411 on skiing and biking in New England

[Wilhelmson]

RI to Sunapee would be a piece of cake on the weekends.

Pretty much any town has a country road you can bike on. Sure there's traffic. Westport MA and Little Compton RI are nice and semi rural.

We are about 25 miles south of Boston. Takes my wife an hour or less to get home from work in Providence.

If you ski the big mountains in CO you will probably be disappointed with the smaller mountains. They are fun but still. Anything over 4000 feet is a good 3 1/2 drive with no traffic.

Vermont can be an easier drive from the south because you dont have to go through/around Boston. Still, we leave for Maine at 6 pm on Friday night and by then the ride is quick.

 

[newboots]

One additional thought is that taxes vary quite a bit depending on which state you choose.

Maine is high taxes, but you can get a lot more for your money on property. CT/RI can also be fairly high taxes and pricey living. NH is super low taxes but properties tend to be expensive. Mass is somewhere in between.

I admit it. Much as I love Vermont, the taxes are high.

 

[S.H.]

Vermont can be an easier drive from the south because you dont have to go through/around Boston. Still, we leave for Maine at 6 pm on Friday night and by then the ride is quick.

Boston traffic is real, but it's relatively predictable, and you can avoid it ... plus, now we have apps to tell you what traffic is like/alternate routes that might be better, etc. For 7 years, I lived just outside Boston and stayed every weekend in the upper valley (in or around Hanover NH) to coach. Leave Fri evening at 6 - it'd take 3-3.5 hours, mostly just to get out of greater Boston, but if I left at 8, it was 2 hours including a caffeine stop.

 

[mister moose]

Your going to have to forget Colorado. It’s New England. If there’s powder, and you’re not there, it’ll probably rain as you drive up, then plummet 20 degrees and freeze solid.

Thaw freeze cycles rule 'round heah. Meaning when conditions get good it will warm up and rain and then immediately thereafter the freezer turns on and everything becomes a big ice cube for a week or 3 until the next decent sized storm. Dust on crust is a thing. Conventional wisdom says VT and ME get the most snow. Grooming and snowmaking are essential.

These comments are true, but they aren't true all the time. The farther north you go, the higher elevation you go, and the farther from the ocean you get, the better it is. South of Mt Snow: Short season, more rain, icier conditions. And like everywhere, there are good seasons and bad. A few years ago we had better skiing than Colorado for 8 weeks, it stayed cold and we had frequent snowfalls. Then it rained. That said, I have had waist deep blower in CO. I have never had that in VT, but knee-thigh deep is just fine. And it's... it's not usually blower. It's broomer. There are no bowls. More oxygen. And we have these things called bugs. The pizza is better and the beer is fantastic.

Another thing:
CO Sun fades the paint and cracks the seats.
NE Salt rots the entire car away.

CO Drive 4 hours and still be in CO
NE Drive 4 hours and cross 3 states.

CO One accent, well, 2 if you count Texans.
NE An entire melting pot of numerous ethnic groups, food, accents, culture.

CO "Take this road and go straight"
NE "Take this list of 27 roads, each of which changes names several times"

CO Old building means since 1900
NE Old building means 1670

Another thing no one has mentioned is rain crust. It's a thing here. Whole new skill set if you're on the edge of breaking through it.

When it does rain/freeze, its usually an issue Nov-Mar. You can either shun it or learn to ski it. Add a "hard snow" ski to your quiver. Buy some diamond stones and edge guides. Once daytime highs gets above freezing, it softens up and you become part of the "After 11" club. Once you're into mid April, rain just coats the corn snow, non event. Corn bumps!

 

[James]

One thing I haven't seen mentioned is that many places in New England, especially southern New England, have night skiing.

I think VT has no night skiing except Magic, which is just a park, afaik.
Stowe used to have the gondola, but that was years ago.

Mountain biking?

OP wants road biking.
Frankly, not sure why anyone does these days, but that’s a choice.

A few years ago we had better skiing than Colorado for 8 weeks, it stayed cold and we had frequent snowfalls.

Lol. “Better” is a stretch. “Like” is accurate. The sad thing is, that was like 4 years ago and we’re still amazed by it.
We had waist deep last year 1 day sort of, not really. It’s too deep to ski unless you have a lot of pitch, too deep for the groomers, plus it fell on dirt and those trails couldn’t be opened.


None of this matters, it is what it is, OP will deal or move to xcountry skiing.
Mt Snow is almost the tropics at this point.

 

[S.H.]

I think VT has no night skiing except Magic, which is just a park, afaik.

Bolton Valley, Cochrans, and the Lyndon Outing Club have night skiing!

Night Skiing & Riding - Bolton Valley - Vermont

Ride off into the sunset at Vermont’s only ski resort with night skiing and riding, typically offered 5 nights a

www.boltonvalley.com

Hours & Tickets - Lyndon Outing Club

Hours Day Skiing Hours Night Skiing Hours Saturday: 10:00 am to 4:00 pmSunday: 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm Wednesday: 6:00 pm to 9:00 pmFriday: 6:00 pm to 9:00 pmSaturday: 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm HoursContinue readingHours & Tickets

www.skilyndon.com

I'm not aware of any non-racers who routinely ski Cochrans, but it's there.

Quite a few places in VT have stopped night skiing in the last 10 years or so.

But yes, not much night skiing in VT. There is a quite a bit in southern NH, and a ton in MA and CT.

 

[MattSmith]

1. I lived in Metro Boston (Somerville, technically) for 20+ years. I almost stopped skiing due to the Friday/Sunday commute out of/back to the city.
2. I live in Minturn now. Can I rent your place in Breck? (I kid, I can't afford it)

A lot of folks are directing you to costal NH, north shore of MA, and southern Maine. That's really the best spot to launch into ski country and you have the coast. The coast is good for sailing and such, but swimming before mid-July is really chilly. This may not bother you given your northern CA roots. You haven't mentioned surfing. There are a few spots in this area to surf. No income tax in NH. All pretty strong positive points. I have two negatives for you:
1. Competition and crowds. It's a great area to live. A lot of people think so and want to be there.
2. Access to RI and CT. Not really... That's a pretty long commute. If you are doing overnights anyway, not a big deal. Day trips will be really long days.

Your OP mentioned Warwick RI. I think you were on the right track there. My "crew" (#teamcoffeemilk) were primarily out of CT and RI. They surf and snowboard. This is a huge win for living by the ocean. Less competition for real estate than costal MA/NH/ME. Longer commute to skiing. There is legit surf out of RI.

IMHO, Jay Peak is the way to go. The mountain terrain and something called "the Jay Cloud" make it the closest to Western style skiing in the East. (Apologies to Sugarloaf and Saddleback - both in the running, but oh so far from Rhodi) I feel like you will be incredibly disappointed with a ski area like Sunapee. I'm not down on it, but I'm bored after 3 hours there. Jay seems like a really long drive, but driving north on 91 is much easier than north on 93 or 95. It's pretty much a straight shot. A winter rental at Jay makes 3 and 4 day weekends reasonable and softens the length of the trip. I also think Jay avoids a lot of the crowds that exist at other NE areas. Coming from Breck you may have crowd management under control, but a NE weekend at a ski area may redefine your perception of crowded.

I'm not a road cyclist, but I'm certain you will find group rides in beautiful terrain. I am comfortable gravel biking here in Colorado and I was a daily bike commuter in Boston's urban environment. I was extremely uncomfortable (and still am) road biking on 2 lane highways. Understanding you aren't looking for MTB, but here's a link to an organization in central VT that I was involved with. https://www.rastavt.org/ A good view of backcountry skiing in NE here as well.

If you are looking for connections in RI and CT shoot me a PM. One of my pals is a real estate agent in CT
Best wishes on your new location.

 

[James]

Bolton Valley, Cochrans, and the Lyndon Outing Club have night skiing!

Never heard of Lyndon Outing Club. Interesting, up by St Johnsbury.
Bolton + Cochranes are the ghost areas, there but no one sees them. Though Bolton is coming on recently.

I think I’d go to Whaleback, just 10 min over the border into NH.

 

[Crank]

Does anyone really night ski? I mean other than beer leagues and school kids.

Is this something you guys look for?

Matt, Jay Peak is great but it's still pretty hit or miss. I used to sometimes go up into Quebec to outrun the thaws but they usually go all the way up there it seems. Maybe time to hit Gaspe? Airport is easier.

 

[mister moose]

Lol. “Better” is a stretch. “Like” is accurate. The sad thing is, that was like 4 years ago and we’re still amazed by it.
We had waist deep last year 1 day sort of, not really. It’s too deep to ski unless you have a lot of pitch, too deep for the groomers, plus it fell on dirt and those trails couldn’t be opened.

It was better than CO at the time. CO had a lean season that year. That's happened a number of times. I once came back from a yawner of a trip out west and hit Jay a few days later in a 48 incher. But of course CO is consistently better.

Jay is about extremes. When it's good, it's very very good. When it's bad, it's very bad.

 

[SKI-3PO]

If consistently good skiing is important, pick somewhere convenient to an airport.

 

[Wilhelmson]

Boston traffic is real, but it's relatively predictable, and you can avoid it ... plus, now we have apps to tell you what traffic is like/alternate routes that might be better, etc. For 7 years, I lived just outside Boston and stayed every weekend in the upper valley (in or around Hanover NH) to coach. Leave Fri evening at 6 - it'd take 3-3.5 hours, mostly just to get out of greater Boston, but if I left at 8, it was 2 hours including a caffeine

Does anyone really night ski? I mean other than beer leagues and school kids.

Is this something you guys look for?

Matt, Jay Peak is great but it's still pretty hit or miss. I used to sometimes go up into Quebec to outrun the thaws but they usually go all the way up there it seems. Maybe time to hit Gaspe? Airport is easier.

Locally around Boston a lot of people night ski weekdays after work. Maybe just to get out, maybe for the singles crowd, maybe their kids play like 10 soccer or basketball games each weekend, idk.

We night ski a few days a year up in Maine. We might go for a hike in the am then ski noon to 9 pm. Sometimes at dusk you can get into the woods before they are roped. Its pretty cool. I can see why night woods skiing is disallowed but in easy woods i like it.

 

[James]

Does anyone really night ski? I mean other than beer leagues and school kids.

Is this something you guys look for?

I’ve been once in my life.
But people do race.

If I lived in Vancouver I’d probably go to Cypress Mt though.

 

[S.H.]

Does anyone really night ski? I mean other than beer leagues and school kids.

Is this something you guys look for?

Yes, lots of people night ski. For many, it's a better intro to the sport than a weekend, because it's cheaper (and, at many places, less crowded). Plus, the after-work aspect.

If I lived in New England (I don't anymore) and couldn't night ski, I'd be on snow probably 30-40 fewer times/year. I can get out for the occasional morning ski, but ... I have a job, I can't do that daily. Why wouldn't I ski at night?

That said ... beer leagues are fun.

 

[S.H.]

Never heard of Lyndon Outing Club. Interesting, up by St Johnsbury.
Bolton + Cochranes are the ghost areas, there but no one sees them. Though Bolton is coming on recently.

I think I’d go to Whaleback, just 10 min over the border into NH.

Never have I ever been colder than on the Whaleback chair when it broke down for 40+ minutes on a -15F night.

Then I got to pull a SL course

Best night ever.

 

[Brian Likes Pow]

Given the choice I wouldn't live in RI. How important is being close to the ocean? Coastal areas are a premium to live amongst the masses. Concord NH and surrounding area might be a good pick. Easy drive to skiing and under an hour to ocean with slightly cheaper housing cost. I guess Boston metro is ok if you want to be in an urban area. Its kind of bonkers down there IMO.

 

[Tony S]

Yes, lots of people night ski. For many, it's a better intro to the sport than a weekend, because it's cheaper (and, at many places, less crowded). Plus, the after-work aspect.

If I lived in New England (I don't anymore) and couldn't night ski, I'd be on snow probably 30-40 fewer times/year. I can get out for the occasional morning ski, but ... I have a job, I can't do that daily. Why wouldn't I ski at night?

That said ... beer leagues are fun.

All true.

Try it out before you go all in, though, especially if you are no longer young. I'm having to pretty much resign from my night racing life because my low-light vision has gotten so bad.

 

[LiquidFeet]

All true.

Try it out before you go all in, though, especially if you are no longer young. I'm having to pretty much resign from my night racing life because my low-light vision has gotten so bad.

What color are your goggles?

 

[Tony S]

What color are your goggles?

Black

 

[skiki]

Everybody is going to validate where they live.

Not necessarily. I live just south of Boston in Quincy. Only a 15 minute walk to the shoreline from my house. But I have to cross or skirt Boston to ski anywhere. Before we moved to Quincy we were just north of Boston for a couple of years. Now every time I'm heading home from skiing NH or Maine, I pass by my old exit near where 93 and 95 cross and think "I could be home now" while heading straight into Boston traffic. And with Boston traffic, any time of day can be a traffic jam. On a good day we're just 20 minutes from Logan. We have picked family up from the airport after 10 pm and had the return trip take an hour. I do like Quincy as a "daily living" location, but not as a "getting to skiing" location. (Sadly DH's daily commute time trumped my seasonal ski commute time.)

I would recommend any place that does not have you crossing Boston. And if skirting Boston, somewhere that you can pick up 495 instead of 95. Drive time to Mount Snow is about the same from Quincy or down in Wareham even though it is about 30 miles further south. Wareham might actually be faster during peak traffic times. If work is RI, CT and MA and skiing is VT, NH, or ME and the criteria is both sea and ski, my vote would be for 2 houses.