College skiing

steez_apprentice

steez_apprentice

Member
I know there's already a ton of threads about this topic already, but I have a question about UMass Amherst in particular. It's my most affordable college I applied to, since I have instate tuition, but it's the one college I know basically nothing about the surrounding ski area. There's Mt. Snow nearby but I don't want to drop big bucks on an Epic Pass if that's the only mountain I'm gonna use it for. Is there any other mountains nearby with a usually good park year after year?
 
Can't beat epic local pass...it's like under $500, and pretty much guarantees you'll be able to ski from early December to mid April, totally worth it. Carinthia is like a little over an hour. Plus you get crotched, okemo, sunapee (all like 1.5hrs) and some others. Wachusett is like an hour but not worth the season pass price compared to vail, same goes for Butternut. Granite Gorge Mountain Park has got some stuff going but again it's a small hill and limited features, if you were in Keene it'd be worth it.
 
14600957:isaacwrong said:
Can't beat epic local pass...it's like under $500, and pretty much guarantees you'll be able to ski from early December to mid April, totally worth it. Carinthia is like a little over an hour. Plus you get crotched, okemo, sunapee (all like 1.5hrs) and some others. Wachusett is like an hour but not worth the season pass price compared to vail, same goes for Butternut. Granite Gorge Mountain Park has got some stuff going but again it's a small hill and limited features, if you were in Keene it'd be worth it.
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I've heard good things mainly about carinthia, crotched and wachusett, only real problem is transportation since I'm lacking a car going into college. also kinda sucks since I'm used to stellar parks like Killy and Bush, both of which I would only really see much of during school breaks :/
 
I think they also have a USCSA free ski team or something like that. I don't know much about the school but that could be a cool opportunity to meet people. and they rage there too I hear so that's a plus if you're into that
 
look into plymouth state [tag=285701]@Plymouthfreeskii[/tag]

Loon and waterville are 25 mins away and tons of people going to the mtn every day

probably cheaper than umass amherst too
 
14601027:RyanG603 said:
look into plymouth state [tag=285701]@Plymouthfreeskii[/tag]

Loon and waterville are 25 mins away and tons of people going to the mtn every day

probably cheaper than umass amherst too
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I've toured plym and talked to a few of the guys on my tour, (jamo, dylan, ben, jackson) and they're all great people. but in terms of majors, size, and quality of life dorms-wise (bathrooms were destroyed and found 4 used condoms on the stairwell) it just didn't really suit my needs. I talked to a few friends and they said it's kind of a love it or hate it type of school. I'm still weighing options anyways, also note: I would be paying about 7k less to go to Umass vs. Plym (before aid since FAFSA is all fucked this year)

**This post was edited on Mar 26th 2024 at 5:55:15pm
 
Dude ikon is so much better out east... and I'm a carinthia loyalist talking.

Loaf, loon, bush, killi, Sunday river, and then a bunch of the smaller mountains. You could go to a different mountain every weekend for 11 weeks, that's crazy value.

Edit: didn't realize you didn't want to drive. If you really don't want to drive then prob get epic since snow as it's an hour and fifteen and probably never traffic. Also Okemo and Stratton are decent.

**This post was edited on Mar 26th 2024 at 6:23:18pm
 
14600970:steez_apprentice said:
I've heard good things mainly about carinthia, crotched and wachusett, only real problem is transportation since I'm lacking a car going into college. also kinda sucks since I'm used to stellar parks like Killy and Bush, both of which I would only really see much of during school breaks :/
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Join the ski and board club..@parkratsofamherst on insta too, i think there are some members roaming around on here
 
14601164:Farmville420 said:
Dude ikon is so much better out east... and I'm a carinthia loyalist talking.

Loaf, loon, bush, killi, Sunday river, and then a bunch of the smaller mountains. You could go to a different mountain every weekend for 11 weeks, that's crazy value.

Edit: didn't realize you didn't want to drive. If you really don't want to drive then prob get epic since snow as it's an hour and fifteen and probably never traffic. Also Okemo and Stratton are decent.

**This post was edited on Mar 26th 2024 at 6:23:18pm
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Bush is my favorite all time park I’ve ever been to, just kills trying to drag someone 3 hours out, loons the same distance and idk abt loaf but Killy is about 1 hr 50, but at that point one mountain isn’t worth a 900 dollar pass
 
14600970:steez_apprentice said:
I've heard good things mainly about carinthia, crotched and wachusett, only real problem is transportation since I'm lacking a car going into college. also kinda sucks since I'm used to stellar parks like Killy and Bush, both of which I would only really see much of during school breaks :/
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Carinthia is almost as good as either Killy or Bush. Join the club and hitch rides with the guys on weekends. It won't be hard at all to find your scene.
 
14601187:steez_apprentice said:
Bush is my favorite all time park I’ve ever been to, just kills trying to drag someone 3 hours out, loons the same distance and idk abt loaf but Killy is about 1 hr 50, but at that point one mountain isn’t worth a 900 dollar pass
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True, there's also probably never traffic on the drive to Snow, or at least I've never experienced it other than Springfield or Hartford rush hour. Just start doing jump tricks and you'll start liking Carinthia better than any mountain cuz I've only been to like 2 resorts with jumps as good as Carinthia
 
Its 2 hours flat to Killington and 1.5 to Magic if you want a hardcore pow day spot that's close. Go where the money is coming from it will make sense in the end when your not over you head in debt. Gives you options on what to do for work were to ski and live post grad life. Think of student loans as 6k a year you can save and go on trips buy passes and do what you want with for the following ten years. All that aside Umass seems like a great ski college with extensive ski club and fairly large ski community. There's touring options on Greylock not far away as well (Mass highest point) about an hour drive. Offers 2k vert of touring with spots all over the mountain from woods, trails and slides to ski if your into that sort of thing, if they get enough snow.
 
14601157:steez_apprentice said:
I've toured plym and talked to a few of the guys on my tour, (jamo, dylan, ben, jackson) and they're all great people. but in terms of majors, size, and quality of life dorms-wise (bathrooms were destroyed and found 4 used condoms on the stairwell) it just didn't really suit my needs. I talked to a few friends and they said it's kind of a love it or hate it type of school. I'm still weighing options anyways, also note: I would be paying about 7k less to go to Umass vs. Plym (before aid since FAFSA is all fucked this year)

**This post was edited on Mar 26th 2024 at 5:55:15pm
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I really don’t think anyone likes the school. The skiing culture is probably the best you can find tho
 
14601157:steez_apprentice said:
I've toured plym and talked to a few of the guys on my tour, (jamo, dylan, ben, jackson) and they're all great people. but in terms of majors, size, and quality of life dorms-wise (bathrooms were destroyed and found 4 used condoms on the stairwell) it just didn't really suit my needs. I talked to a few friends and they said it's kind of a love it or hate it type of school. I'm still weighing options anyways, also note: I would be paying about 7k less to go to Umass vs. Plym (before aid since FAFSA is all fucked this year)

**This post was edited on Mar 26th 2024 at 5:55:15pm
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As per any college, freshman let loose and are a little out of control so there will be situations like that. I am sorry you had that experience during your tour, that being said I think you already experienced the extreme. Would love to link up at the mountain again sometime, or even show you around campus more in depth. Super sick ski scene with tons of homies to carpool with, $5 tickets to surrounding mountains that are 25 mins away (15 if your with [tag=272383]@RyanG603[/tag] )
 
14601653:Plymouthfreeskii said:
As per any college, freshman let loose and are a little out of control so there will be situations like that. I am sorry you had that experience during your tour, that being said I think you already experienced the extreme. Would love to link up at the mountain again sometime, or even show you around campus more in depth. Super sick ski scene with tons of homies to carpool with, $5 tickets to surrounding mountains that are 25 mins away (15 if your with [tag=272383]@RyanG603[/tag] )
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What’s that sposed to mean ?
 
14602419:bentchetlers said:
tons of ski areas in/ near mass

cannon has best snow in nh and its two hours away

loon has shit lines but has great parks. Also has good backcountry

- 40 foot booters

-30+ jibs

sunday river's like 4 hours but crazy big 20+ lifts

sugarloaf is 4 hours and crazy pow

ski wards like 30 min away from boston and has tow rope parks

idk about vermont

if you get season pass at loon (its hella expensive but i have it and its worth it) you get unlimtied free days at sugarloaf and sunday river. and a bunch of free days out west

**This post was edited on Apr 1st 2024 at 12:00:43pm
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College silver pass to loon is a little over 300, well worth it for a plymouth kid. A few blackout days but they're the holidays that you wouldn't want to go anyways.
 
I was at umass '18-'22. It's definitely not a 'ski school' but if you get involved it shouldn't be hard to find the right people. umsbc is advertised as the biggest club on campus. Good thing about a big school is you can probably find whatever you're looking for if you get involved.

Carinthia is probably your best bet. The drive is easy but its not right around the corner.

I wasn't skiing a ton at school but I had a pass to magic my last two years. If you're skiing park all day its not really an option but they have kind of a fun setup +night park. And its lowkey and kind of a sick vibe at the mountain tbh.

I looked into berk east cause its closer and would be sick to ski weeknights but couldn't find enough about their parks. Curious if any umass people do that I heard rumors but never met anyone.

My first two years umsbc put on a pretty sick rail jam with a dj and all that but they completely fumbled it after covid. I think they got features from butternut maybe? Idk the status now but if you go you gotta get the rail jam firing again.
 
14601025:dshiland said:
I think they also have a USCSA free ski team or something like that. I don't know much about the school but that could be a cool opportunity to meet people. and they rage there too I hear so that's a plus if you're into that
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working on it for next year
 
For UMass there's about a 50/50 split in our 50 person park rats snapgroup of homies with ikon/epic. ikons better if you goin out west stratton parks are on the come up but northeast value college pass from epic is like 380 and you can get to carinthia in an hour flat. Theres a bunch of diff ski vibes on campus which is hype and everyones good people. Happy to show you around campus whenever. Like the other homie in the chat said peep @umassskiandboard and @parkratsofamherst on instagram. @bmatfes is me and I started the park rats of amherst stuff. We will be an actual umass club next year.
 
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