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Name your favorite "small" mountains/resorts

post #1 of 88
11/1/07 at 4:56am
Thread Starter 
I know that "small" is relative, but I thought that instead of arguing about how cold it gets at Whiteface (Summary: F'n Cold. But not that cold. But really cold. What do you know?) or how fast is too fast (Summary: 50/60 mph tuck on easy goomer no problem. Insane! Not if you are great like me. I know the ski patrol!!) I thought I'd ask something that might help some of us find a new favorite small place to ski this year. Except that someone esle will say it sucks : )

Im in Upstate NY (near Binghamton), and my home "mountain" is Greek Peak. If you've been there, you know why I put mountain in quotes. But there are a lot of fun, small places to ski...so please, offer up your own one or two (with or without reasons why you like em). We all know the "big" mountains....but there must be some great small places that are sort of off the radar too.

I'll start. One of my fav small places is Belleayre down near Phoenecia, NY. For the size, they have a decent number and variety of trails, they seem to blow a good amount of snow when mother nature is on vacation, and they have a ton of discount days throughout the year (i.e. - ski free on your birthday, policeman's day, firemans day, a whole week when tickets are $10, ski free if you're topless day....oh wait, that was my suggestion).

Also, for beginners, the whole bottom section is green served by separate lifts...very nice to keep learners out of harms way for the most part.

I haven't been there on a weekend...might get crowded based on location.

So, there it is...sorry if this subject has been beaten to death in the past...I msut have missed it.
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post #2 of 88
11/1/07 at 5:05am
Hachimantai:

single chairs, 5 people riding, the groomer cat is buried, no rules, heeps of terrain. 50 bucks = dinner, bed, breakfast and ticket.

fricking paradise.
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post #3 of 88
11/1/07 at 6:51am
Well if Belleayre qualifies as small I'll throw in Ascutney (http://www.ascutney.com/). It's dirt-cheap for students (college/graduate). 99$ got you a season pass last year. They have decently varied terrain and, more importantly, I never ended up in a line longer than 2 people at a lift last year. The downside is they don't make much snow and so last year they really didn't have anything worth skiing until late January. Apparently they're most well known for their strong child-skiing teaching program, but I don't have children so I've got no experience with it.
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post #4 of 88
11/1/07 at 7:23am
Anthany lakes Oregon. Utah like powder ( it's eastern Oregon ). Cheep. Somewhat steep runs at the top. Love the view of the mountains around the ski area. Isolated, uncrouded.
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post #5 of 88
11/1/07 at 11:03am
Diamond Peak Nevada--definitely small, great views, good family area, nice old school vibe.
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post #6 of 88
11/1/07 at 11:09am
Bridger Bowl. Steep. it can get deep. Bozeman is a fun town (well it was 10 years ago when I lived there).
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post #7 of 88
11/1/07 at 11:21am
Midwest; Mount Ripley Mi. Why, cuz its a mine dump at maximum stacking angle. A delightfully nasty little piece of realestate with sht facilities.

Northern West: Red Lodge Montana. Cuz it just neat, nasty and my kind of ski area.

East: Mad River Glenn Vt. Same reasons, old nasty and fantastic.

Mid Atlantic; WhiteGrass WV. Same reasons, nasty and cozy.

Colorado: Loveland. Its got something for everyone and it has the snow I like. Wolf Creek right up there.

Wyoming: Grand Targee, Powda'

I could go on but that is enough. Sorry guys, I like nasty little resorts. I am a true blue junk snow kind of ski bum.
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post #8 of 88
11/1/07 at 11:50am
Cannon Mt, NH
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post #9 of 88
11/1/07 at 12:01pm
Whitewater, British Columbia. Two old, slow chair lifts, gourmet food in the lodge, 450" of snow per season, no snowmaking.

Arapahoe Basin, Colorado. No express quads, some nice bumps, bowls and trees, good snow, great in late spring and sometimes into summer.
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post #10 of 88
11/1/07 at 12:05pm
Blue Knob, Pa best ski "area" in the whole world just ask Glen Plake
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post #11 of 88
11/1/07 at 12:07pm
Sljeme, Croatia
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post #12 of 88
11/1/07 at 1:08pm
Vail.
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post #13 of 88
11/1/07 at 1:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Garrett View Post
Vail.
Dammit Garrett! You're letting the cat outta the bag! I thought about posting that right away actually, great minds think alike.

As for really good smallish areas, I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. :
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post #14 of 88
11/1/07 at 2:39pm
Discovery Basin, near Butte, Montana. One of my favorite areas, period. Down home charm with a nice variety of runs including some steeps off the backside when there's enough snow. There is a separate beginner area that my kids really enjoyed skiing on their own when they were little. Great homemade food in the cafeteria was an added bonus.
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post #15 of 88
11/1/07 at 3:12pm
I think Holiday Valley in NY is a good one especailly for beginners and intermediates. It is not a tall mountain but spread out fairly well.
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post #16 of 88
11/1/07 at 3:13pm
Mission Ridge, WA. A smallish area off of the beaten path. Interesting terrain when they have enough snow. The rocks, however, are like razor blades.
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post #17 of 88
11/1/07 at 3:37pm
Nov 1, 2007

Jiminy Peak, Mass. Good terrain, good snow, good food/bar, great people and most important, good and friendly skiers.

Think snow,

CP
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post #18 of 88
11/1/07 at 3:37pm
Alpbach, Austria/Harz Mountains, Germany (where I learned to ski) or Cannon, NH (especially the abandoned Mittersill resort which you can access from Cannon with an easy hike). Having checked out the excellent New England's Lost Ski Areas' website (www.nelsap.org), I went to check out Klein Innsbruck in Franklin, MA & The Big 'A' in York, ME...these looked like they might have been really fun community ski areas - did any bears ever ski these or similar?
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post #19 of 88
11/1/07 at 5:03pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by PaulR View Post
I think Holiday Valley in NY is a good one especailly for beginners and intermediates. It is not a tall mountain but spread out fairly well.
First place I ever skied....in college...with my then girlfriend, now wife : ) We ought to get back there someday.

Thanks for everyone who's responded...interesting...lots of different ideas of what's small, but that's the point.

Vail? Joking, right?

I'm going to keep this list and try to hit these someday in my travels...even some of the international ones.

I'd have to add Titus Mountain way the hell up in the North Country (norther adirondacks in NY)...my wife and I skied there a lot when I lived there up that way...and w hile I don't remember a lot about it, I do recall thinking at the time it was one of the nicest mountains I'd ever skiied at....course, that was a long time ago, and I don't even rememver what I liked about it so much.
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post #20 of 88
11/1/07 at 5:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by billyymc View Post
Vail? Joking, right?
Me? Never.

Try Royal.
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post #21 of 88
11/1/07 at 5:41pm
Bogus Basin. Skis like a big mountain, two sides, off piste options.
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post #22 of 88
11/1/07 at 6:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by newfydog View Post
Bogus Basin. Skis like a big mountain, two sides, off piste options.
I'd have to agree. I put Discovery Basin on the list earlier. Bogus, is my home area and its easy to overlook (and underappreciate) the familiar sometimes.
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post #23 of 88
11/1/07 at 6:40pm
Super Saint-Bernard, above Verbier.

http://en.bergfex.com/saint-bernard/

Skied untracked on the runs 2 days after it dumped
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post #24 of 88
11/1/07 at 6:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by CharlieP View Post
Nov 1, 2007

Jiminy Peak, Mass. Good terrain, good snow, good food/bar, great people and most important, good and friendly skiers.

Think snow,

CP
Thank you Charlie

The gang is always there. It's close and they do a great job grooming. About 2 weeks and the season is off, I hope.
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post #25 of 88
11/1/07 at 7:02pm
Waiting for someone to mention Magic Mt. Small ski area - great terrain. No crowd during the week. Needs a good dump to make it a good day.
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post #26 of 88
11/1/07 at 7:02pm
Monarch. Small is relative. Monarch is the most laid back place I have been to in Colorado. Stay in the retro Monarch Mountain Lodge for a quite weekend getaway.
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post #27 of 88
11/1/07 at 7:05pm
Well it's smaller than a lot of places...
http://www.mountwashington.ca/winter...alpine_terrain
I haven't been there since they developed the "outback".
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post #28 of 88
11/2/07 at 8:40am
Homewood, California
Pretty nice mountain, most of the poeple cant ski it. Awesome tree skiing, stays pow all day. Nice park too, and never crowded. Lifts are slower than god, but thats changing.
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post #29 of 88
11/2/07 at 8:52am
Sugarbowl, definitely, not that small, but only two major lifts (so small in terms of structures), and small as in intimate feel to the place. lots of very tight chutes, lots of trees, lots of super steeps, crowds very small on a storm day. cool small but intense racing team trains there, so juniors around to blow your mind.
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post #30 of 88
11/2/07 at 8:52am
Beaver Mountain. Small family owned. Excellent backside powder. Overshadowed by the Other Utah resorts
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