East Coast Roll Call 23/24_The Guns Are Blowing

[oldnew_guy]

Will you only be skiing with kids (locally?) or are you looking to sample the goods farther afield?

Make sure to wash your car a lot for luck. We need it.

Honestly trying to figure out if we should just bag the whole skiing thing next year in favor of other activities. I don't want to spend tons of time (currently doing 1.5 hours one way) in the car to ski greens and blues with kids under 7. One option would be to just do some sort of week long vacation style thing at Jay peak or similar and not ski weekends and pick it back up when we are back on the west coast.

[Timberridge]

East coasters - looks like I'll be living in south central CT next ski season. What are reasonable options for skiing with young kids who don't need any more terrain than a blue? What else does a west coaster need to know about living, skiing and recreating on the East Coast? What should I make sure I and the kids experience for our 1 year stint on the eastern shores?

Welcome oldnew_guy. You and your family will find the people here on the ECRC a welcoming lot. You'll certainly want to ditch the 120cm waisted banana-shaped skis for something a bit more svelte. When you're not skiing, the CT coastline is home to the New London naval base, home to 16 attack class submarines. Rent a boat, pretend to be a Russian spy and see how close you can get to the Navy's newest Columbia class submarine currently undergoing testing at the base. After a morning of submarine watching, take the kids and head over to the Mystic Aquarium, home to a collection of rare Beluga whales. You'll want to check on their condition before you go, as they tend to fall ill and die regularly at the aquarium. At the end of the day, head down I-95 and grab one of New Haven's famous pizzas, or apizza, as it's called there. Bring home a Frank Pepe's white clam pizza, and a regular Napolitano if you're hungry, rent the movie Mystic Pizza and reflect on your good fortune to now call south central CT "home."

[Brownski]

East coasters - looks like I'll be living in south central CT next ski season. What are reasonable options for skiing with young kids who don't need any more terrain than a blue? What else does a west coaster need to know about living, skiing and recreating on the East Coast? What should I make sure I and the kids experience for our 1 year stint on the eastern shores?

Get a Mohawk season pass with the Indy add-on and you’re golden

[buckethead]

^^ catamount is a good little area, with cheap night skiing several nights a week. was my go-to sat night option when i was locked in the state during covid. southern MA, straddling NY border.

[ex-powderbroker]

yeah, maybe. Mohawk is cool and good for kids but with the 70+ ski pass thing it’s only 15/20$ a day.

70plusskiclub.org

then there’s the epic local old folks thing which was like 350 for seniors last year 80+.

depends how old is old.

ETA yeah indy is pretty cool too.

[buckethead]

Do you have two pairs of ski pants or do you have the option of turning one pair inside out? This seems like important information for us to have.

reversable ski pants...so handy when ducking ropes, but make sure to get the ones you can zip off, or you're sure to get busted taking the boots off for the old inside-out.

[buttahflake]

You want those kids night skiing ice as much as possible. Get them in a program. Learning to ski hard on ice is a wicked stepping stone.

[Timberridge]

For additional winter and summer adventures in nearby Upstate NY (btw there's a whole thread in the PR devoted to this gem), take I-84 (aka the Gateway to the Catskills) and enjoy near world class skiing at Plattekill Mountain in winter, or tubing on the Esopus in summer. Unfortunately for world class skiing you'll have to hoof it to S. VT.

You want those kids night skiing ice as much as possible. Get them in a program. Learning to ski hard on ice is a wicked stepping stone.

Butters makes a good point. After a season of skiing icy blues here in the East, they'll be positively raging down blacks and double blacks out West.

[buckethead]

+ 1 for plattekill.
on those deep days, pretty damn up there with VT's best.
on one such day a friend made the drive from smuggs to ski in the storm's bull's eye.

on 1march18 platty received 54" a day after the mountain looked quite done.
one of the greatest, deepest days in my book.
on a good day platty will be well worth the short trek west.

[MiltonBradley]

You want those kids night skiing ice as much as possible. Get them in a program. Learning to ski hard on ice is a wicked stepping stone.

Yep. My 8 year old daughter ripped down a black at Stratton that was a skating rink.🤣[emoji817]


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[Bottleman]

Yep. My 8 year old daughter ripped down a black at Stratton that was a skating rink.🤣[emoji817]


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They have blacks at Stratton? Who knew.


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[jhyatt]

Honestly trying to figure out if we should just bag the whole skiing thing next year in favor of other activities. I don't want to spend tons of time (currently doing 1.5 hours one way) in the car to ski greens and blues with kids under 7. One option would be to just do some sort of week long vacation style thing at Jay peak or similar and not ski weekends and pick it back up when we are back on the west coast.

I would do this. Or even just take a trip somewhere warm and skip a ski season.
And bring your gear and chase a storm if it lines up with your schedule.
If you are in a new area just explore locally. If you are in New Haven or something you can get to NYC easily.
Disclaimer we are experiencing a poor ski season so stoke is low.

[JohnF]

Otisco Valley at sunset...

[MiltonBradley]

They have blacks at Stratton? Who knew.


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I walked right into that one.🤣


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[FussyDutchman]

FTR, I don't own any stock, all my money is under my mattress.

I like me a firm mattress with lots of stuffing!

Wx forecast says go as high as you can.

[Vt-Freeheel]

Hi there D ^^

Off to Bear, y'all know what I look like

[cat in january]

Old newguy, young children don’t need much vertical. Small hills and lodges are much friendlier for them. Don’t let a season pass by without them sliding on snow. Find the places within two hours drive of where you will be and pick the one you like best.

[FussyDutchman]

Hi there D ^^

Off to Bear, y'all know what I look like

Hola A, go, go go!

[MyNameIsAugustWest]

Despite a dismal outlook, I just had to get outside today since it was so nice. Walked over to see how Magic was skiing.

Didn't look much better riding up...


Or when we skied an all-natural snow trail...


But I never took my skis off and was able to connect dots back to the snowmaking.

Later, the Patrol shoveled some snow bridges and opened the west side (Talisman). It was great. Had to shuffle across some grass and leaves to make it back to the lift but it was a hoot.

[Brownski]

Old newguy, young children don’t need much vertical. Small hills and lodges are much friendlier for them. Don’t let a season pass by without them sliding on snow. Find the places within two hours drive of where you will be and pick the one you like best.

Cat is right. Don’t listen to the grumps. Mohawk still jumps out at me as most logical for your kids. If you want to provide more info, I can give you a rundown of what else is around the area. There are options for sure.

[buckethead]

gore cand the sun were very fun

[MyNameIsAugustWest]

^ had a lot of fun spring days at Gore...in April.

[VTskibum]

Old newguy, young children don’t need much vertical. Small hills and lodges are much friendlier for them. Don’t let a season pass by without them sliding on snow. Find the places within two hours drive of where you will be and pick the one you like best.

Completely echo this and the comments around getting them in a program if there’s one available. Kids in a program and I ski w some of the other kids parents who are good skiers. Little ski oasis and provides a great background for when you get out to bigger mountains.

My kid from a 500’ hill ripped all over Utah last season.


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[Aldo]

Yeah bucket way to get it.
Mniaw- oof!

Just got put in a foursome this sat am - that’s not the way it’s supposed to be….. not done

[charlesj]

Old Newguy, what Cat and Skibum said. Skiing is better than not skiing. Kids usually get pretty damned excited about skiing (even modest vertical) and skipping a season is likely a bigger deal for them than it might be for an adult