Nothing gets me thinking about skiing more than a hot summer day, so I pose this question to all you .netters who enjoy going downhill on snow.

What's your favorite mountain/run/trail and why?

My all-time favorite trail is Hyde Park at Aspen Highlands, CO. You access it via a trail when going up to Highlands bowl. This is the place that I "got" the magic that is powder skiing. I always loved this run because you could always go there and find untouched powder. It's been a long time since I was up there but I think about it often. When I die, I want my family to haul their butts up there and spread my ashes on that hill. It will be a real pain in the ass for them, but I think I'm worth it

from new york and go to cu-boulder mainly for the skiing...i have a season pass to vail, breck, a-basin, beaver creek, and keystone

@BajaPhish said:

Boarding> skiing, especially powder, although skiings great for flat areas.

lmao.

Something to wet our whistles on a summer day...

they probably would have been having more fun on snowboards, though. Right?

I live in Vermont and I ski back here quite a bit, but I get out west every winter for a few weeks and get some skiing in out there too. When I'm at home I do tend to do more backcountry and cross-country skiing because I like to take my dog with me when I go, and it's cheap/free. Save my money for lift-riding out west.

Probably my favorite place to ski I've been to is Eastern British Columbia, areas like Red, Whitewater and Fernie. Snow and terrain are awesome up there. Lately I ski a lot in Utah because my brother lives out there, and mostly ski Solitude.

To pick a favorite run though, I'd probably go back to my earlier days of skiing and say Rumble at Sugarbush...really cut my teeth on that one. Many of my friends snowboard, some telemark, I've tried both but my main love is still alpine skiing. I just find it comical when people instantly bring a rivalry into it, it's not about how you get down the hill but about the love of the snow and mountains. I love watching good snowboarders harvesting big lines. But the sensation of skiing in deep powder is what I'm addicted to.

BTW Highlands Bowl is a magical place too. Aspen has great skiing.

I live in Utah and I like mineral basin at Snowbird.

I live in ct so a lot of my skiing is done in VT, I like stratton a lot ESP since my dad has a condo right near the base of the mountain, but if I can get up to jay peak, that's a great moutain too, it's just a haul for me, it was much more convenient when I was at Uvm, I also enjoy bromley a lot, bit of a smaller mountain but it's fun

Right on man, I love that mountain, so many dope tree trails off those powder trails, can't get enough of it. See you on the moutain.

ride. My favorites [non backcountry]:

Lost trail powder mountain MT/ID all around sick with no (lift) lines. Closed part of the week = go when it opens and it's a wonderland. very few go deep off trails so lines galore of pure powder.

Big mountain aka whitefish mountain MT. Huge, no lines and you look over glacier np, dig the backside trees / hellroaring / big ravine

Snowbowl MT: just cause I spent many a hours there. Quality tree and bowl boarding. Would commonly go out of bounds on the backside.

UP of Mi: is where I get my short trips now [home hill is alpine valley]. Will be checking out mount bohemia this week for a winter trip. All backcounty resort. Their adds are all complaints from skiers/riders about how there are no "runs" and there is too much snow.

@timeforthemeatstick said:

from new york and go to cu-boulder mainly for the skiing...

I am from NY and did the same thing. CU '06. f*** 'em up.

@TahoeCraig I had one of the best days of my life lapping KT 22. It was dumping too hard for the tourists and the mountain emptied out. Left several feet of rapidly accumulating fresh for me. Was unreal.

I learned to love pow at the 'Bird on Upper Cirque and High Baldy. Lived in Crested Butte for a bit and had no problem constantly discovering new challenges. Especially liked Third Bowl and Staircase. My bro lives in Mammoth Lakes, CA and I always love skiing Dropout/Wipeout, the Paranoids, and Dragon's Tail when I go out to visit. Have also had amazing experiences in Siberia Bowl and off of Chair 5 at Vail, in the Jackson sidecountry, all over Alta and Snow Basin, at Bridger Bowl, Mary Jane, A-Basin, Treble Cone NZ, Verbier SZ, etc.

Moral of the story, I absolutely love skiing and could never pick one favorite run.

Moving to Colorado in November for this very reason. Nothing beats floating down the slopes on a pair of sticks.

Alpental backcountry.

oh and why are they my favorite runs? because nothing feels better than feeling like you're flying

^^^
That's the end of the conversation in the Eastern U.S.

Lived near Killington for 5+ years, got a couple 100+ day seasons. Now I'm a weekend warrior though. Sugarbush, Stowe, and Jay. No hookups on tix, and I'm not gonna buy a pass for weekends, so just a few quality days a year for me is it.

Hoping to get more days snowshoeing up and riding down over the next few years.

Lifts???? We don't need no stinkin lifts. Here on the Allegheny front, it's a strong group of back-country X-C , go anywhere there's snow, hounds. It may be thin sometimes, but we sniff it out.
Here's some moving pictures,,,,



If you're coming through WV in the winter check out White Grass in Canaan Valley, Davis area.
http://www.whitegrass.com/report.html www.whitegrass.com/report.html

Skier signing in! Favorite intense run is Paradise at Sugarbush, but I love this mountain biking trail I found up there that ends at the lodges.

My regular stomping ground is Waterville Valley. It's a convenient drive for all my friends, great lodge, great lift deals, and some interesting runs.

Eastern Sierra Backcountry and Grand Targhee

@johnnyd said:

^^^
Yah, +1 for Paradise and Paradise Woods...

Last winter I had a few beers at lunch and got the great idea to try out those woods. After making it about 50 feet and losing my skis on a tree I decided I didn't want to kill myself that day. There's always this winter!

Live in NorCal....I have had passes at either Alpine Meadows and Sugarbowl the last 4years.....Can't afford Squaw (buddy passes Craig?).

Used to ski bum/work in the early '00's at a place called Schweitzer in Sandpoint Idaho.

I like the Northern Rockies light snow...but the epic dumps that Cali gets is pretty crazy...e.g. 8-12 feet in 24hrs type stuff....but once that sun comes out....watch out....cement!

(Won't be riding much this year...my longtime girlfriend broke her leg and ankle...had surgery, plates, screws, bolts, etc etc...can't walk till November...she'll be rehabbing all winter)

Must give some props to Stowe, my college mnt, the birthday bowls on the north side of big spruce are legit. They drop you onto the smuggs side so bring a couple fresh ones for the lifties. Easy traverse back once your up the lift.

@BathtubG said:

@bryan_luoma said:

Steamboat Springs Colorado is a sanctuary for powder hounds.
The resort is 90 miles away and two mountain passes from Summit County and The Colorado Front Range (Boulder, Ft. Collins, Denver, etc...).

For that reason, powder days at Steamboat trump powder days at ALL other Colorado resorts! Locals only ripping up the fresh tracks. No Custies, no gapers, no lift lines! High speed quads with ganja bubbles for storm protection and clam baking.

This is all mostly accurate except for the gapers, seems like more and more arrive every year. Maybe I'm just a cranky Jaded Vet. Wait what am I saying, you stay away from my powder! JK, anytime you people want to ski chest deep fluff all day I am a native and know pretty much all the stashes.

Oh yeah no more bubbles on the quads either(they all said Vail sucks on them), you have to learn to rip that bowl in the wind.

Ahhh, that's a bummer about the bubbles, those were the shit.
The vet to gaper ratio is still > than the resorts in Summit County, no?
Traversatory and CrustyButt had a lower gaper to vet ratio too, but durango and Gunnison are a treck. Anyway, I'm hoping to make a Colorado ski trip this winter, maybe we can link up for some turns at the Boat?

Been riding for over 15 years and as far as the east coast goes nothing tops Sugarbush for me. Favorite part of the mountain is by far Castlerock. If you catch any run on Castlerock on a powder day you will swear your east coast allegance to The Bush. Not only are the runs themselves challenging and interesting, but the woods are incredible! @atkins450 and @johhnyd Paradise woods (on a fresh or near fresh day) is also one of the best runs in the east.

Also, Jay Peak comes in a close second for east coast mountains IMO.

Only other state I've ridden in is Colorado and all I have to say is WOW! I've hit Vail, Breck, Copper, Keystone and of course Mary Jane (Winter Park). LOVED Vail (other than the lift prices). The back bowls are delicious and the woods falling off of the peremeter of the bowls are something to behold. Also took a snowcat tour to "The Taco" on Copper and let's just say that it was the best $10 I've ever spent while 3/4 of the way up a mountain. A 10 minute cat ride and 40 minute hike across the top of the ridge and a quick session, all made for the most exhilarating 5 minute run of my life.

I call this video GoPro: Be a Hero!!

Bump.

So how's the snow been for everyone this season? I'll be in Breckenridge in less than a month and I can't f***ing wait. I haven't had skis on in over a year so I've been trying to get my old legs into shape. I hear they are a 100% open now which I'm stoked about. If there are any Summit County, CO netters out there, I'd love to have a beer with you while I'm out there.

Up here in Montana the snowpack is way below average, but the resort at Big Sky has been in surprisingly good shape. I've been skiing every weekend since Dec. 1, and have had 4 or 5 good powder days. The conditions have been soft enough that I just took my 8-year old son for his 1st run off of Lone Peak (elev. 11,050). We were both extremely stoked!