Angler: To ski great terrain you do not need lifts or snowmaking and that is why I defined a great mountain as one with great terrain and specifically did not include the infrastructure. Lifts, snowmaking, grooming are all part of the infrastructure of the ski area. Sugarbush has great terrain, but needs improvement in the areas of infrastructure which is what most on the board are discussing.
As a 65:35 backcountry:lift skier, I do not need the lifts or the snowmaking to go enjoy great terrain. When I am going to lift ski, infrastructure becomes important because I have made the choice to pay to ride up and come down on the ski areas' product. For that reason, I ski SR as I am 40 min from the hill. The terrain is not great by any stretch, but the infrastructure is fantastic: tons of snowmaking, reliable lifts, solid grooming and enough open terrain to spread the crowd even on a normal/high use weekend.
Overall, it has been a tough season in both NE and the US overall. UT is devoid of much snow, PNW was spring like on my trip last week but that made for low avi danger in both the Crystal Sidecountry/backcounty & the Baker backcountry. It looks like CO is starting to shape up while the NE continues to be in a high pressure with not much snow forecasted. Until NE starts to get a bit more love, you might consider pointing your skis in another direction.....................Off to CO for late Feb.
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