Best in the East 2018: Terrain Variety
The results of our reader-ranked survey of the top 10 resorts for terrain variety in Eastern North America.
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No. 1: Mad River Glen, Vermont
“A true skier’s ski resort. Come for the challenging terrain, stay for the challenging terrain.”
Photo courtesy of Mad River Glen.
No. 2: Cannon Mountain, New Hampshire
“Great terrain variety- dedicated beginner area to hard core trees and steeps. Plus, they don’t groom edge to edge, they leave the sides bumped…great for learning to improve your skills.”
Photo courtesy of Cannon Mountain.
No. 3: Smugglers’ Notch, Vermont
“Extremely kid and family friendly while at the same time extremely challenging for those looking for steeps and technical trees.”
Photo courtesy of Smugglers’ Notch.
No. 4: Sugarbush, Vermont
“Sugarbush has incredible expert terrain with outstanding bump runs to make your legs scream. You can venture into the wilds of the huge slide brook bowl with bus service pickup for the ultimate side country access. When you’ve exhausted yourself, take a cruiser on some buttery corduroy and follow that up with some of the best tree skiing anywhere.”
Photo courtesy of John Atkinson.
No. 5: Jay Peak, Vermont
“The terrain is gnarly and they have some of the best trees in the east. Did I mention they get snow? A lot of it.”
Photo courtesy of Jay Peak.
No. 6: Sugarloaf, Maine
“The terrain and variety are excellent. Because it’s a little more out of the way, it tends to attract the serious skiers and boarders.”
Photo courtesy of Darin Back.
No. 7: Wildcat, New Hampshire
“The views are incredible and I love the twisting and challenging terrain!”
Photo courtesy of Bruce Luetters.
No. 8: Whiteface Mountain, New York
“Whiteface is a great mountain where diamonds are diamonds- a place that will test expert and novice alike.”
Photo courtesy of Whiteface.
No. 9: Killingon, Vermont
“So much terrain that if you know the mountain, you can escape the crowds even on busy days.”
Photo courtesy of Chandler Burgess.
No. 10: Stowe, Vermont
“Terrific terrain, especially for advanced and expert skiers, although there’s some great beginner and intermediate stuff as well.”
Photo courtesy of Stowe.
Looking for more reader rankings in the East for 2018? Check out the 10 ten places for snow quality, the top 10 places for groomed terrain, and the overall Top 10 in the East.