What’s the most overrated ski trail of all-time?

14186761:RIP_leos_shack said:
Pali at A-Basin. Unless it's really good, it's just hardpacked bumps and icy af near the top.

Eh. I dunno.. even on a shit day, Pali can be pretty fun to lap if you have the right sticks on, and it rarely has a crazy line or anything.
 
What's the mtn in the northeast that made a triple black? In VT maybe?

Idk. It seemed like it would be guaranteed to be overrated but maybe I'm wrong.
 
14188518:shinbangclan said:
Literally never seen it open. I don't even think snow can stay on there.

It can't lol. I showed up on a pow day and since I've only ever skied the wall covered in ice, I headed there after a few runs. Was probably second tracks. Rode it 3 times in a row since the snow was deep, and by the end of my 3 runs, the snow had all slid to the bottom. It's a shit run but I'll hit it every time in there. Funny to watch people sitting at the top picking their line on this 100ft long trail and you just go without stopping
 
14188918:theabortionator said:
What's the mtn in the northeast that made a triple black? In VT maybe?

Idk. It seemed like it would be guaranteed to be overrated but maybe I'm wrong.

black hole at smuggs? yeah, triple black is absurd but it's a super fun run and if a triple black sign keeps gapers from dying on it when the conditions are rough, that's fine with me ha

and smuggs in general is fire on a good day
 
14188970:SofaKingSick said:
black hole at smuggs? yeah, triple black is absurd but it's a super fun run and if a triple black sign keeps gapers from dying on it when the conditions are rough, that's fine with me ha

and smuggs in general is fire on a good day

I feel like a triple black sign would attract as many jerrbears as it scares away. Who knows. I've never ridden there.
 
14188918:theabortionator said:
What's the mtn in the northeast that made a triple black? In VT maybe?

Idk. It seemed like it would be guaranteed to be overrated but maybe I'm wrong.

I dunno about the north east but Mt. Bohemia in Michigan claims triple black which is pretty fucking sick...
 
14188986:DingoSean said:
I dunno about the north east but Mt. Bohemia in Michigan claims triple black which is pretty fucking sick...

I was gonna say this. The whole "extreme backcountry" territory is labeled triple black. Not sure its quit worthy of it but it is petty intense.
 
14188986:DingoSean said:
I dunno about the north east but Mt. Bohemia in Michigan claims triple black which is pretty fucking sick...

Im turning a blue trail into a quad black at my mtn. Will build a big sign for it for photo ops.
 
14188975:theabortionator said:
I feel like a triple black sign would attract as many jerrbears as it scares away. Who knows. I've never ridden there.

ha yeah hard to say. i do highly recommend smuggs tho, easily one of my favorites on the east. some good side country
 
14188996:r00kie said:
I was gonna say this. The whole "extreme backcountry" territory is labeled triple black. Not sure its quit worthy of it but it is petty intense.

I mean, to be fair, ive seen video of guys shredding there and it does look pretty sick. Not like, triple black worthy, but definitely gnar for the midwest.
 
The only runs in the US I'd call triple black worthy are stuff like Eagle's nest, S&S Coulouir, and maybe some of those crazy chutes up at Bridger. It's tough to call those runs though, like a triple black in my mind would be more like a hit or some crazy double zone.
 
14189702:BigPurpleSkiSuit said:
Outer Limits

I'd say Outer Limits is a bit overrated: it's for sure a hard trail, but it doesn't deserve the reputation of being the toughest trail in New England. It's so wide that you can get down it relatively easily by slowly snaking back and forth across the whole trail. Narrow steeps at Mad River Glen/Sugarbush are much more difficult, since their narrowness forces you to point 'em downhill.

Outer Limits has its reputation because it's front and center visible from both the Bear Mountain lodge and the lift, but it's not even the hardest trail on Bear Mountain: Devil's Fiddle (the trail immediately to its skier's right) is harder IMO, since the cliffs in the middle greatly reduce its effective width.
 
14189033:BigPurpleSkiSuit said:
The only runs in the US I'd call triple black worthy are stuff like Eagle's nest, S&S Coulouir, and maybe some of those crazy chutes up at Bridger. It's tough to call those runs though, like a triple black in my mind would be more like a hit or some crazy double zone.

Whaa in the whole US? Possibly

Forgetting the cirque (although now closed to the public I suppose)....parts of squaws palisades like chimney area....and parts of silvarado I would throw in there. Granted I suppose those aren't really runs, just gnar areas.
 
14190548:Profahoben_212 said:
Whaa in the whole US? Possibly

Forgetting the cirque (although now closed to the public I suppose)....parts of squaws palisades like chimney area....and parts of silvarado I would throw in there. Granted I suppose those aren't really runs, just gnar areas.

Yeah that was an incomplete list. Like you said, chimney and parts of Silverado def need to be listed, plus the fingers. Fingers and Silverado actually have a rollover so they're easy picks

more to list plus as many have said, these ratings are kinda gaper tools, they don't really apply well to gnar zones
 
14189033:BigPurpleSkiSuit said:
The only runs in the US I'd call triple black worthy are stuff like Eagle's nest, S&S Coulouir, and maybe some of those crazy chutes up at Bridger. It's tough to call those runs though, like a triple black in my mind would be more like a hit or some crazy double zone.

Yeah, it's really tough to call a lot of Bridger's terrain a run. Obviously it has stuff like areas that are clearcut that are a very apparent run, but I've always thought it's kinda funny how people describe their runs here. It's usually described by certain hits or lines or simply a rough description of the aspect and features you do. Or if you ask for a conditions report on the lift people usually just describe what aspects to stay on and where to look for pockets of good snow. That't one of the things that makes it so fun, you can be in a group of skiers that has a somewhat varied skillset all going in the same general group, but there can be a huge variation in the lines that people take and how each individual skier finds ways to push their boundary.
 
14186293:BagOTricks said:
LMAOOOO I second this. One of the worst trails I've ever skied. Pure ice all season long.

Huge endorsement of this, awful 'run'... though 10 year old me LOVED it.
 
14190530:1080noscope said:
I'd say Outer Limits is a bit overrated: it's for sure a hard trail, but it doesn't deserve the reputation of being the toughest trail in New England. It's so wide that you can get down it relatively easily by slowly snaking back and forth across the whole trail. Narrow steeps at Mad River Glen/Sugarbush are much more difficult, since their narrowness forces you to point 'em downhill.

Outer Limits has its reputation because it's front and center visible from both the Bear Mountain lodge and the lift, but it's not even the hardest trail on Bear Mountain: Devil's Fiddle (the trail immediately to its skier's right) is harder IMO, since the cliffs in the middle greatly reduce its effective width.

Agree, Devil's Fiddle is much more difficult and much more fun imo. Groomed Outer Limits was fairly chill, mogul Outer Limits was horrible lol.
 
14191490:BagOTricks said:
Agree, Devil's Fiddle is much more difficult and much more fun imo. Groomed Outer Limits was fairly chill, mogul Outer Limits was horrible lol.

Groomed Outer Limits is barely a single black. I'm convinced they only groom it so they can sell more "I survived Outer Limits" T-Shirts. Bumpy Outer Limits is brutal (assuming you ski it aggressively and don't just mosey down perpendicular to the fall line).

Devil's Fiddle is mega fun when it's open, which is sadly almost never since they don't do snowmaking on it.
 
14191552:1080noscope said:
Groomed Outer Limits is barely a single black. I'm convinced they only groom it so they can sell more "I survived Outer Limits" T-Shirts. Bumpy Outer Limits is brutal (assuming you ski it aggressively and don't just mosey down perpendicular to the fall line).

Devil's Fiddle is mega fun when it's open, which is sadly almost never since they don't do snowmaking on it.

I got a chance to ride Fiddle on a pow day... One of my favorite days skiing ever. Really fun for an inbounds east coast trail.
 
14191552:1080noscope said:
Groomed Outer Limits is barely a single black. I'm convinced they only groom it so they can sell more "I survived Outer Limits" T-Shirts. Bumpy Outer Limits is brutal (assuming you ski it aggressively and don't just mosey down perpendicular to the fall line).

Devil's Fiddle is mega fun when it's open, which is sadly almost never since they don't do snowmaking on it.

mogul outer limits sucks ass
 
A couple of entries from Europe:

La Sarenne in Alpe d’ Huez.

It’s claimed as the longest black run in Europe at 16km long but really it’s 1-2km of standard black run gradient skiing and the rest is mellow or flat cross country trail.

The Harikiri in Mayrhofen. “Austria’s steepest black run” which is a short 2km trail with a couple hundred metres plateau on top, 400m of 38degree pitch and then a rolling km and a bit to finish. Basically, make a few medium length turns on the steep section and as long as you can control and reduce your speed competently you can cruise the rest at speed.

La Face, Val D’Isere. It’s the resort downhill course so kinda short for Europe at 3km long, like the Harikiri one main steep section at 35degrees couple hundred metres long, it’s got a cheaters trail round it though and while there are other steepish sections they’ve got long flat run outs after so unless you’re skiing it like a downhill racer and conditions are decent it’s pretty tame.
 
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