10 hardest runs in the east

eh? snow on the west is definitely better than the east. ive got the same "expertise" as you do seeing how i grew up on the east and moved out west skiing at snowbird and pc. thats just silly what you said.
 
Im with moose, tuckermans is insane especially if the snow is hard. Ive been up there a few times and this year I hiked the right gully and that was so scary stuff, even with soft snow. And if you have the balls to jump the headwall its huge
 


You have heard it said that if you can ski in the East – you can ski

anywhere. Well these trails certainly support that claim. I would

stretch that proclamation further to say that if you can ski in

Vermont, you are in the upper echelon of the hard core. The Green

Mountain State has big mountains, though not as high in elevation as

the West, the fall line and natural elements inherent to our terrain

present their own challenges. You will notice that the majority of our

top ten are natural snow trails, without the modernity of snowmaking

and machine grooming. Most of these trails represent skiing in its

essence, arguably the way it was meant to be. These trails, in my

experience and humble opinion, make for bragging rights and “tales at

the bar”. My top 10:

StoweQuadGoat.jpg
1.

Goat at Stowe is a heart-thumping, narrow, twisty run with

precipitous drops that just keep coming at you for 1,800 vertical

feet. This trail, along with the very steep Star (#4), is part of

Stowe’s famous Front Four. In my opinion, National and Liftline no

longer qualify as they have been altered over the years to accommodate

the masses, and therefore have lost their competitive edge.

2. Rumble at Sugarbush requires the dodging of trees,

negotiating of bumps, stumps and jumps. For the timid, the name Rumble

can be quite literal. This trail is part of the formidable Castlerock

area, which is anything but glamorous. Legend has it that when

installing the Castlerock chair, a bulldozer went "out of control"

mowing down several hundred feet of trees as it dropped down the steep

mountain. It was too steep to remove by winch, so a trail was cut to

extricate the dozer from below. I don't know if that is true, but it

does make for a fascinating story, and a terrifying trail.

3. Robin’s Run represents the little sister of the double black

diamond triplets at Smugglers Notch. If Stowe has its Front

Four, Smugglers has three (#3, #5, #7) which share the same incredible

pitch in varying degrees of steeps, knolls and cliffs. Robin’s is much

too narrow with at least three cliffs. It generally has thin cover

with exposed rocks and stumps making it all the more interesting. When

it first officially opened, forcing the locals to share their secret,

there was a 200-centimeter ski length minimum, to keep out those who

did not belong here.

StoweQuad.jpg
4. Star

at Stowe initiates you from the very beginning, with a barrier

fence to filter out the ill prepared. Following the initial drop of

several hundred feet of super steep pitch, Star continues on as a knee

grinding, back pounding run with numerous twists, turns and plenty of

moguls.

5. Madonna Liftline at Smuggs’ is under the lift - obviously,

making it very intimidating for the Madonna chair spectator factor.

When it is open top to bottom it is 2,100 vertical feet of pure

adrenaline. There are three cliff bands where you must choose your

jump turns carefully, to avoid those pesky lift towers.

6. Castlerock Liftline at Sugarbush is waiting when you finish

neighboring Rumble (#2), or should I say – when Rumble finishes you.

Logic dictates that the most difficult route down the mountain would

be the most direct, that being straight under the lift. This Liftline

has several cliff bans, posing the ultimate question: “how much air is

enough air?”

7. Freefall, the third of the trio at Smugglers’, is so

steep that mini-avalanches occur with each jump turn. This

wind-whipped 50 degree trail doesn’t usually open until mid-February,

because the snow doesn’t readily adhere to such a steep pitch. This is

no fall terrain, unless you are interested in a “free-fall”. The good

news is there is always tons of snow at the bottom of your descent.

8. Giant Killer at Pico says it all in its name. This is the

only trail on the east side off the summit of Pico The steep pitch

with big, firm (usually icy) moguls presents a fierce combination.

This trail has snow making which makes it and its future sibling (#9)

unique on this list.

9. Ovation, located to the right of Killington’s popular

Superstar as you ride the quad, is wide open and very steep and just

keeps getting steeper as it descends into the Killington Basin. The

avalanche affect can occur with each turn. Honorable mention goes to

Devil’s Fiddle for its very steep initial drop off, located to skiers’

right of the legendary Outer Limits, which gets all the publicity as

the steepest mogul slope in New England.

10. Mad River Glen makes the list, not for any one particular

trail, but for all of its au natural skiing without modern grooming

and snowmaking. The conditions here are completely at the whim of

Mother Nature, which can make the ski experience very challenging.

Hence the slogan, “Ski it if you can”. But if I had to pick one most

difficult trail at Mad River, it would have to be Paradise for its

steep, twisty glades. Wear your wool pants and be prepared for an

adventure.
 
that is vermont only

this is new england

You have heard it said that if you can ski in New England – you can

ski anywhere. Well, these trails certainly support that claim. Our

Northeast ski areas offer some of the most challenging trails

anywhere, due to our terrain, our climate and the resulting

unpredictable nature of our conditions. Although they are not as high

in elevation as the West, the fall line and the natural elements

inherent to our mountains present their own unique difficulty. A few

of my selections feature sister trails on the same mountain, therefore

possessing a similar pitch and style, so these trails are listed

together. This has the added advantage of not precluding worthy trails

at other ski areas.

1. Rumble at Sugarbush Vermont. Dodging trees, negotiating

bumps, stumps and jumps, the name Rumble can be quite literal. This

narrow, winding and steep trail is part of the formidable Castlerock

area, which is anything but glamorous skiing. We are talking narrow

and natural with precipitous drop-offs. Try Liftline when you finish

Rumble, or should I say – when Rumble finishes you.

StoweQuadGoat.jpg
2. Goat at Stowe, Vermont is a heart-thumping, narrow, twisty

run with serious vertical drop. This trail, along with the very steep

Star, are outstanding adventures, part of Stowe’s famous Front Four.

National and Nose Dive, while they are still awesome trails, no longer

qualify since have been altered to accommodate the masses, and

therefore have lost some of their “nasty” edge.

3. Robin’s Run, Freefall, and Liftline represent

the double black diamond trio at Smugglers’ Notch, Vermont. If

Stowe has its Front Four, Smugglers’ has these three that share the

same incredible pitch in varying degrees of steeps, knolls and cliffs.

Robin’s is much too narrow. Freefall is so steep that mini-avalanches

occur with each jump turn. Liftline is under the lift - obviously,

making it very intimidating between cliff bands, towers and the

watchful eyes of spectators riding the chair overhead.

4. Muleskinner at Saddleback, Maine makes the list for

high adventure. The traverse (or hike for snowboarders) out to this

narrow trail will have you telling stories. The trail itself also

presents a few challenges. You just have to ski it to believe it.

WarningSignAspen.jpg
5.

Shockwave at Maine’s Sunday River gets my vote. Neighboring

White Heat receives all the accolades (longest, steepest, widest) and

hosts all the events, but Shockwave is a little steeper, with a few

twists. It is not an exhibitionist trail to those riding the quad, so

you ski it purely for your own exhilaration. Off the beaten path, this

trail is also posted as NFT: an acronym for “No Fall Terrain”.

6. Bubblecuffer at Sugarloaf in Maine can have bumps the

size of Volkswagens. This trail starts at the tiptop, in the

snowfields, and continues on for what can seem like forever if you are

not equipped with rubber knees. Serious pitch and big moguls make this

double black diamond a trail worthy of bragging rights.

7. Ovation, located to the right of Killington’s popular

Superstar as you ride the quad, is wide but very steep and just keeps

getting steeper as it descends toward the Killington Base Lodge.

Honorable mention goes to Devil’s Fiddle for its initial drop-off,

located to skiers’ right of the legendary Outer Limits which receives

the publicity as the steepest mogul slope in New England.

8. Giant Killer at Pico Vermont says it all in the name.

This is the only trail on the east side off the summit of Pico. The

steep pitch with big, firm moguls presents a fierce combination.

9. Mad River Glen in Vermont makes the list, not for any one

particular trail, but for all of the au naturel skiing without modern

grooming and snowmaking. The conditions here are completely at the

whims of Mother Nature. That can make the ski experience very

challenging - hence the slogan, “Ski it if you can”. If I had to

choose one most difficult trail here, it would be Paradise.

Tuckermans.jpg
10.

Tuckerman’s Ravine, though not lift accessed, must be experienced

if you wish to join the ranks of truly hard-core New England skiers.

First you must climb the two-mile approach to Mount Washington lugging

your equipment. This separates the big dogs from the puppies. And if

you are going to do “Tucks”, do it right, over the Lip or Center

Chimney. Please consult your physician before attempting this

activity.

 
I'm really glad to see that Jay Peak isn't listed, whoever made this list is probably some kind of gaper/weekend warrior that doesn't know shit about east coast skiing, I agree that some of those runs are indeed hard, but Jay has some of the most ridiculous terrain I've skied in my life, face chutes after a good 3 foot dump is insanely difficult, and to not even publish it in a top ten of VT Runs, I am quite shocked, in a good way though, because it means less people at my home mountain crowding the "slow-closed-because-of-wind-and-ice" lifts, or the chickenshits that cram the tram line and take the tram up, only to download the tram because they are too afraid of skiing down

 
you really just kind of defeated your own purpose. and ive never been to jay so i cant vouch, but last time i checked 3 feet of freshies made skiing steep difficult terrain easier.
 
50 degrees is steeper than most pitches inbounds out west. FYI great scott at snowbird is like 40. north baldy is right around that. same with eddies at alta. a chunk of jackson is between 40 and 50 degrees too.

continuous 50+ degrees (west wall @ alta) really seperates a level of skiing...even out west. above 60 degrees without strraight fall line aka LIGHTNING BOLT in little cottonwood is just rediculous, so freefall tipping 50 degrees pitch with east coast conditions.....gnar

i also bet madonna liftline headwall is 50 degrees, for like 500 vert.
 
My old ski instructor boss grew up skiing MRG, he told me he was "about 20 years too old" to show me where it is. Said it's gnarly shit; this from a guy who apparently was a wild card on the Olympic team at one point.

I regularly get my ass kicked on the face chutes at Jay. Slides at Iceface are gnar too.

Whatever the mogul run under the chair at Stowe is, with the waterfall, is a fun one too. My ACLs still hate me for that run.
 
that trail you guys speak of at mrg i bleieve is just the long trail headed north. might be wrong but ive seen something simular to what that would be hiking.
 
mad river is dope too because if you know its gonna be an insane powder day you can stay in the starks nest wake up and have instant freshies on liftline.
 
Love the trail, so fun to lap on a pow day and drop the little cliffs. Ovation is really steep, and not often open. Its actually slid before.
 
word, i actually just hiked this section of the LT last weekend and it was pretty tough, i was going north to south so i was going up it, and it was definitely pretty tough hiking. I honestly don't think it would be very fun to ski down since its so tight and rocky. If you continue past paradise you get on the long trail and then it ultimately dumps you out on top of the beginner double since we hiked right past there
 
where are those double black diamonds at smuggs? ive never been able to find them then again i didnt try to hard

i still think the head wall on rumor at gore is one of the hardest spots ive ever skied
 
hiked north on the long trail from the single chair the one time ive ever skied mrg. and found some dope terrain, nice clifs and some serious pow for days after a storm. i got lost too.
 
FIS is steep but not hard. If anything the lift line next to it is harder since its way more narrow, doesn't really have snowmaking and has lift poles in the way. Rumble is legit though, i gotta get back there! castlerock is awesome
 
i remember hearing that outer limits at killy and white nitro at the loaf were two of the steepest groomed trails.
 
i honestly dont understand what the hype of outer limits is. There are like 5 other trails harder than it at killington, and its really not that hard at all. Its good bump skiing and its decently long, but really not that hard at all. Its really groomed either, maybe they put the groomer like right down the side or something?
 
its not a contest, just a discussion, but i disagree.

maybe considering avalanch danger in winter it could be the hardest.

theres gnarly shit in the adirondack thats really remote, steep, and avvy danger is there that i consider the hardest, especially because of the distance to the roads and the fact that not many people ski out there. well certainly not many nsers.
 
ahahaha, yeah man its true. but what runs aren't sheer ice at trembs?

I skied dynamite with a broken thumb and a cast on my arm, and as I was lining up the cliff, my dad loses an edge and knocks us both over the side of it. Luckily it was only like 10 feet and I managed to land on my feet somehow, but it could have gotten ugly.

 
thats backcountry you retard, and its not even a run, but theres multiple runs you can take on it....GET YOUR FUCKING SHIT TOGETHER
 
oh nono, i dont see it either, im just saying i remember hearing that. devils fiddle is 200% harder and its right next to it, too bad its never open.
 
ha thats called aftershock, it starts off with you skiing in a riverbed and then you end up hucking cliffs at that really steep part, i love that trail
 
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