# Stowe, Killington, or Whiteface - total package?



## slayeratcp (Jan 6, 2010)

Hi all, new to the forum.

I am trying to plan a trip for five or six guys trying to get some good East Coast skiing in by day, and some good drinking and having fun at night.  The most important thing is obviously the mountain, but we would like to go somewhere that has a decent town and nightlife as well. 

None of us has ever been to Whiteface but the vertical and town of Lake Placid nearby interest us a lot.  We have all been to Killington and Stowe and enjoy the mountains, though they can get a bit crowded at times.  The problem is we all went when we were 15 or 16 and didn't really experience the towns at all.

Any input about the mountains or surrounding areas would be awesome.  Thanks


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## Geoff (Jan 6, 2010)

What skill level is the group at?

What are you looking for in nightlife?

Is this a weekend trip?


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## JD (Jan 6, 2010)

Go where the most recent snow is..


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## slayeratcp (Jan 6, 2010)

*Reply*

Hey sorry

We are all intermediate skiers (mostly blue to black cruisers).  No moguls or terrain parks really.

I think we'd prefer a larger sports bar type place, but anything that involves drinking and being up late with a bunch of people.

It would be a long weekend, probably Thurs-Sun or Sat-Tues.


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## slayeratcp (Jan 6, 2010)

Unfortunately, we are coming from Maryland and can't just go last minute to the place with recent snow.


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## JD (Jan 6, 2010)

slayeratcp said:


> Hey sorry
> 
> We are all intermediate skiers (mostly blue to black cruisers).  No moguls or terrain parks really.
> 
> ...



Killington.....you'll love  it.


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## wa-loaf (Jan 6, 2010)

slayeratcp said:


> Hey sorry
> 
> We are all intermediate skiers (mostly blue to black cruisers).  No moguls or terrain parks really.
> 
> ...



Sounds like Killington fits the bill.


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## dropKickMurphy (Jan 7, 2010)

slayeratcp said:


> Hi all, new to the forum.
> 
> I am trying to plan a trip for five or six guys trying to get some good East Coast skiing in by day, and some good drinking and having fun at night.  The most important thing is obviously the mountain, but we would like to go somewhere that has a decent town and nightlife as well.
> 
> ...



Vert is an overrated statistic. You'll have more than enough vert and terrain to keep you happy at any of those places.  You'll also have more than enough drinking options at any of them. 

What really makes the difference between a crappy trip or a great trip is the snow. Seeing that you need to decide in advance, you should lean to which location is most likely to have the best snow. Out of the 3 you mentioned, that would be Stowe.

If Stowe is on your radar, I'm assuming this isn't a really low budget trip. Seriously,have you considered SLC? Check out the prices of flights from Baltimore to SLC. I'd guess that the total cost of the SLC trip would compare very favorably to the Stowe trip. And your chances of finding great conditions is greater by an order of magnitude. Park City has the nightlife, and 3 huge areas (Deer Valley, Park City, and the Canyons) with huge amounts of intermediate (and above) terrain. Also within an easy drive to Alta/Snowbird, which offer a combination of terrain and snow that is among the very best on the planet.

I love skiing in the northeast, and I love the fact that I'm within a 4 hour drive of so many fantastic ski areas. But, if I lived in Maryland, most of my skiing would be in Utah.


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## tjf67 (Jan 7, 2010)

slayeratcp said:


> Hi all, new to the forum.
> 
> I am trying to plan a trip for five or six guys trying to get some good East Coast skiing in by day, and some good drinking and having fun at night.  The most important thing is obviously the mountain, but we would like to go somewhere that has a decent town and nightlife as well.
> 
> ...



Whiteface is having a good snow year so far.  We are certainly going to be the least crowded.  If conditions are right(not a lot)  There is no better mountain in the east than Whiteface.   The nighlife winner is going to be K.   Stowe is going to cost the most and if you are not going BC it will be a waste IMO.  

I may be a little bias as I live in LP.  I can say I was out skiing last night and the snow is up above my knees.


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## campgottagopee (Jan 7, 2010)

tjf67 said:


> Whiteface is having a good snow year so far.  We are certainly going to be the least crowded.  If conditions are right(not a lot)  There is no better mountain in the east than Whiteface.   The nighlife winner is going to be K.   Stowe is going to cost the most and if you are not going BC it will be a waste IMO.
> 
> I may be a little bias as I live in LP.  I can say I was out skiing last night and the snow is up above my knees.



What he said----you mentioned never being to WF or LP---you owe it to yourself to ski the only Olympic Mnt in the NE and find out why it's that way.


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## deadheadskier (Jan 7, 2010)

If I was booking that far out, Stowe would definitely be my pick.  Best chance of having recent natural snow.  Plenty of night life in town as well.  You're also within an hour of Burlington if you really want diverse night life options with good views (read: college girls)


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## Geoff (Jan 7, 2010)

I'd send them to Stratton or Okemo... or Mount Snow.   All ski resorts have a bunch of bars with the game on.   What they want is groomed cruisers.   Why screw around with Stowe or Killington or Whiteface?


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## wa-loaf (Jan 7, 2010)

Geoff said:


> I'd send them to Stratton or Okemo... or Mount Snow.   All ski resorts have a bunch of bars with the game on.   What they want is groomed cruisers.   Why screw around with Stowe or Killington or Whiteface?



I think they want to party more than ski. Killington is the king of apres ski partying in the NE. That's their best choice.


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## Geoff (Jan 7, 2010)

wa-loaf said:


> I think they want to party more than ski. Killington is the king of apres ski partying in the NE. That's their best choice.



The OP said "larger sports bar".  The sports bar scene at Killington is kind of marginal.  You'd never confuse Moguls or Jax with an ESPN Zone.   You can find that quality level at any mountain.   Killington has the live music scene that nobody else has but that's not what they are looking for.


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## deadheadskier (Jan 7, 2010)

I'm not sure I'd say Killington's live music scene is necessarily better than Stowes; at least for the music I tend to like.  The Rusty Nail and Matterhorn certainly are on par with Pickle Barrel and other K places.


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## jaywbigred (Jan 7, 2010)

I think Killington (if your willing to get to the bars via non-walking transport) or Stratton (walking) fit your bill the best. Stowe and Whiteface will take you longer, and a lot of their value is in the kind of terrain it sounds like you will be avoiding (steeps, woods, generally ungroomed). Every ski town has their hotspots, but I think Stowe and Whiteface have a slightly more staid party atmosphere than Killington. Stratton is about the same, but you can walk everywhere right at the base. This means the acronym you are most likely to score is MILF, not DUI.


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## deadheadskier (Jan 7, 2010)

Actually if partying was my main motive and I lived in Maryland?  I'd got to Snowshoe


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## mondeo (Jan 7, 2010)

Geoff said:


> The OP said "larger sports bar". The sports bar scene at Killington is kind of marginal. You'd never confuse Moguls or Jax with an ESPN Zone. You can find that quality level at any mountain. Killington has the live music scene that nobody else has but that's not what they are looking for.


 


deadheadskier said:


> I'm not sure I'd say Killington's live music scene is necessarily better than Stowes; at least for the music I tend to like. The Rusty Nail and Matterhorn certainly are on par with Pickle Barrel and other K places.


Different kind of live music scene, I'd expect. Killington's got the party-type live music scene. I've heard it described as the same playlist, different band each weekend. But then again, I was under age last time I was at Stowe.

I would've figured Stratton, Snow, Okemo, etc as well, but he did mention that they enjoyed Killington and Steaux.


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## Geoff (Jan 7, 2010)

deadheadskier said:


> I'm not sure I'd say Killington's live music scene is necessarily better than Stowes; at least for the music I tend to like.  The Rusty Nail and Matterhorn certainly are on par with Pickle Barrel and other K places.



Here is the Pickle Barrel event list:
http://www.picklebarrelnightclub.com/concerts-events/

Here is the Wobbly Barn event list:
http://www.wobblybarn.net/site/entertainment/events/index.html

Here is the Rusty Nail:
http://rustynailbar.com/site/index.php/home/events.html

Here is the Matterhorn:
http://www.matterhornbar.com/newsite/music.asp

I don't think "on par" is an appropriate comparison


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## 2knees (Jan 7, 2010)

people can argue about anything it seems like.....


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## mondeo (Jan 7, 2010)

2knees said:


> people can argue about anything it seems like.....


I doubt that. It's an indisputable fact that 2+2=10.


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## moguler6 (Jan 7, 2010)

From your description and choices, I'd say Killington.  Stowe is my favorite eastern ski area, but the quad and gondi at Stowe on the weekends can be crazy, mid week I'd say yes.  I'm an Ice Face hater, so what about the vert, especially when its broken up by two lifts.  You'll get long runs, but there are not many options on the way down.  I went there one weekend a year for 9 years, every single time it was insanely cold and icy and I never skied anything there that made me want to go back.  Only thing that got me there was I had to compete, now that I don't compete, I'll never be back.

It would add another 3 hours to your drive, but Tremblant could fit the bill.  Tons of groomed cruisers, a pedestrian village with night life, and Montreal is close by with tons of night life.


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## bigbog (Jan 7, 2010)

Depends on what you mean by "*nightlife*", cuz the good skiing and cheaper prices in lodging, no reservations needed = finding the snow....are _*midweek*_...Whiteface, Bush, MRG, Smugglers, Jay, Magic, Stowe, Killington, Burke, Sugarloaf(ME), the River..You *Can* find great companionship midweek...but a percentage of the weekend crowd is essentially up FOR the bar scene...so it's a "numbers game"...more people up = more bar scene.(Maybe kind of old-fashioned analysis....though..;-))

my un-secured $.01


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## tjf67 (Jan 7, 2010)

moguler6 said:


> From your description and choices, I'd say Killington.  Stowe is my favorite eastern ski area, but the quad and gondi at Stowe on the weekends can be crazy, mid week I'd say yes.  I'm an Ice Face hater, so what about the vert, especially when its broken up by two lifts.  You'll get long runs, but there are not many options on the way down.  I went there one weekend a year for 9 years, every single time it was insanely cold and icy and I never skied anything there that made me want to go back.  Only thing that got me there was I had to compete, now that I don't compete, I'll never be back.
> 
> It would add another 3 hours to your drive, but Tremblant could fit the bill.  Tons of groomed cruisers, a pedestrian village with night life, and Montreal is close by with tons of night life.



Sucks you had bad experiences.  When the racers come to town they dont know where to ski so I can understand where your frustration comes from.


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## bvibert (Jan 7, 2010)

mondeo said:


> I doubt that. It's an indisputable fact that 2+2=10.



No, 4 = 5+5


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## moguler6 (Jan 7, 2010)

tjf67 said:


> Sucks you had bad experiences.  When the racers come to town they dont know where to ski so I can understand where your frustration comes from.



I was a bumper and other than our course, I always felt the place was groomed flat.  I will admit, the new expanded terrain looks tempting and I've always wanted to ski the slides.  We did always have fun in Lake Placid at night. :beer:


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## deadheadskier (Jan 7, 2010)

Geoff said:


> Here is the Pickle Barrel event list:
> http://www.picklebarrelnightclub.com/concerts-events/
> 
> Here is the Wobbly Barn event list:
> ...



Looks like things have changed some over the years.  Back when I lived in Stowe, the Rusty Nail had a far more impressive live music schedule than anywhere in VT except for Higher Ground in Burlington.  Bobby Roberts sold the RN as I was leaving town, so that might have something to do with it. 

I'm not discrediting the K scene by any means.


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## happyjack (Jan 7, 2010)

dropKickMurphy said:


> But, if I lived in Maryland, most of my skiing would be in Utah.



*sigh* a boy can dream...hahaha.

i've priced a lot of trips from BWI to both UT and VT...and I can never seem to find a comparable UT trip (# of nights, type of accomodations and actual # of days on the mountain) that isn't close to 2x the VT trip.  the biggest problem is that you almost always need an extra night in UT to get the same number of days on the mountain.

a late flight out of burlington still allows you to ski most of the last day...you give up the getaway day when you go west...

yes the snow is pretty much guaranteed to be waaay better in UT, but for us intermediate flatlanders who are lucky to get 10-12 days per year on a hill, it usually comes down to a quantity over quality decision...and then pray to get a freshie day during your trip.


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## MogulQueen (Jan 7, 2010)

wa-loaf said:


> I think they want to party more than ski. Killington is the king of apres ski partying in the NE. That's their best choice.



+1.


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## SKIQUATTRO (Jan 7, 2010)

take last flight out BWI to SLC
get shuttle to Park City
get the silver pass and ski DV, PC and Canyons, you dont need a car in Park City
take red eye home, get a full day skiing in as well

if you must go to VT, then home base it at Killington, you have Pico and Sugarbush about 45 min up the road...has everything you are looking for


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## Geoff (Jan 7, 2010)

happyjack said:


> *sigh* a boy can dream...hahaha.
> 
> i've priced a lot of trips from BWI to both UT and VT...and I can never seem to find a comparable UT trip (# of nights, type of accomodations and actual # of days on the mountain) that isn't close to 2x the VT trip.  the biggest problem is that you almost always need an extra night in UT to get the same number of days on the mountain.
> 
> ...



With the proximity to the skiing from the airport at SLC, I'm not sure I believe that.   I don't know BWI flight schedules but from Boston, you can catch a 5pm flight to Utah after work and trivially catch first chair the next morning.  On your last day, you can take the 5:05pm flight back to Boston skiing just about the whole day.   The rental car return is in the airport garage so you don't have to budget much slack time.   Snowbird to the airport is only 45 minutes.  You can easily ski until 3:00.   The return flight lands in Boston at 11:38 pm so you can get a full night of sleep and be in the office fully functional in the morning with a big grin.


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## BeanoNYC (Jan 7, 2010)

Stowe or Killington.  Stowe is more of what you would picture a New England ski town.  Very picturesque.  Good bars too.  The nightlife at Killington (for your needs) would edge out Stowe, however.  Skiing at Stowe is better.  Take your pick.  Actually....just go to Stowe, the Matterhorn will take care of all your drinking needs.


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## JD (Jan 7, 2010)

deadheadskier said:


> Looks like things have changed some over the years.  Back when I lived in Stowe, the Rusty Nail had a far more impressive live music schedule than anywhere in VT except for Higher Ground in Burlington.  Bobby Roberts sold the RN as I was leaving town, so that might have something to do with it.
> 
> I'm not discrediting the K scene by any means.



Absolutely true.  Rim Rocks now gets good local music.  Seth Yakavone used to play there tuesday nights.  I lived accross the steet and would be litereally 1 of maybe 3 people there.  (that's actually my definition of a good bar and music scene.  A bunch of other really good local acts play (2 years ago) there.  Pie Casso is also a big apres joint, but in general, local chics have a string of dudes on them and they are not interested in you unless you have good weed, a fish 56, a little coke, and a B mer.  Stowe tourst scene (what these guys are looking for) is older rich folks.  When young out of towners show up at the bars, they are despised and rejected.  If you are staing at top notch, and can drop a shitload at the bar or club (nail), you may bag a cougar.  Killington is where your people go, the Mtn will seem huge and good to you, and the bars will be full of folks you can relate to.  Or go out west.   Tahoe.  Whistler.  Vail.  SLC.


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## KingM (Jan 7, 2010)

Geoff said:


> The return flight lands in Boston at 11:38 pm so you can get a full night of sleep and be in the office fully functional in the morning with a big grin.



Unless you're looking to party apres ski. In that case, Utah is not exactly the best choice.


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## Geoff (Jan 7, 2010)

KingM said:


> Unless you're looking to party apres ski. In that case, Utah is not exactly the best choice.



For intermediates, Park City certainly has plenty of apres ski to go with those jillion acres of groomers.   Most of the Utah destination visits go there, not the no-tell motel in Midvale taking the bus up to AltaBird or Brighton/Solitude.


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## riverc0il (Jan 7, 2010)

Flying out west to ski groomers for twice the cost? Does not compute. A groomer is a groomer....

You guys will do great at Killington. Go have a good time.


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## happyjack (Jan 7, 2010)

i guess i should have put a caveat on my bwi to UT scenario...i need a realstic itinerary with 2 kids under 10.  can't exactly do red-eyes both ways...and expect to remain sane and married...haha.

sorry,btw, to derail the original post...


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## tjf67 (Jan 8, 2010)

8)8)





happyjack said:


> i guess i should have put a caveat on my bwi to UT scenario...i need a realstic itinerary with 2 kids under 10.  can't exactly do red-eyes both ways...and expect to remain sane and married...haha.
> 
> sorry,btw, to derail the original post...




Do you research.  See you at whiteface.  Its your best option.  Stowe the town is boring.  K is a freak fest.

Whiteface has 80 different res and bars to choose from.  2 pods for beginners and lots of blue runs.  With the weather we have been having I have heard report of no ice on the hill.

On a side note I saw the NYSEFF bumpers heading down 87 this morning going to a competition at mount snow.   kaspers kids are going to kick everones arse.  8)


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## RootDKJ (Jan 8, 2010)

BeanoNYC said:


> Stowe or Killington.  Stowe is more of what you would picture a New England ski town.  Very picturesque.  Good bars too.  The nightlife at Killington (for your needs) would edge out Stowe, however.  *Skiing at Stowe is better.*  Take your pick.  Actually....just go to Stowe, the Matterhorn will take care of all your drinking needs.


Qft.


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