Where Have You Ridden on Snow During Your Life?
May 4, 2007
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DCSkiers, where have you skied during your lifetime? I noticed in an earlier post that John L said he had skied at about 60 areas. I thought it might be interesting to start a thread detailing anyplace that a DCSkier has slid down a hill, whether on a board, skis, monoskis, cross country skis, whatever.
I'll keep the tally somehow.
Here goes for me, The Colonel. In 37 years (I first skied at age 29) I have managed to ski at the following 76 ski areas, some have since gone out of business.
In the Mid-Atlantic:
In VA: Bryce, Rappahannock, Skyline, Wintergreen, Cherokee, Massanutten, Homestead,
In WV: Snowshoe, Timberline, Canaan Valley, Terre Alta (Alpine Lake - when there was alpine skiing)
In MD: Wisp, Braddock Heights
In PA: Seven Springs, Laurel Mt., Hidden Valley, Alpine Mt., Jack Frost, Liberty (and Charnita), Whitetail, Roundtop, Shawnee, Camelback, Big Boulder, Elk, Blue Knob, Ski Big Bear, Spring Mt., Blue Mountain, Tussey Mt., Doe Mt.
In New England and Eastern Canada: Jay Peak, Bolton Valley, Mohawk, Mt. Tom, Mt. Southington, Brodie, Ski Sundown, Mt. Snow, Killington, Haystack, Mont Sainte-Anne, Stoneham, Mont Sutton, Bromont, Owl's Head, Whiteface, Loon, Waterville Valley, Sunday River, Pico, Jiminy Peak, Ski Butternut, Windham, Mont Orford,
In the Western States and Canada: Alta, Snowbird, Park City, Deer Valley, Snowbasin, Powder Mt., Brian Head, Brighton, Solitude, Park West (now The Canyons),Whistler, Blackcomb, Squaw Valley, Vail, Keystone, Breckenridge, Copper, Winter Park,
Elsewhere:
Europe:
-In Austria: Igls, Mutters
The Colonel
10ish years of recent skiing:
Europe - Garmish, Three Valleys (Courchevel, Meribel, Les Menuires)
Michigan - Mt. Brighton, Mt. Holly, Pine Knob
MD - Wisp
PA - Mt. Tussey, Blue Knob, Liberty, Whitetail, Roundtop
NY - Wyndham
Utah - Alta, Snowbird, Brighton
Colorado - Loveland, Keystone, Copper, Steamboat, Eldora
22 total (I think!)
This would be cool to do one of those google maps :-)
This is going to be hard, I hope I don't forget any!
VT: Sugarbush, Glen Ellen, MRG, Stratton, Mt. Snow, Magic Mtn, Timber Ridge (later Timberside), Bromley, Haystack, Carinthia, Killington, Pico (12)
MA: Brodie, Jiminy Peak, Bousqet, Berkshire East, Mt. Tom, Otis Ridge (6)
CT: Mohawk Mtn, Mt. Southington, Ski Sundown (3)
VA: Wintergreen (1)
WV: Snowshoe, Silver Creek (including before bought by SS), Timberline, Canaan Valley (4)
Utah: Park City (1)
CA: Squaw Valley (1)
So that's 28 ski areas in about 21 years of skiing. I have really only skied 8-9 different ski areas since moving down to VA in 1991. Most of my diversification happened while living in CT where I grew up, and while in college in Mass. Since 2002, I have skied exclusively in the mid-A. I am due for a ski trip to VT or out west!
Of those 28 ski areas,
2 went out of business: Mt. Tom and Brodie
1 closed and reopened (Magic)
6 were absorbed into other areas: Timber Ridge, Glen Ellen, Carinthia, Pico (now sort of independent again), Haystack (cut loose again), Silver Creek
Some interesting notes -- I grew up in the Berkshire foothills in CT. Ski Sundown, Mt. Southington, Otis Ridge, and Mohawk Mtn were within 20-45 minutes drive. I liked Mohawk and Sundown the best.
In college, Mt. Tom was 20 minutes away, and the other Mass ski areas were 1-1.5 hours drive.
I skied Sugarbush heavily from 1989-1997, usually during my winter break from college (WNEC) and grad school (GWU). I had a patroller buddy at Sugarbush and had a place to stay and many comp lift tickets! I was last up there in winter 1998 (tried to teach future wife to ski, bad idea).
First trip out west was Park City Utah in April 98. I still remember sitting in my apartment in Newport News VA in early April, lamenting that skiing was over in the mid-A and I didn't have many ski days in that season. There were some ski races on TV, and I noticed the snow looked great out West. Being single and young at the time, I literally yelled "F&@k-it" out loud and got on the phone with a ski tour company and booked a week long trip starting two days later. Phenomenal skiing -- 8-10" of fresh powder several days in a row. Came back home with a dark tan and a new outlook on life!
Well in my life f skiing (am 19 now) i have skied:
CA: Mammoth, Mt. High, Snow Summit, Big Bear (Bear Mountain)
CO: Breckenridge
WV: Snowshoe, Canaan, Timberline
MD:Wisp
PA: Tussey, Whitetail, Roundtop, 7 Springs
VA: Wintergreen
so a total of 14 areas which will hopefully grow exponentially in the years to come
Been skiing since 1994, addicted since 95
. I can remember every ski area i've been to, can't say that about golf courses though.
WV- Canaan Valley, Tline, Snowshoe & Winterplace
PA- 7 Springs, Hidden Valley, Camelback, Whitetail, Liberty, Laurel Mountain, Blue Knob
CA- Northstar at Tahoe
VT- Mt. Snow, Killington
UT- Alta, Park City, Canyons, Snowbasin, Solitude, Brighton, Snowbird.
21
Let's see if this adds up to 60.
Maine: (1) Sunday River
Vermont: (14) Jay Peak, Bolton Valley, Stowe, Smuggler's Notch, Sugarbush, MRG, K-Mart, Pico, Ascutney, Middlebury Snow Bowl, Okemo, Stratton, Bromley, Mount Snow
Mass: (5) Berkshire East, Brodie, Mount Tom, Butternut Basin, Otis Ridge
CT: (3) Mohawk, Southington, Powder Ridge
NY: (1) Huntah
PA: (6) Whitetail, Liberty, Roundtop, Blue Knob, Seven Springs, Laurel Mountain
MD: (1) Wisp
WV: (3) Timberline, Canaan, Snowshoe
East: 34
CO: (11) Winter Park, Keystone, A-Basin, Copper, Breck, Vail, Beaver Creek, Aspen, Aspen Highlands, Snowmass, Wolf Creek
WY: (2) Jackson Hole, Targhee
NM: (1) Taos
UT: (9) Alta, Snowbird, Solitude, Brighton, Park City, The Canyons, Deer Valley, Snowbasin, Powder Mtn
CO/NV: (4) Squaw, Northstar, Homewood, Heavenly
BC: (2) Whistler, Blackcomb
West: (29)
Dang, looks like 63 if I didn't screw up the addition and not forget an area or two.
I need to start catching up on the Colonel. 76 is pretty amazing.
For the fellow Nutmeg/Constitution Staters, I grew up in Wolcott (prolly a few miles as the crow flies from Mount? Southington) and worked many summers at Lake Compounce.
John L, Thanks for reminding me...I have skied at Powder Ridge in CT, add one more for me, a personal total now of 77.
The Colonel
Does Astro-Turf count? My first time down a hill on skis was on fake grass covered in little plastic pellets, with in-ground sprinkler heads popping up once in a while to wet everything down (not while "skiers" were on the slopes). Since skis and boots were involved I'm counting it on my list, but technically there wasn't any snow. I'll take it off the list and reduce my count by one if The Colonel so rules. Growing up in Alabama certainly didn't help my early skiing career, but I was lucky enough to marry into a family of ski fanatics, and my life list is now 37 areas and growing. Heck, my kids are 9 and 11, and their list is already 16 including Canada, Colorado, Utah, Montana and California. They probably don't even know you can ski on plastic grass. The 37 are, from approximately west to east:
Whistler/Blackcomb, BC
Crystal Mtn, WA
Mammoth, CA
Big Sky, MT
Jackson Hole, Grand Targhee, WY
Alta, Snowbird, Solitude, Brighton, Snowbasin, Powder Mountain, Park City, Deer Valley, The Canyons, UT
Steamboat, Winter Park, Vail, Copper, A Basin, Keystone, CO
Ober Gatlinburg, TN* ( *AstroTurf)
Sapphire Valley, NC
Timberline, Whitegrass, WV
Wintergreen, Bryce, VA
Wisp, MD
Liberty, Whitetail, Roundtop, Blue Knob, Seven Springs, PA
Hunter, NY
Stowe, Haystack, VT
Garmisch, Germany
Of course the fake snow in TN counts. You were skiing.
I can remember "skiing" on grass at Bryce in the summer on what looked like little tank treads attached to my ski boot. Actually was fun, except for falling down.
The Colonel
Quote:
For the fellow Nutmeg/Constitution Staters, I grew up in Wolcott (prolly a few miles as the crow flies from Mount? Southington) and worked many summers at Lake Compounce.
Small world; I grew up in Burlington and remember going to the "old" Lake Compounce as a kid, and the new Lake Compounce when I was in high school in the mid 80s. My brother was a lifeguard there around 88-90. I hear the old wooden roller coaster is still running. And here's a funny thing -- apparently they put in a chair lift up the mountain (for scenic rides) at some point. I was mountain biking on the backside of the mountain about 10 years ago and was surprised to come across the top bullwheel/station at one point! I thought I had gotten really lost and was at Mt. Southington for a minute...
Kilternan (Dublin, Ireland) - Dendex surface and actually on skis, not a board
Andorra - Soldeu and El Tarter (site of transition and addiction to board)
Scotland: Somewhere outside Edinburgh, again on dendex.
Locally: Wisp, 7 Springs, Whitetail, Liberty, Snowshoe, Bryce
Utah: Brighton, Snow Basin, Powder Mountain, Park City, The Canyons, Solitude, Snowbird
As far as I'm concerned dendex counts in the line up. If you're ballsy/desperate enough to ride that crap and risk the horrific injuries that can go with it you deserve to count it.
40 yrs of skiing, all based in DC area.
I've been to about 55 areas now. Many of the same as rest of you. I really want to get back to Europe's Alps, but finances and family obligations may delay that for a few years, although I may soon have an Italian connection:-)
A few memorable US sleepers/favs:
Mid-Atlantic: If you haven't been there yet - Blue Knob, PA when they have natural snow, especially if you want to try local glades or test yourself on fairly challenging steeps.
New England: Wildcat, NH, nearest thing to an "alpine" like environment in the East. Additionally, I still contend that Killington is an awesome place on an empty day.
Colorado: Loveland. You have to do the biggies like Vail and Aspen, but sometime check out this so-called smaller place, so close to Denver and with marvelous above treeline terrain, very accessible by blue and single black skiers/boarders.
Utah: Snowbird (and Alta), well known and well deserved Mecca for advanced skiers and powder freaks.
California: I've never been to the two most highly regarded California areas - Mammoth and Squaw, but I did get to what many rank as number 3, Kirkwood. It had very impressive steeps and lived up to its reputation for some of the best snow in the state when I was there in 2005.
Quote:
I can remember every ski area i've been to
Soo much for my outstanding ski memory
MD-Wisp
22
Here goes...
Mid Atlantic first; Massanutten, Bryce, Wintergreen, Winterplace, Sugar, Beech, T-line, Canaan, Wisp, 7-springs, Oglebee (get that one Jimmy?) Alpine Lake, Hidden Valley, Mt Plesant (surface lifts only outside Edinboro, PA, Peak n Peak, Tussey, Blue Mtn, Camelback, Jack Frost, Montoge, Elk, Whitetail, Roundtop, Liberty.
Then in NE; Okimo, K-mart, Hunter, Windam.
West of the Mississippi; Boyne, Copper, Keystone, B-ridge, A-basin, Vail, Canyons, Snowbird, Mammoth, Squaw.
Outside the homeland; Tremblant, St Marie, Grey Rock, in Quebec and my lone European jaunt...Soulden, Austria.
Quote:
Oglebee (get that one Jimmy?)
23
Midwest
Sugarcreek Ski Hill, Ohio
Mad River Mountain, Ohio
Snow Trails, Ohio
Perfect North, Indiana
MidAtlantic
Snowshoe, WV
Seven Srpings, PA
Whitetail, PA
Liberty,PA
Roundtop, PA
Blue Knob, PA
New England
Killington
West
Breckenridge, CO
Keystone, CO
Copper, CO
Arapahoe Basin, CO
Vail, CO
Deer Valley, UT
Park City, UT
The Canyons, UT
Solitude, UT
Alta, UT
I have been hesitating to post because I feel so small compared to everyone else.I definitely have an inferiority complex right now...
But I guess being only 21 and coming from a non-skiing family I am not doing to bad. All together I have skied at 5 resots:
WV: Canaan, Timberline, Snowshoe
MD: Wisp
VT: Killington
Being young I still have plenty of time to get my days in so I am not all that worried. I am also in the process of looking at grad schools and although skiing is not my "top" priority, I am keeping it somewhat in mind. I also plan to have a job some day that will allow me to get a good bit of skiing in (although probably not quite as much as I would want).
Not bad at all David. I was in my 40's before i had skied at 5 different resorts. I remember my first trip to a really BIG resort, Seven Springs. Man i wuz scared to death I'd get separated from my crew and be lost or worse get in over my head and die!
What prompted you to learn to ski?
Quote:
What prompted you to learn to ski?
I went on a church trip to Canaan when I was in the 8th grade. I sucked really bad but had a good time. I too was scared to death, especially when I came out of the lodge and looked up at the Meadows towering over. I tried Timber Run at the end of the day and got my butt whipped. Now everytime I go back to Canaan I laugh when I am riding up the beginners lift because the trail underneath it used to scare me. Also, everytime I go down Gravity I laugh because it used to be "if you could ski Gravity you were the greatest skier ever".
Ahh, the memories......
Tremblant
Jay
Stowe
Smugglers Notch
Mad River Glen
Sugarbush
Killington
Okemo
Stratton
Whiteface
Gore
Hunter
Vernon Valley/Great Gorge
Belle
Elk
Montage
Jack Frost
Big Boulder
Camelback
Shawnee
Blue
Blue Knob
Seven Springs
Wisp
Cannan Valley
Timberline
Snowshoe
Winterplace
Bryce
Wintergreen
Massanutten
Whistler/Blackcomb
Kirkwood
Heavenly
Northstar
Squaw Valley
Alpine Meadows
I hope that is all of them..............
David, I think we all have stories like that. Even the smallest most podunk ski areas look pretty scary to a first timer. I started skiing as a teen, but most of my friends had skied since they were 4 years old and were just phenomenal. My first 2-3 times out were kind of rough, but I got some encouragement and stuck with it. And now it's become a life obsession!!
I do remember taking a beginner lesson the first time I ever skied, and crashing all over the place. A scant 2 years later I was back at the same place and got put in their advanced classes. It's really amazing how quickly you can advance at skiing if you get into it. What was once a fear-inducing bunny slope becomes too flat to even look at!
BTW David, I think the ski resort count is all relative. I was feeling lame that my total number was only in the 20s, compared to some other guys. I bet after you have skied 20+ years you'll have some good numbers. But I will predict that I level out soon -- I can see getting into the 30s but not going much higher than that. There are about 4-5 ski areas I want to add to my list and that's about it. Hey, maybe we can start another thread of places people haven't skied but want to.
Quote:
Hey, maybe we can start another thread of places people haven't skied but want to.
Not that anyone's list would be short, but I bet that my list in that thread would probably trump almost all others.
When I first joined here, I said that I have skied "at least 100 ski areas". Well, I sat down and came up with 88 areas that I can definitely remember visiting. There were also a couple small areas that I can't remember in Illinois and Missouri plus a couple of rope tows on golf courses and of course, my Grandmother's back yard. Most of this was done when I was young, single and liked to drive long distances for the fun of it(1972-1982). Here it is...
Pennsylvania(20): Hidden Valley (first ski trip), Seven Springs, Bear Rocks (Lost), Boyce Park, Wildwood Highlands (Lost), Camp Soles (Lost), White Mountain/Haseltine Hills (Lost), Buckaloons/Peak'N Mountain (Lost), Blue Knob, Laurel Mountain, Sugarbush (Lost), Ski Liberty, Big Boulder, Camelback, Elk Mountain, Montage, Mystic Mountain, Blue Mountain, Ski Roundtop, Tussey Mountain
Ohio(5): Brandywine, Alpine Valley, Boston Mill, Snow Trails, Mad River
Indiana(2): Bendix Hill, Mt. Wawassee (both Lost I think)
New York(10) :Holiday Valley, Peak N'Peak, Cockaigne, Kissing Bridge, Swain, Bristol, Powder Mills, Whiteface, Gore, Hunter Mountain
Utah(6): Park City, Alta, Snowbird, Solitude, Brighton, Deer Valley
Colorado(18): Vail, Beaver Creek, Arrowhead, Copper Mountain, Breckenridge, Keystone, A-Basin, Loveland, Crested Butte, Steamboat Springs, Howelsen Hill, Snowmass, Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Berthoud Pass (Lost?), Winter Park, Ski Cooper, Area near Denver on I-70 (Lost, can't remember the name)
Vermont(6): Killington, Mt. Snow, Pico, Stowe, Stratton, Okemo
New Hampshire(3): Loon, Waterville Valley, Crotched Mountain
Maine(2): Sugarloaf, Sunday River
Eastern Canada(1): Mt. Ste. Anne
Western Canada:(3): Sunshine Village, Lake Louise, Mt. Norquay
Maryland(1): Wisp
West Virginia(4): Snowshoe, Timberline, Oglebay, Canaan
Virginia(2): Winterplace, Wintergreen
North Carolina(2): Beech, Sugar
Montana(1): Big Sky
Michigan(2): Boyne Mountain, Boyne Highlands
Some big holes in this list that I hope to fill some day: Jackson Hole, California/Tahoe, Oregon/Washington, Whitetail :-), Telluride.
A number of my exotic ski area visits have been one-day-wonders and not all that great for logging actual ski mileage. A great powder weekend at a familiar local resort like Timberline WV, Blue Knob PA, etc. can get you more quality ski time than wandering around as a lost tourist for a day at a big place like Heavenly, CA.
WV: Snowshoe, Timberline, Canaan, Winterplace
MD: Wisp
PA: 7 Springs
VT: Killington
MI: Boyne Mountain, Boyne Highlands, Sugarloaf, Crystal Mountain, Swiss Valley, Caberfae Peaks
CO: Steamboat, Vail, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Keystone
UT: Park City, The Canyons, Snowbird
MT: Big Sky
CA: Mammoth
Canada: Lake Louise, Sunshine Village, Whistler/Blackcomb
Of all these, Lake Louise wins for beauty, Whistler wins for total package, and Big Sky wins for best overall skiing experience.
Colonel thats an impressive list, especially with Rappahannock on there! I think I found a few pics of you from there back in the day!
winning a race:
then hangin with a patroller:
Just seeing those Hanson Exhibition boots in that first photo made my feet hurt!
that's funny ... does it really matter?
Gee let's see:
1) Ski Liberty
2) Whitetail
3) Seven Springs
4) Timberline
5) Blue Mountain
6) Blue Knob
7) Ski Roundtop
8) Ski Windham (for a Nastar national feeder, one day)
9) Snowbird
10) Alta
11) Park City
12) Vail
13) Breckenridge
14) Deer Valley
15) The Canyons
16) Snowbasin
17) Nemacolin Resort and spa
hmmm gee uhhh let's think.
ok 1-14 were ok with 9-16 being really ok, but #17 was the best because I totally seduced and had hot sex over and over again with a chick I was working on for some time. She's getting married in June and I just wrote a great poem for her.
I think the point here is you can be a great skier, but nothing beats having a lover curse you because she's hot for your equipment (not ski equipment, dummy!!!).
I totally ruled this weekend straightlining Great Scott Chute, but forget that .... some things like the number of places you've skied are so-totally-diminutive compared to the number of encounters you've had with a hot lover.
"... not the deepness of your turns, but the sweetness ..."
-- Greg Stump
Word!
E.
Crush,
I think you added a new resort to the growing list of places that DCSkiers have skied, boarded, etc. down a mountain...Nemacolin Resort and spa. I remember seeing that this resort had a ski hill, is it still there...or does it matter?
The Colonel
Ah Crush, you animal!
I must be getting old, I'll take a powder day any time....
Nemacolin does still have a ski area, and it's called Mystic Mountain. It's one of the resorts DCSki covers:
http://www.dcski.com/resorts/viewprofile.php?resort=mysticmountainIt's not huge (only 300 feet vertical), but my sister and brother-in-law have skied there and had a great time. They went with low expectations (for the skiing) and were pleasantly surprised. But skiing is only one of many activities available at Nemacolin. Crush provided an example of another one!
Let's see... Where have I skied? I'll probably forget some, but here's my list, in no particular order:
- Seven Springs
- Ski Roundtop
- Whitetail
- Wisp
- Hidden Valley Resort
- Camelback
- Snowshoe
- Killington
- Vail
- Winter Park
- Aspen/Snowmass
- Mammoth Mountain
Hmm.. I'm sure I'm forgetting some.
These are downhill areas. I grew up in Colorado, where my family went skiing cross-country throughout the winter -- I'm not sure if I was walking or skiing first. We most often skied in the Crystal Lakes / Red Feather area of Colorado. Whitetail was actually the first downhill ski area I skied at (and not until I was in college).
.... some things like the number of places you've skied are so-totally-diminutive compared to the number of encounters you've had with a hot lover.
"... not the deepness of your turns, but the sweetness ..."
-- Greg Stump
Word!
E.
Ah Crush, you animal!
I must be getting old, I'll take a powder day any time....
nononono, powder dayz are like that one that really gets under u skin, gotta have it kannot get your mind off them but u know no matter how long & hard you chase it's all about luck. I'll take my red hot lover....... any day anytime.
..........does it really matter ;)?
Agahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I didn't need to hear that.
JimmyZ -
you understand me perfectly. Isn't skiing truely an expression of passion! M. and I had such a good day with you. You really represent skiing in its truest construct - passion, joy and happy bliss.
Find it in all-ways
E.
.......matter it does. I think anyone who posts here knows it's about more than powder days. We did have a great day E., calling what we skied that day powder is a stretch but we skied it, we smiled and laughed and we will do it again. The mountain is my mistress, not the powder. Where we have had our *affairs* is fun to talk about, for me Snowbird is really under my skin, cannot get her out of my mind; but if the only place left for me to ski was the north face of the Tucker County landfill I'd still ski it and smile and laugh and we would do it again!
Maybe this brief sub-topic gives the colonel time to figure out how to compile the results, i thought we'd hear from some more people by now, everybody must be cloud skiing or working in the yard or something.