New England Looking for New England ski resort recommendations

[Itinerant skier]

Back to the OPs original question, the biggest problem is that there is no major airport near the VT ski areas. Albany was mentioned. My brother would fly into Boston or Harford when visiting me at Killington coming from Atlanta. Leaves you with several hour drive in a rental car.

As others have said, if you are going to fly, head west.

OP is going to CO, but it's cute that you think the best New England skiing is in VT.

 

[dbostedo]

but it's cute that you think the best New England skiing is in VT.

Well that's sort of a condescending way to put it. Perhaps stating where you think is best would be better.

I like Vermont skiing... and given Stowe, Killington, Sugarbush, etc. I'm not sure where better would be in New England. So I'd go with Vermont too. What state do you think is better? New Hampshire or Maine I guess would be the likely options. (I can't imagine it's Massachusetts or Connecticut.)

 

[crosscountry]

OP is going to CO, but it's cute that you think the best New England skiing is in VT.

The best skiing in NE is probably in Maine, or Quebec.

But Maine doesn't really have any big airport, at least not close to the good skiing mountains. You can fly to Montreal, but that's not really all that close to the good mountains either (yeah I know, Tremblant! But many think that's just Stratton North)

 

[Itinerant skier]

Well that's sort of a condescending way to put it. Perhaps stating where you think is best would be better.

I like Vermont skiing... and given Stowe, Killington, Sugarbush, etc. I'm not sure where better would be in New England. So I'd go with Vermont too. What state do you think is better? New Hampshire or Maine I guess would be the likely options. (I can't imagine it's Massachusetts or Connecticut.)

That was supposed to be a joke. I guess it failed. I like VT skiing and some VT resorts could claim best in NE on any given day. Living in NH, I'm obviously partial to my local hills, but being honest, Maine probably wins with SR/SB/SL. Heaps of terrain with colder temps and better snow than most VT or NH places.

ETA:. For discussion purposes though, it's not about best in NE. When I suggest folks come visit the NE, they often want what the OP here wanted. So I suggest they fly to BOS or MHT, stay in Lincoln (Loon) or Waterville Valley and with 10 resorts within 90 minutes, have a tentative plan but go where the snow is best amongst WV, Cannon, Loon, Bretton Woods and even Burke.

 

[dbostedo]

stay in Lincoln (Loon) or Waterville Valley and with 10 resorts within 90 minutes, have a tentative plan but go where the snow is best amongst WV, Cannon, Loon, Bretton Woods and even Burke.

I stayed in North Conway last year and skied Loon and Wildcat, which could be a pretty good option too. We skied several inches of fresh stuff at Wildcat on a beautiful bluebird mini-powder day that was great.

 

[Wilhelmson]

Vermont is as good skiing as Maine. If Sugarloaf could keep the wind down maybe it would be better. Rumble is still the best trail though imo.
Honestly though and no offense, don't go to NH except maybe Bretton Woods and a day trip to Cannon but there are better options. I will take the longer drive to Sunday River any day. Sort of what I was getting at with Stratton. Keep driving north. Maybe get the free donuts and cider at the rest area on 91 though.

 

[Itinerant skier]

I stayed in North Conway last year and skied Loon and Wildcat, which could be a pretty good option too. We skied several inches of fresh stuff at Wildcat on a beautiful bluebird mini-powder day that was great.

North Conway alao works well, especially for Epic pass folks and you can include SR in your daily decision making too. Just a bit farther from an airport though.

Vermont is as good skiing as Maine. If Sugarloaf could keep the wind down maybe it would be better. Rumble is still the best trail though imo.

I think my preference for ME is as much about crowds as anything else. I've never experienced the crowds in ME as I do in VT and NH places like Loon.

 

[Wilhelmson]

I think my preference for ME is as much about crowds as anything else. I've never experienced the crowds in ME as I do in VT and NH places like Loon.

Agree there. Even at SR there are plenty of places to hide out. Of course we end up hiding out at SL King Pine because skyline is a shit show on holidays. Just wish they had a nice little hut like the Stickney cabin.

 

[James]

You can also fly to Manchester. It’s in New Hampshire, but it’s easy to get out.

 

[New2]

Hi folks,
...
Thanks for any first hand testimonials. I can certainly do a web search, but would like to have a few first-hand accounts before we start narrowing the options.

I know I'm late to this thread, and I think Beaver Creek is a good choice that you're likely to enjoy. Another possibility to consider in future years is taking advantage of Birmingham's non-stop flights to Las Vegas, and skiing Brian Head, 3 hours away in Utah. It's a more intimate, less crowded mountain than Beaver Creek or your other recent experiences, and it's got plenty of great blue and green terrain. With plenty of slopeside lodging and stunning scenery, right there and a few minutes away at Cedar Breaks. Dining options are limited in Brian Head, but if you schedule some time in Las Vegas, too, you've got world-class options, and all the other attractions Vegas can offer.

There's a chance you'd decide that you want a bigger ski area, but there's also a chance that you'd really love it and be able to swing annual trips, flying Southwest and spending less than at the mega-resorts.