The magic of small resorts

[dan ross]

One of the benefits of a Killington season pass is that you can drive 10 minutes and ski Pico when it's open Th-M. After all of the powder is shredded at K in the first hour, you can find untracked at Pico into the afternoon. Most everyone there is local and not in a hurry to run you over.

Yes, another good point - the skiers are less stressed- they aren’t competing for their own ROI. Most live within 30 minutes of the area and it’s like getting a round of golf in at the local course. I remember riding a lift with a local surgeon who just came by to get a couple of runs in after a day of surgery. I grew up skiing daily at an area not far from where @JCF skied and not much bigger. It was not uncommon to see all kinds of people grab a few runs after work. That’s part of the value of a small area , as a local recreational resource.

 

[AllGoodDays]

Did a road trip this year. One week at Big Sky and Whitefish, then smaller areas in MT and ID: Lost trail, Snowbowl, Brundage, and Tamarack. Such a blast having the opportunity to ski the steeps off Lone Peak and slow chairs with the family vibe at the small areas. Skiing is good!

 

[SuzSkis]

I had 3 small favorites. Then Vail bought them.

 

[slowrider]

AnthonyLakesMtResort

 

[4ster]

I will add Nordic Valley in Northern Utah to the list. It’s always been a pretty cool little local blue collar, Cartharts type place but with the addition of a new 1400’ detachable 6pak a couple years ago the place is pretty legit. I picked a date in the Fall for February & bought a $19 ticket. Then in the Spring volunteered to help with a Masters race & got another few hours of skiing in…

 

[4aprice]

^Nordic Valley is one I keep my eye on.. Not only the recent expansion but I believe there is further expansion available and planned. I also read somewhere they received approval to build some sort of Village, though the piece I read said it would not be as big as they originally planned. One downside I did hear about Nordic was that they were having some problems with the lower or original chair. My opinion is that Utah is probably the one place that could really use another ski resort as the canyon areas outside of SLC become more of an issue with crowding and most of all parking. Nordic could help with that need. It also seems to have some summer potential with golf near by and the Pineview Reservoir for water activities.

 

[AllGoodDays]

"My opinion is that Utah is probably the one place that could really use another ski resort". Yeah, well I can think of multiple states/Provinces that could use another ski resort. It's just really difficult to pull off with environmental laws, NIMBYism, climate change, federal land ownership and such. Unfortunately, quite different than many places in EU where ownership structures are more "communal" and there's generally strong support for building out lift systems. As I understand, most of the Austrian areas have land owned by legacy farming families, with control by the local municipality (approvals for new infrastructure), with lifts operated by private firms on longer-term (e.g., 10-yr) concessions. If a need appears, the concessionaire makes a proposal to City. They still have to go through a process and get env approval, but there's no federal regs or lengthy public process required - if city gov supports, up go the lifts.

 

[surfsnowgirl]

Hmm, the title is "The Magic of small resorts" I immediately thought of Magic Mountain and as the "Cadillac of small resorts" , which some say it is. With that being said, we too have come to appreciate smaller ski areas over ski resorts.

Magic is our baby and where our condo is. We've skied Magic when it's ugly and when it's fabulous and we love it all. I get a little prickly when someone says something bad about Magic. While we we love it, it's not perfect but we love it and get a little defensive when someone who doesn't ski it all the time complains about something. One of things people complain about is our lack of high speed quads.... we say if you want high speed go to stratton. We also love Bromley and I spend a lot of time at Butternut. Sure the big boys are fun and we do spend plenty of time at killington and stratton but there's something special about the smaller places and that's usually where you'll find us during most of the winter.

 

[pete]

Speaking of possible expansion and a less "small town" feel:

This Idaho Town Could Become the Next Jackson Hole—but Don’t Tell Locals That

The Idaho town is undergoing a “remarkable transformation,” thanks in part to the potential expansion of Grand Targhee Resort. But some are worried it will lose its small-town feel.

www.wsj.com

 

[Fuller]

That article was more like an HGTV promotion with a bit of Mountain Town Angst thrown in.

 

[wyowindrunner]

Skied GT steady from 2014 to 2021- the last couple of years the place blew up with skiers- Prior to the 'vid a weekday powder day might fill up the upper lot and part of the lower. Then we started having bumper to bumper traffic for the 6 miles up to the lot, with lighted signs telling you the lot was full. To be fair all of that part of Idaho saw a huge population surge from all over the country. Some of the smaller towns and the two bigger ones within a 60 mile radius (Idaho Falls and Rexburg) saw a great increase. We sold our place for over three times the purchase price and moved to the title of a Warren Zevon song. (Splendid Isolation).

 

[2Old4Rails]

Some of my best memories are from the smallest resorts.

 

[pete]

Some of my best memories are from the smallest resorts.

That's so true even when not. I learned at Steamboat when in my 30's, after my spouse announced we'd do a yearly ski trip.

To me, and at that time Steamboat seemed smaller and a destination resort. Given I only skied Preview, and on third day (or late second) made it up the Christy in group lesson's, I had no idea of how massive it really was.

 

[2Old4Rails]

I like the parking situation at Nordic Valley from the looks of it.

 

[4ster]

I like the parking situation at Nordic Valley from the looks of it.

Lol, last year they had to run a shuttle up from the valley on the busiest days. Parking was a cinch the couple of days I was there…

 

[snwbrdr]

Over where I learned... Mountain Creek was a "big" resort. Hidden Valley (which I never went to) became a charity ski hill that provides access to skiing for underprivileged youth.

Winter4Kids

The National Winter Activity Center is a dedicated environment that will be the home for the Ted Ligety Learn to Ski and the Nordic Rocks programs for the New York, New Jersey areas. It will provide more then 6,000 youth annually with continuous access to an environment that provides for skill...

www.winter4kids.org

A lot of NJ skiers learned at Campgaw. Also, there is Mt. Peter in OC, NY which has their weekend/holiday free lessons with lift ticket offer.

 

[4aprice]

Love the pics of these "gems" be they smaller.

Here are more from Granby Ranch Colorado

 

[tomahawkins]

Abandoned ski area in Clear Creek County up for sale

Do you want to own an old Colorado ski area? On the slopes just south of St. Mary's Glacier in Clear Creek County, one is currently up for sale.

denvergazette.com

 

[no edge]

Magic is an awesome mountain. It has terrain and woods.

I get frustrated with the ticket prices - the fact that it is closed on Mon, Tues and Wed. People are great - civilized in the lift line, which can be quite long. I did not make it there last winter. I have had my ticket clipped there a few times a while back... scarred me for life.

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Next ski area - Petersburgh Pass on the top of the rt 2 pass east of Williamstown. I grew up there in, say, 1965. My mom bought us season passes... my brother and me. It cost $25 (for both). There was good food, a great bar and grown ups hung out there. There were quite a few crashed on the way down the pass.

The mountain had the steepest trail in Massachusetts and it was always filled in with deep powder (not always). The upslope wind from the west side dumped tons of snow on most of the mountain. The chair lift was misaligned so it went real slow. There was a patrol shack where everyone was welcome. 900' vertical but you had to take a surface lift then the chair.

One of the skiers who needed rescuing was me. I broke my leg jumping off a ledge going way too fast. My roommate's father from UVM (later) got me to the hospital in his station wagon.

There was a huge jump that the ski school director built next to the base lodge. The jump was never closed. We're lucky to be alive. The sixties and Petersburgh Pass. What more you want?

-----------------------------------------

Petersburgh Pass burned down so we all moved to Jiminy Peak. Terrain... dull. We made due. By then it was all about Vermont.

Now it is my home mountain. It's good for the old guys

 

[Seahaven]

^Nordic Valley is one I keep my eye on.. Not only the recent expansion but I believe there is further expansion available and planned. I also read somewhere they received approval to build some sort of Village, though the piece I read said it would not be as big as they originally planned. One downside I did hear about Nordic was that they were having some problems with the lower or original chair. My opinion is that Utah is probably the one place that could really use another ski resort as the canyon areas outside of SLC become more of an issue with crowding and most of all parking. Nordic could help with that need. It also seems to have some summer potential with golf near by and the Pineview Reservoir for water activities.

At 1700' vertical and 500 acres, it has just under 7x the vertical and 14x the acreage of the only ski area in Rhode Island. Small is relative.