I'm chuckie, a snowboarder from Laurel, MD and a season pass holder at SKILIBERTY.

It looks like all the local mountains have shut down... Does anyone have any reccommendations for resorts in the area (no thanx on SNOWSHOE)?

Has anyone been to SKIWINDHAM in NY? How about HUNTER MOUNTAIN?

thanx one and all...

Chuckie, I went to both about this time of the year waaay back in 1985. I found Hunter to be the far superior mtn, but if you go up there (7-8 hr drive) you might visit both if their websites say they both have decent conditions. When I went to them Hunter had about a 1600' vertical and it skied even bigger than that, there are a lot of ways down, including a few double blacks and an all black diamond backside. It is much larger than Snowshoe. They have great snowmaking too. The HUGE problem with Hunter is weekend NYC crowds, but at this time of the year that should no longer be much of a problem as New Yorkers are thinking about nonskiing stuff too now. Windham (i think about 1400' vertical) may have enlarged since my visit, I found it to ski much smaller than Hunter and there was not much that was memorable about it, but I don't think all the terrain was open, so it may be better than what i saw. If your season pass to liberty gets you some benefits there, by all means check it out, but save at least one day for Hunter. Another option is Mt Snow or Killington, VT, they always have some of the best spring conditions, but they are about 2-4 hours further on up the road. Mt Snow is a little bigger than Hunter, Killington is as big as all of them put together when the terrain is all open.

Try Shawnee Mountain. It is only a 4 1/2 hour ride and has 19 of 23 trails open. I skiied it back in late January and it was excellent. Nice long wide runs. According to their web page they plan on staying open through 3/26.

hey JimK, thanx for the info. Just glancing at the trailmaps confirms that HUNTER is a superior mountain.

What's the deal with the 7 or 8 hr. drive time? I thought it would be more like 6 or 7 from LAUREL, MD...

what do you think?

MikeB, whatup?

That 4 1/2 hour drive sounds like a winner to me. I'm proboably going up the first weekend in APRIL, what do you think it will be like then?

thanx

I love snowshoe.. I have season passes there and they have really payed off. I have skied there 10+ this year. i have skid other palaces around here like Dc timberline and cannan i hate timberline and cannon was ok. Snow is the best in the east. i have never been to whitetail i was gona go but they closed to soon same as libery. Snowshoe allways has snow and i have never seen a bare spot like i have at timberline(barespot haven) and the occasinal at cannon. Timberline has had a huge fog at the top of the mountain and a huge wind the 3 days i have been there, True Snow does have problem.. As waiting 4 the bus 4 and hour i have felt that b4.. but next year should be better there getting 16 new busses. i herd. 1 problem is there change driver shifts at 4:30(great timing) the slopes are crowed if u dont know which ones to take. The secert is to miss ballhooter. (i have seen 45 minute lift lines there) grabhammer is hardly ever crowed and most people dont realize it but it runs pretty much parral to ball hooter and if u dont mind a little trucking up that small hill there u can get to any slope on the mountain. I like silver creek generally not as much as i like left side of snowshoe. and western terrotery i have been to silver creek on days when they have so many snow guns goin that by the time u get down u are coved in about a foot of snow (1 gun every 15 meen on both sides of the slope they had every outlit open) and there where the small guns not the big air blizzard blowers. silver creek has a small vertacial alot smaller than snowshoe does allthoth they take better advantage of it. i personally dont mind the development of it i sytayed at the mminn (marlinton moter inn). they have great food its cheep and its about 15/20 minutes away from the slopes. good runs at showshoe are Upper Cup and lower Cup Shayes Upper (lower shays is a complete hell hole its like ice skiens and i dident even bother trying it on a bord). Over at silver creek the only good trails are flyeagle (my favorate over there) bears claw cascade (snowshoes other terran park theraredically but never opened) The Blues over there are pretty easy and i dont really like them laural run is the only run i remember. and its pretty good i guess. Silver creek is groomed every night pretty much (except the first 20 feet of flying eagle and bears claw)<--thats what makes them a black).
At SnowShoegood trails are-- (Grabhammer<--my favorate) Lower knot bumper and knot bumper glades) plus they are never crowed i have never seen more than 3 other people rather than my self on the hole expace of the trail (could it be??) Widowmaker is good when there are no croweds and the newbies get off of it.. Choker is the one trail over there i cant stand and i allways avoid at all costs. ThaT does it 4 blacks Good blues over there are pretty good and my favoite is moonshine even thow it is kinda short. THe Blues are allways crowed with newbies and u spend mosta ur time doging people and corpuses and groups stop in the middle of the slope to which drives me crazy).. All in alll showshoe has its draw backs but as snow conditions and slope quality goes it defently the best. all thow the crowes are bad (expessly chrismas/newyears weekend (when there were 90%) open i might add and martuerluther king weekend)<-- the worst on off weekends there great and monday there great some days i dont weight 4 a lift line at all.. (those old trail on the other side of windowmaker where the first trails make and i think there where closed due to water rights or something over there but i think they plan to reopen them i dont know in guest servaces they have a map on the wall which lists them at expansion area) (the bread sticks) at pizza pizzzza are real good at the hamburger on slope are good so is the beef stew and the bottom of cup. (ankelbuks cabin) the boat house is nice when there is along line at ball hooter) i dont know why u guys hate snowshoe i love its by far the best place around (except blue knob) when there 100%% open(never)

Pat

While Hunter may be a little bigger mountain than Windham - that really does not matter much this time of the year as both of them have lost some trails (might improve though with cold weather this weekend). One thing you might want to also consider is that you Season Pass from Liberty will get FREE lift tickets at Windham as well as a discount at their hotel - The Windham Arms (I am not sure if the discount is only during the week or if it does also include weekends). Another thing to consider with the person who skied the two mountains in 1985 is that Windham has put in at least 30 more trails since that time. I think you would be just as happy at either but with the free tickets you would be better off at Windham.

I almost forgot - the drive is not that bad to Windham or Hunter - just straight up 95 to (I think) the NY State Thruway and there are exits for each. While it does still take 6 - 8 hours depending on how fast you drive and traffic, it is well worth it compared to any of the resorts in the Poconos this time of year. Another thing, if you are looking at early April, you may want to watch the closer resorts as they close (other than resorts like Snowshoe) well before Windham and Hunter. Good Luck!!!