Top 12 - Early Season Bets East & West

ChrisC

Well-known member
I thought some my find this interesting - since it's coming from the author/group of Ski Snowboard America & Canada 2006: Top Winter Resorts In Usa And Canada.

I know Tony has a list. Just curious to see how another published journalist views this issue.

These ski and snowboard areas not only have some of the best early-season snowfall statistics, they also have resorts with extensive lodging, nightlife and dining. Remote ski mountains that have lots of snow but not much more -- areas like Colorado's Wolf Creek, Vermont's Jay Peak, and Washington's Mt. Baker (the ?Guinness Book of Records? most-snow champ) ? did not make the list, though die-hard skiers in these regions are no doubt already packing up the car.

Here?s the list, with the top five getting special attention.

1. Alta/Snowbird, Utah
These ski areas share a common box canyon in Utah that squeezes more powder snow out of storm clouds than any other spot in the state. These resorts have the best chance of being blanketed in dry fluffy powder snow early in the season.

2. Jackson Hole/Grand Targhee, Wyoming
Year after year, Grand Targhee gets plenty of early-season snow. The slopes here have been covered with snow in December for more than a quarter-century. Nearby Jackson Hole has almost as much snow plus the charm of the Old West town of Jackson.

3. Steamboat, Colorado
Here?s a surprise winner for those who don't realize that these slopes lie in one of the snowiest corners of Colorado. The snow stays protected by Steamboat's legendary glades. Chances are that more trails will be open here in the early season than at any other Colorado resort.

4. Whistler/Blackcomb, British Columbia, Canada
Our staff whined about occasional rain at this massive resort's lower altitudes and last year was an out-of-character bust. But when there is drizzle below, there's often sun and plenty of snow up high. Enjoy the upper mountain, then ride the gondola down the mountain at the end of the day.

5. Mammoth Mountain, California
The snow gods always seem to favor Mammoth Mountain; in fact, in some spots on the mountain the snow never melts. They were skiing and riding here until well after the Fourth of July. They almost always have awesome early snow.

MORE COVERAGE FROM MSNBC.COM
? Lovitt: Get a jump on ski season
? Snowmaking expands as season approaches
? New ski areas find niches with terrain
? 12 resorts for early snow
? Ski resorts uphold quaint images
? Full winter travel coverage

Other resorts such as Crested Butte in Colorado, Sunshine Village in British Columbia/Alberta, and the collection of resorts that ring Lake Tahoe all have good early snow statistics as well. But head?s up: At Lake Tahoe, it?s feast or famine. When the snow falls, it comes measured in feet or it?s only a dusting.

On the other side of the country, in New England, more than 75 percent of the trails are covered by snowmaking. This means skiers and snowboarders can count on good trail coverage for early outings provided the temperature is low enough to make snow.

Killington (Vermont), Sunday River (Maine) and Bretton Woods (New Hampshire) are the snow making champions in New England. Le Massif, a mountain outside Quebec City whose trails drop almost into the St. Lawrence Seaway, enjoys its own microclimate that makes finding early snow a good bet.

To recapitulate, here are the ?Best Bets for Early Snow? from the editors of ?Ski Snowboard America and Canada.?

1. Alta/Snowbird, Utah
2. Jackson Hole/Grand Targhee, Wyoming
3. Steamboat, Colorado
4. Whistler/Blackcomb, British Columbia, Canada
5. Mammoth Mountain, California
6. Crested Butte, Colorado
7. Sunshine Village, British Columbia, Canada
8. Lake Tahoe resorts, California and Nevada
9. Killington, Vermont
10. Sunday River, Maine
11. Bretton Woods, New Hampshire
12. Le Massif, Quebec, Canada

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15819202/

The Crested Butte recommendation seems so, so wrong. Could there be a worse early season spot in the state of Colorado?
 
...Remote ski mountains that have lots of snow but not much more -- areas like Colorado's Wolf Creek, Vermont's Jay Peak, and Washington's Mt. Baker (the ?Guinness Book of Records? most-snow champ) ? did not make the list, though die-hard skiers in these regions are no doubt already packing up the car....

Perhaps he originally wrote the article for a trade magazine. It is not about surface quality for skiers, but about commercial benefits for merchants. It's just a rehash of the philosophy "Mountains are fields painted white from which operators can reap money." Absent the money, mountains and skiing have no intrinsic value.

Cheers,
Jeff
 
Yes, there was nothing really bad there until I came across the Crested Butte comment.
Could there be a worse early season spot in the state of Colorado?
Not in my opinion.

My list published 5 years ago on skiingmag.com, fortunately still on this archive site: http://web.archive.org/web/200605270943 ... 38,00.html

The writer obviously does not understand the importance of topography in early season skiing, as evidenced by equating Snowbird with Alta and Jackson with Targhee.

With regard to the Sierra, Mammoth's conspicuous advantage over all other areas is in snow preservation, which is most important in late season. Sometimes Mammoth jumps ahead early due to a warm storm that snows there while raining up to 8,000+ at Tahoe.
At Lake Tahoe, it?s feast or famine. When the snow falls, it comes measured in feet or it?s only a dusting.
This correct comment applies to Mammoth every bit as much as Tahoe, as we are observing the hard way right now.
 
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