Least crowded resort or resort area?

[D.T.]

Don't be a moron all your life, take a day off.

Wow, interesting comment.

Back to the question at hand, the Aspen area resorts are a good option. Even at SES, Buttermilk is always empty and has phenomenal carving! You can stay in Carbondale or Glenwood where the lodging is more affordable. Commute time is ~30 to 45 minutes.

[BadBrad]

Thanks for the good words carvedog. I did get out to a local (Mid-Atlantic!) resort (Whitetail) for the first time this season on Saturday. Got there at 8am, and it was really great for about 2hrs until the masses began surging from the lodge to the lifts...and I was outta there.

I definitely want to go somewhere, and Sun Valley sounds like a good option.

Scott

Scott, I've had the same experiences as you, and I usually don't even go to the local areas on weekends anymore. I just don't have fun when it's crowded. However, I did go to Whitetail a couple of Saturdays ago. I got there before they opened and like you said it was nice for a couple of hours, then it started getting crowded. By noon I couldn't stand it any more and left.

I've been working extra hours, hoping to be able to take a day off mid-week now and then. I was at WT on Friday, and hooked up with Rich. Local schools were out, so it got pretty busy for a weekday, but not too bad, but I still had enough by about 2:00.

[newcarver]

Out west weekdays from my experience are great. Telluride, CO is one of the best for no crowds or lift lines. Snowmass is also good. Might be a crowd at the begining of the day at the village but that's about it. Crested Butte, Monarch, Loveland. I have been to all of these places during the week and pretty much had it to myself. Even on powder days! You can even ride in the Poconos at Blue Mountain, or at Sugar in NC, or Winterplace in VA, Snowshoe, WV. If you don't go during peak season on weekend/holidays you can ride without crowds.

[John Bell]

And Scott, I don't blame you one bit. I hate crowds too. Some people don't mind 'em; some do. I only have so many weekends that aren't devoted to something else, so I too want to get the most bang for my buck. (Plus I smacked into a skier once--his fault, of course. But it's made me even more crowd-leery than before.) I'm the odd duck who vastly prefers Bolton Valley (VT) over Stowe.

Now shoot me if this is obvious--but re. your question: what about Snowshoe? I see you're in WV, so I'm sure you've been there a lot. I've been there just once, but it seemed very uncrowded to me. My only beef was that none of the restaurants were open midweek--and OK, it's not huge, but for the mid-Atlantic I think it's gotta be the best. Certainly better than Canaan Valley, I think. I haven't been to the Poconos, but a friend from CT tells me it's full of insufferable a-holes from NY. (I just moved here from DC, so I get to diss on NYers.):D

BTW, cool avatar! I worked at Kitty Hawk Kites for a summer. But hang 1 is as far as I got. Best wishes to your wife in a quick recovery, and welcome to BOL! It's a great group of people. (I'm pretty new here myself.)

[boardman73]

lots of good ponts here other than the moron comment! iv'e ridden in the mid atlantic my whole life and yes crowds suck but it hasnt stopped me from getting a big ****y grin every time i ride:ices_angeplus carving around people makes u better! and when u do get out on a slow day its heaven

[John Bell]

I think Scott in this thread has exemplified the quote from Thucydides:

"Of all manifestations of power, restraint impresses men most."

(I only know that one because I think Homer Simpson also said it at some point.)

[BadBrad]

I live in Maryland, and a lot of my skiing friends don't ski locally at all. They do 2 or 3 weeks each season out west and won't consider going to one of the local areas. I try to do a few days locally before a western trip just to try to get into shape so I'll enjoy the trip more.

As far as uncrowded areas, The Big Mountain is pretty nice. My sister lives near there, and I used to visit more regularly (before I got married). It was never very crowded. The worst I saw it was the week between Christmas and New Year's -- the locals were complaining that they had to wait 5 or 10 minutes in a lift line, which to me was nothing. I remember getting in a lot of vertical in a day -- you ski down long runs and then immediately jump on a high speed quad for a quick ride back up. I remember getting worn out pretty quickly there.

The one drawback to Big Mountain is that they don't have a lot of sunny days in the winter compared to other western resorts.

[SWriverstone]

Back to the question at hand, the Aspen area resorts are a good option. Even at SES, Buttermilk is always empty and has phenomenal carving! You can stay in Carbondale or Glenwood where the lodging is more affordable. Commute time is ~30 to 45 minutes.

Great idea! I'd love to ride Aspen...just don't want to pay thousands to sleep or eat there! LOL (So I appreciate the Carbondale alternative.)

Scott, I've had the same experiences as you, and I usually don't even go to the local areas on weekends anymore. I just don't have fun when it's crowded. However, I did go to Whitetail a couple of Saturdays ago. I got there before they opened and like you said it was nice for a couple of hours, then it started getting crowded.

Hi Brad! Whitetail can be nice at times...especially during the week...but the windows are just small. (I've been there during the week when a couple tour buses pulled in, and there went the neighborhood. LOL) I think a lot depends on style—if you're good at just slaloming back 'n forth in tight little turns and basically going straight down the mountain, I think it's a lot easier to blend in with the prevailing straightline style. I suck at that, and love to ride across the slope instead of down it. :) (In other words, I like as much time between turns as possible!)

Now shoot me if this is obvious--but re. your question: what about Snowshoe?

Good point! Snowshoe is definitely the only place in the Mid-Atlantic that comes close to comparing with New England resorts...and as a matter of fact, we're headed down there next weekend. It's a great resort, but the only trouble is that it's a 4-hour drive no matter *where* you're coming from (twisty mountain roads!). I guess I figure if I'm gonna drive 4 hours, I might as well drive 8 hours to Vermont! :) I'd love to go in on a winter-long rental down there next year with a few people...

I worked at Kitty Hawk Kites for a summer. But hang 1 is as far as I got.

Cool! I'm a Hang 3, and my instructor, Steve Wendt, is a former Kitty Hawk Kites instructor (way back when they were building their own gliders from scratch, LOL). It's a great sport...but definitely involves driving, just like carving!

Scott

[Bordy]

Gosh Bordy...hard to imagine getting tired of UT! Then again, I can imagine that. And there's good kiteboarding in UT??? Where??? (On Great Salt Lake?) It's pretty legendary on North Carolina's Outer Banks too...:D

But I hear ya on things getting old...which is exactly why I've spent the last 20 years becoming at least a solid intermediate (if not expert) at whitewater paddling, flyfishing, bicycling, motorcycling, snowboarding, hang gliding, and drumming! :p I generally never get bored 'cause I've always got a sport to turn to...and it's impossible to get bored with *all* of those things in one location!

Scott

UT is a meca for all that is outdoors. I can go do almost everything you listed with out driving more then 15 minutes from my front door. And if you consider playing Rockband drumming I try that right at home!!!!!:D

The water kiting here is very good also, but not in the great salt lake, it burns every opening in your body, ( I do mean every opening!) its not NC, but the snowkiting here is some of the best in the US. Several of my friends are also hang gliders and paragliders, they claim this is a great spot. The closes I come is gliding with the kite. On of my friends Val talks about hang gliding from Deer Valley to Evenston WY and back again at over 16000 feet a flight that takes hours.

I have to agree with most of the posters, Every resort has busy and slow days. As a alpine rider in UT there always seems to be plenty of wide open groomers just waiting to be torn up on almost any day. On of my friends Will has been only riding on the weekends and seems to be loving the lack of crowds and the terrain compard to the east coast. On weekends my wife and I tend to hike and ride trees in the near country and always get plenty of fresh.

Many resorts (park city included) also offer a fast track pass. For a few dollars extra on a season or day pass you get to cut the line through the fast track gates and add several more runs to your daily total (although the hill may still be crowded).

Hope you find a place that tickles your fancy. My next move will be to Whistler or to the Dolomites in Italy. I just hope the kiting there is good!

[JoelP]

Scott,

You don't have to spend thousands to come to Aspen. Staying downvalley is very affordable and then the food is also affordable. The only thing costly is needing a car. There are buses up and down the valley all day but then you are not on your schedule and need to plan accordingly. Contact Pat Donnelly from this site and he can give you good numbers on the cost for a week. He and his wife come yearly, stay in Glenwood and rides everyday. I usually get a few days with him on Buttermilk during his stay and he can confirm that when we go we pretty much have a whole section of the mtn to ourselves. We ride hard and wall to wall everyday here without traffic or worries about getting hit from behind...it's just knowing where to go and when, it's very easy. During SES is the only real time I deal with traffic.

To bad you aren't into paragliding too since the guys go up about everyday to fly from Ajax if the weather permits.

If you have any specific questions on Aspen just PM me.

JoelP

[SWriverstone]

Thanks for the good advice Joel...I'm pondering the schedule for the next couple months and it would be great to get out there. But a week-long trip to Prague in late March kinda makes it tough, but we'll see!

Scott

[Gecko]

edit: the only place I know that fits your description all the time is the Yellowstone club - but you'd better have a net worth over $10mm

that's the place Greg Lemond has a house at....very nice resort...Definitely a place to buy into if you win the lottery

as far as east coast resorts...the quietest I've ever seen is Sugarloaf because it's so far from anyplace. The quietest resort I've ever been to was Grand Targhee, lots of snow great grooming and Crazy Horse is the steepest groomed trail that I have ever seen (52* I think) steep and groomed nightly. At worst are the snow hunters from Jackson Hole who show up in dayglow (yes still) looking for snow when JH has a bad season

[Buell]

You're missing the point-

I, too, call a much larger, more open (Alpine) mountain home,

but that doesn't preclude my riding in the mid-atlantic during seasons such as this, when I'm stuck here.

time to lose the skirt:biggthump

WTF? I like big empty mountains and I don't need to travel to ride them.

I think you're missing the point. SWriverstone asked for uncrowded slopes and I would think that with all your world travel, you might be able to offer constructive advice rather than criticism of his desires.

Scott, feel free to PM me about the Ogden Valley area.

[Dr D]

I have found the meat of your posts to be insightful and experienced. that said I have found the rest of it to be condescending and illmannered especially from the new guy in the community. Chill a little and relax we are all here for a good time and some insight. we come from all kinds of backgrounds and places so we don't all think alike but we all enjoy the same things. ITs ok to voice an unpopular opinion now and again just don't do it on every post or we'll end up like every other online community. chaos.

Big mtn is a great midweek ddestination and a great january destination for low numbers. I ride tuesdays and thursdays with no lines ever and saturdays other than holidays and the week after are 3-5 minute lines. the hill is big enough to hide a ton of people and you learn that two or three runs are always gong to have choke points to avoid. that said we have several runs that are top to bottom carving dreams. just come long enough to absorb a fog day :D(they usually mean fresh powder)

[Dr D]

williamblake - pull your head in, dude! You can choose to ride wherever you want and good for you if you enjoy it, but the vast majority of people, not just Scott, don't choose to ride on icy pimple hills populated by morons and gapers. It's even worse when you're only an intermediate trying to improve.

Scott's an intelligent and well liked member who hasn't posted for quite a while, and we'd like to welcome him back. We have enough idiots on this board to start in on anyone who asks a reasonable question. Don't be a moron all your life, take a day off.

Allee anyone who questions your response above hasn't been reading all the other threads he's responded to. a little over the top most of the time but a great source of info. lets see if we can house train him

[boardman73]

weekdays!!!

oh and take it easy on wb you guys!! no offense but he's probably forgotten more about carving than most will ever learn:ices_ange

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Welcome back!! Seems like yesterday we were getting you up to speed and you were giving us the "Blow By Blow", That was fun, wish more would allow us to follow their progress like that!

Welcome back!

MHM Today. TWO people in line when the lift started!!! REALLY!!

It has been busier than I like this season, but today was excellent!

Hang in there (or if you can move?)

Bryan

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

weekdays!!!

BINGO.

Even with very few people there today, one of our own got clocked but good!! Should have seen the other guy! Face down, out cold, bloodied, took a while before he remembered who or where he was. Not good, be careful folks!!

[SWriverstone]

Hi Bryan! By the way, I'm still riding and enjoying that Nidecker board and Raichle boots I bought from you 3 or 4 years ago! I haven't outgrown them yet, so no reason to buy anything else—thanks again!

Scott

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Hi Bryan—by the way, I'm still riding and enjoying that Nidecker board and Raichle boots I bought from you 3 or 4 years ago! I haven't outgrown them yet, so no reason to buy anything else—thanks again!

Scott

I wondered about that! Cool! My how time flys!

Hate to see you give it up. Hope you can find away to try some of the other areas. Might be a real eye opener! Enjoy!!

[Dan]

BINGO.

Even with very few people there today, one of our own got clocked but good!! Should have seen the other guy! Face down, out cold, bloodied, took a while before he remembered who or where he was. Not good, be careful folks!!

Awesome photos Bryan! I love Meadows on a weekday, and the cold would definitely have kept folks away today - wish I could have made it up. Looks like it was perfect conditions to bring out the big guns that are a little anti-social on the weekend when all the groms are on the hill.

Who got pancaked? Another hardbooter? What happened?

[bobdea]

if you want dead with consistant good snow UT owns it IMHO, tend to be dry and fine in UT. CO resorts that are not near denver or summit county are not as crowded, steamboat for example.

the north east, as someone said, the eastern townships have a allot of places that are dead mid week, the food and BEER in quebec tends to be amazing too, also NB resorts are good. Sunday River in ME and sugarloaf on weekdays tend to be dead as well.

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Awesome photos Bryan! I love Meadows on a weekday, and the cold would definitely have kept folks away today - wish I could have made it up. Looks like it was perfect conditions to bring out the big guns that are a little anti-social on the weekend when all the groms are on the hill.

Who got pancaked? Another hardbooter? What happened?

Hey Dan, it was cold, but little wind. I am going to wait and let him give the details if he wants to. Or call me for details. He is OK. Skier didn't look so good.

[dshack]

Smacked from behind on a heelside coming down from Cascade. Saw a 50-year old skiier fly over me, take a few tumbles, and not move for awhile. Scared the hell out of me. Got him to the med center and he seems ok, though- maybe a shoulder problem, and definitely a black eye, but nothing major.

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Smacked from behind on a heelside coming down from Cascade. Saw a 50-year old skiier fly over me, take a few tumbles, and not move for awhile. Scared the hell out of me. Got him to the med center and he seems ok, though- maybe a shoulder problem, and definitely a black eye, but nothing major.

It was VERY impressive! He Flew and than Smacked down hard. Out like a light!! Took a while before he was aware of his surroundings. Glad he wasn't hurt worse. Picture a big guy running fast into the coffee table (dshack turning) OUCH!!!