What other mountains have soul?
November 14, 2005
44 posts
26 users
9k+ views
While I am sure that Laurel Mountain is quite soulful and hope to have the opportunity to ski it this year, surely it is not the only mountain with soul. So, what are your candidates? Here's 2 from out west: Taos and Arapahoe Basin!
I think in it's own little odd, quirky ways - Canaan Valley has soul.
the beav (beaver mountain) near logan, utah. sleeping giant not far from cody, wyoming. i may be biased.
Alta Baby!
Pow Mow, Solitude, Brighton, Homewood, Loveland, Eldora, A-Basin, Taos, Angel Fire, Grand Targhee, Sugar Bowl, ... The list is endless.
All of Vermont except Stratton, K-Mart, Okemo, and Stowe.
Cannon, Wildcat, Saddleback.
Blue Knob, T-Line, C-Valley, Denton, Elk.
Maybe it's easier to list the areas that've sold their soul.
Whitegrass for some hippie-tinged soul, kinda like The Dead covering Aretha, Otis or Sam.
Good topic. I think the soul of skiing can be found anywhere; from Laurel Mtn, PA to Val d'Isere, France. It's a feeling that comes from within, but certainly nature in isolation, dramatic terrain, and serious winter weather help bring it to the fore.
Inspired by wgo, photos from a few randomly selected soulful ski areas:
Taos, NM (steep, deep and funky):
http://community.webshots.com/photo/239116550/239116550hDKHYuArapaho Basin, CO (steep, high altitude):
http://community.webshots.com/photo/130468280/130468280BskEGT Red Mtn, British Columbia Canada (few people, lots of snow):
http://community.webshots.com/photo/135221766/135224682wGnxxNPowder Mtn, UT (few people, even more snow):
http://community.webshots.com/photo/123787237/123793910qfSYCESoulful skiing personified: Dave McCoy founder of Mammoth Mtn, CA:
http://community.webshots.com/photo/103968040/103968040FJRfxL
Quote:
Alta Baby!
Pow Mow, Solitude, Brighton, Homewood, Loveland, Eldora, A-Basin, Taos, Angel Fire, Grand Targhee, Sugar Bowl, ... The list is endless.
All of Vermont except Stratton, K-Mart, Okemo, and Stowe.
Cannon, Wildcat, Saddleback.
Blue Knob, T-Line, C-Valley, Denton, Elk.
Maybe it's easier to list the areas that've sold their soul.
I disagree with Stowe, that place is east coast sking personified.
Quote:
Quote:
Alta Baby!
Pow Mow, Solitude, Brighton, Homewood, Loveland, Eldora, A-Basin, Taos, Angel Fire, Grand Targhee, Sugar Bowl, ... The list is endless.
All of Vermont except Stratton, K-Mart, Okemo, and Stowe.
Cannon, Wildcat, Saddleback.
Blue Knob, T-Line, C-Valley, Denton, Elk.
Maybe it's easier to list the areas that've sold their soul.
I disagree with Stowe, that place is east coast sking personified.
Ill second sticking a long knife in Stowe.Unless now we are talking about BC at stowe 
Quote:
All of Vermont except Stratton, K-Mart, Okemo, and Stowe.
I should add Mt. Snow to that list. For a minute, I thought it was in New York.
Stowe is a tough call since it does indeed have some great BC, IB tree skiing, and until the recent development at the base of Spruce Peak, it's facilities have been pretty rundown. But, a large percentage of the clientele treat Stowe as the Aspen/Vail of the East. But the Aspen/Vail underground has a great vibe populated with tons of fantastic folks, so every mountain has a bit of soul.
No mention yet of Moonshine Mountain or Mount Porte Crayon?
I'll 2nd the Alta & MRG vote.
Has anyone ever skied Kicking Horse? I hear it's got some soul.
I'll throw in some places outside the US, but only ones I have skied:
Graukogel in the Gastein Valley of Austria. Two slow doubles, endless powder fields, and no people.
Albona and Rendl in the Arlberg area of Austria. The part of Arlberg no one ever skis, but also the areas with some of the best skiing and the most untracked powder.
Jasna, Low Tatras Slovakia/Biele Vody, Central Slovakia. Many ski areas in Slovakia and Eastern Europe still have soul, but the situation is changing quickly.
Diavolezza/Lagalb, in the St. Moritz region of Switzerland. It's everything St. Moritz is not. It's the devil's mountain--more Italian than Swiss!
Well Moonshine goes without saying... it's a place where you can lose your soul very quickly.
How about Silverton (mother of Moonshine Mountain) and Wolf Creek in Colorado? And Mount Bohemia in the Keewenaw Peninsula of Michigan (Mount Bohemia: father of Moonshine Mountain)? And you can't soul without talking about Jay Peak, truly one of the great skiing and cultural experiences on the east coast.
I'll second Jay for sure - it's one of the most classic and unglizted places in the northern US. In NH, Wildcat goes without saying, so you ought to add Tuckerman's also. In NY, Whiteface is about as pure as it gets, with Gore not real far down the list. And, yeah, Canaan Valley has definitely got the vibe
The homestead. Has a spot in every local's heart
:wub:
Lots of great areas mentioned. One I haven't seen is Kirkwood near Lake Tahoe. None of the glitz, glamour, or touristy aspects of it's northern cousins.
I went there a couple of years ago and saw a guy with a parachute suit: black, white, orange, red. It was one of the funniest outfits I've ever seen. Even funnier is that he was with my group of business associates that we talked into skipping work and taking in a ski day.
Quote:
I'll second Jay for sure - it's one of the most classic and unglizted places in the northern US. In NH, Wildcat goes without saying, so you ought to add Tuckerman's also. In NY, Whiteface is about as pure as it gets, with Gore not real far down the list. And, yeah, Canaan Valley has definitely got the vibe
Here another vote for Jay Peak.
I haved skied there more than any other resort outside of PA. Love it.
JohnL was right, maybe we should have talked about mountains that don't have soul instead.
So I'll venture out on that limb: there's very little soul-inspiring about Snowshoe. Whitetail, as much as I enjoy it, probably gets a soulless vote too.
On second thought, let's call these mountains "zombie" mountains in honor of Halloween. A zombie mountain is the undead (not to be mistaken for the Untopic!): a mountain that continues to walk the earth despite having no soul.
Anyone else got any votes for any zombies out there? Deer Valley?
You can't forget Sugarloaf! I like to think it's geared towards the locals of Maine. I head up there every Christmas and ski with my old high school buddies. Far enough away from any city center that deters the masses but only attracts the true die hards. If you can ski the Snowfields, you're a Loafer....
nakedskier - 'Loafer since 1993
The Cat for sure, in fact all of Mt. Washington Valley. Let me correct, all but Attitash. And for Tuckerman's, it doesn't have sole, it only take yours.
Three days pondering this question
, wgo is this a trick question? JohnL & jimK i think hit on it that every mountain has soul. The thing is getting past the "scene" to feel the soul. The Scene at snowshoe, not for me.....but spend a tuesday there without the hummers and the crowds and once it's me and the mountain, i can find it's soul. It's easier for me to find the soul in Tucker Co. skiers have been looking for and finding it there for sixty years. Alta's got soul, Snowbasin has a feel that, to me, someone built these beautiful facilities but no one skis there, they just seem out of place, but both MOUNTAINS have soul.
Nature has a soul. The way we decide to expose ourselves to that soul varies from person to person, place to place, experience to experience.
Learned to ski at Ski Liberty
first amourous time on skis with wife was Whitegrass
first real powder tele turn was Grand Targhee
first b/c turns were in the Tetons about 5 miles south of Jackson Hole
first resort that gave me vertigo from a chair lift was Jackson Hole proper
first screaming fast decent where life was a blur and a crash would equal broken bones but felt totally in control was Alta
first 3000 vertial descent of untracked powder fields was in Argentina
it all has soul. No matter the glitz, the glamour, the facilities..it's the memories. that is what counts.
Steve
Quote:
All of Vermont except Stratton, K-Mart, Okemo, and Stowe.
I beg to differ on Stowe. No other eastern mountain has as much soul. But, you must define what you are talking about. My friend Wes Wright, major domo of the SkiVT-List has done it far better than I,
http://list.uvm.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind010...gan%40yahoo.com
There have been few days of Skiing that I didn't enjoy. And most were rainy. I would say that every mountain has a soul and its the person who needs to go out and experience that.
It is better and easier if the hill is not crowded and things are quiet. If there are too many people arround you will be too concious of yourself and others to fully relax and enjoy. Lift lines are a great place for people watching.
My $.02.
Quote:
Quote:
All of Vermont except Stratton, K-Mart, Okemo, and Stowe.
I beg to differ on Stowe. No other eastern mountain has as much soul. But, you must define what you are talking about. My friend Wes Wright, major domo of the SkiVT-List has done it far better than I,
http://list.uvm.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind010...gan%40yahoo.com
I said the samething about Stowe but was shot down, and figured I liked it there, everyone else can go ski somewhere else;).
Kicking Horse had freshly logged stump mogul soul in Y2K.
Not so sure about that now that the road to the mountain is actually paved and no longer eats Honda Civics for afternoon snacks.
Quote:
Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All of Vermont except Stratton, K-Mart, Okemo, and Stowe.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I beg to differ on Stowe. No other eastern mountain has as much soul. But, you must define what you are talking about. My friend Wes Wright, major domo of the SkiVT-List has done it far better than I,
http://list.uvm.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind010...gan%40yahoo.com
See my earlier post on this thread:
Quote:
Stowe is a tough call since it does indeed have some great BC, IB tree skiing, and until the recent development at the base of Spruce Peak, it's facilities have been pretty rundown. But, a large percentage of the clientele treat Stowe as the Aspen/Vail of the East. But the Aspen/Vail underground has a great vibe populated with tons of fantastic folks, so every mountain has a bit of soul.
So I'm agreeing with Wesley Alan Wright in that The Mountain has soul; but The Town and The Mountain Company, and some of the clientele have "dubious" soul. Taking none of this message board banter that seriously, of course, cuz I'm not certain how much soul I have.
Perhaps I chose my words poorly. I did not mean to slight anybody else's attempt to capture the schizophrenic soul of Stowe. It's just that I thought Wes did it very well. It has some really butt kicking terrain off the map, lots of it, and it has character as well as challenge. I have gone there for many years and almost every time I discover something great that I never knew about. It's a mountain that keeps its secrets.
Quote:
Taking none of this message board banter that seriously, of course, cuz I'm not certain how much soul I have.
John,
I think you should add that disclaimer to your signature. It's pretty clever.
I have only heard good things about stowe. I have been told by a number of people on a few forums that stowe is the place to go if you want to see what east coast skiing is all about... is that actually an endorsement? Hmm.
Never skied there myself unfortunately. I will soon, maybe next year. --Tim
Standing on my just built deck just south of Canaan the weekend before last,& staring up at the "still in the womb" Mt Port crayon...I saw & felt the soul of an unborn giant in the ski industry. If born that Giant is to be named "ALMOST HEAVEN"If aborted it will a tragic loss.Looking up at all the variety of terrain the mtn has to offer & The spruces still frosted white almost a week after an oct blizzard I could sense & see the potential soul bursting at its seams waiting to be unleashed on an endless stream of proud,adoring & satisfied Skiers....Seriosly folks that mountain has a lot of potential..steeps,runouts,north facing black diamond drops off of blue cruisers.this place needs to be BORN!!!!
Moonshine Mountain: the Heaven MPC wishes it could be.
I have heard of the beauty of Mt. Port Crayon. Where exactly is this peak south of Canaan. Is it before you reach Harmon? I have driven through the area in all seasons but I can't get a bering on where it is.
Help!!!
As you're coming south on Route 32 out of the valley, it's the mountain ahead of you and to the left. You can clearly see it from the Golden Anchor (is that the name of the seafood place there Andy?). It's pretty much the ridge that parallels 32, but the high point is on the south side of the ridge, maybe four or five miles northeast of Harman.
If you look hard you can see the 32 foot high statue of Andy strangling a salamander. It's rather dramatic.
whatever soul is, or whereever it belongs, the heart of all skiers have it and EVERY mountain has some....some more than others.
Thanks Roger,
I have seen that ridge and it is quite impressive. Did the Wisp group buy that property?
Don't be afraid. The Fall Lion won't hurt you!!!
Pwillysim,the wisp group bought Tory(Job Knob)Mtn.Its hard to get a clear frontal shot of MPC as you ride down route 32 because of the trees.You can get a side shot of the Mtn as you exit the valley right after you pass thru the cut in the rocks,but even though the roaring plains Mtn range looks impressive from that angle you still are not seeing the actual potential ski area.You will not see tory mtn untill you take a left in harman,wv & head east on on 33.As you head up & just before you hit the top of the pass look to your right & you will see Job(tory) Knob.To your left will be the ridge that will lead up to nearly 4700' green Knob which is the southern point of that impressive Mtn range.By the way, one of the biggest snowdrifts you will ever see forms every year right at the top of that pass!...PS there are i think 4 peaks near or above 4700' on the range with a very large area above 4600' compare that with the top of 7Springs bieng at 2990'
It appears to me that I will have some traveling this year to take a closer look at these areas. At 4700 feet it seems vertical drop could near the 1300' - 1500' mark.
Thanks for the continued info.
Don't be afraid. The Fall Lion won't hurt you!!!
Mr.Z,Sorry about the non response but yes the restaurant is the Golden Anchor which is my neighbor.I have a seafood place across the street from my Mtn home & down here at the beach in SE NC I have a steakhouse at the end of my street(at the waters edge)..Go figure! In response to pwilly the potential verticle is 2300'...you were way off! Although if developed the vert would be more like 2000'
I think the food at the Golden Anchor has gotten a little less good in the last few years, but it's still one of my favorite restaurants in (or slightly outside) of the Valley. Good wine selection, nice owners, GRRRREEEEEAAAAAAT!!!! views, and an entranceway that requires 4wd half the winter.
You know, I can't recall the last time we had a restaurant review on this message board. Maybe we should start one. "What Other Restaurants Have Sole?" Har har!
Quote:
...
You know, I can't recall the last time we had a restaurant review on this message board. Maybe we should start one. "What Other Restaurants Have Sole?" Har har!
Now that's a delicious pun.
- Scott
Funny funny HAR HAR! Man that joke was off the SCALES! Don't quit your day job though...you might just fall FLAT on your face!
