Week 11 Top 30

It was a powder week in New England as most mountains received roughly 16-22 inches of snow! Some mountains even reached 100% open and for this week’s Top 30 we are going with the best mountains to ski powder at. For those who are new or forgot how these rankings work, think of it like the NCAA Top 25. Mountains move up the list based on snowfall, opening terrain, how well they hold onto terrain after major weather events and overall reputation among other factors. They can move down after closing terrain, other mountains getting more snow, and major lift malfunctions among other factors.

1.       Smugglers Notch (+1)

2.       Stowe (+4)

3.       Cannon (+7)

4.       Mad River Glen (+3)

5.       Jay Peak (=)

Smugglers Notch reached 100% open this week and offers some of the best powder skiing on the east coast off Madonna while on the other side of the notch, Stowe comes in second with the Front 4 leading the way. Cannon also reached 100% open and has DJ’s and Kinsman open along with Mittersill offering little to no crowds. Mad River Glen is another to option on a powder day with many laps to be had off single chair while Jay closed some terrain this week but with 300 inches there is still plenty of goods across the mountain.

6.       Saddleback (-3)

7.       Sugarbush (+1)

8.       Killington (-4)

9.       Wildcat (NR)

10.  Bretton Woods (-1)

Saddleback is the top option for skiing in Maine right now with the steeps firing while Sugarbush has the entire mountain open although Castlerock is the place to go on days like yesterday. Killington saw Sassfras and Solitude open but the main attraction is Outer Limits and Bear Mountain. Say what you want about Wildcat’s ownership but Wildcat on a pow day is a can’t miss experience. Bretton Woods reached 100% open and the Rosebrook glades have never been better.

11.  Sugarloaf (-10)

12.  Bolton Valley (+2)

13.  Sunday River (-2)

14.  Loon (-1)

15.  Waterville Valley (-1)

Still without Superquad, Sugarloaf continues to offer great skiing and riding while Bolton Valley is a less crowded option for powder than the surrounding mountains. Sunday River has all glades off Oz open and Loon and Waterville have a lot of cut trails full of snow but Loon got to 100% open this week so they still have the edge.

16.  Magic Mountain (+3)

17.  Stratton (+6)

18.  Okemo (=)

19.  Attitash (+1)

20.  Mt Snow (+1)

Man, whoever had that private mountain rental at Magic on Monday sure won the lottery. Stratton saw over 20 inches of snow and has all of their terrain open while Okemo has all of Jackson Gore and South Face open. Attitash has a lot of cut trails like Ptarmigan and Tightrope that are great on powder days but don’t underestimate left side of the ridge Broken Arrow as a glade on these days. Mount Snow lived up to their name this week and has more of those cut trails for snowmaking rather than glades.

21.  Pico (+1)

22.  Ragged (+5)

23.  Gunstock (-6)

24.  Bromley (=)

25.  Berkshire East (NR)

Pico is a great alternative to Killington if you still want to get some steeps and glades in with less crowds. Ragged opened up all their glades while Gunstock has more cut trails full of powder. Bromley is very similar to Gunstock but they do offer more tree skiing while Berkshire East is the best pow day option in Southern New England.

26.  Pleasant Mountain (-1)

27.  Black Mountain NH (-11)

28.  Burke (-13)

29.  Sunapee (-3)

30.  Tenney (NR)

Lake views and more terrain make Pleasant a great option in western Maine. Black Mountain slips in the rankings since more mountains offer more challenging terrain and glades that are better on powder days. Burke has all of their terrain open and stays ahead of Sunapee who saw a lot of glades open combined with great lake views. Tenney also reached 100% open and saw the Hornet lift re open after a mechanical issue.

Biggest Jump: Wildcat (NR to 9)

Biggest Drop: Burke (15 to 28)

New To Rankings: Wildcat, Tenney, Berkshire East

Dropped From Rankings: Jiminy Peak, Big Moose, Mt Abram

Ownership Breakdown:

Independent Mountains: 15

Vail Resorts: 6

Boyne Resorts: 4

Alterra Resorts: 2

Pacific Group Resorts: 1

Fairbanks Group: 1

Omni Resorts: 1

State By State Breakdown:

Vermont: 14

New Hampshire: 11

Maine: 4

Massachusetts: 1