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Mount Snow

Big freestyle expansion, sweet new lifts and cat skiing anchor Vermont ski resort improvements this year.

 

 

Expect to see a complete reface of Mt. Snow’s Carinthia area this year. The entire face is going freestyle and will feature 100 acres of jumps, rails and halfpipes. Overall, 125 features are slated to be included within 12 individual terrain parks. The new freestyle area will also include tree runs, a natural terrain park, a skate ramp and indoor lounge. Carinthia will house all of Snow’s freestyle terrain, enhancing the layout and flow of the entire resort. Recognition of their park dedication has not gone unnoticed—the AST Winter Dew Tour will make its only east coast stop there this winter. 

 

 

The Stash, designed by snowboarding legend and Vermont resident Jake Burton and his Burton crew, will be an all-natural terrain park with 34 features. Log jibs, rock walls and cliff drops will be laid out all over the park. There are only 4 other Burton Stash parks in the world. The Stash will be located off the new Skye Peak Express lift which replaces the old Skye Peak quad. The new high-speed Skye-Peak cuts the ride from 14 to 5 minutes. Once to the top, beginners will have a new way down on the 3-mile Great Eastern trail. The intermediate Gateway has also been extended. Killington intends to open November 14.

 

 

Horizontal connector gondolas are all the rage this season. Stowe’s Over Easy Transfer Gondola will cut out the shuttle ride formerly needed to travel between Mt. Mansfield and Spruce Peak areas. Riding both peaks in a day has never been easier. 

 

 

One of the glade havens of the east, Smugg’s will add a new glade area Attitude. It will be located on Madonna Mountain.

 

 

Development of a cat skiing program is underway, making Sugarbush a unique spot in the east where cat skiing is scant. Their 12-person cat will be the vehicle of choice for several initiatives including moonlight skiing and snowshoeing, a first tracks program, and cat skiing on Mt. Ellen after lifts close for the season. 

 

 

Experts will get two new double black runs on Jackson Gore this year. Located at the top of Gore Express, the new runs will feature some of the steepest pitches on the mountain. Tentative opening set for November 15.