By Tim Peck
Ski good—or eat wood.
More powder, less ice, deeper snow, longer winters (A-Basin is open how late?)—western skiers use various arguments to tout regional supremacy over their eastern brethren. However, they also tend to avoid “tight” tree skiing. Why? Eastern skiers cut their teeth swooping through tangled undergrowth, hairy birch alleys, and dark pines. That’s just how things are. And whether they chase stashes at mountains with liberal tree skiing policies or session steep glades, they all opine about their favorite places to ski the woods.
The USA’s upper-right corner serves up so many great options, picking a favorite is tough. These are the best ski resorts in the east for skiing trees:
Best for Tradition
Mad River Glen, Vermont. The iconic single chair, a commitment to natural snow, a “ski it if you can” attitude, and a plethora of tight, twisty, and challenging tree runs—adventure skiers love this place. In fact, the terrain is so legendary that it’s the only ski area in the country on the National Register of Historic Places.
With terrain best described as timeless, MRG’s tree shots bring it—as in super steep, featuring face-smackingly tight trees and the occasional oh-my-god cliff. No sanitized glades here. (FYI, just because you saw someone enter the woods on an ancient, super-long set of Tau telemark skis don’t assume the trail is easy. Odds are that person has been sending it on that setup since it was new.) Although many of MRG’s best runs are unmarked, Paradise and the Gazelle Glades are good named introductions to the numerous sweet stashes hiding in the woods. Sorry snowboarders, but MRG allows skiers only.
Wondering just how steep and deep Mad River Glen can get? Check out this video from Meathead Films.
Best for Skiing Free
Magic Mountain, Vermont. In addition to delivering an expansive amount of gladed terrain, Magic also offers almost unfettered access to their notoriously steep, dense tree skiing. This includes an uphill-friendly—it’s free—attitude. In fact, Magic only restricts access on official “powder days” when the mountain receives six-plus inches of snow. On those days, uphill traffic must wait until the lifts start spinning to access the mountain. Uphillers love Magic’s “Hike One, Ride One” policy, which rewards those earning their turns with a token for a free lift ride. Another reason to love Magic? Their commitment to preserving powder. They won’t sell more than 1,500 tickets on a given day. This keeps great glades like Warlock and Gonnif deep and uncrowded.
Best for Tree Skiing Rookies
Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. Frequently lamented by hardcore northeastern skiers for “not being steep enough,” the abundance of beginner- and intermediate-friendly glades at Bretton Woods makes it an ideal place to introduce newer skiers to the challenges of shredding in the woods. Runs such as Black Forest, Enchanted Bear, and Wild West offer the excitement of zipping through widely spaced birch, ash, and pines without the worry of too much steepness and speed. Skiers push themselves to the next level in the glades on Bretton Woods’ West Mountain and the Rosebrook Glades, both steeper and tighter. Go for it. Bretton Woods’ trail ratings are softer than at many other northeastern resorts.
Best for Hardcore Skiers
Cannon Mountain, New Hampshire. With a well-deserved reputation for challenging terrain, demanding trails, and harsh weather, Cannon’s tree-heavy terrain follows suit. “Sending” the rugged tree runs Kinsman, Lost Boys, and Wicked Haahhd—is a brag-worthy accomplishment worth celebrating with a beer in the iconic Cannonball Pub. But keep in mind that the best and most difficult tree runs at Cannon don’t show up on the map, so buy the local sitting next to you a beer and hope he shows you the goods.
Like most things at Cannon, the unnamed glades require persistence (hidden entrances…). Once on any of Cannon’s unnamed glades, be prepared for some of the steepest lines and narrowest corridors New Hampshire has to offer.
This Meathead Films short will get you stoked for snow and sending Cannon’s rugged gladed terrain.
Most Memorable
Sugarloaf, Maine. The Loaf offers lift-serviced skiing above treeline, claiming the title of the only area in the Northeast to do so. It’s also known for biting cold and whipping wind, which is one reason so many “loafers” seek shelter in the trees (and Bullwinkles). Wooded frontside runs like Dropline and the Barber Chair Glade offer a wealth of tight trees to wiggle through. But true tree-skiing aficionados look toward Sugarloaf’s sidecountry and the dense stands of pine found in Brackett Basin and on Burnt Mountain. Brackett Basin delivers extraordinary descents through classic, closely-packed Maine forest—and it gets you there by chairlift. Earn access to the super-steep and often powder-packed glades of Burnt Mountain by skinning or hiking. Or snowcat.
The Other Bests
Astoundingly, the aforementioned places comprise just a sampler of the East Coast’s excellent tree runs. For example, Vermont’s Jay Peak is littered with tight trees and receives snowfall—355 inches annually—that rivals well-known Colorado resorts like Vail (360 inches) and Breckenridge (366 inches). Vermont is also home to the most difficult run in the east: the triple-black diamond tree run Black Hole at Smugglers’ Notch.
In New Hampshire, when the tightly packed pines at Wildcat Mountain momentarily open, they deliver one of the best views in skiing, as the iconic Mount Washington lies just across the notch. Even the region’s smaller mountains have mighty glades; just take New Hampshire’s Ragged Mountain, which is most likely to surprise you as 17 out of the resort’s 57 trails are treed.
If you’re looking for a new challenge and ready for a break from open alpine bowls, start planning a trip to the trees in the East and ski it if you can.
Ski the East! Or at least read about it.
