# First time travelling (North East US) - clueless



## Opunui (Mar 30, 2015)

What about Blue Mountain?


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## shervin (Apr 11, 2015)

Opunui said:


> What about Blue *"Mountain"*?


I hope you're kidding. blue is shit.


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## Opunui (Mar 30, 2015)

I was.. As a kid growing up in Michigan I was on the high school ski team and we would go there for our meets. But now it is one dimensional and way to crowded.

Have not seen that resort since the early eighty's. MT would be great pick or Jay's peak


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## SnowDogWax (Nov 8, 2013)

Best chance of powder, glades, and great terrain is Jay:eyetwitch2:











:snowboard1:


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## ekb18c (Mar 11, 2013)

Jay peak is where u want to go and prices are very good outside of the resort


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## Extazy (Feb 27, 2014)

Never been to jay that early. They get good snow but do they also make lots of it?

Killington does. I know lots of people hate killington but that's where I start my season until other resorts get more snow.

I might actually got to Jay in early January this year will see.

When it comes to terrain I think Jay is much better. I love their glades.

Here is a boring video that I shot there last February.


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## Extazy (Feb 27, 2014)

Why did you decided to go to killington and not stowe? I think that one is closer to you no?


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## shervin (Apr 11, 2015)

Extazy said:


> Why did you decided to go to killington and not stowe? I think that one is closer to you no?



oh thanks. I had no idea about Stowe. I'll put that on the list.

I'm thinking maybe I should go in February. a lot of people are telling me late December is not the best time to go. Also, it's probably going to be pack as hell during xmas break...


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## Extazy (Feb 27, 2014)

shervin said:


> oh thanks. I had no idea about Stowe. I'll put that on the list.
> 
> I'm thinking maybe I should go in February. a lot of people are telling me late December is not the best time to go. Also, it's probably going to be pack as hell during xmas break...


I actually spend my last xmas in killington and it was surprisingly quiet. I was so hyped, and day was also very nice! Sunny nice day. But again most of it was man made snow.

Stowe and Jay are my 2 most favorite mountains on east, granted I didnt visit every mountain on east coast. But I usually go there in February and march so I cant tell how are conditions.

Ask you friends. Every time I visit Jay I hear more French language spoken than English!:happy:


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## Extazy (Feb 27, 2014)

Wow dude I just checked how long the drive is and like wow. 5-6-7 hours. I would rather just fly to British Columbia lol

----- edit. Just noticed your budget is 800$ so yeah, round trip to Whistler will cost you around 500$ only so never mind.


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## SnowDragon (Apr 23, 2012)

Anyone in my ski club who has been to any of those resorts always favour Jay Peak.


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## Bones (Feb 24, 2008)

Before X-mas is pretty weather-dependent anywhere in the East.

If money is tight and the dates unchangeable, I'd look at how much snowmaking is going on. The best bets are Jay for their micro-climate and Tremblant for their lower temperatures and snowmaking capacity.

That said, Tremblant is stupid busy at X-Mas: you could be sharing a single trail with everyone in the village


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## shervin (Apr 11, 2015)

Bones said:


> Before X-mas is pretty weather-dependent anywhere in the East.
> 
> If money is tight and the dates unchangeable, I'd look at how much snowmaking is going on. The best bets are Jay for their micro-climate and Tremblant for their lower temperatures and snowmaking capacity.
> 
> That said, Tremblant is stupid busy at X-Mas: you could be sharing a single trail with everyone in the village


Thanks. It seems like Jay would be my best bet for December since there isn't a whole lot of snow during that time elsewhere. February might be wayyy too cold though.


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## SkullAndXbones (Feb 24, 2014)

the only resort in vermont i've been to is killington which was fun but i would definitely choose jay peak if i were you. it's closer and has the best chance of fresh snow. stowe is ridiculously expensive. i think their lift tickets are like $110. smugglers' notch is right next to it and they have more terrain and it's much less expensive. i hear sugarbush is great and it's closer to you then killington.


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## Oldman (Mar 7, 2012)

First, do not go anywhere during Christmas break if you can avoid it. In fact, make it your goal to avoid all resorts during any and all holidays unless your idea of a good time involves spending copious amounts of time in lineups. The other factor you need to consider right now is the dollar exchange. Your $800.00 CAN quickly becomes about $ 600.00 US. Huge factor

Here is what I can tell you about the following:

Smuggs: lots of good terrain, but we warned, you need to slow down your lifestyle as there are no, I repeat, NO high speed lifts. Everything is fixed. Very family oriented, limited to no nightlife.

Sugarbush: for its size, it has a nice variety of terrain. Sugarbush & Mt. Ellen, two mountains to ride. Not much nightlife here.

Killington: Huge acreage, great parks, solid nightlife. Like Sugarbush, two mountains as you ride Pico as well. As a first timer, you will really enjoy it.

Jay: Great terrain, super glades, solid snow. No nightlife as you are parked in the middle of nowhere. The will let you pay for half your trip with CAN $ .

I have also done Okemo. Not much love for it here on the forum, but it is perhaps the ultimate intermediate hill in the east. No steep and deep here, but if intermediate is where you are at, this is a great spot. Great little town.

Just remember that if you do go south, the dollar is really going to pound you.


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## shervin (Apr 11, 2015)

Oldman said:


> First, do not go anywhere during Christmas break if you can avoid it. In fact, make it your goal to avoid all resorts during any and all holidays unless your idea of a good time involves spending copious amounts of time in lineups. The other factor you need to consider right now is the dollar exchange. Your $800.00 CAN quickly becomes about $ 600.00 US. Huge factor
> 
> Here is what I can tell you about the following:
> 
> ...


Thanks. Yea, the dollar exchange is gonna be a concern. Hopefully our new government can do something about it by February lol.

My friend is complaining about February being really cold. I personally don't think I'd care, but how bad would it be?


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## quebecrider (Dec 10, 2014)

In february you might get some -5°c or some -20°c. Also a lot of the time the tram is closed at jay because of winds


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## Extazy (Feb 27, 2014)

I am Russian so I am fine. But I do know some people that refuse to ski/ride on east coast because of how cold it is.


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## Bones (Feb 24, 2008)

shervin said:


> Thanks. Yea, the dollar exchange is gonna be a concern. Hopefully our new government can do something about it by February lol.
> 
> My friend is complaining about February being really cold. I personally don't think I'd care, but how bad would it be?



That's some solid advice/comments from Oldman.

Personally, given the time of year you're thinking about and the exchange rate, I would 

A) reschedule. December is a crap-shoot everywhere. Sure, you could get fully opened resorts, but it is more likely that runs will be limited. However good things might be, they won't be mid-season condition.

B) stay in Canada. The exchange rate is killer right now and Quebec is generally colder and more able to make snow. If you want a compromise, find a place to stay in Montreal (never a bad idea) and chase whatever snow is within 2-3 hours drive. The exchange rate might get better with time but probably won't get worse.

C) if you have to go on those dates, then go to Jay. At least there's no village and it's not a "destination resort" catering to families to spend Xmas week.


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## shervin (Apr 11, 2015)

Bones said:


> shervin said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks. Yea, the dollar exchange is gonna be a concern. Hopefully our new government can do something about it by February lol.
> ...



That's some solid advice from you as well.

I have listened to you all and I've decided to postpone the trip to February. And Jay Peak it is!


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## f00bar (Mar 6, 2014)

shervin said:


> That's some solid advice from you as well.
> 
> I have listened to you all and I've decided to postpone the trip to February. And Jay Peak it is!


Just to add to the choices, don't forget about Maine as well. Sugarloaf isn't a bad option.


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## chomps1211 (Mar 30, 2011)

shervin said:


> ...My friend is complaining about February being really cold. I personally don't think I'd care, but how bad would it be?





shervin said:


> That's some solid advice from you as well.
> 
> I have listened to you all and I've decided to postpone the trip to February. And Jay Peak it is!


Lastly,… You might want to suggest that your friend(s) "Sack Up!!"  :facepalm1:  It's snowboarding,..!! It's a Winter sport! If "_It's too Cold_" was a valid reason for not hitting it! The sport wouldn't exist in the first place!!! :dunno:

Of course,… if your friend is of the "_female_" persuasion? You should probably ignore the above advice! That's trouble you don't need! :laugh: (…either that, or find yourself a tougher chick to ride with!!!)  :hairy:


Besides,… riding on those frigid days is Great!!! You will probably have the slopes almost entirely to yourself!! All them other "It's too cold" dilettantes will be hiding out in the lodge!!  :jumping1:


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## Crunchatize (Mar 27, 2015)

Im also from Toronto and have been doing the NY and Vermont thing for a while.. 

We mostly do whiteface.. not sure why all the hate for lake placid but it has the best vertical of all the east cost resorts. Yes the snow is usually weak but I have gotten lucky a few times and had their slides "backcountry" open after a good snowfall and it was dope! Also this is the closest to Toronto, you can make it under 6 hours

Done killington a few times and it is a great mountain, but a good 2+ hours further from Toronto.

However this being 2015-2016 the canadian dollar doesn't really make sense for us to go anywhere in the US.. My usually American trip this year will be switched to Alberta and BC and our trips to NY and Vermont will instead be drives to Quebec city.

I have only done Tremblant in QC, which I dislike quite a bit due to intrawest bullshit and MASSIVE lines. I have heard good things about mount saint anne and le massif so I will be looking to those places myself.

Good luck and lets hope for tons of snow in the East again this year!


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## surfinsnow (Feb 4, 2010)

Bones said:


> That's some solid advice/comments from Oldman.
> C) if you have to go on those dates, then go to Jay. At least there's no village and it's not a "destination resort" catering to families to spend Xmas week.


Seriously? Have you seen Jay Peak lately? It is THE destination resort now, at least for that far north. They've sunk hundreds of millions of dollars into the two new base areas, and have one of the top-rated water parks in the country (according to Travel Channel). They've also built a new ice rink, have indoor and outdoor heated pools, and the main base/inn is on par with many big Western resorts. There are a few different restaurants and bars onsite, even a small package store/general store if you don't want to drive into the admittedly sparse excuse for a "town." Since they rely so heavily on Canadians, they are very generous with accepting moose money. Top it all off with some of the best terrain on east coast...Jay Peak hands down. Our favorite trip is to stay in Sutton, Quebec. A few inns there will provide lift tix to both Jay Peak and Mont Sutton, which is a highly underrated mountain, imho. Some wicked serious steeps, and lots of glades and tree skiing. Being that they're only 45 minutes apart, you could stay at Sutton, save some $$$, and ride both. We've had great snow doing it this way!


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