It looks like you are using an ad blocker. That's okay. Who doesn't? But without advertising revenue, we can't keep making this site awesome. Click the link below for instructions on disabling adblock.
Welcome to the Newschoolers forums! You may read the forums as a guest, however you must be a registered member to post.
Register to become a member today!
Just wondering what you guys think are the most over rated ski areas in the northeast, west coast, rockies and the US overall. Some places are definitely hyped up to be way better then they are.
weastcoastAgreed. Yeah springs is kinda hit or miss, it always fun but it’s most fun when they have a good setup going. People either love it or hate it, and that’s usually cause of what’s open. End of feb always screws us cause of lack of rain, then March is usually a good comeback but yeah that setup was definitely wack and way too boarder oriented (well it was a boarder event) and it was kind of a wasted weekend in terms of a setup in beard because of the massive amounts of snow.
And word, id like to go to HV this year. Couple of my friends said same thing you said, it’s a similar vibe to springs which is why they like it.
Hit me up if you ever make it up here, maybe i can pull some strings and get you a pass/discount and show you around the place
a_burgerIn terms of parks I never really got the hype over Loon. Still a lot of fun and the build quality is top notch (every feature looks fucking beautiful) but the layouts feel a little weird to me every time I've gone and having to ride the gondi to lap LMP in it's full length is aids especially on the weekend. That said I'm mostly a rail skier and can't really comment on the big jump line, but it seems like there's always empty space next to it where they could throw some of their ridiculously large rail fleet.
**This post was edited on Nov 19th 2018 at 6:59:38pm
As a regular skier at Loon, I couldn't agree more with this. Trying to lap LMP is a pain and it always seems like they have a TON of empty space.
However the quality of their jumps and rails is great, so I can't complain too much
Lmclellan4As a regular skier at Loon, I couldn't agree more with this. Trying to lap LMP is a pain and it always seems like they have a TON of empty space.
However the quality of their jumps and rails is great, so I can't complain too much
In my opinion Loon is for the birds. If all you ski is park, sure it’s great. And it is easily accessible. But if you’re not a park rat then Jay, Sugarbush, mad river or Sugarloaf
**This post was edited on Nov 20th 2018 at 9:38:01am
If you take this with the prespective of a warmer climate midwest resort:
Perfect North has been underrated until Goepper blew up, even then its mildly underrated now.
Its not going to compare to anything in the mountains, but in prespective of other resorts with only blown snow, they keep their parks super legit and have a nice variety of runs for the small vertical they have.
SkiBum.PowMow. I don’t get the hype. And now they are some hipster owned dream of a mega resort. Waste of money.
Came here to say Powder Mountain, the runs are all super flat and short and for some reason is super hyped as being core and local even though they are totally selling out and trying to go big corporate resort type.
In the Tahoe region I feel Northstar leaves much to be desired due to low elevation for snow and lack of above tree line/ challenging terrain. On the other side of the lake, Heavenly would be overrated due to crazy crowds and limited steeps until the Canyon area opens up. Squaw and Sugarbowl live up to the height. Kirkwood would be an underrated option. With high elevation and no lack of expert terrain, I feel there is no better option in Tahoe.
ski_steeVail/Beaver Creek: They get a fraction of the snow Loveland gets for instance, and charge twice as much for lift tickets.
Parking sucks, people suck, but everyone knows this...
Also they will pull your pass for having fun.
Sun Valley: Again not an especially snowy place, but if you say skiing and Idaho in the same sentence this is what people think of.
So many better places to ski in Idaho.
Jackson Hole: Yes the terrain at JHole is rowdy and the snow is epic.
The crowds, prices and vibe aren't worth the hype imho.
I would rather ski at Targhee 9 out of 10 days for convenience and better snow.
Park City UT: Unless you don't want to ski pow and lap park instead, every resort in the Cottonwood Canyons is better.
If you rather chill with the crowds at PC that's fine, no one at Brighton or Solitude cares.
tldr: mega resorts blow. support non vail resorts
Haha. Since when is Beaver Creek over rated? Vail yes. But Beaver Creek absolutely not as a ski mountain. Forget about the expensive village, Beaver Creek is awesom in my opinion.
evaroniYellowstone Club. I only ski there because my dad has like $18 mill in the bank and a ski cabin there. But I think there is too much hype surrounding their culinary offerings.
evaroniYellowstone Club. I only ski there because my dad has like $18 mill in the bank and a ski cabin there. But I think there is too much hype surrounding their culinary offerings.
If I had the money I would buy a membership. It looks like it has some sick lift access terrain and there are only 250 members, most of which are old farts who only ski groomers. You'd essentially have non-stop untracked lift access pow.
VinnieFIf I had the money I would buy a membership. It looks like it has some sick lift access terrain and there are only 250 members, most of which are old farts who only ski groomers. You'd essentially have non-stop untracked lift access pow.
ScooterLapooterHaha. Since when is Beaver Creek over rated? Vail yes. But Beaver Creek absolutely not as a ski mountain. Forget about the expensive village, Beaver Creek is awesom in my opinion.
BC's park situation is better than you would expect.
VinnieFIf I had the money I would buy a membership. It looks like it has some sick lift access terrain and there are only 250 members, most of which are old farts who only ski groomers. You'd essentially have non-stop untracked lift access pow.
It’s pretty fun but the access isn’t crazy technical without hiking, if you have a friend who can get you in I would recommend, it’s on a whole other level of luxury ridiculousness.
eheathPark City has the best park skiing in utah, period. But the mountain leaves much to be desired, it's still quite fun and has some okay areas if it snows, but every other resort in utah has more difficult, challenging, fun terrain.
I disagree I think that Snowbird has the best park
3maniaBC's park situation is better than you would expect.
I mean the park crew there is prettytight and definitely knows what theyre doing, but I dont think they get the resources that they need, I mean the resort didnt even care enough to let them open rodeo, there wasnt enough natural snow but they could have blown some snow no problem
theabortionatorLol, beaver creek is underrated as fuck. Go hit the trees sometimes. You can get fresh pow laps weeks after storms. Get a season pass, buying day tickets at bigger resorts is for people from texas.
Also nice tag on the end. VR are the only corporate resorts I guess lol.
Straight up, BC is mad fun. Been there once, went like a week after a storm in February and skiied fresh as much as I wanted and ripped groomers all day with rollers that launch you a mile, it's dead as fuck there, the trees are pristine, I think all the lifts are high speed, shits stupid fun.
VinnieFIf I had the money I would buy a membership. It looks like it has some sick lift access terrain and there are only 250 members, most of which are old farts who only ski groomers. You'd essentially have non-stop untracked lift access pow.
So I spent last year there doggin out and building some lifts. It would be dope to ski there from a standpoint of it being basically your own private resort all the time. But terrain wise....it is all perfect pitch to build a sweet park on.
evaroniSo I spent last year there doggin out and building some lifts. It would be dope to ski there from a standpoint of it being basically your own private resort all the time. But terrain wise....it is all perfect pitch to build a sweet park on.
When looking at their trail map that peak to the right with a lift up one end that looks like you could traverse across and drop down anywhere looks like it's really sweet. Maybe that's not accessible?
Jak0b11In the Tahoe region I feel Northstar leaves much to be desired due to low elevation for snow and lack of above tree line/ challenging terrain. On the other side of the lake, Heavenly would be overrated due to crazy crowds and limited steeps until the Canyon area opens up. Squaw and Sugarbowl live up to the height. Kirkwood would be an underrated option. With high elevation and no lack of expert terrain, I feel there is no better option in Tahoe.
Heavenly is super over rated, it's high an has a nice view but it skis like five smaller resorts smashed together, there's no top to but and so much flat/traversing to get anywhere.
Bluestar/flatstar isn't really overrated, everyone knows the terrain outside of the parks is just a huge intermediate run. The parks are good right? I don't really ski park and certainly not at a high level.
VinnieFWhen looking at their trail map that peak to the right with a lift up one end that looks like you could traverse across and drop down anywhere looks like it's really sweet. Maybe that's not accessible?
Pretty much all of the face of this:
I recant my previous statement. There has to be plenty of untouched turns off that face daily.
Tremblant is wayyyy to overhyped. Like if you want to spend 20 minutes waiting in line just to get a half decent run in then be my guest but I would not recommend. Park is sick tho
loshStraight up, BC is mad fun. Been there once, went like a week after a storm in February and skiied fresh as much as I wanted and ripped groomers all day with rollers that launch you a mile, it's dead as fuck there, the trees are pristine, I think all the lifts are high speed, shits stupid fun.
Never expected so much love for Beaver Creek on NS.
Anytime I send those rollers a yellow jacket appear out of nowhere.
Again I guess it would be cool if I could afford it....
Not overrated ski resorts in Colorado; Powderhorn, Sunlight, Monarch...
Legend87Tremblant is wayyyy to overhyped. Like if you want to spend 20 minutes waiting in line just to get a half decent run in then be my guest but I would not recommend. Park is sick tho
Sometimes, yes. But I went in February of last year and it was absolutely sick. No one was there, the snow was fresh and there was pow everywhere. Great tree skiing too. But avoid weekends and holidays at all costs.
loshStraight up, BC is mad fun. Been there once, went like a week after a storm in February and skiied fresh as much as I wanted and ripped groomers all day with rollers that launch you a mile, it's dead as fuck there, the trees are pristine, I think all the lifts are high speed, shits stupid fun.
I have family that isn’t too into the real skiing on real snow stuff so I go with them, I’m always entertained. Could do without people trying to put my boots on for me though. That’s just weird
Kilington so much traversal terrain
Filled with idiots that dont know how to ski
Lifts always randomly stop
And why the flying f*** are there so many f***ckin gondolas(this might just be me not knowing how to put twin tip skis in a gondola)
Heavenly
hootsquadKillington has some fun terrain and definitely puts in work to make sure they have a mad long season. But as far as parks go I feel like they're way overhyped, so much they could do to make their parks better. its also wicked expensive
Couldnt agree more. The dream maker jumps never have painted landings so I can never see shit when I hit them, and you only get a few rail hits in 1 long ass run. The rails are also always just average.
They hardly ever open up all the terrain to conserve costs or due to low snow (I'm talking about Silverado area).
They will hold out on opening terrain to appease the weekend crowds (after a good storm).
You will get arrested and your pass pulled if you get caught going out of bounds (No open boundary).
The people are either shit mood locals who think their resort is the best mountain of all time or jerry's. Their shit mood is due to the shit city folk who cram in on I-80, cause wrecks, and don't know how to drive or ski.
All in all, I think it used to be a great place in the 90's and early 2000's. That is dead though.
It's really amazing how perception changes once you ski other resorts.
Blackcomb is the best resort I've ever ski'd. 7 weeks of bliss. Whistler is ok, and I'm glad the tourists mostly stay on Whistler.
Holiday Valley is certainly not underrated. It's almost $70 for a day pass these days which is asinine considering what you get. I've skied there for 20 years and would say the best days are in the past. Parks have been very sub par since Jib Academy and Gatorade Free Flow Tour came through like 8 years ago and Pat left.
Uncle.BadnessHoliday Valley is certainly not underrated. It's almost $70 for a day pass these days which is asinine considering what you get. I've skied there for 20 years and would say the best days are in the past. Parks have been very sub par since Jib Academy and Gatorade Free Flow Tour came through like 8 years ago and Pat left.
The parks left when Pat Morgan left. There is a reason Big Boulder is insane now
Park City is way overrated. almost everything there is overpriced, the ski instructors don't want you to go anywhere near them, and it seems like none of the employees want you to have a good time. plus the trail ratings there are really weird. black diamonds are like blues, blues are like greens, and greens are like parking lots. there are a couple of sections that are fun and besides base lifts the lines are pretty short when they arnet busy but other than that the mountain isn't as fun and good as park city wants you to think it is. anywhere in the cottonwoods are SOOO much better than park city. Solitude and Brighton are amazing resorts and a lot of fun and Alta and Snowbird have some of the most challenging terrain that I've skied. if you go to Utah to ski dont go to park city. go to the cottonwoods
weastcoastI do think they have some of the best parks in the east
Damn 15 year old me was on some crack lol. Springs ain’t shit now. Overpriced and park setup is ass half the time. They waste a ton of potential for the amount of resources they have.
Blackcomb is the best resort I've ever ski'd. 7 weeks of bliss. Whistler is ok, and I'm glad the tourists mostly stay on Whistler.
I know this post is two years old, but I thought I'd comment.
I agree about Squaw. That place was a huge disappointment for me.
Nevertheless, I'll disagree about Whistler vs Blackcomb. I spent four years skiing those hills, and imo, Whistler was the better hill on most pow days. If you know how to time it right, you can get fresh tracks off of emerald (or whatever lift brings you to the lodge there), then harmony, then symphony, then flute bowl and beyond. Yes, those zones might be mellower than what Blackcomb has to offer, but if you know where to look, there are definitely gnar lines, lots of fun mini golf terrain, and more pow stashes than what Blackcomb has to offer. Then you have the terrain off of peak chair that is incredible, and the runs just outside of the Whistler boundaries that drop you back into Creekside. On non-pow days, the peak to creek run is probably the best groomer that WB has to offer. Both mountains had great parks when I skied there. I probably spent more time in the Blackcomb park, but I don't know if I like it more than the Whistler park. It's crazy how different the vibes are between both terrain parks.
Squaw over rated????? are you people on drugs???? Well, I know you are, but shit of all the mountains.. Squaw??? are you fucking for real? It's rated right where it needs to be... at the top
weastcoastDamn 15 year old me was on some crack lol. Springs ain’t shit now. Overpriced and park setup is ass half the time. They waste a ton of potential for the amount of resources they have.
Its a shame, i always heard good things about the place until recently. i was gonna maybe take a trip there this year but idk if it would be worth the price
ski_salmon69Its a shame, i always heard good things about the place until recently. i was gonna maybe take a trip there this year but idk if it would be worth the price
probably not. When it’s good tho it’s GOOD, like I said they could easily be best in the east but they just choose not to be and take the easy way out on 95% of their builds.
Great park, sure. But they market themselves as this amazing mountain experience.
Most of the terrain is flat and wind scoured, the majority of your time is spent traversing around to get to the "good" skiing and then traversing to get back to the lift. Add in an awful parking lot and you've got the most over rated mountain in Alberta.
Damn! Sunshine Village blew my balls off! Delirium and Wild West freeride zones were fkn insane. Some of the gnarliest terrain I've ever ridden.
Overrated? Sugar Bowl was all hyped up, but I was kinda underwhelmed. Palisades were closed, so I guess that might skew my opinion.
I really haven't been truly exhilarated by anything in Cali. Kirkwood was lame, but I don't think its really hyped anyways.
Go to slc every year for a week and I’ve never gone to PC. It I want to ski park I end up at Brighton. If it’s a sunny warm day I end up at Snowbasin. If it snows I’m at Solitude, Alta, or Snowbird. Unless you want to be seen save the money and go somewhere else
Done_and_doneVail/Beaver Creek: They get a fraction of the snow Loveland gets for instance, and charge twice as much for lift tickets.
Parking sucks, people suck, but everyone knows this...
Also they will pull your pass for having fun.
Sun Valley: Again not an especially snowy place, but if you say skiing and Idaho in the same sentence this is what people think of.
So many better places to ski in Idaho.
Jackson Hole: Yes the terrain at JHole is rowdy and the snow is epic.
The crowds, prices and vibe aren't worth the hype imho.
I would rather ski at Targhee 9 out of 10 days for convenience and better snow.
Park City UT: Unless you don't want to ski pow and lap park instead, every resort in the Cottonwood Canyons is better.
If you rather chill with the crowds at PC that's fine, no one at Brighton or Solitude cares.
roddy116Bridger Bowl, i get that its closer than big sky but ffs i have had one good day there because it was in the middle of finals week, its crowded, the hiking terrain is just not as good as big sky's. And people get so needlessly intense and territorial about that place to the point that it scares me.
Also its basically just a giant wind tunnel.
Bridger Bowl is all about adjusting your expectations. I came to Bozeman thinking I'd be skiing pow all the time, boy was I wrong, and if you wanna get the goods on a pow day you better be out of bed and ready to go as soon as the lifts start spinning, make sure you studied the Ridge Guide the night before, have a terrain plan, and 100% confidence in your ski partner.
If you wanna have more good times at BB you need to embrace shitfuck skiing, lower your expectations for "good" snow, and knowing when it is and isn't worth skiing. Also important to use the wind to you advantage and a deep understanding of how the wind and sun affects different aspects. Also knowing where the best smoke shacks are helps.
But all in all BB is a little bit overrated. I've only been to Big sky a few times over the past 5 years, but it's always been a fucking blast, expensive as hell to ski there when you want full access and the relative cost of driving though.
