New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Best West Coast Groomers

post #1 of 29
4/30/07 at 7:17pm
Thread Starter 
Time to start planning for 2007/2008.
What are the recommendations for the Hill with the best groomers on the West Coast, British Columbia and/or Colorado.
More hard in the morning, cruise in the afternoon and something the "permanent part-time beginner" can feel comfortable with!
Is there a heaven on earth?
Cheers.
Reply
post #2 of 29
4/30/07 at 8:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by nomad View Post
Time to start planning for 2007/2008.
What are the recommendations for the Hill with the best groomers on the West Coast, British Columbia and/or Colorado.
More hard in the morning, cruise in the afternoon and something the "permanent part-time beginner" can feel comfortable with!
Is there a heaven on earth?
Cheers.
My first choice on the west coast for what you describer would be Blackcomb.... long wide cruisers that go on forever.
Reply
post #3 of 29
4/30/07 at 8:09pm
No way, sun valley or maybe deer valley
Reply
post #4 of 29
4/30/07 at 8:35pm
Mt. Bachelor. They have grooming down to a science. The area is huge with a great variety of groomers. The snow there is usually very good and plentiful.
Reply
post #5 of 29
4/30/07 at 9:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhilT View Post
No way, sun valley or maybe deer valley
When did the earthquake occur that caused these two to become "west coast" ski areas?

I agree with Sun Valley, though. It's a fantastic cruising mountain.
Reply
post #6 of 29
4/30/07 at 9:24pm
Good point, but seeing how the actual west coast sucks for skiing I just recommended those.
Reply
post #7 of 29
5/1/07 at 6:55am
if you're including Colorado -- they actually advertise that at Breckenridge "they groom every blue every day."
Reply
post #8 of 29
5/1/07 at 8:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by nomad View Post
groomers
West Coast
heaven on earth
ooooooooo, this makes my head hurt
Reply
post #9 of 29
5/1/07 at 8:26am
Sun Valley and Deer Valley are both good. But I have never seen any place better than Aspen/Snowmass. They do an amazing job.
Reply
post #10 of 29
5/1/07 at 9:25am
Check out Big White and Silver Star in interior B.C. Very good and extensive grooming. These are not huge destination resorts but they are decent sized, fairly close together, and have great ski in/out accomodations for a lower cost than the big guys. You could split your time between the two and have a really great time.
Reply
post #11 of 29
5/1/07 at 10:26am
Solitude.
Reply
post #12 of 29
5/1/07 at 11:22am
Breck or Vail. I think Vail advertises having the most groomed terrain on the planet.
Reply
post #13 of 29
5/1/07 at 12:48pm

Vail's Flat Joke

No, I think thats "the most groomable terrain on the planet".
Reply
post #14 of 29
5/1/07 at 1:07pm
So there you go.... you can choose from just about any western resort.
Reply
post #15 of 29
5/1/07 at 10:11pm

West Groomers

Panorama BC 4,000 vertical. Let my wife pick resort this year and skied Panorama for 4 days, pretty awesome groomer skiing.
Reply
post #16 of 29
5/2/07 at 1:23am
Thread Starter 

So Many mountains, so little time!

Thanks Everyone.
What a set of awesome replies with enough suggestions to be investigated to keep a snowless tragic occupied for awhile.
I have skied Big White, Silver Star, Sunshine and most recently Sun Peaks just before Easter and get accused of always going back to the same place. Well, I know what I like but maybe it is time to get out of the rut.
BC always appeals because we come though Tokyo to Vancouver.
Never skied Whistler Blackcomb and heard some good things about Panorama but again I think there might be a conference in Vail to go to.
So many mountains, so little time, such a long flight!
Thanks Again
Reply
post #17 of 29
5/2/07 at 8:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by SHREDHEAD View Post
No, I think thats "the most groomable terrain on the planet".
Nope, they boast having the most groomed terrain on the planet.

http://vail.snow.com/winter/tm.current.groomed.asp
Reply
post #18 of 29
5/2/07 at 11:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rio View Post
Mt. Bachelor. They have grooming down to a science. The area is huge with a great variety of groomers. The snow there is usually very good and plentiful.
Then why is Deer Valley always rated #1 in grooming? Year after year? Those guys have grooming perfected.
Reply
post #19 of 29
5/2/07 at 12:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tahoetr View Post
Then why is Deer Valley always rated #1 in grooming? Year after year? Those guys have grooming perfected.
Because Deer Valley is overran with clueless Ski Magazine reading posers that enjoy throwing their money away in order to be seen there.
Reply
post #20 of 29
5/2/07 at 9:41pm
In the Tahoe reigion, for pure groomer fun

1 Homewood
2 Heavenly Valley
3 Mt Rose (Smoothest and steepest)
4 North Star

This is a rating for pure groomer sking.

I think HomeWood is probably the best place for very consistent grooming, views and low key relaxed skiing
Reply
post #21 of 29
5/3/07 at 7:25am
^ Heh, its a bit amusing to see a ranking of groomer resorts from a guy I have rarely seen take a groomer except to return to the lift.

I'll add Sierra at Tahoe, Squaw and Sugar Bowl to your list and advise the OP to avoid Kirkwood as the anti-christ of the groomer world, although it has a couple winch cats that groom surprisingly steep paths off the upper mountain. In a good (normal) snow year, the Tahoe area offers abundant snow and sunshine along with a lower initial altitude. These features work well for those who prefer groomed runs, and means we work harder to earn our powder days.
Reply
post #22 of 29
5/3/07 at 7:46am
Man, and i thought my geographical skills were rusty.

As a lifelong born and bred West Coast kid in all my 39 years on the planet I have NEVER heard Colorado, Utah or Idaho considered to be part of the West Coast. Go figure.

I was gonna say Northstar, flat out, in terms of Cali/Tahoe resorts.

How so? I hit The Star the day after a serious powder dump and they had damn near groomed the entire frickin' resort!!!! When you had a sparse year like we did this year and get a major dump and then go out and groom, that's some serious grooming on the brain.

'Nuff said.


PS
Cirque:

MTT was riding groomers with me at Mammoth last week. Or should I say MTT was Mach 11-with-his-hair-on-firing groomers while stood by with a scorched face? He also perfected the General Lee aerial flyby on skis, too. Sadly we don't have the pictures to prove it, just the collective memories of 4 skiing fools and the tall tales to regail visitors with over libations.
Reply
post #23 of 29
5/3/07 at 11:16pm
A few impressions: For long continuous fall lines, I agree with Sun Valley and Mt. Bachelor. Unfortunately Powdr Corp sold off over half of Mt. Bachelor's grooming machines and the standards of grooming there are not what they were before 2003. That did not prevent me from skiing 40,700 vertical on April 15 though http://www.firsttracksonline.com/boa...pic.php?t=3147 .

Mammoth's grooming standards are still high, and it's going to be nearly all packed powder into April in normal years.

I did pass through Vail on April 2 this year http://www.firsttracksonline.com/boa...pic.php?t=3060 , and no question their grooming is first class. I got on the hill at 8:45AM, the bowls were closed for wind and the off-piste frontside snow was hard until noon. But you could still rip on the groomers all morning. And if you're going to mention Deer Valley, I think you also have to consider the similar standards at Beaver Creek on longer and more continuous runs.
Reply
post #24 of 29
5/4/07 at 4:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tahoetr View Post
Then why is Deer Valley always rated #1 in grooming? Year after year? Those guys have grooming perfected.
I thought Breck. had better grooming than DV. And I thought that Beaver Creek had slightly better grooming than Breck. Why is DV so highly rated? Too many Ski Magazine return visitors that don't know any better. I mean BC groomed DURING the day!
Reply
post #25 of 29
5/5/07 at 6:25pm
I would suggest Heavenly for the most satisfying groomers for the beginner-type skier. The reason is simple- Heavenly groomers have killer views of Lake Tahoe. The views are unmatched and this is something that a beginner skier would appreciate as much as an expert would.
When in Tahoe avoid Squaw and Kirkwood- groomers are afterthoughts on those mountains, these resorts exist for the ungroomed terrain. Both of them are not surprisingly two of the best places to ski in Tahoe, but you must enjoy going off-trail to appreciate them.

Alex
Squaw Valley Insider

Find the cure for ordinary - Squaw Valley

» Get the latest news and updates at the Squaw Valley sponsor page.
Reply
post #26 of 29
5/5/07 at 6:27pm
Snowmass & Beaver Creek

Michael
Reply
post #27 of 29
5/7/07 at 9:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rio View Post
Mt. Bachelor. They have grooming down to a science. The area is huge with a great variety of groomers. The snow there is usually very good and plentiful.
I'll put in a plug for Mt Bachelor, too. They have an excellent lift system, too, as nearly all chairlifts are high speed quads. Nearby Bend should have some nice choices of places to stay at.

I wouldn't send an advanced or expert skier to Bachelor, however, as there won't be enough terrain to challenge them.

However, if you'll looking for lessons, Whistler has some really nice programs (like the Ski Espirit) that are running every week.
Reply
post #28 of 29
5/22/07 at 12:09pm
Deer Valley has great grooming, but the runs are a bit short. Whistler/Blackcomb has some great sustained angle runs. Sun Peaks will groom some of its black runs, and isn't too crowded, which can really get you moving.
Reply
post #29 of 29
5/22/07 at 12:34pm
Not having skied Homewood, in Tahoe I'd have to say Heavenly first then Flatstar I mean Northstar

Disclaimer: West Coast I consider Tahoe, PNW and WB of which I've only skied Tahoe!
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Resorts, Conditions & Travel