Like so many people before me, from the California Gold Rush to the Silicon Valley explosion, I made the big move from the Northeastern United States to greener pastures, and bigger mountains, out in the Rocky Mountain West. Now, this is a move every skier or snowboarder born East of the Front Range dreams of making, but, looking back, one begins to get nostalgic for a few of the comforts of home, despite the epic lines and bountiful snowfall available in the Rockies. Here are a few that jump to mind:
4. Jay Peak:
The main point employed against the East Coast by doubtful Westerners (and self-hating Ice Coasters) is, of course, “it just doesn’t have the snow!” And, for the most part, it’s a solid argument. While there can be dumps, as evidenced by the current storm and last season, which saw even southern Vermont resorts having multiple twenty and thirty inch-plus days, the majority of the season is dominated by serious hardpack and ice, re-enforced by the Northeast’s unpredictable weather (it’s not uncommon to see a major dump ruined a day later by an equally major rainstorm). But Jay Peak, just below Vermont’s border with Canada, sits in a unique storm shadow that affords 355 inches of fresh a year, more than any other resort east of the Mississippi. It also features some of the best tree skiing available anywhere in the states, combined with a homey feeling unique to East Coast resorts. Truly a diamond in the rough.
3. The Chin:
For all you Western skeptics reading the previous item and thinking, “All right, so there’s some snow out East, and maybe some decent terrain, but there’s certainly nothing out there that can compete with the out-of-bounds terrain available at Western resorts like Jackson Hole, Alta, and Big Sky”: You’re wrong (sort of). While resorts with backcountry access gates are few and far between in the Northeast, Stowe in Northern Vermont has some serious hike-to terrain that could challenge even advanced backcountry skiers. The Chin is a case in point. Accessible via a five hundred foot hike from the top of the lifts, it’s serious terrain, beginning with a ring of tight, steep chutes and leading into some of the tighter trees to be had in the East, and it ends on a toll road which can either lead you back to the resort or off into the wilderness (if you’re not careful). Sound like something you could find out West? That’s because it is.
2. Laps:
About 45 minutes from my hometown in Western Massachusettes is a hill called Otis Ridge. It’s not a hill in the ironic sense, like the way someone who has just completed a full season at Vail says “I got 100 days on the hill this year.” No, it’s a hill in the sense that it has about 500 vertical feet of terrain, serviced by what the locals claim is the US’s oldest operating ski lift (there is also a rumor that it is powered by the engine from a ’67 Corvette). There are four trails living in the paltry snow conditions south of southern Vermont and New Hampshire, and the mountain often gets by with a few inches of old, iced over snow covered in a light dusting from their old-school snowmaking equipment.
Sounds like a real pit, eh? Well, here’s the kicker. Every once in a blue moon, even Massachusettes gets dumped on. Now, these snows are often turned swiftly into slush or ice by the unpredictable temperatures, but those able to make it down the unplowed back roads are often greeted with no lines – literally, you can’t pack people onto the Otis’ slow moving lift fast enough. And then the hill is, quite literally, yours. How do thirty, forty fresh lines in a day sound? They may not be particularly steep or technical, but they’re there for the taking, and sometimes that’s enough.
1. Leaving Your Shoes in the Lodge:
This might seem too simple, but it makes a world of difference. The fact that at most East Coast resorts you can deposit your shoes, backpacks, and other items without fear under cafeteria tables or in free cubbies gives the resorts a homey feel, even at corporately-owned resorts like Stowe, Stratton, Mt. Snow, and Sunday River. Whereas out West, leaving your things lying around the lodge might as well be kissing them goodbye, there’s an unwritten rule of mutual respect out East that leads people to be comfortable leaving their things lying around. There’s something about coming in midday, grabbing your backpack from under a table and pulling out your brown bag lunch – about getting in after a full day of shredding and putting your shoes back on at a cafeteria table bench – that all the luxury in the world can’t make up for. For an Ice Coaster, even an expatriate who has tasted the fruits of the West, it feels like home.
Jonathan S. Gang lives to shred, be it mountains or rivers, snow or rock, trails or bush, on his feet, in a kayak, on a bike, tied into a rope, or strapped into his snowboard. He is also a consummate backcountry gourmet, and has never found a piece of camp cooking gear he can’t (or won’t) try and stuff into his backpack.
Jonathan is a contributor for Active Junky. For more of his useful articles and gear reviews on Ski Gear, please visit Active Junky’s Outdoor Gear Deals site.
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