Start Up Your Sleds!

By Eric Lavigne Staff Writer

inter is nearly upon us and I find it appropriate to write about one of my favorite winter activities, skiing. New England is the home to various ski resorts. The western states have always overshadowed the skiing on the east coast, but I find it necessary to showcase the excellent skiing New England has to offer.

Last year was disastrous for the ski industry in New England. With less than average snow falls huge east coast ski resorts lost immense amounts of money. New England skiing has always been unpredictable. Some seasons we get pounded with huge quantities of the white stuff and then other years it is a scarce commodity. After two tremendous ski seasons the east suffered a loss due to the lack of natural snow. Although many of the resorts are equipped with snow making technology many skiers would much prefer to stay indoors rather than face the elements of nature for less than adequate conditions.

Having skied most of the resorts in the northeast I would consider myself an authority on New England skiing. The larger resorts which are located in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine are the places to hit. Killington, Mount Snow, Sugarbush, and Sunday River are the champions of the east. The snow making capabilities of these resorts is phenomenal. So even if the snow isn't falling from the clouds the trails will be glistening with white. Man made snow has become increasingly better over the years. The first snow gun was invented in Connecticut at the hill what is now known as Ski Sundown. It produced a final product of what seemed to be chopped ice. This is no longer the case. The north east is the snow making capital of the world, due to our unpredictable weather. Ski resorts have been compensating for what mother nature has been failing to deliver. The snow making capabilities and the quality of the snow being produced has been greatly enhanced, resulting in much more skiable terrain. This winter will hopefully provide us with an abundance of natural snow as well as prime conditions for the resorts to fire up those snow guns.

Assuming the snow is on the trails New England has some of the most challenging terrain. Sugarloaf in Maine has the only above tree line skiing east of the Rockies, it is excellent. Sugarloaf not only has the east's only above treeline skiing but it is also making the entire mountain available to skiers. The once forbidden areas of the unmarked and ungroomed trails will now be open for the shredders to rip up. Many resorts have improved there terrain by being fastidious when they decide to create trails. Gladed trails (tree skiing) have become famous for their beauty and their difficulty. Many resorts have jumped on the band wagon and have made tree skiing available to their visitors.

Last year Killington introduced the Skyship, the worlds first heated eight person chair lift. With fancy art designs and music to entertain the passengers on their voyage up the mountain Killington has certainly made efforts to accommodate its skiers. The Skyship has proven to be revolutionary in the design of the high speed gondolas. With lift lines often getting out of hand the Skyship is a nice alternative to spending fifteen minutes in the freezing cold as a cable pulls you up a mountain side. Killington offers the most skiable terrain in the east. It is by far the largest and most popular resort in the east. It has been rated as one of the best ski resorts in America by Skiing Magazine. This rating is deserved although the resort tends to get crowded on weekends and the cost to ski at Killington would even shock the most affluent of the Saint Anthony's Hall brothers .

Another area not to overlook is Sugarbush. This resort is by far my favorite and has been rated the number one resort in the east by Skiing Magazine. Sugarbush offers terrain on two mountains, Sugarbush North and Sugarbush South, which have been connected this year by the worlds longest and fastest quad. In total their are 111 trails available at this fine resort. The lift lines are rarely more than 5 minutes and the skiing is usually excellent. Also snow making has been upgraded by 300 percent this year, creating a haven of rock rollin' hard core skiing for the New England ski bums.

Although the east has been in the shadow of the tall Rockies of the west New England skiing is nothing to shake a stick at. I know many people dream about going skiing in Utah or Wyoming. Experiencing the waist deep powder of Jackson Hole has always been a fantasy of mine as well. But, one should not overlook what the east has to offer. Especially with the new out of bounds skiing that has been introduced to many of the resorts. Numerous skiers may be pleasantly surprised when they sink into four feet of snow when they go traversing in the woods at Jay Peak in northern Vermont.

One of my few complaints about skiing in New England is the increasing price of lift tickets. This has become a problem for poor college students and the like. Many resort owners have been increasing the price of their lift tickets by two or three dollars each year. I remember a time when a lift ticket cost 30 dollars, still pretty damn expensive. Now the price of a single day adult ticket is reaching the $50 mark. This is simply out of hand. Many resorts offer deals for large groups. If you are interested in saving some money I would suggest finding a bunch of friends to go with. Another suggestion is to avoid the holidays and the weekends. Prices are always exorbitant during these periods. So in conclusion, skip class, call in sick, and grab a large group of friends and head for the hills of New England.

© Trincoll Journal, 1995.