So Done With the East Coast

[Benny Profane]

Well, if you're stuck at Okemo, I guess you have to look at the bright side of life to not shoot yourself.

[Skidog]

I have to agree


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Im sure its great when you live close...hell i know it is after living so close to a world class ski resort. Its really hard to find motivation to drive hours upon hours to get to skiing.

[Timberridge]

Attachment 271462
I’ll just leave this here.

Yoshis!
Man of Kent is a dangerous spot to stop, with another hour + behind wheel, especially if Johnny is in the house.

You bet it's dangerous. Just sit near the front door in case it starts moving.

Yoshi's still there? Since the bypass was put in I haven't gone into Bennington for years.

[Cheeseburger King]

always wondered what goes on in Ted's Fish Fry when I have driven past it.

[train07]

Im sure its great when you live close...hell i know it is after living so close to a world class ski resort. Its really hard to find motivation to drive hours upon hours to get to skiing.

you've had a good run...out to pasture with you now, it's all over

[SumJongGuy]

Europe has nothing on deer valley. Yikes! Not worn ironically.



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That's probably one of the NEW Tipsy Elves onsies. They've been putting out new fart bags for the past couple seasons. Most of the old ones didn't have hoods.

[I've seen black diamonds!]

If I had to move back to NYC from CO I'd miss the running trails more than the skiing. The driving sucks, but there's plenty of good and great skiing to be had, especially if you're willing to walk uphill a bit. Plattekill and Magic have a vibe far superior to any CO or UT ski area. Northern VT gets deep, and often stays deep for long stretches, and the terrain is just plain good if you can ski trees. When I left I was far from done exploring he Presidentials, Katahdin, Chic Chocs and Adirondacks. Supplement that with a trip or two a year to bigger mountains and I'd be stoked. The required driving sucks, but it's worth it.

I've got about 100 ski days in my 2.5 seasons in CO. I've skied about 100 days in the Dolomites in the past 15 years. But 8 of my 10 greatest all time ski days are East Coast days. Sure, it's not as easy to have a good day as it is in other regions, and I'm sure as hell not saying I want to move back, but if you can't find good skiing on a decent snow year it's probably your fault. And while the ski mountaineering options in CO dwarf what's in the Northeast, timing is much easier on the East coast. The EC corn cycles are just better- more predictable, and the snow remains soft and stable for a longer portion of the day. You seldom have to worry about deep persistent slaps. And there isn't a lightning storm in the early afternoon 6 days a week in the spring.

Plus, unlike Benny and the whiners, real EC mags (as opposed to people who just happen to live on the East coast) like ml242, VTFreeheel, moops, mtnbiker/boarder, Buttaflake, Dowork, Big Daddy, Cat in January, NJfreeskier, thin cover, arewolf, and Buckethead, among others, bring serious stoke every time I've skied with them. Those guys get it. They don't get hung up on the status associated with the mountain range they're skiing in. Go ski with some of them. You won't regret it. If you still don't like EC skiing, you just don't like skiing that much.

[Johnny P]

If I had to move back to NYC from CO I'd miss the running trails more than the skiing. The driving sucks, but there's plenty of good and great skiing to be had, especially if you're willing to walk uphill a bit. Plattekill and Magic have a vibe far superior to any CO or UT ski area. Northern VT gets deep, and often stays deep for long stretches, and the terrain is just plain good if you can ski trees. When I left I was far from done exploring he Presidentials, Katahdin, Chic Chocs and Adirondacks. Supplement that with a trip or two a year to bigger mountains and I'd be stoked. The required driving sucks, but it's worth it.

I've got about 100 ski days in my 2.5 seasons in CO. I've skied about 100 days in the Dolomites in the past 15 years. But 8 of my 10 greatest all time ski days are East Coast days. Sure, it's not as easy to have a good day as it is in other regions, and I'm sure as hell not saying I want to move back, but if you can't find good skiing on a decent snow year it's probably your fault. And while the ski mountaineering options in CO dwarf what's in the Northeast, timing is much easier on the East coast. The EC corn cycles are just better- more predictable, and the snow remains soft and stable for a longer portion of the day. You seldom have to worry about deep persistent slaps. And there isn't a lightning storm in the early afternoon 6 days a week in the spring.

Plus, unlike Benny and the whiners, real EC mags (as opposed to people who just happen to live on the East coast) like ml242, VTFreeheel, moops, mtnbiker/boarder, Buttaflake, Dowork, Big Daddy, Cat in January, NJfreeskier, thin cover, arewolf, and Buckethead, among others, bring serious stoke every time I've skied with them. Those guys get it. They don't get hung up on the status associated with the mountain range they're skiing in. Go ski with some of them. You won't regret it. If you still don't like EC skiing, you just don't like skiing that much.

Well said!

[yellofin]

If I had to move back to NYC from CO I'd miss the running trails more than the skiing. The driving sucks, but there's plenty of good and great skiing to be had, especially if you're willing to walk uphill a bit. Plattekill and Magic have a vibe far superior to any CO or UT ski area. Northern VT gets deep, and often stays deep for long stretches, and the terrain is just plain good if you can ski trees. When I left I was far from done exploring he Presidentials, Katahdin, Chic Chocs and Adirondacks. Supplement that with a trip or two a year to bigger mountains and I'd be stoked. The required driving sucks, but it's worth it.

I've got about 100 ski days in my 2.5 seasons in CO. I've skied about 100 days in the Dolomites in the past 15 years. But 8 of my 10 greatest all time ski days are East Coast days. Sure, it's not as easy to have a good day as it is in other regions, and I'm sure as hell not saying I want to move back, but if you can't find good skiing on a decent snow year it's probably your fault. And while the ski mountaineering options in CO dwarf what's in the Northeast, timing is much easier on the East coast. The EC corn cycles are just better- more predictable, and the snow remains soft and stable for a longer portion of the day. You seldom have to worry about deep persistent slaps. And there isn't a lightning storm in the early afternoon 6 days a week in the spring.

Plus, unlike Benny and the whiners, real EC mags (as opposed to people who just happen to live on the East coast) like ml242, VTFreeheel, moops, mtnbiker/boarder, Buttaflake, Dowork, Big Daddy, Cat in January, NJfreeskier, thin cover, arewolf, and Buckethead, among others, bring serious stoke every time I've skied with them. Those guys get it. They don't get hung up on the status associated with the mountain range they're skiing in. Go ski with some of them. You won't regret it. If you still don't like EC skiing, you just don't like skiing that much.

Well said. This is a perfect end to this thread

[mall walker]

SkiDog, you should make a springtime pilgrimage to Tucks some busy weekend, bring your alpine kit, haul it up with some beers and enjoy the vibe. That's as close to Frank as you're gonna get in the east and while it's not lift-served, it is a fucking good time.

I will second ISBD that the ADKs and Presidentials have some rad skiing (never skied the other zones), though at least in the ADKs they have real approaches, unlike the cottonwoods. The upside is that you don't have a zillion ultrafit ultralight kitted out daily-in-the-BC types who live < 10 miles from the trailhead tracking every conceivable line the day after it snows...

Conditions there are often tough to time right but Mad River Glen on a proper powder day is worth the haul. Skip Hunter though... that shit is depressing.

Nothing's gonna replace being 12 miles from Alta... but there's still good skiing to be had.

[train07]

or get some meadow skipping gear, imagine you're going to rip the shit out of the surrounding woods on said gear, bust a rib on a golf course practicing turns....move back to ski state

[WaistDeepGroomers]

My take after having lived in Aspen/Tahoe/Jackson/Salt Lake City and now Portland Maine and up near Stowe:

If you have experience in the backcountry and some time out West used to the terrain there, the East has a LOT of weird terrain to get into. It requires a very different scouting method... knowing which aspects get the most snow, which elevations have naturally open hardwood glades, where that rare open terrain is (creekbeds, rock slides, etc.), where zones get cross loaded with snow such that the area only gets 200" of snow but a few lines likely get twice or three times that in a season. Some bizarre zone you'd never think to ski could go from completely unskiable to epic in one 10" storm with a bunch of wind. You don't just see "Oh, it snowed ten inches" and expect to go out and ski ten inches on all terrain like you might be used to on your trips out West.

There is a lifetime of serious ski mountaineering terrain in the Whites, Katahdin, ADKs. I didn't do any of that living out West and do now, and it's opened up a new frontier of riding for me, and while the weather is often working against you (at least when it's windy or frigid), the lines are short enough that you don't have to be Killian Journet to get into them.

At this point, paying $90 anywhere to ski is in my book completely insane, and I can't get myself to do it or really to justify getting a season's pass (although if I lived in northern VT full time I would probably have gotten a Stowe local's pass). I LOVE a good day at a Magic Mtn, BMOM, or any of those great home-grown fixed-gripped hills on the select days they're really firing (use those sick/vacation days wisely!), and am happy to pay $50 to support them to do so. But ski resorts are increasingly stressing me out, and I don't go skiing to get stressed out. But I am often so surprised how psyched I am to skin up and ride a single, good groomer lap coming down. More in touch with the fact that you're out there to enjoy the experience of being outdoors.

NYC is a tough place to be based out of for skiing... as others have said, it's almost easier to bail for Europe or Utah before you can get to northern Vermont. But when Plattekill/etc. are in, it's certainly within doable distance.

I still am constantly debating the move back West, but am really enjoying my time up here in Northern VT this winter, having that sense of discovery again and poking around and finding lots of cool glades and funky terrain. I think being 100% on the skintrack during the winter has been a big part of that, b/c all of a sudden the options become way more numerous and you can make more of your own luck by paying close attention to the forecasting particulars I mentioned above and going wherever you think it might be good. And truthfully I owe a lot to the community here and IRL for helping me find fun shit to ski .

I think with the East you really gotta embrace the timing and embrace the weird to get it good, there's a lot more out there than I ever thought!

[prsboogie]

you are doing it correct

This^^

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[Skidog]

you've had a good run...out to pasture with you now, it's all over

Funny but kinda how it feels. The effort to get the goods is one of the reasons I moved originally. Family changes shit. Time will tell, but might've done things differently in hindsight.

[Benny Profane]

If I had to move back to NYC from CO I'd miss the running trails more than the skiing. The driving sucks, but there's plenty of good and great skiing to be had, especially if you're willing to walk uphill a bit. Plattekill and Magic have a vibe far superior to any CO or UT ski area. Northern VT gets deep, and often stays deep for long stretches, and the terrain is just plain good if you can ski trees. When I left I was far from done exploring he Presidentials, Katahdin, Chic Chocs and Adirondacks. Supplement that with a trip or two a year to bigger mountains and I'd be stoked. The required driving sucks, but it's worth it.

I've got about 100 ski days in my 2.5 seasons in CO. I've skied about 100 days in the Dolomites in the past 15 years. But 8 of my 10 greatest all time ski days are East Coast days. Sure, it's not as easy to have a good day as it is in other regions, and I'm sure as hell not saying I want to move back, but if you can't find good skiing on a decent snow year it's probably your fault. And while the ski mountaineering options in CO dwarf what's in the Northeast, timing is much easier on the East coast. The EC corn cycles are just better- more predictable, and the snow remains soft and stable for a longer portion of the day. You seldom have to worry about deep persistent slaps. And there isn't a lightning storm in the early afternoon 6 days a week in the spring.

Plus, unlike Benny and the whiners, real EC mags (as opposed to people who just happen to live on the East coast) like ml242, VTFreeheel, moops, mtnbiker/boarder, Buttaflake, Dowork, Big Daddy, Cat in January, NJfreeskier, thin cover, arewolf, and Buckethead, among others, bring serious stoke every time I've skied with them. Those guys get it. They don't get hung up on the status associated with the mountain range they're skiing in. Go ski with some of them. You won't regret it. If you still don't like EC skiing, you just don't like skiing that much.

So why did you move out west, big guy? Maybe you should move back to Nirvana and hang with the cool kids.

[Skidog]

If I had to move back to NYC from CO I'd miss the running trails more than the skiing. The driving sucks, but there's plenty of good and great skiing to be had, especially if you're willing to walk uphill a bit. Plattekill and Magic have a vibe far superior to any CO or UT ski area. Northern VT gets deep, and often stays deep for long stretches, and the terrain is just plain good if you can ski trees. When I left I was far from done exploring he Presidentials, Katahdin, Chic Chocs and Adirondacks. Supplement that with a trip or two a year to bigger mountains and I'd be stoked. The required driving sucks, but it's worth it.

I've got about 100 ski days in my 2.5 seasons in CO. I've skied about 100 days in the Dolomites in the past 15 years. But 8 of my 10 greatest all time ski days are East Coast days. Sure, it's not as easy to have a good day as it is in other regions, and I'm sure as hell not saying I want to move back, but if you can't find good skiing on a decent snow year it's probably your fault. And while the ski mountaineering options in CO dwarf what's in the Northeast, timing is much easier on the East coast. The EC corn cycles are just better- more predictable, and the snow remains soft and stable for a longer portion of the day. You seldom have to worry about deep persistent slaps. And there isn't a lightning storm in the early afternoon 6 days a week in the spring.

Plus, unlike Benny and the whiners, real EC mags (as opposed to people who just happen to live on the East coast) like ml242, VTFreeheel, moops, mtnbiker/boarder, Buttaflake, Dowork, Big Daddy, Cat in January, NJfreeskier, thin cover, arewolf, and Buckethead, among others, bring serious stoke every time I've skied with them. Those guys get it. They don't get hung up on the status associated with the mountain range they're skiing in. Go ski with some of them. You won't regret it. If you still don't like EC skiing, you just don't like skiing that much.

You are aware I have owned a house in Killington for like 30 years and lived all but about 15 years of my life skiing in the east right? I'm well aware there is good skiing. It's the proximity to it that's difficult where I am. Even with having the place in Killington I didn't live in VT (pre move west) Getting the goods still wasn't easy (main driver for original move). Driving to northern VT just also is there realistic. Chasing snow that far doesn't interest me. Hell you'd have to have a good argument to get me to drive an hour to snowbasin from Sandy. 6hours? Naaa. Pay for lodging or crash at mags house when chasing? Meh..I don't think this makes me less of a skier. I've likely logged more days in the last 12 years than most will in a lifetime.
I'll adjust. I'll still ski just not nearly as much/enough. Like I said. Family changes shit.

[Brownski]

^^^Man of Kent.

Peel off of route 7 into downtown Troy ( River St) and you will see a bit of gentrification starting. Try Browns Brewing Co, Dinosaur BBQ, etc.

Is Holmes & Watson’s still there? It’s been a long time since I actually got off of Hoosick. I might finally try Dinosaur next time though. I’ve been hearing about that place for years.

[Brownski]

There it is!

Attachment 271462
I’ll just leave this here.

[Generalstark]

I think we’re dealing with a glass half full vs. half empty kind of thing here...


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[Groomer Gambler]

.

[I've seen black diamonds!]

So why did you move out west, big guy? Maybe you should move back to Nirvana and hang with the cool kids.

I'm skiing with some great folks out here too, but thanks for your concern. I do think I communicate more naturally with the sarcastic masshole, the NYC cynic and the VT hippy (as well as all their cousins from neighboring States) than I do with the Colorado bro. I'm still learning. I've acquired a CAIC trucker hat, which seems to make some people think I'm pretty legit.

You are aware I have owned a house in Killington for like 30 years and lived all but about 15 years of my life skiing in the east right...

First, I wasn't responding directly to you, but to the despondent East coast skier in general.

Second, you should try very hard to make it to Ullrfest in VT next fall. It's not only a great party with great food, I recon it will get you on the road back toward seeing the beauty in East coast skiing. Showing up to Ullrfest 8 or 9 years ago knowing exactly no one is one of the best decisions I even made. Before that I had friends I skied with, but very few who loved it the way I do. Even though I love a solo ski tour, people matter more than mountains in making skiing joyful day after day.

Third, sorry the move isn't going as well as you might have hoped. If you're ever in the Front Range and looking to get out skiing drop me a line. You too Benny. I'll share with you my thesis on how Derek Jeter and John Lennon belong on the Mount Rushmore of "great-but-overrated celebrities." You'll love it.

[Shaaarrrp]

I'll jump on the pity train with yall....haven't ever tasted living close to some good ski terrain out west but I can only take so much more wake up at 4am for four hour each way day trips to Snowshoe. Cupp Run can be fun but gets a little old dodging ice on a single run for hours on end and then trying to stay awake on the way home. Last time I bout fell asleep driving back and it was not good. Hell, I bought an Ikon Pass because of Snowshoe and it's not even looking like I'll get much more than the cost of it (did 3 days in CO). You know you're in a bad spot when you'd kill for a non iced out day at Whitetail in southern PA.

The worst part is I'm struggling to find jobs paying even half of what I make in DC. Def would snap take any reasonable offer making pennies on my current salary

Could be worse I suppose. Keep faith and we'll both make it out west again

[I've seen black diamonds!]

With that said there is not a single other ski resort I'd ever give my money to again in the Catskills

Hunter on a weekday is good. There is some fun sidecountry. Lots of little features to jump off appear once the crowds thin out.

But yeah, Plattekill is a wonderful place. Some ski areas manage to do all the little things to piss you off and make you want to go somewhere else (Stratton and Eldora are two of the worst). Plattekill is the opposite. My dog got to ride up the chairlift with me at a Plattekill during a fall glade clearing session, at which all who showed up to help where given a free burger, a beer and a lift ticket. I think the dog even got a burger.

Want to guess the other ski area where my dog has ridden the lift? Magic Mountain. Would I rather ski at Abasin? Hell yeah. But a day at Magic or Plattekill is still a good day when the snow is meh. IIRC, one of the Plattekill bar tenders drives down from Buffalo every weekend. Those places garner loyalty for a reason.

Plattekill also has a resident tele-skiing rabbi. I bet he still skis there. Look for a guy, probably in his early thirties, wearing a tie dyed t-shirt, doing a bunch of grabs in what passes for a park at Plattekill. Super friendly guy.

[Shaaarrrp]

What's so bad about Eldo?

Guess you know you have it bad when you'd sacrifice a lot for Eldo to be your local mountain? Prob skied there more than anywhere else in CO and didn't have many complaints.

[GoldMember]

Jesus....where the hell is AlpineZone Greg??