 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello
We are thinking about taking a trip to the USA east coast in either January or March, looking at Killington, Stowe, Loon Mountain or North Conway (these are the resorts our tour operator goes to).
We've been to Banff/ Lake Louise, Canada before and want to try somewhere else. I'm a bit of a novice and my partner is an intermediate who is looking to do some telemark skiing too. The east coast is appealing cause it's a shorter flight from the UK and we'd like to tie it in with a visit to Boston.
I have a few key questions:
When would the best time be to go? I am leaning towards January for our leave but what will the snow be like then?
Will we find the east coast as good as we found Banff or should we head to the west?
Which resort would be best for us both?
Look forward to your suggestions
Thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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?
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Will we find the east coast as good as we found Banff ?
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Highly unlikely.
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or should we head to the west?
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Absolutely!
If you're really stuck with the east coast, March will be better than January. Even for the west, March is still better though less critical compare to the east coast.
Of the east coast resorts, Stowe is probably consider the best. Though the price will likely reflect that. And it's a longer drive from Boston to Stowe than to Loon. (North Conway is a town not a resort. Resorts nearby would be Wildcat or Bretton Woods)
Welcome to snowheads! 
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I've skied the Eastern US for over 40 years and love it. But to be honest, if you are paying to fly in a jet you should keep going to the bigger mountains and deeper snows of western US or Canada. If you want to combine urban culture with skiing then good North American choices might be San Francisco-Squaw Valley or LA-Mammoth Mtn or Vancouver-Whistler.
However, if you have a compelling reason to visit Boston then yes, Stowe might be a fine choice for small town Vermont charm and good skiing. Killington has more low-intermediate terrain than Stowe. North Conway, New Hampshire or more precisely the small nearby town of Jackson is charming and has several smallish, but entertaining ski areas nearby, especially Wildcat. The ski areas I have mentioned have about 700meters vertical drop and can each keep a good skier happily occupied for 3 days, longer if fresh snowfall. They have a range of ski terrain suitable for novices to experts. North Conway/Wildcat would have the least crowds. The area around Jackson, NH is also known for telemark and cross-country skiing.
Jan vs. Mar is a tricky question, exactly what dates are you considering? On average, I would say for New England ski conditions the timeframe of early Mar is better than early Jan. Late Jan is better than late Mar. The most reliable month is throughout February. These areas have magnificent man-made snowmaking capacity and are usually 70-100% open between Jan 1 and Mar 15, but unlike high elevation western ski resorts they are subject to occasional and unpredictable warm spells and rain that can dampen trail surfaces to less than optimal conditions.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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What everyone has said so far is accurate. Go west if it's all about skiing. If you're tying it to a Boston trip then I'd say definitely do Stowe. It's a charming town & a decent mountain, albeit expensive. If you're doing Jan, then do mid-late Jan. If March then earlier in the month. Skiing wise the best thing about the East Coast is the tree-skiing. Although if you're a novice then you probably aren't looking to do that. But a trip to Boston/Stowe could be a really nice trip, and the skiing there can definitely keep a novice occupied for several days. Killington is bigger, but definitely not better. It has less character, although it has an excellent nightlife scene. Stowe is a little more laid back for nightlife, but there is definitely plenty there. I have cousins from Ireland who came out to ski when I lived in Boston & we all had a blast in Stowe. They also did Killington (without me) and they definitely preferred Stowe. Oh, and there's lots of telemarkers in Stowe as well. That's fairly common in New England.
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Thanks for the info guys!
We don't have to go to Boston, just that it's somewhere we want to go at some point so thought it would be a good combination. Our times are the 16 January or 19 March.
We will look at the west coast too, any suggestions on the best resorts to meet both our needs? In terms of nightlife, we're much more meals and quiet pub types than party animals so this isn't too much of an issue for us.
Thanks again
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FAQ
The hills arent too big either with little vert.
