Which Resort has the Best/Worst Average Skier?

[old goat]

The Taos Wedge Kings are something else though. Beginners wedging down a super steep black run, no fear at all.

That was me way back in the day. Trying to make it down a black gladed sun baked run a couple of days after 18 inches of snow--maybe Longhorn, I made turns by grabbing trees as I passed them to pivot around them.

Not as bad as the cougar in a white one piece and cowboy hat who tried to make one turn at the top of Castor, fell and bounced all the way to the bottom. And then went back up and did it again, with the same result.

[schindlerpiste]

Places like Snowbird, JH, Squaw, Revelstoke, Whistler, Big Sky and Aspen have many locals who are phenomenal skiers. Places like Vail, Aspen, Park City, Heavenly and Whistler have locals who are great skiers, but they also have a lot of Gerrys who come into town and try to ski on stuff that is way above where they should be.
My personal experience is that the place that has the most diverse (best and worst) skiers in NA is Aspen. The Bird edges JH and Squaw for the most dedicated rippers (while I hear a lot about Revelstoke), and Killington, and maybe Hunter have a lot of really poor skiers

[NorCalNomad]

Mountain High, trash. Actually just about any resort outside of Mammoth in socal is full of gapers.


Interesting to see Telluride not come up much especially with the huge proliferation of steep terrain there, but it definitely gets a huge amount of traveling $$$$$$$ tourist. Going to be cool hitting up a bunch of Rockies resorts this season as my barometer is tuned to Tahoe and Squalpine / Kirkwood breed some amazing talent.

seems like an assload of average to beginner skiers are skippin the resorts completely and just going straight to the bc these days

Yup, have a friend who started skiing that way. One of those people who buys and talks about gear more than uses it, and overestimates their ability level severely.

[east or bust]

Stowe has a healthy amount of good skiers. Not knock your socks off big line skiers or anything. But lots in their 40s, 50s, 60s that have the technical ability to ski most places and look good doing it.

[JaytaeMoney]

Yup, have a friend who started skiing that way. One of those people who buys and talks about gear more than uses it, and overestimates their ability level severely.

What's his TGR username?

[NorCalNomad]

What's his TGR username?

LOL, she'd make people on here seem quiet and humble.

[XXX-er]

back in the mid 80's I remember at big white people didnt ski the pow all that much, if you wanted to ski pow you needed to ski hard & be in shape lifting weights and shit, but technology made it way easier for a soccer mom to ski better probably starting with the Volant chubb, same with the current crop of skis they are all great, I helped the GF get some wide skis and she is really having alot of fun so we got her a pass this year

[old goat]

I had skied a little in SE Michigan but when I moved to CA I skied BC before I started skiing resorts. Given the gear available at the time what I was doing was just slightly glorified XC skiing and it sucked. Or at least I sucked.

[Toadman]

Whatever ski resort I show up at, the total average level of skier quality goes up about 0.0001%. And that's on a good day.

[f=ma]

Yup, have a friend who started skiing that way. One of those people who buys and talks about gear more than uses it, and overestimates their ability level severely.

Wow...I feel personally attacked...

[NorCalNomad]

Wow...I feel personally attacked...

I'm sure I have friends who feel that I'm also "One of those people who buys and talks about gear more than uses it." But at least it's part of my job to up to date on things like that.

[f=ma]

I'm sure I have friends who feel that I'm also "One of those people who buys and talks about gear more than uses it." But at least it's part of my job to up to date on things like that.

I've come to terms with the fact that half the fun in a hobby is collecting shit.

God forbid if I start mountain biking.....

[I Skied Bandini Mountain]

I've come to terms with the fact that half the fun in a hobby is collecting shit.

God forbid if I start mountain biking.....

Or fly fishing.

[TahoeJ]

The Bird edges JH and Squaw for the most dedicated rippers (while I hear a lot about Revelstoke)

How do you even pretend to equate something like this? lol... I've spent time at all four of those place (obviously the most at Squaw) and they all have a ton of dedicated local rippers. It's a wash.

[ill-advised strategy]

I think LCC being 30 mins from a major city means there is a legion of unknown ghost rippers just fitting skiing into normal city lives having nothing to do with skiing, whereas those other places are a lot harder to live and the jobs are resort town jobs so there are fewer overall.

[happytimefunbox]

I've come to terms with the fact that half the fun in a hobby is collecting shit.

God forbid if I start mountain biking.....

Or fly fishing.

FML I do both on top of skiing.
I may not have any money to retire on but a garage full of gear.

I think LCC being 30 mins from a major city means there is a legion of unknown ghost rippers just fitting skiing into normal city lives having nothing to do with skiing, whereas those other places are a lot harder to live and the jobs are resort town jobs so there are fewer overall.

This right here. The average, non flashy looking, non probrobrah guy on the chair at the bird or alta (unless its me) skis better than you or anyone you know.

I've never skied Tahoe

[TahoeJ]

There are a ton of communities surrounding Lake Tahoe, not to mention Reno. With faster or just as fast access to Squaw than the clusterfuck up LCC (yes, we have our traffic problems too). Not to mention Sacramento. Not to mention the bay area, which is a way larger population base than SLC. One of the better skiers on this forum lives in SF, it's worth noting.

So if you want to go with great local access and great terrain, let's be honest, Whistler probably beats them both.

[El Chupacabra]

I vote for Squaw as having the most aggro lift lines.

[snowaddict91]

The average skier in LCC took an ikonic nosedive last winter IMO. Will be interesting to see what happens this year as I know lots of former LCC passholders that made the jump.

[GoldMember]

back in the mid 80's I remember at big white people didnt ski the pow all that much, if you wanted to ski pow you needed to ski hard & be in shape lifting weights and shit, but technology made it way easier for a soccer mom to ski better probably starting with the Volant chubb, same with the current crop of skis they are all great,

...Yeah, Schweitzer was really about the same,even into the nineties. But with the uprise of snowboards and fat skis, it all changed. We used to ski powder for two days without it being trashed out. Now it's basically gone in two runs.

....I miss the old days...

[detrusor]

Mt hood meadows has the highest per capita shitty skiers (while think they’re fucking CHARGING) then anywhere I’ve been. Coupled with the side slipping snowboard crowd....fuck


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[Ted Striker]

...Yeah, Schweitzer was really about the same,even into the nineties. But with the uprise of snowboards and fat skis, it all changed. We used to ski powder for two days without it being trashed out. Now it's basically gone in two runs.

Even Baker was that way in the 90s. It seemed like there were more snowboarders than skiers back then, but it still took a long time to get fully tracked-out.

Baker was under the radar before the record season.

[PNWbrit]

Even Baker was that way in the 90s. It seemed like there were more snowboarders than skiers back then, but it still took a long time to get fully tracked-out.

Baker was under the radar before the record season.

Back in the mid 90s, before I'd moved to the states and when books were still a thing, I was given a guidebook to the world's ski areas. I'd never heard of Baker but remember it waxed lyrical about the undisturbed pow days after a storm available there.

[glademaster]

Back in the mid 90s, before I'd moved to the states and when books were still a thing, I was given a guidebook to the world's ski areas. I'd never heard of Baker but remember it waxed lyrical about the undisturbed pow days after a storm available there.

Sounds like they had a better marketing department back then.

[mitanokaseifu]

I have to say little Burke Mountain Vermont has some of the best skiers anywhere. The locals rip and Burke Mountain Academy is pretty much exclusive to elite skiers. Burke skiers know how to turn, it's in their blood and they take that to Squaw or wherever. Worst skiers are pretty much anywhere in Tahoe on a weekend with the bay area folks, although there are definitely some rippers in the mix.