[simontac]

Hello All,

Starting to plan our summer DH trips. We are looking to do 2 - possibly 3 trips this year to the NE for some DH. Have been to Diablo, and Whiteface the past few summers (usually just a weekend), and now looking to make it a 3 or 4 day, multi destination trip where we ride one place all day, travel to next spot, and ride again!

So my question is which should we consider? I know and like Whiteface for the vertical and sheer size, Diablo for its all around great options and terrain.

Can people please give me opinions on the following? Hopefully you can compare them for me with some of the others. Like I said, we don't get to this area much as we are from Ontario, Canada - but short of going out west (or Bromont) the NE offers the most vertical, and variety!

Which should we hit of the Vermont resorts? Probably only be able to do two - which are the best.
Killington, VT - seems best of VT offerings??
Mt. Snow, VT.
Sugarbush, VT.
Jiminy Peak, VT - seems to pale compared to other 3?

Then thoughts on Plattekill? Seems to be a great DH place - is worth a stop during the Diablo trip?

Thanks for any advice and recommendations.

Simon

 

[IH8Rice]

a trip to the NE without going to Plattekill would be lacking

 

[yd35]

I haven't tried any of the VT spots you mentioned, but I highly recommend Plattekill and Highland. Each mountain is a lot of fun, and importantly, they each have their unique strengths. I think Diablo is the most well-rounded, Platty has the best natural DH, and Highland has some of the flowiest trails along with a killer jump line and slopestyle course.

 

[jnooth]

Vermont has its fair share of good riding. Here is what Think of the following resorts.

Mt snow- wouldn't go there just to freeride. the trails are ok but i would get tired of it really quick. If you are into the racing thing it would be worth the trip for a weekend race. they have decent race courses that are usually a blast.

Sugarbush- home to one of my favorite race trails, but I'm not sure its open on non race weekends (maybe someone can verify this). the park seems to be growing and has a few really long and fun trails. I would say this is well worth a day.

Killington- This in my opinion is the best park in Vermont. It has the most trails and has a great selection of raw natural terrain. some people are frustrated when they go there because they cant find the "good stuff". It is defiantly worth two days but make sure you find a local and ask them what good or you may not be pleased. stop into either the bike shop at killington or true wheels bike shop just down the road and they will point you in the right direction.


As far as other resorts in the northeast.

Plattekill NY- you cant go to plattekill and not have a good time. its not possible. It has its own vibe going on that is hard to explain. the trails are steep and techy and you could easily spend a day their and not see all it has to offer. I really recommend this place.

Highland NH- really fun if your into jumping and A-line style riding. for that its the best around. If thats not your thing you can still have a great time there but may get bored after a day.

Attitash NH- I have only spent a day their but it was a blast. some of the better trails around. If i hadn't gone there with a friend that knows the mountain i would have spent all day looking for "the good trails". just pop into the shop and they will let you know whats up.

Bromont- sounds like you have been their but you cant come to the east and not go there. It is the best around. world class trails and crew. I spend a good amount of time there and can never get enough of it. it has everything from tech to fast flowy jump lines.

hope this helps

 

[simontac]

Ok thanks. Love the Natural DH of rocks and roots (lots of this in Ontario & Bromont).
Isn't Highland more Freeride? Like more manmade with wood jumps and features? Its a small hill isn't it - so someone told me once that Highland is more of a jump/slopestyle/plaay park rather than more tradiitonal DH...

I guess thats not a bad thing - just with it being almost 10 hrs travel for us, is it not tough to drive by all the others to get to Highland?

 

[jnooth]

if you into more raw natural terrain spend an extra day at either killington or plattekill. Highland is fun but its more of a slopestyle park. best for a 5-6 inch travel bike. It does have a few natural trails but nothing compared to the above mentioned parks.

 

[simontac]

Wow thanks for the details. Not sure Highland is for us. If we were closer, maybe to experience the different style/terrain.
We are a group of somewhat older - maybe 'traditional' style DH guys. Long runs - lots of natural features. Love some well designed manmade stuff as well, but needs to be integrated into the terrain.
A great palce that is now closed was Calabogie, Ontario. It had awesome natural rock features being part of the Canadian Shield - with well places manmade drops/ladders/jumps.
Will definitely hit up Plattekill. Sounds like might be for us with all the rocks in the pictures.
Its just tough. We want to ride alot - but not travel for a day to be dissapointed! HA.

So what about a Bromont - Killington - Whiteface trip. And then a Diablo - Plattekill trip.

jnooth - You have experince at Sugarbush it seems... Do we miss too much if we skip Sugarbush in favor of Killington?

 

[jnooth]

sugarbush is great! don't get me wrong, but i would defiantly skip it to experience killington. it just has so much more to offer and its one of the more rocky, rooty places around.

Go for the whiteface-killingon-bromont trip you wont be disappointed.

here is a video to give you an idea about what killington is like.

like i said, dont be shy to stop into a shop to get pointed in the right direction because there is a LOT of trails their that you can waist your time on. that being said there is a couple days worth of good good riding as well.

 

[IH8Rice]

So what about a Bromont - Killington - Whiteface trip. And then a Diablo - Plattekill trip.

youd probably want to hit platty before you go to Diablo since you are coming from that direction

 

[downhill mike]

Wow thanks for including Whiteface again. We will do all we can to make this an easy decision for you again in 2012! Big plans for 2011!

 

[nowlan]

Wheres Attitash, I hear that place is mental. I think thats NE isnt it?

 

[captainspauldin]

Since you are considering Platty/Diablo, consider going to Blue Mountain in PA (http://www.verticalearthpa.com/).. About 1.5-2 hours from Diablo, fun natural trails, but I'm pretty sure they are only open during the weekend in the summer.

 

[Jim Mac]

All of the above suggestions are great.

I would add one caveat: as much as it pains me to say it, skip Jiminy Peak at all costs. The maintenance has been going downhill (literally) in the last few years and many of the good trails have been 'developed' for other mtn purposes.

 

[daisycutter]

Then thoughts on Diablo ? Seems to be a great DH place - is it worth a stop during the Plattekill trip?

fixed

 

[captainspauldin]

Then thoughts on Diablo ? Seems to be a great DH place - is it worth a stop during the Plattekill trip?

fixed

Without a doubt, it's got a great balance of man-made and natural features.. Plus when the water park is open you get to see all the momma sittas in their ill-fitting swim-wear.

 

[schwaaa31]

Wheres Attitash, I hear that place is mental. I think thats NE isnt it?

New Hampshire. Great, steep natural terrain.

 

[frolessleader]

Since you are considering Platty/Diablo, consider going to Blue Mountain in PA (http://www.verticalearthpa.com/).. About 1.5-2 hours from Diablo, fun natural trails, but I'm pretty sure they are only open during the weekend in the summer.

I can't agree more! I had no idea what Blue Mountain had to offer until I went down there for the Gravity East Finals. The race course was great, and I took a ton of freeride runs after the race. I wasn't really ready to leave that place. Super fun for sure. If you have already been to diablo a couple of times, might be worth the extra 2 hrs south to check out somewhere new.

 

[sikocycles]

I went to Attitash a few years ago and thought it was terrible. Maybe it got better since then.
Pkill, Killington and Highland are all great

 

[DJColdwater]

sicklines - did a big east coast round up with lots of photos and videos of these courses http://www.sicklines.com/courses/ethirteen-east-coast-chronicles/

 

[Jester]

All of the above suggestions are great.

I would add one caveat: as much as it pains me to say it, skip Jiminy Peak at all costs. The maintenance has been going downhill (literally) in the last few years and many of the good trails have been 'developed' for other mtn purposes.

Its a shame Jiminy stopped maintaining their trails. The trails they had were some of the best in New England in my opinion. That was my favorite place in NE for fast, racer style trails.

 

[Jim Mac]

Its a shame Jiminy stopped maintaining their trails. The trails they had were some of the best in New England in my opinion. That was my favorite place in NE for fast, racer style trails.

I agree, and I only live 45 minutes away. I heard that they were down to maybe 3 top to bottom trails.

 

[intensified]

id say look the map over, some areas are on the other spectrum.
Circle the mtns and see what is realistic. My fave spots are
1. platt
2.sunday river
3.killington
I wouldnt wast time with atitash, although its not far from sr if ya
make it up that way.
If I had a week to kill i would spend time at plat and drive the ahh
7 plus hours to sunday river. you have to keep in mind the days
they are open to. Not many run lifts on m to fri weekdays.

 

[Eastern States Cup]

I'd hit up Plattekill on a 4 day race weekend....no suprise there I guess.

Killington and Whiteface are BIG and epic, bothe are open 7 days a week.

I really want to get to Sunday River, Attitash and Blue

Jiminy Peak is open 7 days and super fun, IF you know where the trails are. Signage and maintence are no longer part of the program.

Mount Snow is Great for XC or AM, BUT the DH races courses are fun.

Sugarbush...no
Catamount..no
Hunter..no

West if its open, fun and tech.

The mountain in NJ...................well......um........ nm

 

[Banshee Rider]

I personally think Diablo is worth visiting. Speaking as someone who only rides there once a year (if even) without the local mtn vs. mtn mentality, they have a ton of trails with a ton of variety, and their lift is super fast.

I have to put another drop in the Sunday River bucket. Maybe I like it so much because I live an hour away, but the dirt is rad, and the terrain they have to work with is killer. There's a better mix of fast bermed out runs than there used to be, with some all natural old school steep/tight/gnarly runs too that see little traffic these days. Plus the lift is fast. Here's a short video I made to properly spam the **** out of that place.

 

[captainspauldin]

I have to put another drop in the Sunday River bucket. Maybe I like it so much because I live an hour away, but the dirt is rad, and the terrain they have to work with is killer. There's a better mix of fast bermed out runs than there used to be, with some all natural old school steep/tight/gnarly runs too that see little traffic these days. Plus the lift is fast. Here's a short video I made to properly spam the **** out of that place.

I kept hearing good things about Sunday River from the locals on my last trip up to Whiteface/Highland.

 

[Salami]

I have to put another drop in the Sunday River bucket. Maybe I like it so much because I live an hour away, but the dirt is rad, and the terrain they have to work with is killer. There's a better mix of fast bermed out runs than there used to be, with some all natural old school steep/tight/gnarly runs too that see little traffic these days. Plus the lift is fast.

I agree. Sunday River is loads of fun and exactly as described above.

I will be staying 20 miles away in August. I am hoping to talk the wife info riding there 2-3 times while we are in the area. If not I am going there by myself.

 

[epic]

The only place in VT that I think was worth paying for this year was Burke Mt. They were only open for 4 weekends this season, but what they built was really, really good, and if they keep moving in that direction, it's gonna be a real winner. Go on a weekend when the shuttle is running then you can get all the old school tech DH your heart desires.

I live in easy driving distance of KMart and Sugarbush and every time I go to one of them, I wish I had just gone to Bromont or Highland.

 

[Banshee Rider]

I agree. Sunday River is loads of fun and exactly as described above.

I will be staying 20 miles away in August. I am hoping to talk the wife info riding there 2-3 times while we are in the area. If not I am going there by myself.

Shoot me a PM when the time is near. I'd gladly share some chairs with you. Like any mountain, there's plenty of ways to link trails together that only time reveals. I happen to know them all there

 

[simontac]

Thanks for all the great info everyone...

I think we will do a Whiteface/Killington/Bromont (in some order) three day trip for sure.

Then we will do a 4 day trip to Diablo/Plattekill. From all responses and reviews, we will definitely need 2 days at Plattekill!!

Again, thanks for the throughts and reviews - if you have any other input, let me know!

Simon

 

[Eastern States Cup]

come to Platty on a race weekend and camp ftw



in two days you won't see half of what's there, make sure to ask.

 

[Sandwich]

My opinions haven't really changed from previous years...

-Plattekill - Has the best natural terrain in the east and has lost more trails than other mountains have ever built. The signage is poor and the lift is slow, but you can camp overnight, with fires for 10 bucks, so you can make a weekend out of it. This is, in my opinion, the best riding in the east. They have started to build better stunts and berms, but the fact is, the mountain doesn't need it.

-Diablo - I haven't been here in years as I'd much rather ride at plattekill and it was starting to turn into a mtbmx park rather than a DH mountain. It's also packed with messicans visiting the waterpark, and I'd rather not fight crowds. Great trailbuilding and a super fast lift, along with good variety. Not that much vert though and trails can get very washed out late in the season...

-Highland - If you like berms and jumps, this is your place to go. You won't find better built trails in the lower 50, but the mountain's height is like half plattekill and a quarter of whiteface...meaning really short runs or tons of berms and slow speeds. They have some amazing trails and some really terrible ones. Go here for park-style riding, stay away for pure DH riding. The facilities are the best in the business.

-Sugarbush - Never been

-Whiteface - Worth the trip, but bring a serious bike and a friend. The mountain is huge and the trails keep getting better, but there aren't a huge amount of options. Still, if you get in 10 runs in a day, consider it an accomplishment. Mostly natural terrain, great riding. Way out there....

-Vertical Earth Never been
-Seven Springs ditto

-Mount Snow - I haven't been to MS but I hear there's little commitment to trailbuilding and the daily "ride" trails stink compared to their legit DH race courses.

-Killington - Trailbike central. Get ready to pedal. Fast lift and good trail maintenance, but somehow only a few trails actually go downhill the whole way.

Catamount is trying to get better but it's not real serious. With other options in the area, I'd go elsewhere.

Jiminy has a quick lift, plenty of vert, and good natural trails, but their rack system SUCKS and they have apparently abandoned biking operations...I'd still go as a last resort but I guess it just keeps getting worse.

Bromont is superb...it's quite a hike but worth the trip. Not too far from montreal or vermont, but WC level DH trails and an excellent lift.

There's also Attitash and Sunday river, but I've never been to either of those.

hope this helps...

A few changes...I love plattekill for its vibe and atmosphere. Much more of a "community" feel with less stylized pajamas and more people out to ride and have a good time. Superb natural terrain.

Mickey sez mt snow is trying to revamp their operations this year. Could be a nice change.

Highland is still awesome for park riding, but it's "park" riding and not DH. It pales in comparison to any of the other mountains in the area for "downhill" riding, but it blows them all away for jumpznbermz.

Finally, burke mt in Burke Vt is on their way to becoming a prime destination. The kingdom trails are phenomenal, and they built a jump run on burke mt that is actually debatably better than highlands trails. Even I got air on my trailbike. The other trails are rather short/shallow, but maybe (hopefully) they will continue to build and expand the mountainside operations. I would (will) go back to spend a weekend there, but if they develop burke mt a little bit, it'll quickly turn to be my first choice.

One other thing, I know the locals love it, but I hated Killington when I was there. If I had my 4.5" trailbike it would have been more fun, but on my committed DH bike I was disappointed. I don't know where these "mystery super secret DH" trails are, but the ones listed on the map were all just OK.

 

[simontac]

Interesting views - mainly on Killington.

There has been mixed reviews about Killington, and I am struggling whether to go or not. We definitely do not have the luxury this year of several days there to get a 'feel' for the area and find hidden trails, and apparently that is the secret - that and hook up with a local.

Plattekill gets lots of praise, and definitely is a must from everyone who has been - and will be a two day trip for sure. And yes, Whiteface might not have the trail options of some of the other resorts (Diablo/Plattekill/Bromont) but it is one of my favourite places. I think its the sheer size - for us in the East its just the biggest, and that appeals to me. I find to run Whiteface from top to bottom fast and well (especially the top parts) you have to be able to handle your bike very well, and I like that challenge!

Thanks for all the input! Anyone from Southern Ontario reading this and interested and maybe jumping on the NE DH train for a trip - let me know!

Thanks
Simon

 

[nh dude]

As said before go to ...

Platty for the natural gnar, drops, steep chutes blind landings off camber slated up goodness. It is a mountain not a park. Its the real deal.

Killington for more flowing trails that link up nicely if you can get a local tour it is worth it. long fast runs burners top to bottom. Riding consists of fireroad for 1 min singletrack for 2-5 then repeat till at the bottom. 7 days a week. godola

Highland to jumps and rip berms. It is a major facility now in a small area.

Whiteface for natural terrain on a big mountain. This place is hard to ride fast at and requires an attitude adjustment about big rocks. 7 days a week. gondola. bring new brake pads.

The Sunday River was awesome way back and its better now.

Attitash was cool kinda of like Sunday river and Whiteface mixed together but on a smaller hill. Lift is sub 10mins.

I wanted to do this a couple summers ago, start at Platty on a weekend,then to Whiteface on Tuesday. Down to Killington for weds thurs down to Highland Friday Across to Sunday River or Up to Attitash for Sat Sun. Would be dope. Bromont would also fit in there and they are 7 days. The kingdom is also dope. The North East is sick right meow

 

[simontac]

Hi again,

Got an email recommending a trip to Snowshoe/Seven Springs...

I know its not NE US, but really not too much farther for us in Southern Ontario to go to South PA and WV than it would be to go to NH or VT.

What do people think of these two? Both Seven Springs and Snowshoe have some great videos - Snowshoe with some good vertical at around 1500ft according to reports. Seven Springs at 750 vertical feet seems a little low, and many of the trails seem on the beginner+/intermediate level.

So what about these two - maybe they would make a good third trip.