# Suggestions for PA/NY resort?



## larrytbull (Oct 30, 2013)

You've been to best of area. I would go north towards jay peak or somewhere in vt or nh


----------



## johnsnowboards (Feb 6, 2015)

larrytbull said:


> You've been to best of area. I would go north towards jay peak or somewhere in vt or nh


I just googled Jay Peak and that place looks awesome. Snowboardign + water park to relax is exactly what I'm looking for.

Too bad it's 8 hours away from here and a bit too far for me


----------



## tanscrazydaisy (Mar 11, 2013)

hit the catskills (NY).

Try Windham.

Hunter gets too crowded.


----------



## f00bar (Mar 6, 2014)

johnsnowboards said:


> I just googled Jay Peak and that place looks awesome. Snowboardign + water park to relax is exactly what I'm looking for.
> 
> Too bad it's 8 hours away from here and a bit too far for me


Eh, you sit (or whatever) at work that long 5 days a week all year long.

Whats an extra half days work in a car in the scheme of things?


----------



## Engage_mike (Oct 14, 2011)

I definitely don't know a great deal about the area but I thought by May the east coast is absolutely free of snow? I'm flying into Philly and I'll be heading to the pocono area in a week to Camelback and Jack Frost & Big Boulder...First time going to Camelback but it looks like an excellent place online. Jack Frost I wouldn't recommend simply because I don't see great lodging options for you and the wife unless you rent a house near by. I hear good things about Seven Springs constantly on this forum. Have a good trip wherever you decide to go! Quick add...Snowshoe is still my favorite resort on the East although never made it to Jay Peak or Killington but I figure it is close to your driving parameters and the lodging and village are excellent!


----------



## larrytbull (Oct 30, 2013)

i think also since target date is 1st week in may your choices have to be as far north and as high elevation as possible

last year most areas in pa were closed end of apil


----------



## f00bar (Mar 6, 2014)

larrytbull said:


> i think also since target date is 1st week in may your choices have to be as far north and as high elevation as possible
> 
> last year most areas in pa were closed end of apil


Ya, I didn't notice that. Half of VT will be closed by then. I'd seriously consider pulling it in a month to 1st week in April if possible.


----------



## cookiedog (Mar 3, 2014)

johnsnowboards said:


> I just googled Jay Peak and that place looks awesome. Snowboardign + water park to relax is exactly what I'm looking for.
> 
> Too bad it's 8 hours away from here and a bit too far for me


Jay peak is awesome. Worth the drive. but night life is nonexistent there, there is just nothing around. And first 1week of my idk if they gonna have any snow)))


----------



## larrytbull (Oct 30, 2013)

Engage_mike said:


> I definitely don't know a great deal about the area but I thought by May the east coast is absolutely free of snow? I'm flying into Philly and I'll be heading to the pocono area in a week to Camelback and Jack Frost & Big Boulder...First time going to Camelback but it looks like an excellent place online. Jack Frost I wouldn't recommend simply because I don't see great lodging options for you and the wife unless you rent a house near by. I hear good things about Seven Springs constantly on this forum. Have a good trip wherever you decide to go! Quick add...Snowshoe is still my favorite resort on the East although never made it to Jay Peak or Killington but I figure it is close to your driving parameters and the lodging and village are excellent!


Being from the area, I would not discount jfbb. They never have a lift line
Even on weekends line is no more than 1 minutes
camelback on paper looks great but going there unless it is a weekeday, you will wait on endless lines weekends and holidays.

Hopefully you will get lucky and it will not be the case, but they are very popular for NYC people. They have Great marketing and they also are more of a resort than the other hills but you pay the price on lift lines 

Also after 6 or 7pm lines die down.

There are a bunch more hills all within 30 miles if you find you want more variety


----------



## johnsnowboards (Feb 6, 2015)

Sorry guys, I meant 1st week of *March*, not May. Thanks for the suggestions though guys, I'm googling right now looking at reviews and pictures.






f00bar said:


> Eh, you sit (or whatever) at work that long 5 days a week all year long.
> 
> Whats an extra half days work in a car in the scheme of things?


I personally don't mind the drive, but my wife doesn't like it.


----------



## neednsnow (Nov 30, 2007)

Check out Gore Mountain. That could be fun, though sleepy in the eves. You could also break the trip into two stops......Maybe drive all the way to placid for 2 nights and then hit Gore on the way home. Lake Placid has a good blend, though definitely outside your 5 hour drive.

Could also look at Wyndham in the catskills, but much smaller mountain.


----------



## Guest (Feb 7, 2015)

Jay is definitely more then 5 hours from you.

I would do Southern Vermont. Get acquainted with that state because its the only place worth riding on the east coast for the most part for the amount of quality resorts it has in a small locale.

If you are beginner to intermediate I would choose an easier resort like Mount Snow or Stratton. Plus the ride won't be as long. 

Okemo and Killington are about an extra hour. And Jay is even further.


----------



## SkullAndXbones (Feb 24, 2014)

i too say southern vermont. stratton probably has what you're looking for. if that's too far then i suggest belleayre in ny but there's no night life. you'll have to go into one of the near by towns for that.


----------



## johnsnowboards (Feb 6, 2015)

Thanks for the suggestions guys. So I've been googling your a bit and here's what I think so far:

- Windham, 4 hours away, from their website I can see they have other activities like a spa and a bunch of dining options on the resort, I think this would be my wife's #1 pick

- Stratton, 6 hours away, a bit far but I'm liking what they have on their website, tons of dining options, plus they have that ski village atmosphere that I've never experienced before, could be fun to ride in the morning and relax in the village at night

- Gore mountain, 5.5 hours way, their website didn't have much info about other activities, but from what I could gather from reviews online, it's supposed to be a pretty good mountain



- jfbb, 1.5 hours way, if what larrytbull said about not having a lift line is true, it sounds like an awesome place. I have a friend coming over this weekend, I'll suggest going to this place for the day, so we won't be coming here on our March trip


Got a couple more places to check out, thanks again for the suggestions


----------



## madmax (Sep 10, 2013)

SkullAndXbones said:


> i too say southern vermont. stratton probably has what you're looking for. if that's too far then i suggest belleayre in ny but there's no night life. you'll have to go into one of the near by towns for that.


I'd second Belleayre. Just got back from a weekend with my GF. She's a newbie and she loved the green trails. There are also some good blues at mid-mountain if you start to feel adventurous. Saturday was "crowded" and nowhere near as shitty as the other resorts in the area, NYC people don't seem to flock here like Hunter/Windham, or southern VT instead.

Nightlife is lacking but Phoenicia is close by and Peekamoose is a great restaurant for a fancier dinner. We did an AirBnB which was awesome for us. You can get some really nice places for pretty cheap if you book far enough in advance.

edit: If Windham is your first choice, maybe do one day at Belleayre. It, Windham, and Hunter and all relatively close to each other.


----------



## Soul06 (Dec 18, 2010)

Agree with Southern VT; Stratton, Okemo or Mount Snow. Within your 5 hr range and good for beginners. I think Stratton would be the best pick of the 3 as the base village is very nicely structured with bars, restaurants and stores.


----------



## johnsnowboards (Feb 6, 2015)

thanks for the suggestions guys. I discussed with my wife and we decided to go to Windham this year. Then next year maybe we'll try for Stratton.


----------



## Adam718 (Jan 15, 2015)

Mountain Creek Crystal Springs Resort. My girlfriend and I had a great time.


----------



## johnsnowboards (Feb 6, 2015)

Just want to update you guys. Like I mentioned we decided to go to Windham last weekend. We stayed for 3 nights, went snowboarding on Thursday and Friday. 

That place was awesome. It was basically empty those two days. The longest we had to wait on any line was no more than 2 minutes if there was a line at all. And since there was pretty much no one on the slopes, we've had a lot of time and space to practice (we're still beginners).

Weather was good too, not too cold although it got kinda warm on Friday. Snow conditions were good as well, nicely groomed, not icy, and not wet/sticky.

Overall it was a good trip. Thanks again for the suggestions guys.


----------



## ThredJack (Mar 18, 2014)

Did you happen to check out Jack Frost yet? That's the mtn I've been riding lately, so just wondering what you thought of it, if you and your buddy managed to get up there.


----------



## snowbrdr (Oct 18, 2010)

golfer1659 said:


> Jay is definitely more then 5 hours from you.
> 
> I would do Southern Vermont. Get acquainted with that state because its the only place worth riding on the east coast for the most part for the amount of quality resorts it has in a small locale.
> 
> ...


I live just north of NYC and regularly go to Camelback and Jiminy Peak (don't know if anyone mentioned this one). One thing about Camelback is that they do some of the best grooming around. yes, weekends are crowded but me and my buddy go there at the crack of dawn and we can find some uncrowded lifts that are not the high speeds that service a wide degree of difficulty. Jiminy is my local favorite but mainly because of the best vert around, but not the most snowboard friendly having to hoof over to some runs midweek when they close a lift or two. Still my local favorite. Agree with Mt Snow being a little less than an hour further than Jiminy and a bigger mountain. Also don't rule out Bromley which is the same distance (3 hrs from NYC) which has some great conditions this year.


----------



## johnsnowboards (Feb 6, 2015)

ThredJack said:


> Did you happen to check out Jack Frost yet? That's the mtn I've been riding lately, so just wondering what you thought of it, if you and your buddy managed to get up there.


We did, and I liked it better than Bear Creek (Bear Creek is 30 mins away so it's our go to mountain). The beginner slopes was wide so we had a lot of space to practice. The blues on the west side were a bit hard but still manageable for our beginner skills. I think it was a holiday when we went so it's a bit crowded, but lines were no longer than 5 minutes so it wasn't too bad.

In comparison, in Bear Creek, their greens was narrower and were always crowded so it's hard to practice at times. I also think Bear Creek is icier, but maybe this is just because we've been there so much that I've experienced both good and bad condition days.


----------



## ThredJack (Mar 18, 2014)

johnsnowboards said:


> We did, and I liked it better than Bear Creek (Bear Creek is 30 mins away so it's our go to mountain). The beginner slopes was wide so we had a lot of space to practice. The blues on the west side were a bit hard but still manageable for our beginner skills. I think it was a holiday when we went so it's a bit crowded, but lines were no longer than 5 minutes so it wasn't too bad.
> 
> In comparison, in Bear Creek, their greens was narrower and were always crowded so it's hard to practice at times. I also think Bear Creek is icier, but maybe this is just because we've been there so much that I've experienced both good and bad condition days.


Jack Frost has VERY nice beginner hills. I actually tried one of those blues you mentioned, and it can only be described with two words: falling leaf.:facepalm1: The lines are short, even on more crowded days. 

In comparison Big Boulder(JF's sister resort) is a lot like you described Bear Creek. Icy and narrow.


----------



## michael82 (Mar 15, 2015)

You have really been to the a lot of good resorts. Here are some other suggestions that are close to NY:

Belleayre Mountain
2½ hours by car or bus 

Catamount
2½ hours by car

Catskill Scenic Trail
3 hours by car, 4¼ hours by bus

Hunter Mountain
2½ hours by car or bus

Minnewaska State Park Preserve
2 hours by car

Pineridge Cross-Country Ski Area
3 hours by car

Plattekill Mountain
3 hours by car


----------



## Sublimaze (Jan 30, 2014)

Next year, consider hopping on Pa turnpike and head out west to Seven Springs.


----------



## Magnum626 (Dec 31, 2009)

^Haha, I thought you were gonna say Utah or something.


----------

