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Where to ski if I just moved to NYC

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi everyone,
I hope I'm posting this in the right forum, if not please redirect me to a different one Smile
My husband and I are experienced skiers, we recently moved to NYC from Israel and are excited to explore our skiing options.
I am looking for a ski resort that is fairly big, a driving distance (3-4 hours drive) from NYC (we don't have a car but I guess we'll rent).
We mostly stick to the reds and don't do off piste.
Any recommendation for a resort and/or accommodation will be very much appreciated, thank you.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@michald, I've stayed near to the nice town of Lincoln in New Hampshire at Parkers Motel, which is close to both Cannon Mountain and Loon Mountain. However a check on a route planner shows it as being just over 5 hours drive time from New York City.

Of course you were specifically asking about places you can drive to from NYC. If you're prepared to fly then being in the USA the logical option would be to fly out to the Western states e.g Colorado, Utah etc as the snow is likely to be better (although if you're not into off piste skiing maybe that's not such an important consideration).

Whatever you decide, have fun! snowHead
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Hunter Mountain in the Catskills is ok, but since it’s one of the closest options from NYC it does get very busy. It’s not the prettiest resort, and it doesn’t get amazing snow. It’s fine for a day trip. Big enough. Some reasonably interesting trails.

If I remember correctly there are buses on a weekend from NYC and there are ski lockers you can rent by the season.

But I think it’s fairly common for people to fly to a “proper” resort for ski weekends.
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Join a local ski club. They’ll run regular trips to local ski resorts with some to ones further afield with added benefit of meeting likeminded people.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@michald, From a very limited experience, (Hunter and Wyndham (both NY), one day each, Mount Snow (VT)) I'd be flying up to Vermont.

Mind you, the MT Snow weekend was with a chum who lived in NYC and they rented an apartment there. So it's very doable.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
Mount Snow (Vermont) is absolutely within driving range of NYC. A little bit farther will get you to Okemo, Stratton and Killington. If you don't want to drive, there are often organized bus trips from Manhattan (some of the outdoor sports stores organize them, I think Paragon and REI for example). You could have a look at the Ski Diva forum which is for female skiers and has a lot of members from New England.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Bear in mind colours and on/off piste work differently in North America compared to Europe. You'll find other threads that go into more detail, but two major differences are:
1) Pistes are graded Green - Blue - Black - Double Black. Don't get obsessed with piste colours though, they are a very blunt guide and vary hugely between resorts and weather conditions.
2) Resorts cover a smaller area (especially in the East Coast), but generally everything accessible within that area is considered on-piste.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
We used to go to Gore Mountain in the Adirondacks when I lived in NY. It's about 240 miles from NYC. Went to Hunter a couple of times but found it far too busy.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
For accommodation, in Vermont hotels tend to split into fairly expensive but beautiful New England B&B’s or cheap (and usually horrible) roadside hotels and dormitories.

I’ve always found Airbnb to be a better option, Vermonters are very friendly people and it’s nice to connect with the communities.
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I have just enjoyed a very pleasant road trip from Boston around New England (excluding the mad Massachusetts drivers that is). Opportunity to see the Fall and do some hiking. We were in Lennox Massachusetts which is less than 3 hours from Manhattan according to a routefinder. Saw a pleasant little ski hill - https://www.bousquets.com/

We drove up to Stowe from there and passed Killington and other small ski fields. Went up the Stowe Gondola and seemed to be a nice area. Also lots of ski hills around North Conway in New Hampshire.

Personably if I was flying from the UK I would carry on to Colorado and UTAH but there seemed to be plenty of nice areas to try out if you are local. A week picking different hills would be great fun.

.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Within 4 hours, Southern Vermont is probably the best skiing option from NYC. Stratton, Okemo or Mt Snow are all comparable. Stratton is probably is the best option without a car, as they offer a bus from NYC and there's a small base village with a few restaurants and bars. Here's the link to the bus service:
https://booking.hamptonjitney.com/stratton/default.asp

You can then look at the Stratton site or Airbnbs around the base area to see some accommodation options.

Black runs in the north east are comparable to reds in Europe, and probably challenging blues in Colorado/Utah. But if's it's icy it can be challenging!

Also, if you have more than just a weekend, a road trip up to northern VT could be a fun option - places like Stowe and Sugarbush being fun mountains.

Or a quick trip to Utah. That's probably the most popular destination for quick trips out west, given the quick travel times from Salt Lake up the resorts.
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
I was in NYC with work and hired a car to drive from Manhattan to Killington, Vermont. Was around 4.5 hours and very easy - skiing there was really good too. Only problem was they don't do apres nearly as well as Europeans. Flew out of Boston as it was only 2.5-3 hours back to the airport
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
You will have year round 'skiing' at your disposal via Big Snow near Met life stadium scheduled to open in 2 months. More of a novelty than anything else, maybe great for keeping the snow legs under you in the off season...

https://www.njfamily.com/the-first-indoor-snow-park-in-north-america-is-coming-to-nj-yes-really/
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
1. Killington.
2. Stowe
3. Jackson Hole (fly)

Around 20 good momandpop resorts nearerby, like Camelback.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@Whitegold, the OP wrote "we mostly stick to the reds and don't do off piste." I don't think anything justifies the drive to Stowe or the flight to Jackson Hole given that constraint.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
diaphon wrote:
@Whitegold, the OP wrote "we mostly stick to the reds and don't do off piste." I don't think anything justifies the drive to Stowe or the flight to Jackson Hole given that constraint.

That maybe the case BEFORE the OP arrives in north America.

Nobody, who claim to ski "European reds" (basically north America blues) will not "go off piste" in north America!

The problem of asking for advice from a UK based forum, about skiing in and around NYC, is you're getting mostly the visitor's view only. Even if you ask in a US based ski forum, you're still getting a second hand view of people who used to live in NYC, or a few people who actually live in NYC but have their own preferences and biases.

The only way to get some good info for skiing around NYC while LIVING there, is to ask the people who live and ski there once they settle down in NYC!

brovert wrote:
Join a local ski club. They’ll run regular trips to local ski resorts with some to ones further afield with added benefit of meeting likeminded people.

Now, THAT is the only advice I would endorse!

THIS: https://www.ski-nyc.com is the local ski club. Go to their mixer ("Happy hour") and meet people!

Or you could post your question HERE: http://forums.alpinezone.com/forumdisplay.php/10-Northeast-Skiing-and-Snowboarding-Forum which covers practically ALL the mountains you can drive to from NYC! Keep in mind though you're likely get a few strange comments due to the difference between Euro vs N America skiing.

I used to live in NYC. I can tell you what I used to do but it probably doesn't apply to your situation. And half of the information I used to rely on are probably outdated. And frankly, there's no such thing as "fairly big" resort within 4-5 hour drive of NYC. Not "fairly big" by European standard.

The OP needs to change their perspective of skiing in north America. And the only way to do that is by skiing with a local club (or make new skiing friends) once they settle in.


Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Wed 16-10-19 19:26; edited 1 time in total
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Alastair Pink wrote:
@michald, I've stayed near to the nice town of Lincoln in New Hampshire at Parkers Motel, which is close to both Cannon Mountain and Loon Mountain. However a check on a route planner shows it as being just over 5 hours drive time from New York City.

Of course you were specifically asking about places you can drive to from NYC. If you're prepared to fly then being in the USA the logical option would be to fly out to the Western states e.g Colorado, Utah etc as the snow is likely to be better (although if you're not into off piste skiing maybe that's not such an important consideration).

Whatever you decide, have fun! snowHead


Thank you very much!
My plan is to ski many weekends, and fly maybe 1 or 2 times, budget issues.
I might stretch to 5 hours drive, if the location is worth it
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Maireadoconnor wrote:
Hunter Mountain in the Catskills is ok, but since it’s one of the closest options from NYC it does get very busy. It’s not the prettiest resort, and it doesn’t get amazing snow. It’s fine for a day trip. Big enough. Some reasonably interesting trails.

If I remember correctly there are buses on a weekend from NYC and there are ski lockers you can rent by the season.

But I think it’s fairly common for people to fly to a “proper” resort for ski weekends.


Thank you, I;m open to recommendations about proper US ski resorts, I think I'll book myself 1 vacation, exciting!
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brovert wrote:
Join a local ski club. They’ll run regular trips to local ski resorts with some to ones further afield with added benefit of meeting likeminded people.


That actually sounds really nice, any recommendations for a ski club? I'd like to meet new people to ski with.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
under a new name wrote:
@michald, From a very limited experience, (Hunter and Wyndham (both NY), one day each, Mount Snow (VT)) I'd be flying up to Vermont.

Mind you, the MT Snow weekend was with a chum who lived in NYC and they rented an apartment there. So it's very doable.


Thank you,
When you write MT do you mean Mount Snow? I googled it and it's 4/5 hours from the city.
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 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
diaphon wrote:
Mount Snow (Vermont) is absolutely within driving range of NYC. A little bit farther will get you to Okemo, Stratton and Killington. If you don't want to drive, there are often organized bus trips from Manhattan (some of the outdoor sports stores organize them, I think Paragon and REI for example). You could have a look at the Ski Diva forum which is for female skiers and has a lot of members from New England.


Thank you so much for all the great info, the resorts, accommodation and Diva Forum Smile
ski holidays
 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
abc wrote:
diaphon wrote:
@Whitegold, the OP wrote "we mostly stick to the reds and don't do off piste." I don't think anything justifies the drive to Stowe or the flight to Jackson Hole given that constraint.

That maybe the case BEFORE the OP arrives in north America.

Nobody, who claim to ski "European reds" (basically north America blues) will not "go off piste" in north America!

The problem of asking for advice from a UK based forum, about skiing in and around NYC, is you're getting mostly the visitor's view only. Even if you ask in a US based ski forum, you're still getting a second hand view of people who used to live in NYC, or a few people who actually live in NYC but have their own preferences and biases.

The only way to get some good info for skiing around NYC while LIVING there, is to ask the people who live and ski there once they settle down in NYC!

brovert wrote:
Join a local ski club. They’ll run regular trips to local ski resorts with some to ones further afield with added benefit of meeting likeminded people.

Now, THAT is the only advice I would endorse!

THIS: https://www.ski-nyc.com is the local ski club. Go to their mixer ("Happy hour") and meet people!

Or you could post your question HERE: http://forums.alpinezone.com/forumdisplay.php/10-Northeast-Skiing-and-Snowboarding-Forum which covers practically ALL the mountains you can drive to from NYC! Keep in mind though you're likely get a few strange comments due to the difference between Euro vs N America skiing.

I used to live in NYC. I can tell you what I used to do but it probably doesn't apply to your situation. And half of the information I used to rely on are probably outdated. And frankly, there's no such thing as "fairly big" resort within 4-5 hour drive of NYC. Not "fairly big" by European standard.

The OP needs to change their perspective of skiing in north America. And the only way to do that is by skiing with a local club (or make new skiing friends) once they settle in.



Thank @abc!
First of all, I am in need of new friends in general, since I left my country I have been interacting with my husband and some random people Smile
Your advice is super helpful and I'm going to join this ski club, seems it might fit me!
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
@michald, http://newjersey.news12.com/story/41176856/get-ready-to-ski-inside-american-dreams-indoor-ski-slope-has-opening-date

Is having its base layer put down now . . . you lucky bunny Toofy Grin Toofy Grin Toofy Grin
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 You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
@Masque
I'm definitely going to check it out, but I admit I'm skeptical
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Well, I spent 6 dismal years leaving in NJ. Sadly, there are no large ski areas nearby. I used to ski at Windham. https://www.windhammountain.com/ It's the closest to NYC. Otherwise you are driving up to Vermont. Mt. Snow is okay, but none of the New England ski resorts are what I consider great. Sorry, I grew up in Utah and Alaska, so I'm spoiled when it comes to the skiing...

Do yourself a favor, buy the Ikon pass, and plan on flying out West.
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
michald wrote:
I'm definitely going to check it out, but I admit I'm skeptical

The indoors slopes in Europe typically have clubs associated with them so it could be a way to find a group that you can go with to other ski areas.
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