Huckberry

December 13, 2011 | By: Heather Hansman

Ed. Note:

The sublimity of a New York City summer must be experienced to be fully understood: flag football in Central Park, burgers at Shake Shack, and knocking back a few beers amidst a sea of long legs, lycra, and suntan lotion.

But inevitably, the green pastures of the Great Meadow give way to the early November snows, herding Manhattanites to overcrowded Starbucks tables, morose/violent sports bars (Rangers, Knicks) and the last treadmill in a dimly-lit basement.

In the past, only those lucky enough to have a car in the City were able to head up 91 to enjoy a weekend of ripping pow turns in the trees. But with the rise of car sharing services like Zip Car, The Beast of the East and other New England ski hills are only a few hours of highway hypnosis away.

Of course, the Tri-State area isn’t alone. Cities like L.A., Boston, and Portland enjoy a proximity to major ski areas that make it possible to round up a few buddies and hit the slopes without much planning (hence skiing in jeans).

While here at Huckberry we know the Lake Tahoe resorts like the back of our hand, we were curious as to where ski industry insiders in other cities go when they have a day or two off. To help us with the intel, we asked Heather Hansman (@hhansman), an editor at Skiing Magazine and an all-around pow-hound, to break down the options available to some of the major metropolitan areas. And she schooled us.

For some reason New Hampshire gets an undeserved bad rap. Granted, it doesn’t quite have the charm of Vermont or the liquor-filled convenience stores of Maine, but if you know where to look it’s awesome in it’s own right. For example: Cannon Mountain. Bode Miller’s home hill (and mine) is government-owned, steep, and perennially icy. It’s a classic case of the Granite State’s low bullshit outlook, and I think it has the best terrain near Boston. They’ve also recently expanded to encompass nearby ghost resort Mittersill.

The obvious choice for New Yorkers is to head up 91 to Mt. Snow or Killington. Those are both fine options, especially Killington if you want to party, but if you’re really in it for the skiing it’s worth pushing farther to get to Jay Peak. Yes, it’s basically in Canada, and no, there isn’t anything on par, party-wise, with The Wobbly Barn, but it exists in some kind of magical snow vortex. Jay gets powed on constantly. They average 377 inches a year, which is about what we get where I live in Colorado. That’s more than worth the extra hours in the car.

SL, UT residents and my fellow Denverites might hate, but I think Seattle is the best city for work/real life balance in the country. Crystal, Steven’s Pass, and Mt Baker are all within day-trip distance and all well worth skiing, although Baker usually gets the most attention. Another option is to do what the underage college kids do and head to Whistler—which, for my money is the most fun ski town in the world—for the weekend.

If you live in Chicago your best bet is to get on a plane: driving to Wisconsin and schrapling former garbage dumps isn’t real skiing. Luckily, O’Hare is a hub for a lot of airlines, including United, which flies daily from there to Bozeman’s Gallatin Field. Hit Big Sky, which is almost within walking distance of the airport. You can also likely find deals to skiing-accessible cities like Salt Lake, Denver and Reno.

In classic Bay Area Fashion, rideshare operator Zimride has recently launched a San Fran to Tahoe rideshare. They’ll even hook you up with snacks and help pay for your gas. In South Lake, hit Sierra-at-Tahoe for tree skiing, or earn GNAR points at newly merged Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows.

Not to belabor the point, but Mammoth is the LA of ski resorts: slightly tacky and filled with boob jobs and bros. It can be a little socially painful. But, it has awesome terrain, consistently good snow, and, if you’re game to go down the road a little, truly amazing backcountry. The Sierras are steep, chocked with couloirs, and usually fat with snow. Classic peaks like Mt. Tam, and areas like the Wahoo Gullies have been training grounds for ski mountaineers since the ‘70s. Touring there in the spring is one of the coolest skiing experiences I’ve had.

Front rangers bitch and moan about I-70 traffic, and rightly so. Getting back from Vail on a Sunday afternoon is some special eighth level of hell. But here’s the deal, you don’t have to go all the way to Vail. Get off the highway at Loveland pass, and ski Loveland or A-Basin, which both have minimal crowds and high-angle, exposed terrain. Lap the cliff-freckled steeps off the Basin’s Pali chair for a morning and your legs will be so beat you’ll be ready to head home before the rush. Problem solved.

I know that Texans have a weird affinity for driving everywhere, but Austin is another place where flying really pays off. You can get from Austin to major ski cities pretty easily, but if you’re already in the air it’s worth it to get yourself to a smaller ski town. You can fly to Telluride, for instance, through Dallas or Huston. Part of why T-Ride is so great is because it is off the main skier traffic route, you’ll have skiing on Palmayra and bars like There to yourself. Well, you and Oprah.

I think people who live in Portland are kind of spoiled. Maybe it’s jealousy on my part, but it seems like everything—food, music, beer—comes easy to them. Even Portland street style blogs are effortlessly rad. Skiing’s the same way. From Portland you can hit Mt. Hood all year long, or head to Mt. Bachelor, which boasts one of the best parks in the country, and has the added benefit of being located in Bend.