East Coast

Sugarbush and Stratton Open for the Season Today, Homewood Opens Tomorrow

Vermont’s Sugarbush and Stratton opened today, December 10, after several delays amidst unfavorable weather. Tahoe’s Homewood opens tomorrow, December 11. At this point, the North American ski areas that haven’t opened yet are mainly local, regional hills.

Whiteface Is Planning a New High-Speed Lift and Trails for Future Seasons. Here Are Our Initial Thoughts.

In preparation for a major 2023 competition event, New York’s Whiteface ski area is proposing a series of enhancements that have the potential to address lower-mountain crowding bottlenecks and annoying trail logistics.

Key Trends in Ski Resort Lift Ticket Pricing

We’ve conducted extensive research on ski resort pricing behavior and found some key trends on the ways prices are set.

Score Change: Mount Snow Falling Behind on Signage Upkeep, Leading to Dangerous Circumstances

Mount Snow has historically earned high praise from PeakRankings for its ease of navigation, but the quality of some mountain postings has degraded considerably.

Initial Impressions: Independent Northern Vermont Resorts

We share our initial thoughts on Jay Peak, Smugglers’ Notch, Bolton Valley, and Mad River Glen after visiting them earlier this winter.

Initial Impressions: Maine Resorts

We spent the past week road tripping around the Northeast, hitting major resorts in Maine for the first time. Here are our initial thoughts on the three mountains we visited there.

Big Snow American Dream

North America’s only indoor ski resort can’t provide terrain that’s remotely close to a real mountain, but it offers unparalleled reliability, year-round skiing, and a great environment to learn.

Plattekill

The Catskill region’s northernmost ski hill offers surprisingly strong advanced terrain, but infrastructure and grooming operations are severely lacking.

Hunter

High-speed lifts, reasonably varied terrain, and proximity to New York City make this Catskill mountain an appealing choice on paper. However, poor crowd management really hurts the overall experience.

Wildcat

One of the tallest, most stunning ski resorts in New Hampshire is held back by a modest footprint size and significant wind exposure.

Belleayre

This Catskill mountain offers family-friendly terrain and reasonable crowds for the region, but a few factors make it a tough sell for those planning a weekend getaway.

Windham

This Catskill resort can’t beat out the true East Coast destinations in snow, acreage, or terrain diversity, but it lacks some of the major issues that plague nearby competitors. Peak ticket values are among the worst of any North American ski area.

Magic Mountain

This modestly-sized mountain doesn’t have the refinement to compete with the destinations, but it’s hard to beat for the challenge and value in southern Vermont.

Attitash

This New Hampshire resort offers pleasant terrain and fast lifts, but it doesn’t especially stand out when it comes to the overall experience.

Bolton Valley

This Vermont mountain is too small and undeveloped to compete with the state’s most popular destinations, but its combination of local, uncrowded slopes and strong natural snowfall may do the trick for some.

Bromley

While much smaller and less diverse than Vermont’s major destinations, this local-feeling hill will satisfy families thanks to easy navigation and low crowds.

Loon

This popular New Hampshire resort offers a competitive lift fleet and excellent snowmaking, but other mountains offer more unique terrain and better crowd management.

Gore

New York State’s largest ski resort stands out with excellent glade terrain, but it can’t match the snow quality or on-mountain infrastructure of the best East Coast mountains.

Mount Snow

This popular resort delivers a lot for southern Vermont but struggles to handle crowds in some areas.

Okemo

This family-friendly mountain boasts modern lifts and a wide variety of groomers, but expert terrain is lacking. Crowding has gotten worse in recent seasons.

Bretton Woods

This Mount Washington-adjacent ski area offers the most upscale ski resort experience in New Hampshire, but its lack of advanced and expert terrain is a serious drawback.

Cannon

While it lacks the most modern infrastructure and sees inconsistent conditions, this state-owned New Hampshire ski resort offers unique terrain and low crowds.

Smugglers' Notch

Ancient lifts and lackluster resiliency measures hold back a staple of the northern Vermont skiing scene.

Pico

This central Vermont mountain gets overshadowed by bigger competitors, but it offers decent terrain and an escape from the crowds.

Waterville Valley

Despite a modest footprint size, this New Hampshire resort offers a compelling set of strengths for those driving up from Boston.

Saddleback

This remote Maine mountain delivers a combination of natural beauty, empty slopes, and reasonably well-rounded terrain that’s tough to match elsewhere in the Northeast.

Stratton

This southern Vermont mountain delivers an ideal family experience thanks to excellent grooming and easy navigation, but you’ll be giving up some snow and terrain quality for the location.

Whiteface

Severe wind problems and unreliable trail openings detract from one of the most unique, challenging resorts on the East Coast.

Sugarloaf

Maine’s largest ski area is a competitive East Coast choice, but it’s a hard sell against more conveniently-located alternatives.

Sugarbush

This charming Vermont resort offers diverse, demanding terrain and a local feel. However, the best expert runs aren’t always o

Jay Peak

Vermont’s northernmost resort offers class-leading snow and expert terrain, but resiliency issues hurt it against more convenient competitors.

Stowe

Despite a few logistical flaws, this classic Vermont resort holds its own against the best on the East Coast.

Killington

Size, snow quality, and terrain diversity make this East Coast mountain incredibly appealing, but navigation could be easier.

Tremblant

This busy, frigid resort offers a well-rounded East Coast experience and spectacular base village.

Holiday Valley

Strong natural snowfall and varied terrain make this Western New York resort a strong local option, but a short vertical drop and complicated layout prevent it from competing with bigger East Coast destinations.

Peek'n Peak

This Western New York ski resort offers a good value for beginners, but the mountain lacks the challenge or aesthetic to compete with many other East Coast resorts.

Mad River Glen

With very limited snowmaking and a ban on snowboarders, this small Vermont mountain is about as raw as it gets for the Northeast.