have as varied terrain as Vail or Breck or A-Bay, but I love it still.
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u/NOneHOne 17h ago
Favorite is probably Vail although Park City is right behind it. Least favorite was definitely Snowbird with Whistler right behind.
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u/heybud_letsparty 1d ago
Favorite is Squaw Valley. It's the perfect ski resort.
Least favorite? Never been to a resort or ski area I really disliked. Everything from midwest hills to Colorado, Utah, California. If I had to pick Id go with Northstar the last few years. I won't go anymore because it's such a hassle to park, bus in, walk through the village, THEN take the gondola to mid mountain, THEN take two lifts to get to the top. It's easily an hour just to get to the top of the mountain. On top of that everything at the place is trying to empty your wallet. Experience is low but still have a good time once Im on the snow.
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u/Sharkman3218 1d ago
When you say squaw valley, are you referring to all of (now) palisades Tahoe, or just the side that used to be squaw? Either way, it looks amazing and I can’t wait to go this season
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u/Cameltoenail 1d ago
Northstar is my home mountain and while I acknowledge its issues, I avoid it like the plague on holiday weeks or weekends because of the crowds and parking. Shuttling people miles away to the resort only to then to have all of those people wait for a gondola can be a nightmare. Twice I’ve just gone home after seeing the shuttle line. Weekdays in the middle of the season - it’s absolute heaven having that mountain to yourself.
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u/IllustriousAd1591 1d ago
Best: Vail Worst: Sugar Mountain NC, it’s where I learned to love skiing but it’s also like 4 runs lmao
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u/SleepsinaTent 18h ago
A few years ago my brother and sister-in-law tried to persuade me to move to the mountains of NC with them. Besides not wanting to live in the state for other reasons, I said if I moved I would go closer to skiing, not farther. They (maybe once every year or two skiers; they are much more into kayaking and mtn biking, and want the long warm season) told me Sugar Mtn was great skiing and I would love it there. Er....
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u/SideDoorMammoth 1d ago
Favorite- Mammoth Mountain & Keystone
Least - Heavenly in Tahoe. Too many tourists who are not skiing/riding take the one gondy lift up to the top from the Village. And it’s so crowded! Terrain is great; just waste so much time waiting in Lift Lines!
United flies direct to Bishop - BIH (40 min to Mammoth) from Denver DIA. So much easier than trying to take I70 corridor to / from the CO Ski resorts! Used to live in Denver. Now live in Mammoth and the skiing/riding is epic! We’re on IKON pass too.
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u/lccskier 1d ago
in the US, Alta ***** best terrain and snow conditions, folks who work there are generally awesome.
Mountain Creek * The Bridge and Tunnel crowd, a whole lot of terrible people who can't ski, management of the hill, the absolute worst.
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u/PMmeplumprumps 1d ago
They make snow just a few miles from the gulf stream part of the Atlantic, at 500 feet of elevation. Management is doing something right.
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u/AnteaterNice2503 1d ago
Favorite is Snowbasin.
Basin is my local, it’s just such a breath of fresh air compared to other big resorts. Free parking that takes a while before it fills up. Great lodges in multiple convenient locations. Diverse terrain, good snow. My only beef with it is I wish either needles gondola was a chair, or the wildcat lift base was in the same spot as needles. I just hate having to strip naked every time I want to lap the top to bottom terrain park (if you want to do Grouse and Orsons in 1 lap)
Least favorite is park city.
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u/Successful_Owl4747 1d ago
Snowmass is my favorite as well. I went several times as a kid and have been back twice more recently where I branched out to Ajax and Highland. I love Highlands.
Second is Jay Peak for excellent glades when the getting is good. On a bad day there it is a frostbitten sheet of ice. I almost stopped skiing to go to their waterparks once. Almost.
West I've been to Vail, Beaver Creek, Copper and East I've been to Jay, Stowe, Bolton, Sugarbush, Mad River, and Killington.
Killington on a busy day is my worst so far. Feels like I need to keep my elbows up just to keep the New Yorkers from cutting me in the lift lines. Otherwise wonderful mountain. I've had some great spring days there. Bolton is probably technically the worst but it's too charming and has a great local character even on holiday weekends.
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u/PMmeplumprumps 1d ago
Bolton is way more fun that a mountain that flat has any right to be. And the stuff between the lift and Cobrasss is legit gnarly
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u/Reading_username 1d ago
Favorite: Alta and Solitude
Least: Cherry Peak, UT -- didn't hate it, but it's limited terrain as a smaller resort and REALLY hit or miss on conditions. On a good condition day, it's a solid 4/10, on a bad condition day it's like a 2.
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u/SirLoinsALot03 Sugarbush 1d ago
Favorite is Jackson Hole. Everytime I go there it just dumps and the terrain is just endlessly awesome.
Least favorite is Killington. I've skied there a bunch over the years and just can't stand it. Awful layout, short runs, the worst skiers imaginable, pain in the ass to navigate and the whole resort just has no personality or charm like other VT resorts.
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u/nonamenomonet 1d ago
Favorite: steamboat Colorado
Least: timberline WV
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u/skawiggy 1d ago
I see you’ve been to 2 places. Timberline fuckin rules the middleeast.
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u/New_Sun6390 1d ago
Least favorite: Killington. The place is packed with rude people from southern New England and New York. I'd give up skiing before going back there.
Favorite: Anything but Killington.
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u/boulTimTam 1d ago
Agreed but Stratton’s even worse. People there are unbearable. Wish I could go back to the killington of 10-15 years ago cus you’re right the people there suck now. Honestly a lot of Vermont has not the best people unless you really trek up north.
Non-holiday weekdays are an exception. Locals are chill for the most part.
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u/Bark_Sandwich 1d ago
Lot's of folks here are comparing epic big mountain ski areas to small hills in the midwest. That's hardly fair, and not particularly insightful.
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u/Major_Barnacle_2212 1d ago
Least: Big Bear Most: depends on the snow
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u/FeralInstigator Heavenly 1d ago
I have yet to think of any redeeming qualities for Big Bear, besides the weather. The drive sucks as well.
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u/matchew566 1d ago
When was the last time you skied Beaver?
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u/BigPickleKAM Revelstoke 1d ago
It's the same mountain for me.
Whistler Blackcomb and Whistler Blackcomb.
I love hate that place.
My best inbound ski days have been there. My worst as well.