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Catskills vs. Vermont


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Steeze gave you a shortened Steeze like answer. Here's a little better:

 

Catskills has Hunter, Windham, Belleayre, and Plattekill.

Hunter-on site lodging, baller snowmaking, 2 high speed lifts, steep terrain, and most crowds in the skillz

Windham-on site lodging, lots of families=MILFs, good snowmaking, high speed lifts, but boring terrain that leaves you begging for more after 3 hours

Belleayre-no decent lodging nearby, limited snowmaking, one high speed lift, nice upper mountain has fun but short runs, and lower mountain has a long flat runout

Plattekill-gem of the Catskills, no lodging nearby, no frills, no lift lines, no high speed lifts, good snow, limited snowmaking, no runout, and good people

 

Overall, there's some good skiing to be had in the Skillz. Annual snowfall is around 160"-180" a year which is comparable to SoVT. I am assuming that's what your looking at if you want to stay closer to home. Crowds can easily be avoided at Plattekill, but all the other mountains will be pretty busy due to the proximity to NYC.

 

Southern Vermont averages about the same amount of snow, but the mountains are larger and more spread out which helps them disperse crowds. Lift lines will still be unavoidable at the mega resorts like Stratton, Okemo, and Mount Snow. Bromley will also be busy, while your best bet to avoid crowds is Magic. Almost all of them except Magic have excellent snowmaking, but Magic has some of the best terrain around when the snow is falling. Almost all those resorts have on site lodging except for Magic.

 

If your talking all of Vermont, then there is no doubt that Vermont will be your destination. Starting with K-Mart north, your options are bountiful with good lodging, dining, and skiing options.

 

Be prepared to shell out more coin for VT than the Skillz.

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I know this doesnt answer your question but why stop there? Why not pop another CD in and keep going north till it becomes the northway for bigger mountains?

Agree. If you are going to stay overnight, why not stay where there is better conditions.

 

Hit up Bellearye on on your way home.

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Yeah, if I want more than the Catckills offer, I am more likely to hit Gore or Whiteface than go to VT. By the time you get to Whiteface there is just as much challenge and snowfall as anywhere in VT, more vertical, ample territory, smaller lines, lower prices.

Vertical, lower prices, shorter lines? Whiteface wins. Snowfall? The Jay and Stowe fans my have have something to say there. I do love me some Whiteface though. A true mountain in the east no doubt. Gore for me is the equivalent of Southern Vermont. Maybe on par with kmart.

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Vertical, lower prices, shorter lines? Whiteface wins. Snowfall? The Jay and Stowe fans my have have something to say there. I do love me some Whiteface though. A true mountain in the east no doubt. Gore for me is the equivalent of Southern Vermont. Maybe on par with kmart.

 

Should have said "anywhere in VT that is no further from PA"

Whiteface is probably a bit closer than Killington.

Nice to spend the time driving north rather than east, and to hit less traffic.

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Whiteface gets what, 200" a year while Gore gets 180"? Gore is one of my favorite places in the East and has some of the best cut glades anywhere, they just don't get the snow to consistently open them. That puts them on par to Okemo and Stratton with snow. However, Gore easily has less crowds. I've never been to Whiteface, but I've heard mixed reviews.

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whiteface = ice. gotta hit that place up when it gets fresh or in the spring when the ice softens up. the catskills are good for a day trip. I find that lodging in the catskills is more expensive than in vt (generally)....there is also a lot less lodging options in the catskills. that said, we did an end of the season trip to hunter last season: $30 lift tix and a mtn side room for $150/nite (reg $350/nite)....so it wasn't too bad. you'll be very hard pressed to find any descent lodging for under $150/nite.

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Bavarian Manor in Purling. It's a Bed and Breakfast and Bar with amazing German foods.

 

Be careful, I think Justo was in a food coma for a while after eating there.

definitely slept for the bulk of the drive back down the thru-way after that one. I was the driver, too.
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