where's the best lift-assisted-riding?

[bike187]

where's the best lift-assisted-riding closest to boston. by lift-assisted-riding i mean you take your bike up in a gondola or skilift chair. i'm just looking for a place close to home that wound be fun to ride down. how far is mt snow from boston? anybody know if and when they open up to FRing?

[Dawgee]

ive gone to Loon mountain thats a blast its not too far away either

[splat]

Loon is fun , but they seam to change where you can ride every year.

But Last time I was there you should have seen the look on the girls face behind the desk desk , when I asked if I could ride UP the Mountain! Now that is fun! Especially since one time I did it at 6 Pm , by the time I got to the top it was almost dark, I watched the Sunset , Put on my Lights and came screaming down !

Both Killington and Mt Snow have extensive Trail network , much bigger than Loons

[C.P.]

you should have seen the look on the girls face behind the desk , when I asked if I could ride UP the Mountain!......Both Killington and Mt Snow have extensive Trail network , much bigger than Loons



Back in 90/91, I worked at Killington for a season, and during late summer/early fall, we used to ride up to the Peak Lodge. Great fun, and I can vouch that Killington has some great runs goin down. Although I haven't ridden down after takin' the chair up...so I have no comment on what is considered the best lift assisted riding...

[CouchingTiger]

The best in DH-ing New England is Sunday River, ME by far. Ask any downhiller and they will tell you. SR has some of the sickest trails you can image as well as some more intermediate terrain.

If you are a beginner then SR is likely not the place for you. There are some access road runs but it's mostly vertical, technical singletrack.

IMHO, Killington is probably next followed by Mt. Snow (though I haven't been to either of them in years). Waterville Valley also has lift service and is better suited for beginners.

-Couch

[Crash and Burn]

Sunday River is far as hell form Boston, sounds cool though.
Never been to Killington, but I made it to Mt. Snow in almost 2 1/2 hours from Boston last time, which is also pretty damn far I guess. But well worth it. Loon is probably 30 minutes closer.

[AGENTGRAPE]

i here attitash does lift service,and has 25 miles of cc trails. i dont know if they mean cc ski trails. also all ski areas have good lift and stay packages for the summer

[Mt.A TODD]

SUNDAY RIVER!

[narlus]

loon is horrible, stay away.

ragged mountain in NH might be an up-and-comer; they held one DH race last year which got universal praise for the course.

i love sunday river, but my fave place to DH is bromont, quebec. it's a bit farther (you can get there in 4 hr if you keep a strong pace and have no stops), but the mountain is a TON of fun, the cost low (great exchange rate), and the mountain is populated w/ some nice looking quebecois ladies. :-*

[johnflat]

SUNDAYRIVER IS THE BEST!

[NEMBA_bkr-dude]

ya I was boarding at sunday river last weekend, it kicks ass there. There are also a bunch of condo's you can stay at and ride to the lifts so you don't need to drive and there are 8 peaks so the place is huge.

I managed to hit most of the mountains with lifts year before last.
Sunday River is split into 2 areas by the lifts. The upper area is expert only, body armor is not optional. The lower area is a blast! But at 3.5 hrs from Boston it isn't a day trip.
Mount Snow can be sick. We were there on a race weekend with a restricted course. After the 4th endo I decided it wasn't fun anymore. I've heard the other parts of the mountain aren't as bad. BTW Mt Snow is 3 hrs from Boston.
Attitash has a very limited trail system and doesn't always open.
Loon and Killington are 2.5 hrs. Killington has a much better trail network. I went there three times last year. Loon has maybe three or 4 downhill trails, watch out for the water bars. Loon is very steep.
Waterville Valley has a very small mountain but good for non DH types. The back trail is 4.5 miles long, my wife loves it! I'm planning on hitting Killington at least 6 times this year weather permitting. Last year's hours were 9 or 10 AM to 5 PM. Weekends Memorial Day thru July 4th then daily till Labor Day. If you have to spend 2+ hrs in a car go to Killington.

[Big Game]

I checked out Killington the day they had a Norba XC and DH race last July. Suprisingly very few people. No lifts lines.

The trails aren't really too technical (with the exception of some portions of the DH course) but were a total blast to rip down. It took me four days to wipe the smile off of my face. Highly recommended. I plan on hitting Mount Snow as soon as weather permits.

And to you purists who shun the use of a lift to ride: Mellow out man. After 4 hours of flying down the hill, your upper body will be in such a wonderful state of exhaustion, I doubt you'll be complaining that "you're not getting your workout in."

Although I have never been there, my people tell me that Plattekill is the sickest joint for DH. They don't mind driving the extra 3 hours to get there, so it must be pretty decent.