10 Ski Areas for City Slickers
If checking your skis with an airline gives you the shivers, make a cup of cocoa and check out these ski and snowboarding resorts within two hours of a major metropolitan area.
Denver: Winter Park, Colo.
Rocky Mountain highs turn into rotten mountain lows when you’re sitting in traffic on Interstate 70, the major ingress to Vail, Beaver Creek and Breckenridge. But the Intrawest-owned Winter Park Resort is just 67 miles from downtown Denver—ditch the traffic at exit 232 and snake north on Highway 40 to some 3,078 skiable acres. Skiing and riding greenhorns can learn on Discovery Park and chase down White Rabbit while experts head to legendary bumps on Mary Jane and steeps on Vasquez Cirque. To avoid climbing back into the car, stay at the rustic, ski-in, ski-out Zephyr Mountain Lodge and sign up for the Fresh Tracks Breakfast, which gets you the first chair at 8 a.m. To ditch the car altogether, consider the Ski Train, which travels from Denver to Winter Park in two hours and 15 minutes.
Salt Lake City: Solitude, Utah
Five hundred inches of snow a year. Three bowls filled with powder. Thrilling tree runs and knee-knocking chutes. Alta? Nope. Snowbird? Try again. This is Solitude, which shares the same ski-perfect geography and the same prodigious storms with its better-known Utah counterparts—but doesn’t share the crowds or the clogged roads. Just 45 minutes from Salt Lake City International Airport (and even closer to downtown), Solitude sits in Big Cottonwood Canyon and has bigger terrain than its family-friendly reputation indicates. Tucked among the 1,200 acres are 64 runs, including the double-blacks of Honeycomb Canyon and long, thigh-burning cruisers from the summit. You won’t find many high-speed lifts here but then again, who needs lifts? For $165 (including lift ticket and lunch at the Creekside restaurant), skiers and riders can join “Back Tracks,” a backcountry guided tour of the Wasatch Mountains. You’ll never believe that SLC lies just a pole’s throw away.
Portland, Ore.: Mount Hood Meadows, Ore.
The 11,249-foot tall volcano of Mount Hood last erupted more than 100 years ago, but it’s still pretty hot around here—at least when it comes to skiing and snowboarding—thanks to four separate ski areas that rival Rocky Mountain resorts for snows and steeps. Portlanders who spend all week gazing longingly at Hood’s glaciated flanks can be at Mount Hood Meadows Ski Resort in 90 minutes. And in just a few additional minutes, they can be at the top of the Cascade Express lift, looking down at 2,150 acres and 85 runs of skiable terrain. Head to skier’s left, and you can tackle the experts-only ridges and bowls of Heather Canyon; skier’s right takes you swooping down runs such as Texas Trail and Catacombs. Eight terrain parks and a nordic center round out the discipline diversity. Plus, Meadows is wide open, even when park & pipe events draw crowds—luckily, the only thing erupting around here these days.
New York City: Hunter Mountain, N.Y.
One of New York City’s best weekend parties is actually two hours north of Manhattan in a town called Tannersville, where Slopes nightclub keeps urbanites and country-dwellers alike rocking until 4 a.m. But first, many earn their spots at the bar by skiing and riding Hunter Mountain, which looms above Tannersville. No snow in Central Park? No problem—Hunter blasts 1,100 snow making machines to tuck its 240 acres and 55 trails under the white stuff. The base-to-summit Snowlite Express starts cranking at 8:30 a.m., the best time of day to hit tough runs such as Annapurna, Westway and Claire’s Way. Those still recovering from the night before might instead take it easy on the intermediate Belt Parkway or take a refresher lesson on Mossy Brook. And those seeking a more wholesome form of end-of-day entertainment can skip Slopes and stay on the slopes for snowtubing until 9 p.m.
Los Angeles: Big Bear Mountain, Calif.
For surfers waiting for the next set to roll in, here’s an alternative: drive the two hours to Bear Mountain, whose 198-acre freestyle Park with 150 jumps, 80 jibs, a 600-foot-long Superpipe and a halfpipe lets riders really rip. Meanwhile, a 1,700-foot vertical drop and four mountain peaks provide a gamut of groomed runs, and an expansive snow sports school can teach everything from first-time lessons to pulling tricks in the Park. Most of the rest of the resort’s 748 acres is devoted to undeveloped, backcountry terrain accessed by a simple schuss through Bear’s boundaries. If that’s not enough, neighboring Snow Summit also has 31 trails on 240 skiable acres. Come twilight, the lifts keep running for Summit Nights at the Ego Trip Park. And February and March are full of freestyle competition, which means surfers can get back to their other boards come April.
Boston: Cannon Mountain, N.H.
To find out what makes a ski racer, you don’t have to look toward Austria or even Colorado. You can simply drive the two-plus hours from Boston to Cannon Mountain, New Hampshire. It’s the home mountain for Bode Miller, who in early 2008 earned his 28th World Cup victory, becoming the most successful American ski racer in history. Cannon’s also the provenance of U.S. Ski Team member Caitlin Ciccone and U.S. Disabled Ski Team Tyler Walker. Something in the water? More like something in the snow, which falls on authentically steep trails such as Paulie’s Folly and Avalanche, which plunge toward Echo Lake. The north-facing mountain, with 168 skiable acres and 60 trails and glades, is also steeped in history. For more than 70 years, New Englanders have been heading to Cannon to cut their skiing teeth. But because Cannon’s resisted developments such as slopeside condos and villages, the masses race off to other mega-resorts.
Philadelphia: Camelback Mountain, Pa.
On a gray winter day, sometimes even the City of Brotherly Love isn’t so lovable. That’s when Philadelphians drive an hour and 45 minutes to Camelback Mountain. The 2,050-foot peak in the Poconos is a Burton Learn-to-Ride mountain, which means its rental shop is stocked with 900 beginner-friendly Burton boards (as well as shaped Elan and Salomon skis) and the lessons (just $25 for 90 minutes) are tailored toward hooking rookies on the sport. Fifteen lifts disperse ticket-holders among 33 trails and three terrain parks, all of which are lighted for night skiing. And while Camelback has only an 800-foot vertical drop, its après options are as wide as many Western mountains. Starting as early as 2 p.m., live bands pack ‘em in at the Bar at Camelback while the Coconut Café, whose staff sports Hawaiian shirts, transports skiers and riders even farther from the chill back in Philly.
Seattle: Summit at Snoqualmie, Wash.
For less than it costs to fill up a four-by-four, skiers and snowboarders can be hitting four separate ski areas at the Summit at Snoqualmie. The multi-faceted mountain, just 45 minutes from Seattle, charges $52 for 9-to-5 lift tickets good at all four areas; throw in $4 more, and you can ski under the lights until 10 pm. So the only painstaking part about getting here is deciding which base area from which to begin. Alpental celebrates its 40th birthday in 2008 and has some of the toughest terrain along with 500 acres of backcountry accessed from the Edelweiss Chair. Summit West is where you go to learn on gentle greens or hit one of two freestyle parks. The superpipe’s found at Summit Central and the nordic center, which has 50 kilometers of classical and skate-skiing trails, lies at Summit East. With a combined area of 1,916 acres and an average annual snowfall of 435 inches, there’s not a bad choice anywhere along this stretch of Interstate 90.
Minneapolis-St. Paul: Buck Hill, Minn.
Just about everything related to Buck Hill is fast. The trip south to the ski and snowboard hill from the Twin Cities is a turbo-charged 25 minutes. Skiing from top-to-bottom is a lickety-split affair, as Buck’s vertical rise is only 306 feet. The fastest of all are the skiers themselves. Thanks to the legendary coaching of U.S. National Ski Hall of Famer Erich Sailer—who’s been timing Buck’s racers for 30 years—this Minnesota mountain has produced five Olympians and hundreds of junior champions. But skiers and riders of any speed can find features worth a day trip. Buck Hill has 16 runs, nine lifts and all-day weekend lift tickets for $36 (adults) or $32 (kids). For an inspiring lunch hour, the hill sells $10 “early bird specials” that allow weekday access from 10 am to 1 pm. Exactly how quickly can you escape the office?
Hartford, Conn.: Mount Snow, Vt.
Vermont’s northern border may kiss Quebec, but the southern state line snuggles up with Massachusetts, making Mount Snow a quick trip for Hartford snowhounds. Found 20 miles west of Interstate 91, Mount Snow is two hours and 15 minutes from the Connecticut Capital. Most of its 107 trails (on 590 skiable acres) are aimed at intermediates, but you can also find brag-worthy bumps on Beartrap, steep pitches on Ripcord and The Plunge and mellow runs in the Carinithia area. Terrain parks and halfpipes, including the 460-foot long Gut Superpipe, litter the mountain. An little insider's tip—seek the late-afternoon light on the south-facing Sunbrook trails. Cuzzins Bar & Grill is among New England’s best venues for beers and bands; later, the party moves to the Snow Barn. For a more serene Vermont scene, dozens of postcard-perfect B&Bs surround the base.
More
Sporting Goods Suppliers
