Worst resort you’ve been to

There's this resort called Searchbar. Seemingly nobody goes there though.

Kissing bridge. Good parks, slow lifts, almost no snowmaking, shit food, disgusting lodges, terrible parking lot and road. And crowded for being a Wednesday and Thursday might

Deer Valley the parking lot attendant dropped my gear in wet snow and they wouldn't replace it with dry gear.

Don’t go to saint sauveur early season unless you already got a pass and it’s within 30 minutes it’s not worth it

never go to bridger bowl it sucks the snow is awful the lifties are rude and the terrain park sucks ;)

Timberline....not because it's "bad" it's just objectively the worst resort I have personally been to. I base this purely on the lack of any meaningful sustained steep terrain. Parks are fire though obviously.

China peak, shitty terrain, nonexistent park, shittier expensive food and drinks, POW is good tho since no one comes

Honestly, Breck. but I’m gonna spend more time there this year and maybe it’ll change my mind.

the whole resort faces east and gets cooked by the sun vs the nice steep north facing chalky snow at abasin. It’s a pain to traverse, it’s a pain to park, it’s crowded, 90% of it as flat, the only good terrain is hike to (fine I like hiking but sometimes in a group that doesn’t want to hike), and you have to go through the dreaded tunnel. E chair is aight.

awesome place in the summer though.

also edit: I’m normalizing by potential obviously. If you picked up Breck and put it in vermont I may have never left.

**This post was edited on Jun 18th 2021 at 2:35:25pm

+1 for Deer Valley but also would not be a bad place to own real estate at. I worked there for a while and a man can only ski so many low angle glades for so long, but free pow skiing is free pow skiing.

I will say being a halfway decent skier there makes you stand out 10x more, and they are not down with the newschool ski scene at all lmao.

**This post was edited on Jun 18th 2021 at 2:49:52pm

This is just going to turn into a thread of "don't come to my favorite place! Really it sucks...stay away, you won't like it" LOL

Honestly I've had fun on a 100 foot hill and I've been miserable at world class resorts and vice versa. So much of this is "your specific experience that day" and then add to that weather and dbags density for that day roflmao.

snowfinderDeer Valley the parking lot attendant dropped my gear in wet snow and they wouldn't replace it with dry gear.

They've been going downhill since they let people from the cottonwoods and Ikon come ski there. Realistically, if you drive anything less expensive than an escalade, you shouldn't be allowed.

Heavenly. I don't get the hype. I get that there's some decent terrain snd any place is good enough on the right pow day. Mountain is laid out shitty, lots of short fragmented lift that leave you with blueballs if the previous run excited you to that point.

The park was always non existent or shitty in the 3 years I lived in tahoe. No opening park offering even a rail to hike.

Ine pow day that wasn't even a pow day, maybe 6 inches, i found a rake and raked a few features just to hit some rals, didn't see a park guy till around noon, maybe just after. They only had maybe 7 rails in then, most small. One lerson could have done it legit in under an hour, less if rushed.

Idk, I've only been there maybe 10 times and can't say any of them were noteworthy other than being with good friends. And we had much bettter times at Kirkwood, northstar, etc.

One early season day the only lift was so bland me and my friend has a few heinously overpriced drinks at the bar just because it was better than riding there.

I get that it's bigger than a lit of small hills, gets better snow than some places, but I'd take a shitty day at a small east coast hill over a day at Heavenly any time.

Only thing going for it was the view, which might be better than homewood or dp. And my friends lived walking distance from the Cal lots for a while.

It's all subjective but I can't think of any hill I've been to that I had consistently less fun at than heavenly. I've ridden some small, small places with some shitty terrain too. Idk. Heavenly just kinda sucks.

Ski Apache in NM. Treacherous switch backs just to pull up to a hill with no snow, terrain, or vert. Everything feels ancient but not in a good way. The town and community are actually super chill, but damn it can feel beat lol. Shout out the native Mescalero tribe though I got a special place in my heart for Ruidoso.

I could live a thousand lives and never satisfy my need to hate on Alta.

Mohawk mountain

dant02Mohawk mountain

I like the name though. At least that gets some points. I'd probably grow out a glen plake style hawk of I skied there.

But isn’t Eastern facing generally preferable for a ski resort? as western facing aspects get baked by the sun, while eastern and northern tend to be relatively protected

ericformanHonestly, Breck. but I’m gonna spend more time there this year and maybe it’ll change my mind.

the whole resort faces east and gets cooked by the sun vs the nice steep north facing chalky snow at abasin. It’s a pain to traverse, it’s a pain to park, it’s crowded, 90% of it as flat, the only good terrain is hike to (fine I like hiking but sometimes in a group that doesn’t want to hike), and you have to go through the dreaded tunnel. E chair is aight.

awesome place in the summer though.

also edit: I’m normalizing by potential obviously. If you picked up Breck and put it in vermont I may have never left.

**This post was edited on Jun 18th 2021 at 2:35:25pm

Heavenly is one giant traverse with aggressive yellow jackets and aggressive tourists

theabortionatorHeavenly. I don't get the hype. I get that there's some decent terrain snd any place is good enough on the right pow day. Mountain is laid out shitty, lots of short fragmented lift that leave you with blueballs if the previous run excited you to that point.

The park was always non existent or shitty in the 3 years I lived in tahoe. No opening park offering even a rail to hike.

Ine pow day that wasn't even a pow day, maybe 6 inches, i found a rake and raked a few features just to hit some rals, didn't see a park guy till around noon, maybe just after. They only had maybe 7 rails in then, most small. One lerson could have done it legit in under an hour, less if rushed.

Idk, I've only been there maybe 10 times and can't say any of them were noteworthy other than being with good friends. And we had much bettter times at Kirkwood, northstar, etc.

One early season day the only lift was so bland me and my friend has a few heinously overpriced drinks at the bar just because it was better than riding there.

I get that it's bigger than a lit of small hills, gets better snow than some places, but I'd take a shitty day at a small east coast hill over a day at Heavenly any time.

Only thing going for it was the view, which might be better than homewood or dp. And my friends lived walking distance from the Cal lots for a while.

It's all subjective but I can't think of any hill I've been to that I had consistently less fun at than heavenly. I've ridden some small, small places with some shitty terrain too. Idk. Heavenly just kinda sucks.

Maybe? Idk I feel like east is fine and north is excellent. I havnt skiied there that much but when I have the E chair (all north) has skiied significantly better than the rest of the mountain. It’s also slow double and steep so that probably helps.

BradFiAusNzCoCaBut isn’t Eastern facing generally preferable for a ski resort? as western facing aspects get baked by the sun, while eastern and northern tend to be relatively protected

Heavenly is one giant traverse with aggressive yellow jackets and aggressive tourists

Timberline, WV before they went belly up and then Perfect North bought them. Haven’t been there since but it’s a pretty sick hill it was just run like shit.

Back in the golden days when my pants were at my knees and 4XL was the smallest tall tee i owned the lifties used to stop the chair and make us pull our pants up.

Alta, Horrendous lift lines, over rated terrain, stupid traffic, asshole washed up ski bums skiing inbounds on shift bindings, dumb no snowboarders policy, whenever it snows the weather is always super windy and there is zero visibility. Just awful all around.

ericformanHonestly, Breck. but I’m gonna spend more time there this year and maybe it’ll change my mind.

**This post was edited on Jun 18th 2021 at 2:35:25pm

before this year i might have agreed with you, but i think i figured out how to ski breck. just stay upper mountain the entire day and alternate between 6 chair, t bar, and imperial, occasionally hit peak 6, ski the bowls in between t bar and peak 6. there are enough good lines and few enough skilled skiers that i was able to successfully acquire excellent pow all winter long. only thing kinda missing from breck is sizable cliff drops but there are def some to be had around.



shout out to a fellow vermont transplant

Any resort in utah

If you’re a decent skier then deer valley skiers make you feel like an absolute badass so that makes it fun

DeebieSkeebies+1 for Deer Valley but also would not be a bad place to own real estate at. I worked there for a while and a man can only ski so many low angle glades for so long, but free pow skiing is free pow skiing.

I will say being a halfway decent skier there makes you stand out 10x more, and they are not down with the newschool ski scene at all lmao.

**This post was edited on Jun 18th 2021 at 2:49:52pm

If you go lower mountain, you are destroyed by lift lines. It’s atrocious

mattytrubefore this year i might have agreed with you, but i think i figured out how to ski breck. just stay upper mountain the entire day and alternate between 6 chair, t bar, and imperial, occasionally hit peak 6, ski the bowls in between t bar and peak 6. there are enough good lines and few enough skilled skiers that i was able to successfully acquire excellent pow all winter long. only thing kinda missing from breck is sizable cliff drops but there are def some to be had around.



shout out to a fellow vermont transplant

MastePoleWhackerIf you’re a decent skier then deer valley skiers make you feel like an absolute badass so that makes it fun

This is a 100% truth. Bombing DV groomers switch in a musky hoodie bumping rap is way too much fun. Plus downing beers and heckling everyone there is the best. Lobster leftovers at the lodge, it's the place to be when the cottonwoods aren't open.

NotEnoughSkiingThis is just going to turn into a thread of "don't come to my favorite place! Really it sucks...stay away, you won't like it" LOL

Honestly I've had fun on a 100 foot hill and I've been miserable at world class resorts and vice versa. So much of this is "your specific experience that day" and then add to that weather and dbags density for that day roflmao.

I routinely have more fun at hyland hills than basically any other ski area i’ve been to, i still prefer the rope with shit ass setups compared to a nice setup with a lift and a line. If resorts invested in rope tows a lot more people would show up to their parks.

SessionTimberline....not because it's "bad" it's just objectively the worst resort I have personally been to. I base this purely on the lack of any meaningful sustained steep terrain. Parks are fire though obviously.

This is facts. I went skiing there this weekend for the first time and it was super fun, but I wouldn't be very interested in the terrain at all if it weren't for it being june. Mile park was pretty good

The worst I've been to objectively has got to be Soda Springs. The hill has only 500 feet of vert, two chairlifts, and not much else. It's always so crowded with people coming up to go sledding. On a 4"+ pow day, the lower runout is so shallow that you get stuck before reaching the chair. It's pretty mediocre by Tahoe standards. It's also dirt cheap by Tahoe standards, so I can't be too harsh.

I'd say the most overrated is Northstar. It's always crowded. To get to the gondola that takes you to the mid-mountain base, you have to park far away (unless you feel like paid parking), then ride a shuttle to the village, and then walk forever to the gondola, which takes you to the effective base of the resort. From car to clicking into your skis has gotta be 30-40 minutes.

The frontside of the mountain funnels into Jerry central. The whole mountain is super flat with no terrain. The Martis Camp lodge is literally off-limits to poor people. Low elevation and resort location mean that snow is lower than average in Tahoe and it melts fast. Yellow jackets are out there speed checking. There are pretty much only two redeeming qualities: The park is legit (which is funny because the resort's target audience is millionaire Martis Camp homeowners and patrons of the on-resort Ritz-Carlton) and the mountain is naturally protected from the wind holds that plague resorts on the sierra crest.

No offense to people who like Northstar, but if I have an epic pass I'm going to Kirkwood 10 times out of 10. At least Heavenly has views and the canyons going for it. If we're talking resorts nearby, I'd go Squaw, Alpine, Boreal, Sugar Bowl, Homewood, DP, Rose, and more before I'd go to Northstar. It's just not my personal cup of tea

BigPurpleSkiSuitThis is a 100% truth. Bombing DV groomers switch in a musky hoodie bumping rap is way too much fun. Plus downing beers and heckling everyone there is the best. Lobster leftovers at the lodge, it's the place to be when the cottonwoods aren't open.

The last part is true, having your skis on and making turns always beats sitting in traffic when you should be doing that already. Also loved skiing PCMR for free for a few seasons as well with that 4-Resort exchange for employees and other ways. Thats like an entire ridgeline to ski on a powday with friends vs. putting up with the shitshow in LCC. Lots of fun. Do miss it.

Buck hill i had a tread on it a while back it just sucked ass when i went for a bunch of reasons

BigPurpleSkiSuitThis is a 100% truth. Bombing DV groomers switch in a musky hoodie bumping rap is way too much fun. Plus downing beers and heckling everyone there is the best. Lobster leftovers at the lodge, it's the place to be when the cottonwoods aren't open.

Hell yes this is what I am talking about. Also believe it or not but the daly chutes are actually cooler terrain than many (most?) mountains in CO have. And bonus for being easily lapped. No mountain is more impressed / terrified by a shifty, and since that is my only trick DV can be pretty fun.

VAIL. Winter Park kinda sucks tooooo

I was going to say Heavenly or Northstar but both of those have already been said. Also, we have already kicked vail in the nads enough times... its a little played..



So Ill go with #3. And this pains me to say this... but... Squaw Valley.




I know, right.. how the fuck could I say one of the premier, rowdiest mountains on the planet is the worst resort? And wait... Sean, didnt you ski squaw for like... years? Didnt you work for them? Isnt it the resort you have had more ski days on than any other ever? Isnt it your HOME MOUNTAIN?

Well thats just it. I'm not saying it's the worst mountain. In fact, it just might be the best mountain. Terrainwise, it kicks ass and that goes without saying... What I am saying is... its possibly the worst resort... It just so happens to also have one of the sickest mountains.

Now.. its been 3 seasons since I have skied there, and things miight have changed (doubt it), so take this with a touch of salt... but when I was living in truckee and commuting into Olympic Valley, things were getting real bad.

First of all, lets talk about 89... I know, i know.. many other ski areas have troublesome roads... The Cottonwood Canyons are notorious... Big Sky is a mess so I understand? But 89... oh my god.

I used to leave home at 730 to get there for work.. and still would be late to show up at 9. I lived 13 miles away. It was just simply insane. There was at least a dozen occasions where I was on my phone with my boss, telling him I couldnt find a parking spot because they were all gobbled up by 8:45 and they didnt guarantee employees a parking space. It was horrible.

And I am not even going to get into the fact that they have been trying for years to build some stupid water park, and expand development into Shirley Canyon.. Stuff that will only make the situation fucking worse. They fought tooth and nail to prevent the Valley from incorporating itself and gaining its own self determination, rather than allowing douchenozzles in Auburn make all the development decisions on the county level.

And then there's the issue of chairlifts.

Now, I must say Squaw is a hell of a mountain to deal with on a big snow day, controlling the crowds, the long lines, keeping the peace, and then mitigating avalanches is a tall task... especially when the resort constantly seems to be understaffed in that department - Which they always seemed to be. It meant that most of the lifts wouldnt be turning even before noon on a powder day, and half of earth seems to be trying to get onto the same few lifts after the ones below all got already tracked. It's a zoo.

And thats not even the issue... where the lifts are, well.. they get constantly brutalized by the wind... so much so that winds that would never shut things down elsewhere always shut stuff down at Squaw. The Wind is KILLER.

You will have this big ass pow day, a million people in the lot early on... and the only lifts they can open are Red Dog and Maybe Creek... while over at other ski areas, they have far better protected lifts, and terrain and they can casually open the whole mountain before 10 or 11. Squaw? Nope. Sometimes it takes them a week before they open the whole joint, even if they have an unprecedented snowpack.. This could be more of an issue with the mountain itself, but my god... I feel like they are wayyy too careful when it comes to wind. I have seen the Funitel shut when its blowing 30. Thats nothing. not to mention its extra nothing when the lift is a double cable design made to withstand a Hurricane, but I guess I digress.. They pussyfoot the shit out of the lifts at Squaw.

Oh yeah, and did I mention they have taken out as many lifts in the last 20 years than installed new ones? Sure, upgrading Siberia and Shirley were nice.. but kinda unnecessary you just went from a 4 to a 6... The Big Blue express makes sense as it connects High Camp and Gold Coast and eliminates the need for East Broadway and such... Good Call there but why take out Riviera years prior? Why eliminate a great terrain park lift, With lights for a night park, Ill add... Missed opportunity right there.

And then Cornice ii? What the fuck? WHYYYY did they remove that? It was a perfect lift they could use to disperse crowds on a big snowy day. You know how I talked about them pussyfooting chairlifts? Well Headwall is the lift they seem to close THE MOST out of any of their go-to lifts. Its always shut for wind. KT22, the Funitel, Shirley, hell, even Siberia will be open, but Headwall will still be shut for god knows why... What was Cornice ii? well, it was a slow ass, un-sexy double chair that would never attract an instagram influencer... perfectly protected from the wind, that they could run even when shit was heccctic. If they could run nothing but the Funitel, Red Dog/Creek, they could still run Cornice ii and allow guys to shred The Slot on a storm day. They eliminated that entirely when they took it out, and now we have to wait for the sun to come out, and the crowds to come in order for that terrain to be available... meaning everyone is stuck in line for Red Dog. its a total shame.

... and worse than that, now they are putting in the connecting Gondola over to Alpine Meadows... where they are going to allow that to ruin that ski area now, as if its not already getting trashed by the hoards of kooks anyway, and the same dumb operations that they have had at Squaw have trickled in over at that ski area too... I guarantee it will raise the price of the pass, or the food, or not allow for employees to get adequate raises, or some other ancillary thing, just to have a gondola that I promise you, will not run 70% of the time because of wind.

Oh, and the Logo... It's fucking stupid. Bring back the Purple S. It was fucking sweet, iconic, and super cool. Purple Mtn Magesty and all that.. And then wait.. you also just.. made it the same logo for Alpine Meadows too? Wtf no, bring back the Green AM! Now it all just looks like some corporate rubbish and tarnishes not just the brand, but also the history.. What a shame.

Anyway, yeah.. those are my gripes...Its not all of them, but I will leave it there for now... and I must note that they come from a place of love. I love the mountain, the terrain, the community, the culture, the snow quality, the bars such as 22, Chamoix, and The Slot, and I love the history of importance that Squaw Valley has bestowed upon the world...

I just hate that its been turned into a wannabe Vail... Its just 1 or 2 missteps away from introducing yellow jacketed Narcs on mountain run, handing out tickets like fucking candy



There is a reason why Squaw Valley might be the mountain with the biggest grassroots conservation group out there with Keep Squaw True and Sierrawatch... its basically got its own Sierra Club to prevent the company from ruining the environment and culture of the valley with overdevelopment and overregulation. You know youre trash when you attract that much public outcry from both sides of the political spectrum.

Troll Ski Resort in Quesnel, Bc. Wack af layout and overall just creepy vibes

SessionTimberline....not because it's "bad" it's just objectively the worst resort I have personally been to. I base this purely on the lack of any meaningful sustained steep terrain. Parks are fire though obviously.

timberline is a big mountain skiers worst nightmare