Small Ski Areas that are RAD

[SuspiciousFish]

49 north is better.

I have heard good things about 49 North and they get a lot of snow. I would say its probably:

1. Schweitzer

2. 49 North

3. Silver

4. Mt Spokane

Mt Spokane was just my home mountain as a kid before hitting up Schweitzer so I have to represent.

 

[hoodratz47]

My little hill full of thrills. Anthony lakes in Eastern Oregon. Sitting at 7100 feet and the perfect mix of jet streams and cold fronts we get the best powder in the west. Just under 1000 feet of vert and one triple chair with no safety bar. The terrain is short yet fun. And the side/back country access is unreal. I'm lucky to call this place my home mountain

 

[LamSobinsky]

Trollhaugen, Dresser WI

 

[elcheapo]

Mission ridge, don't know what it's like now but used to be extra chill

 

[hoodratz47]

Also. Skibowl at Hood is a damn good time

 

[skiP.E.I.]

Homies at Voltfuse made this three part series on Falcon Ridge, Mb, Mount Baldy and Smokey.

 

[yungmish]

App ski mountain in NC

 

[PacificRimJob]

Also Mt. Baldy, volunteer patrolled here a year and some legit bowls with awesome tree skiing and gnarly steeps. Great skiing in Socal when they get snow

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cracks me up that they still show their planned expansion on the trail map. they've claimed that since I was 8,

 

[Drail]

I'm gonna add Mount Baldy, BC to this list.

Closed Tuesday/Wednesday so 'powder Thursdays' are a big thing during storm cycles. Not much for Inbounds cliffs, but the peak is a short hike above the chair and has some fun cliff bands. Nice cruisey glades and cut runs. One of the highest ski hills in BC with the base lodge sitting at around 1700M. It's issues are that it is a very exposed peak so winds can get a bit much and it is mostly south facing g so the snow can get baked quickly.

 

[dshiland]

cracks me up that they still show their planned expansion on the trail map. they've claimed that since I was 8,

Yeah, I doubt itll ever happen. Sadly not nearly enough snow. Wasnt there another place pretty close to baldy that had to shut down due to lack of snow? or went to part time atleast.

 

[IsaacNW82]

Hurricane Ridge near Port Angeles, Washington-

Basically one tiny slope and one back bowl, 400"+ of snow a year. Rope tows and pomas only. Only open weekends; Saturday mornings tend to be excellent with fresh snow.

 

[yungspliffy]

Nashoba Valley, MA. Grew up skiing it 24/7 - there's zero challenging terrain, but always a solid park and small community of rippers. Definitely worth the drive if you're around Boston. The park also has its own 2 chair:





**This post was edited on Feb 5th 2022 at 10:30:50pm

 

[snomaster]

some of you have dope little mountains!

how is King Pine in Madison NH these days?

that's where I grew up. 350' vert and always worth it.

 

[mrk127]

Not my local but Willamette Pass, OR.



The backside lift has some cool cliff bands and freeride that if the conditions aligned could be some of the biggest in bounds lines in Oregon. It's also just steep and killer at the top of the frontside lift, Especially the run RTS. Really hoping to make a day trip down there for a pow day

 

[hi_vis360]

Yeah, I doubt itll ever happen. Sadly not nearly enough snow. Wasnt there another place pretty close to baldy that had to shut down due to lack of snow? or went to part time atleast.

why can't these SoCal places just run their lifts year round for hikers and tourists and stuff? Seems like it would be successful

 

[Drail]

I have heard good things about 49 North and they get a lot of snow. I would say its probably:

1. Schweitzer

2. 49 North

3. Silver

4. Mt Spokane

Mt Spokane was just my home mountain as a kid before hitting up Schweitzer so I have to represent.

I've never actually ever skied Spokane or 49 North. I live just north of the border in the West Kootenays though and while I don't know anyone personally who has skied Spokane, all my friends who have hit up 49 North say it's got good glades, fall line, and vibe - like Red Mountain from back in the day.

I've hit up Silver and Schweizer at least. I wouldbt call either of them small though.

If you're still living in the Spokane Valley I'd say you should give 49 North a try during a storm cycle.

 

[ArgyleNJ]

Hard to believe nobody has mentioned the vast quantity of gnar at Campgaw mountain in Mahwah NJ.

 

[buck_nasty]

List some small little ski areas that are totally rad.

Sipapu in Northern New Mexico is super dope. Good terrain, good park and always chill vibes

 

[switchlip2]

Snow king is absolutely rad. Sunset tree skiing there was a vibe

 

[Jacobthesadskier]

Vogel ski resort in Slovenia.

Not the most snow sure, or the biggest, but for its size it's a pretty awesome place. Fun off piste, great views, a few good long slopes, and a tiny (but still good) park, and on weekdays it's virtually empty.

 

[OldManAtABasin]

some of you have dope little mountains!

how is King Pine in Madison NH these days?

that's where I grew up. 350' vert and always worth it.

Holy shit. That is a name I wasn't expecting to hear on here. I grew up skiing King Pine as well — although I grew up in Southern Maine.

 

[OldManAtABasin]

Vogel ski resort in Slovenia.

Not the most snow sure, or the biggest, but for its size it's a pretty awesome place. Fun off piste, great views, a few good long slopes, and a tiny (but still good) park, and on weekdays it's virtually empty.

I've skied a few times at Vogel and we had a blast.

 

[cyphers]

Hurricane Ridge near Port Angeles, Washington-

Basically one tiny slope and one back bowl, 400"+ of snow a year. Rope tows and pomas only. Only open weekends; Saturday mornings tend to be excellent with fresh snow.

beat me to it. adding pics

it's an upside down mtn with parking at the top. rope tow has a park on it, poma drops off the back into a super nice bowl with some extra goods you can hike to.

view of bowl from across the ridge. on sunny days you can see the pacific ocean/sound

also sick view of the olympics from the parking lot & visitor center

decent beaches/surfing are about 2hrs away in la push.

 

[PacificRimJob]

Yeah, I doubt itll ever happen. Sadly not nearly enough snow. Wasnt there another place pretty close to baldy that had to shut down due to lack of snow? or went to part time atleast.

Its hardly that theres not enough snow and more that the terrain back there is FUCKED.
https://www.sierradescents.com/skiing/harwood/stockton-flats.html

I'm going to use this space to talk about LA ski areas lol.

There are some ski areas up on LA Crest highway that shut down.. Kratka Ridge/Snowcrest being one of them - home to the west's last single chair. They turned into a downhill mountain bike operation for a few years when that was all the rage in the 90s but it just didn't last.





The good news is, right next door is Mt. Waterman. Which is basically the same sort of terrain - rugged and steep, and on a good year, it's sick.

 

[dshiland]

Mt. Waterman was the one I couldn't think of, are they still open? I thought they were closed or part time. I never got to ski there when I was in CA but I heard it was legit.

Its hardly that theres not enough snow and more that the terrain back there is FUCKED.
https://www.sierradescents.com/skiing/harwood/stockton-flats.html

I'm going to use this space to talk about LA ski areas lol.

There are some ski areas up on LA Crest highway that shut down.. Kratka Ridge/Snowcrest being one of them - home to the west's last single chair. They turned into a downhill mountain bike operation for a few years when that was all the rage in the 90s but it just didn't last.

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The good news is, right next door is Mt. Waterman. Which is basically the same sort of terrain - rugged and steep, and on a good year, it's sick.

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[_Garagely_]

Teton Pass Montana. Fairly remote location with lots of interesting side/backountry opportunities. Photo is from a low snow year (2015).

 

[iH8pow]

Spirit Mt, I live in Colorado going to the Vail mountains which have good parks but their park back in Minnesnowta still keeps me jealous. They seem to effortlessly keep up with the big mountain resorts year after year. Same size features as anyones medium parks (not a keystone death rail park or XL pro jumps), but less gapers and gawkers crowding it up too

non-park: snow king outside jackson is still pretty rad and steep with some snow, but i’ve never been put east either

**This post was edited on Feb 6th 2022 at 10:47:08pm

 

[Viehweg]

Terry Peak, SD during good snow years is arguably one of the best resorts in the midwest.

 

[core.snowboarder]

Trollhaugen, Dresser WI

yes. it's paradise

 

[PacificRimJob]

Mt. Waterman was the one I couldn't think of, are they still open? I thought they were closed or part time. I never got to ski there when I was in CA but I heard it was legit.

Yeah, its open only part-time I think, so long as there's snow. It's essentially a lot like Baldy when its good.

 

[SWRTOFFICIAL]

Mt Bohemia!!

 

[stonedbrian]

I'm gonna add Mount Baldy, BC to this list.

Closed Tuesday/Wednesday so 'powder Thursdays' are a big thing during storm cycles. Not much for Inbounds cliffs, but the peak is a short hike above the chair and has some fun cliff bands. Nice cruisey glades and cut runs. One of the highest ski hills in BC with the base lodge sitting at around 1700M. It's issues are that it is a very exposed peak so winds can get a bit much and it is mostly south facing g so the snow can get baked quickly.

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Dude I am so glad that I saw this, baldy bc is my all time favorite Canadian resort solely due to it's lack of lines and abundance of snow.

 

[1M_peaches]

Magic Mountian Vermont.

 

[muffMan.]

I'm gonna add Mount Baldy, BC to this list.

Closed Tuesday/Wednesday so 'powder Thursdays' are a big thing during storm cycles. Not much for Inbounds cliffs, but the peak is a short hike above the chair and has some fun cliff bands. Nice cruisey glades and cut runs. One of the highest ski hills in BC with the base lodge sitting at around 1700M. It's issues are that it is a very exposed peak so winds can get a bit much and it is mostly south facing g so the snow can get baked quickly.

View attachment 1030507

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Off topic but are these your skis? ON3P sent me the message about then on accident

 

[Nuno812]

+1 for Nashoba. Had many great nights skiing there in college. Not sure what happened to the park scene since then but looks like they dialed it back since the glory days

 

[Goretex_Vidal]

My Bousquet pass is blacked out on weekends and Nashoba is less than 40 from my house so that’s Saturday night solved for me.

Nashoba Valley, MA. Grew up skiing it 24/7 - there's zero challenging terrain, but always a solid park and small community of rippers. Definitely worth the drive if you're around Boston. The park also has its own 2 chair:

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**This post was edited on Feb 5th 2022 at 10:30:50pm

 

[Drail]

View attachment 1031331Off topic but are these your skis? ON3P sent me the message about then on accident

I uhhhh.... if I say yes, do I get em?

 

[PacificRimJob]

Mt. Moiwa, Niseko-Cho, Japan.



only a 3 lifts and only one that really matters for any of us, but an extensive amount of backcountry terrain, and one of the only places left where you'll find powder in Niseko when the crowds are on.

41$ day lift tickets.





Then, at the bottom, there's a few excellent onsen (that's a hot springs, for you baka gaijins)...

including one that's mixed - an extreme rarity in Japan these days where most of them are segregated...

They also serve up some absolutely DANK katsu curry and miso udon at one of them so you can get relaxed, massaged, fed, and feel super recooperated for more powder the next day. It's fuckin sick dude.

 

[oldmanski]

Have to shoutout to one of my old local hills, Pebble Creek in SE Idaho. 2 double chairs and 1 triple. Small town vibes with good people.

 

[ajbski]

Mt. Moiwa, Niseko-Cho, Japan.

where you living/working out there?

if not, roughly how much did the trip out there cost you?

 

[PacificRimJob]

where you living/working out there?

if not, roughly how much did the trip out there cost you?

I've been doing winters in Niseko and summers in Tokyo for 3 years now.

 

[ajbski]

I've been doing winters in Niseko and summers in Tokyo for 3 years now.

cool, i assume youre from 'straya, low key jealous how close japan is for aussies. thanks

 

[PacificRimJob]

Some more Japan Spam...

...not sure if this counts because the mountain it's on is HUGE but because it's only one lift, and it's barely a ski area, I'm gonna put it here.

Asahidake Daisetsuzan Ropeway



This place is literally just one lift. and 3 groomed runs. But is it SO much more than that.



There are a lot of famous Trams in the world...

Jackson's tram accesses Corbets and a hole host of other rowdy lines...

Snowbird's tram accesses basically the whole mountain and offers access to sick areas like the Cirque, its traverse ridge, and the High Baldy Traverse...

the Tram to the Aiguille du Midi in Chamonix of course offers probably the gnarliest lift-accessed terrain in the world...

the Tram at Verbier accesses terrain that you find on the Freeride world tour and allows you to ski over to Zermatt...

...but none of them gives you this:

From 2007's Level 1 Realtime... the segment that started the itch that led to me eventually moving here.

This place is just outrageous. The snow is cottonball light, fluffy, deep as hell, and outstandingly abundant... the backcountry access it affords is absolutely endless and unparalleled. It is within a national park, and there's actually another tramway on the other side of the mountain that's just about as incredible. And of course, at the bottom, there are incredible onsens to relax and re-coop at...

And it costs less than 50 bucks to ride all day long...

Bring fat skis. Seriously.

 

[GayWolf420]

giving love to my home hill of Pine Knob, MI. The parks used to be so ghetto back in the day there and you'd get your pass pulled for doing fun stuff so to see them with one of the best setups in all of the midwest is rad, and to see them host events like TAFT is awesome. Never got to see that kind of stuff there back in the day.

Its your classic SE Michigan ski hill. Like 5 chairs, a race hill, manmade moguls, tons of tow ropes, and lots of love

PowMow is cool but theyre kinda on the cusp of becoming not-so-lowkey anymore. I think Nordic Valley is also an interesting place too if you're into super small family fun vibes.

**This post was edited on Feb 10th 2022 at 11:10:51am

 

[nOtyRmOm]

alpine valley in wi park has dope vibes, and a lot of jerry dodging but the crew gets a sick-ass setup going. plus they can get the whole hill open with 3 days of snowmaking

 

[BrandoComando]

There are so many rad mountains off the beaten path in California! Everyone thinks about the big Epic or Ikon resorts, but there are tons of indie mountains throughout the state.

Mt. Shasta Ski Park is a great one. It's nestled right below Shasta and has gorgeous views.

 

[profa_212]

Terry Peak, SD during good snow years is arguably one of the best resorts in the midwest.

The homeland! Sweet resort for the midwest! Winters are extremely variable though and snow has been lacking the past few years it seems.

 

[stonedbrian]

Loup Loup Ski Bowl

super cool ski area with a decent amount of annual snowfall. Good terrain, good tree skiing, good snow too. Just a great backyard ski area in the beautiful Methow Valley

 

[Squirtle]

Spirit Mt, I live in Colorado going to the Vail mountains which have good parks but their park back in Minnesnowta still keeps me jealous. They seem to effortlessly keep up with the big mountain resorts year after year. Same size features as anyones medium parks (not a keystone death rail park or XL pro jumps), but less gapers and gawkers crowding it up too

non-park: snow king outside jackson is still pretty rad and steep with some snow, but i’ve never been put east either

**This post was edited on Feb 6th 2022 at 10:47:08pm

Spirit was my home hill growing up and during college. The park always ripped, and everyone would send it on the big jump line. Recently they set up a tow rope for a rail park too. The best part about spirit is that it’s literally in the city. It was always only a 15-minute drive from wherever I was living at the time. It was super nice just heading up there after school and just lapping rails for a few hours.

 

[PacificRimJob]

There are so many rad mountains off the beaten path in California! Everyone thinks about the big Epic or Ikon resorts, but there are tons of indie mountains throughout the state.

Mt. Shasta Ski Park is a great one. It's nestled right below Shasta and has gorgeous views.

the sheist!!

love that place