New England Resorts

The riding/skiing season is winding down and this year I have done a lot of riding mostly because if you didn't already know I was a snowboard instructor at a local resort.

I did a lot of research this year on which resorts would be fun to go to and I found Google maps to be a great peek at the different resorts. You can always get stats from the respective websites but you can't really get an accurate picture. I've compiled some images from Google maps with different resorts I went to or wanted to go to. All images are screen shots taken at the same zoom (when the key of google maps indicated 2000 ft, this shows up on some of the larger resorts )

Good source for snow reports and mountain stats:
onthesnow.com

Masschusetts:

Nashoba Valley - Ah where I worked and where I'd like to call the ultimate beginners hill. Honestly, if you're just learning why go 2 hours away up north.

Wachusetts - Pretty decent mountain for MA. Only an hour from me and it has 2 high speed lifts. Unfortunately, it gets crowded pretty easily. I didn't buy a park pass, but there were a ton of features jammed in the terrain park.

New Hampshire:

Ragged Mountain - Mellow place. Great deals! I got a lift ticket there for $12 online at liftopia.com and quite often you can get a lift ticket for $24. They only have one good lift and there's no separate lift for the park, so the main lift gets pretty crowded.

Mount Sunapee - Decent size for being less than 2 hours away. Pretty good deals on Mondays ($40). I went twice this year and had a great time. Second time I was there, I spent most of my time in the park (see previous entry) and I was pretty content except when I hurt myself. They have a pretty stacked park that's separate from the main lift so it wouldn't be so crowded. There's a variety of features for all skill levels, but most are for intermediate and advanced.
Gunstock - Looks really tiny compared to Sunapee's area but I just think it's more condensed. I went in January and conditions were very hard packed, so I'd want to go again when conditions are better. Also their park wasn't complete when I went and they had features more for intermediate to advanced at the time.

Crotched Mountain - Thought about going here but a bit too small and would rather drive a little more north to Sunapee or Ragged.
Waterville - Wanted to check out there park but never got around to do it. Well, there's always next season.
Loon - On the list for next season.
Cannon - On the list for next season.

Maine:

Sunday River - A more spread out resort. On the day I went, not all the trails were groomed very well. One had golf ball size ice which made it an unpleasant trail. Overall, big and lots of options, just spend the day exploring the trails.
Sugarloaf - On the list for next season.

Vermont: Significantly bigger than NH and MA resorts. Never got to go to any but def need to make a trip next year.

Stowe - Almost went this year.

OkemoKillington
Mount Snow

Boarding it Up

Yesterday was my day off, so I took advantage of it and went to a decent size mountain in MA, Wachusetts. It's only an hour away, so it's not that big only 1000 ft from base to peak. I brought my gps with me so that I can measure my speed and my top speeds for my runs were (all in mph):

34
37.6
35.5
40.5
37.9

My goal was 40 mph so I'm glad I hit it :) If you wanted to measure your speed all you have to do is take your gps with you on the mountain, go to the trip summary part, reset the 'max speed' and go for your run. After your run you'll have your max speed. Pretty neat. I have tried this on another mountain and in more rural areas, the reading isn't as accurate and sometimes just doesn't work. But it's nice to say exactly how fast your going versus just saying you bombed down the trail.

I'm actually surpised my board is able to handle these speeds but maybe I haven't gone fast enough to really be pushing my ability and/or my boards capabilities. I'm looking into buying a new board but everyday I'm flip flopping. Originally, I kinda wanted a park board, but I have to be honest with myself, how much park will I really ride, maybe 20% of the time if that. Right now, I'm leaning towards a board with mange-traction (google it if you've never heard of it) which would be good for packed powder which is all we have on the east coast; a twin shape because I do want to be good at switch and one day master 180s and beyond, a fun kinda flexible board to pop and ollie with.

Today, I was eyeing the Roxy Ally, I def would like to get my hands on one and test it out. It surprised me that it has magne-traction but that's awesome. So far from what I've read it seems to handle a groomers and ice but it also has that added fun factor of flex. Anyone, have this board, or can give me some more details on it? Any would be appreciated.