• Forums
  • Ski Gabber
  • East coast early season snow (Help me plan a ski trip) +k for good info

Member of the Month

partyandBS
December, 2024

Online

Welcome to the Newschoolers forums! You may read the forums as a guest, however you must be a registered member to post. Register to become a member today!

East coast early season snow (Help me plan a ski trip) +k for good info

profile picture
TPalms
Posts: 859 - Karma: 252
Hey guys, as president of my ski club (OSU Ski Team) I'm trying to plan a trip for this upcoming Winter and need some input from those of you that live on the East coast.

I go to Ohio State and I'm bringing a group of about 100ish people to go skiing this winter and as of now, my list of possible places to go are Killington, Stowe, Okemo and Jay Peak. We'll be leaving in early December after finals and will probably be there for a little less than a week.

My biggest concern is, where will there be the most snow/best park features? The people that are coming will be pretty evenly split between those wanting to ski park, and those just wanting to ski down the mountain, and although I'd like to go to a resort with the best park, a lot of people will be unhappy if there isn't also a solid snow base/number of runs open.

Are any of those resorts likely to have a "good" snow base? I know that "good" is subjective with early season snow, but hey, I'm from Ohio, and practically ANY snow is good.

Should I look at any other resorts? Should I avoid any of those?

I'm trying to keep the trip price (including the tour buses there and back, lodging at the resort, and lift tickets) at or below $400 so going West is probably out of our budget unless you guys have any good suggestions?

Major +k for solid input, thanks.
Jul 7 2011 1:01AM
0 0
profile picture
Crankset
Posts: 1176 - Karma: 497

So given the criterea you have given, I would recommend going to Stowe.

In terms of snow totals and base you will find the best skiing at Jay Peak out of everywhere on the list (and I would argue east coast), but there are disadvantages of Jay Peak - if you are looking for a balance of terrain park and big mountain/trees, Jay isn't really the right place. It can absolutely provide the latter, but terrain park is pretty crap and there definitely won't be much out in December - maybe just a couple of rails/boxes and a few small jumps. But, if you are willing to forgo the park for the trip, then Jay Peak is DEFINITELY the place to go, they get DUMPED on.

Other downside of Jay Peak is that, besides skiing, there really isn't much to do. There is no such thing as nightlife as there are no bars or restaurants around really. So for 100 college students, you guys are just going to have to party/eat at whatever hotel you stay at. Not really an ideal college location.

I recommend Stowe because: it gets fairly similar snowfall to Jay Peak  - when I say similar I do mean a lot less, but comparable. it should be noted that nowhere on the east coast gets as much snow as Jay (shout out to the 'Jay Cloud'). So yeah, comparable snow, and their lift infrastructure is much better - faster, detachables and closed gondolas (6-8 person, vs the 25+ person Jay tram). Furthermore, the terrain park at stowe is reallyyy sick, even early on in the season. The big mountain skiing is really good too, especially the trees. It is generally a much more balanced mountain than Jay. Also, there are much more hotels, bars and restaurants at Stowe - just generally a more fun place to go if you are going with a bunch of college students.

The main downside of Stowe compared to Jay (besides terrain) is the lift lines. Besides on long weekends, lift lines don't exist at Jay but most definitely do at Stowe.

Killington is a good mountain, but it gets fucking packed - sick park, but tree skiing/bigger liines arn't too good. Don't even bother with Okemo - it has a sick park but gets so very little snow and the lines as absurd.

Anyway, I hope this helps. And if I see a crowd of 100 OSU kids at Stowe or Jay in December i'll give a shoutout

Jul 7 2011 9:45AM
0 0
profile picture
TheClap.
Posts: 21672 - Karma: 4,165
I'd say stowe also, best bang for the buck for what your looking for, mount snow is pretty solid also, try contacting the mtns and see if they can give you any group rates
Jul 7 2011 9:51AM
0 0
profile picture
brizz
Posts: 1051 - Karma: 74

You are dependent on weather for early Dec and probably more the snow making crews. Love Stowe and Jay but Killy usually gets on the snow making and may be a better option for everything.

PS... LOL at OSU football

Jul 7 2011 10:11AM
0 0
profile picture
rooftop
Posts: 110 - Karma: 8

I'd say killington for a college trip.  upper mountain starts to open in November, a variety of terrain for all types, and there's stuff to do there besides riding.

Jul 7 2011 10:23AM
0 0
profile picture
.ZT.
Posts: 5679 - Karma: 2,792
dont go to okemo its shitty. the park is so icy and shitty. they also dont get much snow. if you can you could drive to maine, sunday river(my home mtn) has lots of snow in december and as does its sister mtn sugarloaf. both have good early season parks and good all mtn. they also have nice ski in ski out lodging for relatively cheap and are big enough for lots of people. vermont is also good. my favorites are stowe(more expensive) mt snow(sick park) stratton, and jay peak. also if you want early season snow and can drive you can head north to canada. PM ME FOR MORE INFO on east coast and some canadian things.



ps

i suggest not to go out west but you can find some cheap things.
Jul 7 2011 10:53AM
0 0
profile picture
HamFaceGirl
Posts: 5242 - Karma: 2,676
In my opinion killington is the best mountain in Vermont
Jul 7 2011 11:01AM
0 0
profile picture
EmperorKuzco
Posts: 6660 - Karma: 254
I say go to Killington because that is my home and I have never been to the others around that time early season, and the park has a poma so.....
Jul 7 2011 11:46AM
0 0
profile picture
abbazabba21
Posts: 234 - Karma: -2
early december is going to be kinda rough probably no matter where you go. the comparisons above are really only looking at the mountains mid season from what i read. for that early, we would need lots of early snow and cold temps for there to be anything more than a few rails for park. to set up a legit park with jumps and lots of features they need a lot of base snow and if it is warm in Nov then they can't blow enough snow to get stuff set up. Most mountains try to get their decent park stuff ready by Xmas or new years at the latest, but lot of places will prob have to be blowing snow if we are talking really early December.

that being said, the northern mountains are probably a little more likely to have more snow which could increase the chances of a early season pow day, but if park is important, I think Killington usually sets up some pretty good lines of rails that get some poma love early on, which is nice. Mt. Snow might have a good park early on, but everybody is snow dependent. Stowe and Jay both could get some early dumps and have enough to have really fun all around days. Jay probably would have the least park, Stowe would have some but not a lot.


Jul 7 2011 2:19PM
0 0
profile picture
TPalms
Posts: 859 - Karma: 252
Solid, man. Yeah, Jay Peak is probably out then--people are going to want to party, and as much as I love pow out West I doubt there will be anything worth noting at Jay Peak in mid December.

Stowe sounds pretty sick, I know someone that is from that area--definitely gotta ask for his opinion.

Thanks for the awesome response, it helped a ton! I'll definitely let you know what I end up deciding on, and maybe see you out there haha.
Jul 7 2011 6:36PM
0 0
profile picture
TPalms
Posts: 859 - Karma: 252
Bummer on Okemo, until I checked this thread it was starting to look pretty good from what I saw on the internet. PM'd
Jul 7 2011 6:39PM
0 0
profile picture
Thug**
Posts: 511 - Karma: 87
id say try to get MT snow. i think they got the best park on the east coast. but of your choices ide say okemo
Jul 7 2011 6:47PM
0 0
profile picture
*monsterskier*
Posts: 2671 - Karma: 61
try snowshoe in West Virginia. it's pretty good. or decent at the least.
Jul 7 2011 7:06PM
0 0
profile picture
-GL-
Posts: 1696 - Karma: 37
i had a similar thread a little while ago and this is pretty much what i got out of it.

park=mount snow
powder=jay peak
all around best= stowe/ killington

i ended up going to killington and loved it so much id highly recommend it
Jul 7 2011 7:14PM
0 0
profile picture
TPalms
Posts: 859 - Karma: 252
Yeah, I realize that early season is going to be rough, but practically any snow is going to be better than Ohio haha. I'm tentatively going to say that we'll be leaving for the trip on the 10th, or the 17th of December (somewhere around there at least) so I've got my fingers crossed in hopes of good snow.

Last winter break we went to Mt. Snow and it was a ton of fun, but a lot of the people that are coming on this trip went on the previous trip so they'll want to go somewhere new.

Right now I'm strongly considering Stowe, Killington and "possibly" Sunday River since someone mentioned it earlier.

Any thoughts on Sunday River? We're coming from Columbus, Ohio so if we're busing all the way up to Maine I need to make sure it's worth it.

So as far as park goes: last year Mt. Snow had a pretty good setup when were were there, not the best, but definitely solid; Killington the year before was hardly set up at all, so I don't know what to expect from them; Stowe will most likely have something solid going on?

Thanks for all of the help guys, I gave everyone +k that's commented in this thread, I really appreciate it.

Oh also, what is poma?
Jul 7 2011 10:09PM
0 0
profile picture
NWPA
Posts: 2309 - Karma: 165
I cant help with anything else but a poma is the surface lift haha
Jul 7 2011 10:14PM
0 0
profile picture
TPalms
Posts: 859 - Karma: 252
Ohhhh shit, like one of those T-bar things? I've never used one before so I just assumed they were called T-bars haha.


Totally doing flips if I come across one of these.



Flatspin i t-lift - Freeride
Jul 7 2011 10:38PM
0 0
profile picture
.ZT.
Posts: 5679 - Karma: 2,792
okay so if you are worried about money do not go to stowe. it costs a lot more than other resorts and hotels and lodging are expensive as well. i have no expirience there early season but i hear it is pretty good.
sunday river is probably 3 to 4 hours farther than vermont but it is worth it. add an extra hour and you can get to sugarloaf which is awesome. sunday river is equal to if not better than vermont resorts. it offer lots of bars restaurants and lodging. it is 10 minutes away from bethel maine which has a town and shops and more lodging and bars. sunday river offers the earliest opening in the east often openining south peak in october. they will have a park set up with a few decent 10 to 20 ft jumps and lots of jibs and rails. the mtn has many peaks to explore especially by the 17th of december and the all mtn is very good. they will have a few woods runs and moguls up and lots of cruiser blue square trails. they will have beginner stuff as well like rentals and lessons.
sugarloaf is also big. it will have a lot of snow because it is very far north. it tends to be less crowded than vermont mountains and even sunday river because it is farther from boston and new york city. they have a similar park set up to sunday river because they are both boyne resorts and are like sister mtns. the alll mtn at sugarloaf is comprable to stowe in the early season. it is a great mtn and it also offers lots of lodging options and some bars and restaurants.
going to maine will be similar to going to canada but with no border patrol and less distance. i would consider this.

ALSO POST THIS SAME THREAD IN THE REGIONAL NEW ENGLAND FORUMS

hope i helped
Jul 8 2011 10:08AM
0 0
profile picture
EmperorKuzco
Posts: 6660 - Karma: 254
the one at killington is totally possible, I've tried it once but failed but this year i will get it
Jul 8 2011 11:45AM
0 0
profile picture
bfnradford
Posts: 921 - Karma: 100
you funny.
Jul 8 2011 11:52AM
0 0
profile picture
dunesquirrel
Posts: 464 - Karma: 70
i was at stowe in mid to late december this past winter and they did have a good amount of features. i wouldn't plan to find any big jumps anywhere though. for groomers etc. i was a little disappointed that there were still quite a few trails and groomers closed.
Jul 8 2011 12:00PM
0 0
profile picture
SkierX
Posts: 16253 - Karma: 538
Early December, you are at the total mercy of mother nature. We could be skiing on limited terrain, or we could be rocking lots of terrain. There is just way too much uncertainty.

I would follow the trail to the mountain with the early snowmaking capacity - Killington.

Your best bet for the most terrain in early December is Killington. Sunday River will be cranking out the terrain too, but that is going to be another few hours tacked onto an already long-ass trip from Ohio. A diminishing return on investment in early season where you are likely to be on limited terrain and mainly man-made snow.

I would not even consider Jay or Stowe for an early December trip. While Jay is an awesome experience, it would not be my choice for planning a large group trip before late December. Stowe is another great mountain, but they have a relatively conservative approach to opening and snowmaking during November. Off-mountain entertainment is relatively limited as a result of Jay's remote location.

Killington is your safest bet in early December to provide a variety of terrain for all levels of skiers in your group. Snowmaking begins on the upper mountain typically in late October with an opening on upper mountain terrain targeted for early November with expansion of terrain as weather allows. Park skiers will be happy, regular skiers will be happy. Also, if ma' nature is on your side, there is plenty of great terrain at Killington too.
Jul 8 2011 12:17PM
0 0
profile picture
D.B.ALL.DAY.
Posts: 365 - Karma: 158
pns ;)
Jul 8 2011 12:58PM
0 0
profile picture
.ZT.
Posts: 5679 - Karma: 2,792
i agree with the guy 2 comments above. killington is great and sunday river and sugarloaf are also great but coming from ohio its a little far. does the distance matter? because if it doesnt then look into sunday river and sugarloaf otherwise i,d just go with killington.
Jul 8 2011 3:56PM
0 0
profile picture
NWPA
Posts: 2309 - Karma: 165
pretty much but its just for one person haha

Click for larger image
Jul 8 2011 7:45PM
0 0
profile picture
Beez
Posts: 1496 - Karma: 39
POWDER=JAY

PARK=MT. SNOW

EVERYTHING(INCLUDING THE BEST TOWN)= KILLINGTON

I went to killington last year before mas and they had 2 parks open and a solid amount of snow.
Jul 8 2011 11:20PM
0 0
profile picture
TPalms
Posts: 859 - Karma: 252
Bump.

Great input, thanks man. Killington looks really solid--I think that'll be my fallback plan though considering we took a trip there two years ago, and some variety would be nice.

I know it's a bit further up to Sunday River, but I'm still considering it as a definite possibility. Does anyone have any more info on Sunday River, or maybe Loon as well?
Jul 10 2011 4:32PM
0 0
profile picture
JStrathern
Posts: 8747 - Karma: 1,536
SUNDAY RIVER
Jul 10 2011 4:34PM
0 0
profile picture
TPalms
Posts: 859 - Karma: 252
Ahahaha Perfect North ftw!

Random thought, but I think I skied with you at pfc. You wanted to learn flat 3's and I gave you a few pointers.

Jul 10 2011 4:37PM
0 0
profile picture
kamron_708
Posts: 944 - Karma: 1,129
Mountain creek opens early, and loon. Try to bring food for the bus rides, and do not buy lodge food more than twice. 8 dollArs for a hot dog is soooo fucked. Good luck. Who knows I may see you there!!!
Jul 10 2011 5:33PM
0 0
profile picture
TPalms
Posts: 859 - Karma: 252
Thanks for all of the info guys, I'm really feeling Killington and I think it's going to probably be the best bet for our trip.

Still looking for a little more info about what Sunday River and Loon's setups looks like though. How's their snowmaking capabilities? Park in general? Overall mountain?

Once again, thanks and +k to everyone.
Jul 11 2011 1:49AM
0 0
profile picture
Crankset
Posts: 1176 - Karma: 497
Loon will just satisfy your terrain park needs, Sunday River is a much more all around mountain
Jul 11 2011 3:39AM
0 0
profile picture
JStrathern
Posts: 8747 - Karma: 1,536
Sunday River makes a ton of snow and the conditions are always very good, their groomers do a good job. In December they usually have most of their jib park open and might have a couple jumps in Rocking Chair. For overall all mountain skiing they have pretty much everything and the lodges are nice too. I don't ski at Loon too much but their park is usually very good, but just look out on weekends for long lift lines at the main lifts because they can get up to 45 minutes or so.
Jul 11 2011 11:22AM
0 0
profile picture
dispatchQ_main
Posts: 2619 - Karma: 629
Go a little further north to Mount Saint Saveur. Last year it opened in october, and i can bet they'll have some sort of a rail setup at that time, for the amount of die hard park skiiers in quebec.
Jul 11 2011 11:27AM
0 0
profile picture
Crankset
Posts: 1176 - Karma: 497
yeah but if you don't ski in the terrain park MSS blows! You can ski to the bottom in 4 minutes and the glades/double diamonds blow
Jul 11 2011 11:32AM
0 0
profile picture
.ZT.
Posts: 5679 - Karma: 2,792
do not go to loon. loon has like no snow early season and can get so crowded at that time. drive the extra bit to sunday river. it is so worth it. also look into sugarloaf if you wish. go to killington again if you want because it is also good in december but those are my top 3. mt snow has a good park early season but not so much all mtn and you went there already. i think that if you are already driving ton new england you shouldn't worry about the extra hours to sunday river. also please pm me if you end up going to sunay river or sugarloaf thx.
Jul 11 2011 12:43PM
0 0
profile picture
D.B.ALL.DAY.
Posts: 365 - Karma: 158
haha yeah you did, that's why I posted in here.. flat 3s = the dankesttt
Jul 11 2011 4:06PM
0 0
profile picture
grown-ninja
Posts: 3031 - Karma: 175
yea for a 90+ buch lift ticket, you better be getting a lot, within the next few year stowe might be a little to build up for me personally.
Jul 11 2011 4:42PM
0 0
profile picture
whoa-dere
Posts: 10596 - Karma: 7,105

check out tremblant, lots of accomodations to choose from.

op do you know a jerry shi? he's in engineering at osu

Jul 12 2011 12:52AM
0 0
profile picture
JKill
Posts: 626 - Karma: 67

Mt. Snow! I know that the crew went last year, but it’s the best ;). I have had a little experience in terms of this trip in that I have been to Tremblant, Okemo, Mt. Snow, Killington and Pico Mountain all at this exact same time frame with O State. Mt. Snow had the BEST park set up and plenty of other hill with runs open. Killy and Trmblaunt would be tied for second pick though because they had decent amount of runs open but there park was nowhere near Mt. Snows early season one. Okemo was a cool hill with a really cool vibe, but it could get boring after a couple days I would imagine. Finally, Pico is real small.

Or, just come to Tahoe. I am sure you all could fit in my apt.

Jul 12 2011 3:24AM
0 0
profile picture
JKill
Posts: 626 - Karma: 67

P.S. I love you TPalms.

http://www.skialpine.com/

Jul 12 2011 3:32AM
0 0
All times are Eastern (-5)