Where to Find the Best East Coast Skiing in the US
East coast skiing in the US is known for it’s ice, but TRUST me, when the conditions are just right, it’s epic! Having grown up on the east coast, specifically, in upstate New York, I KNOW what true east coast skiing looks like. I have skied in ALL conditions. Whether it’s been SUPER icy, extremely COLD, extremely warm, whether it’s raining or snowing, I’ve skied through it all.
I use to be a ski instructor, so I really have skied in every condition and at MANY ski resorts/mountains. Thus, I know which ones are the best and which resorts are just posers. Therefore, in this article, I will let you know which northeast ski resorts are actually worth it to ski/snowboard at.
Also, in this article, you will learn about East Coast ski resorts, East Coast ski mountains, East Coast skiing spots, best East Coast skiing for beginners, East Coast skiing packages, and more.
This post is all about east coast skiing.
East Coast Skiing:
East Coast Skiing : Vermont
Alright, I think all east coasters know that Vermont IS the best state for east coast skiing, in my opinion. There are great resorts in each northeastern state however, we all know that Vermont has the most, without a doubt. A true hidden gem ski resort on the east is Jay Peak. Jay Peak has the BEST snow on the east coast, seriously. Jay Peak averages 347 inches per year, which is comparable to ski resorts/mountains out west.
It IS my favorite ski resort in the east, and I would know because I was a ski instructor there. Also, if you want to ski glades and powder, GO TO Jay, I’m not kidding when I say they have the BEST! Another hidden gem of Vermont, in my opinion is, Pico. I LOVE Pico. I went last year on a nice warm March day and it was perfect. The snow was great, the glades were SO much fun and the sun was out. It was a great day. With all that being said here are some more AMAZING ski resorts in the majestic state of Vermont:
- Jay Peak
- Burke
- Sugarbush
- Mad River Glen
- Smuggler’s Notch
- Pico
- Stratton
- Magic (watch out, there’s only 2 working chairlifts, since I went last, gets VERY crowded on the weekends)
- Killington
- Mount Snow
- Okemo
- Stowe
(Related Post : East Coast Skiing Canada)
East Coast Skiing : New Hampshire
Okay, onto our second east coast state, New Hampshire! New Hampshire has some awesome ski resorts. Most of their ski mountains are on the smaller side, but are definitely still a lot of fun. Another hidden gem ski resort on the east and in New Hampshire is, Bretton Woods. I skied at Bretton Woods and loved it! There are two major peaks at Bretton Woods, Mount Rosebrook and West Mountain. West Mountain has some awesome glades.
Also, Bretton Woods is where the famous olympic skier, Bode Miller learned how to ski and they have a trail dedicated to him, Bode’s Run. Lastly, it is right across from Mount Washington Resort, which has the epic, Mount Washington in the back of it. There’s a place you can pull over to take a picture of the mountain and resort, it’s really beautiful. Also, Cannon is a SUPER cool mountain, in addition, it’s apart of the hiking challenge, the New Hampshire 48. Anyways, here are some more awesome ski resorts in New Hampshire:
- Bretton Woods
- Cannon
- Attitash
- Wildcat
- Gunstock
- Mount Sunapee
- Ragged Mountain
- Loon Mountain (best East Coast skiing for beginners)
- Crotched Mountain
- Cranmore
Mount Washington Resort (Across from Bretton Woods)
{Related Post : Best Ski Resorts in New Hampshire}
East Coast Skiing : New York
While New York does not have the number of ski resorts that Vermont and New Hampshire has, they do have some of the BEST on the east coast. And Whiteface Mountain in Lake Placid has the highest vertical drop at 3,430ft in the entire east coast. Gore Mountain is also a great resort in New York and is actually the largest ski area in the state.
If you are going to ski in New York, I HIGHLY suggest you ski at Gore Mountain. However, Whiteface and Lake Placid definitely have more to do, thus, if you’re going on a vacation I suggest going/staying in Lake Placid. Then, just take a day trip to Gore Mountain and spend another day at Whiteface. I say this because Whiteface gets SUPER skied off but still has INCREDIBLE views.
However, another personal hidden gem in New York that is frequently overlooked, is Belleayre Mountain. Belleayre is GREAT if you live in NYC or Long Island, Belleayre is only 2 and a half hours from the city and about 3 hours from Long Island. Compared to Gore Mountain, which is about 4 hours from the city and Long Island, and Whiteface, which is about 5 hours away. All these three mountains are owned by the state, making their seasons passes good at all three mountains. Just make sure you buy the pass for all three mountains if you are interested in a season pass.
Thus, Belleayre is a great “quicker” weekend trip if you live in NYC/Long Island. Even though it’s a smaller mountain, Belleayre is A LOT of fun. I do NOT recommend skiing at Hunter Mountain. Windham is okay, but Hunter is truly awful. Here are some more mountains I recommend skiing/snowboarding at in New York:
- Gore Mountain
- Whiteface
- Belleayre
- Catamount
- Jiminy Peak (in the Berkshires, Massachusetts)
- West/Willard Mountain (smaller and best East Coast skiing for beginners, West has night skiing too)
{Related Post : The Best Ski Resorts in New York}
East Coast Skiing : Maine
Okay, onto our last east coast state, Maine. Maine has some GREAT east coast ski mountains. Sunday River is one of the biggest ski resorts on the east, its size is pretty comparable to ski resorts out west. It has the steepest, longest, and widest lift-service trail on the east, White Heat, which you can find at White Cap Mountain. It has 8 different mountains/sections to ski/snowboard on the mountain, so it will definitely keep you occupied. Here are some more ski resorts in Maine:
{Related Post : Best East Coast Skis & Best Ski Resorts in Maine}
East Coast Ski Pass
There are a couple different passes you can purchase if you want to ski on the east coast. You could always buy a seasons pass at whatever mountain you will be skiing at most. Or to get multiple mountains on one pass, you can buy the Epic, Ikon, or Indy pass. Epic and Ikon offer the bigger resorts, while Indy offers more locally, family-owned resorts. In addition, Indy allows two days at any resort on their pass, while Epic and Ikon allow unlimited amount of days (depending on your pass that you purchase) at any of their resorts.
Here is a list of all the resorts on Epic, Ikon, and Indy. It’s up to you which pass sounds better for you. Epic also has a college pass that is a little cheaper for students in college/university. They also offer the Northeast Value Pass, both this and the college pass allow you access to Epic’s owned resorts on the east coast, however, they do EXCLUDE peak or holiday dates. Personally, I don’t know which pass I would choose, if I had to. My favorite ski resorts are Jay Peak, Gore, Belleayre, Bretton Woods, Pico, Magic, Smuggler’s Notch, Mount Snow, Sugarbush, and Mad River Glen, and more than half of these resorts aren’t on any of the passes listed above.
East Coast Skiing Packages
Now, Epic does offer 1-7 day passes, that you can choose which resorts and days you ski/snowboard on. And you can buy those online in advance. The 7-day pass, not including peak days, will run you about $625.
Overall, it’s hard for me to buy one of the three passes listed above. So, I really can’t advise you on which pass to pick unless you ski a lot at Stowe, Mount Snow, and Okemo, then I would HIGHLY suggest thinking about getting an Epic Pass or their Northeast Value Pass. On the other hand, if you enjoy skiing at Sugarbush, Sunday River, Sugarloaf, Loon, Killington-Pico (only 7 days are good), and Stratton, then maybe the Ikon Pass is best for you.
The positive of the Epic and Ikon passes is if you buy the full passes, then you do have access to ALL their resorts, which includes the ones out west, in Japan, Alaska, Canada, all of them. However, you have to buy the FULL pass WITHOUT restrictions. Both their websites are pretty straight forward and full of information, thus, you will know if you bought the full pass or not, everything is laid out for you very well.
East Coast Skiing Conditions
Okay, we all know, that the northeast is notorious for ice. We don’t get the nickname the Beast of the East for no reason! We do have A LOT of ice, however, when we do get major snowstorms, the skiing is AMAZING! Typically, we get our best snow in February and March, however, we have had HUGE storms in late November and December before. Usually, January is the most ice filled month for us.
Best Nightlife Ski Resorts East Coast : Where to Night Ski
A lot of ski resorts do not offer night skiing, however, there are still some resorts that do. They are Jiminy Peak, Smuggler’s Notch, Pats Peak, Stratton, Sunday River, Crotched Mountain, West Mountain, and Cranmore. There are some more, but these are the most popular I would say. As far as nightlife goes, I would say, Mount Tremblant (Canada), Whiteface, Stratton, Killington, Stowe, Sugarloaf, Loon Mountain, Mad River Glen, and more places that you can find here, have the best.
And that wraps up our article on the best east coast skiing. I hope you learned a bunch of new resorts to ski or snowboard at, and also potentially, what pass is the best for you to purchase. The east coast truly is the gnarliest coast in the US, and it’s SO true, if you can ski the beast of the east, you can ski ANYWHERE! Out west is EASY compared to what the east coasters ski in. Thank you so much for reading and get out there!
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