Discovery is one of my favorite aspects of skiing. I’m no pioneer but I’ll hike a good amount to find the perfect powder stash, a chute I can navigate or a (two foot) “cliff” I can huck. Luckily for us, most of these spots were discovered long ago and creatively named. I did some polling of the Liftopia crew and got amazing responses for the Top 5 Epic Ski Runs. “Epic” means different things to different skiers and riders but here’s a list of names that should sound familiar. Go out and discover these trails…and bring your courage.
1. KT-22 at Squaw Valley– Okay, I know. This isn’t a trail, but picking from West Face Alternatives, Chute 75 or Jonny Moseley’s run (to name a few) is too hard. This terrain is definitely advanced. Watch for pros and sickos hitting the “Fingers” on a powder day.
2. East Castle at Alta – This requires a pretty hefty hike but that keeps some crowds out and you definitely earn your turns. Steep, great snow that can get some decent wind buff. It usually opens 1-2 days after a storm, so have some patience…it’s a virtue.
3. Bubblecuffer at Sugarloaf – I grew up fearing this trail and reached manhood when I finally conquered it. Start up in the Snow Fields for bigger turns before you’re required to keep it tight on this steep and hairy trail.
4. Corbets Couloir at Jackson Hole – Well, at least you won’t be surprised midway through the run. You literally have to “drop-in” at least 10 feet to start this gnarliest of gnarly runs. Actually, once you’ve entered (and checked your drawers), it’s not that tough and the couloir accumulates a ton of snow.
5. White Heat at Sunday River – The name is just as epic as the terrain. If you like moguls, this is what you’re looking for. The long, sustained pitch sets up perfectly for bumps. I promise your legs will be nice and worked after this run.
Are these your tops? Maybe you can choose from some very honorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions:
- Superstar at Killington
- Regular Johnson at Snowbird
- Genghis Khan at Vail
- Front Four at Stowe
- Idiots at Alpine Meadows
- Wipeout at Mammoth
- Spiral Stairs at Telluride
- Big Couloir at Big Sky
- Tuckerman Ravine on Mt. Washington
- Tightrope at Attitash
- Exhibition at Sun Valley
Really, some East Coast shitty ass mogul runs vs cool natural lines The Big Couloir?
lmfoa. man up bobjones and learn how to ski bumps
Bobjones,
Remember those East Coast shitty ass mogul runs are burly,icy and make ANY skier wicked awesome with practice. With the mastery of those runs the others are the progressive candy store you seek. Sure there are funner, more technical lines that will kill you if you screw the pooch but you gotta work up to everything. Respect the foundation, and keep settin your sights higher!
Bubblecuffer is nothing compared to white nitro, Also try paradise at mad river glen and green beret at jay peak. Also the outer limits at killington is steeper than white heat.
Top 10 Toughest Trails in The East coast
10. Ripcord Mt Snow VT
9. Avalanche Cannon NH
8. K-27 Hunter MT NY
7. FIS Sugarbush VT
6. Black Line Magic MT VT
5. Devils Playground Bolton Vally VT
4. Upper Giant Killer Gore MT NY
3. Goat Stowe VT
2. White Nitro SugarLoaf VT
1. Vertigo Jay Peak VT
^ not even close……..
paradise @MRG?
spruce cliffs or Ruby Palace @ sunday river? (okay spruce isn’t on the maps any more but if you can find it the lines are still there)
face chutes @ jay?
Rumble @sugarbush?
Paradise should be in the 10 definately I missed that one, Same with the face chutes I left it out because its always closed when i go, You could probably argue a bunch at sugarbush also.
The “Heathen” at Sunlight Mountain in Glenwood Springs, Co. 52 degrees!!!
Wow, really? White Heat is the best you can come up with for the East? Or some crappy run on Attitrash? SUPERSTAR???? THAT’S NOT EVEN STEEP! Here’s an actual list of runs on the East worth skiing:
1. DJ’s Tram Line, Cannon Mtn, NH (watch out for the 20 foot head wall half way down).
2. Devil’s Fiddle, Killington (or even Outer Limits is better than Superstar).
3. Growler, Killington.
4. Huntington’s Ravine, Mt. Washington (Tuckermans is for tourists!)
5. Anything on the Casablanca side of Saddleback Mtn, Maine.
I’m so tired of everyone saying trails like Superstar and White Heat are, “the steepest in the East.” Ski Tram Line and tell me Superstar is steep. Go to Bear Mtn. on Killington and tell me Superstar is steep! Sorry to get so frustrated, but the East is never properly represented in any ski list I’ve ever read!
Saddleback rules!
in my opinion i think lift line at smuggs is one of the steepest in the east. on a sick powder day it doesn’t get much better than that
Bubblecuffer, best of the east right there!
The (L)East should not even be on here. Not even in the top 100. No comparison – and don’t give me that icy bump BS. That’s just used to make least coast skiers feel good about themselves. I can always tell an EC skier on the hill, they are the ones in the back seat and skidding turns. Oh yeah, they also have a GoPro cam that they will invariably post to YouTube with a “gnar” label.
Strange how the best skiier around bode miller kicks all the west coast skiiers butt, thats because of the east coast ski conditions, Yea its tough jumping off things and landing in 5 feet of powder. if you can ski the east coast conditions you can ski anywhere. east coast ice 3 feet of blue ice looks like an ice cube, west coast ice 3 inches of powder.
Where have I heard that before? Oh, yeah…from every Easterner trying to justify their ant hills. Skiing ice makes you good…..at skiing ice. That’s it. It’s not an asset. BTW: ever heard of Ted Liggety? Yeah, he’s from Utah.
i’m so much better than you!!!!
Fuck off west coaster. Just because western runs have better conditions doesn’t make them steeper.
There are plenty of eastern runs in the 40 degree range and back and side country in the 50 – 60 degrees.
There are plenty of eastern trails with cliff jumps and powder aswell so shut the fuck up. You probably are just butthurt that you slipped and fell into a tree.
Bubble cuffer is not even close and neither is devils fiddle. I cant speak for the west coast but Bubblecuffer is decent, Devils fiddle is pretty steep but White heat is for 70 year old ladies, Attitash doesent have anything steep at all, Superstar is for yuppies in may. Green beret and Vertigo glade at jay will make you cry, Black line at magic you have to go down a 15 foot cliff there is no other way, Superstar at mad river, you better be a superstar and The devils playground at bolton you better grab a tree if you mess up. As for white nitro at sugarloaf there probably is a reason for that net at the bottom. Of all the eastern trails listed the only ones i havent skiied are the ones at saddleback and i have heard they are the real deal.
I mean paradise at mad river glen
Here is someone elses list i found
Hardest Mountains in the east+ 2 steepests trail there
1 Whiteface Slides 44, Upper Skyward 38
2 MRG Paradise 39 Fall Line 37
3 Jay Green Beret 37, Face Chutes 35
4 Sugarloaf White Nitro 39, Bubblecuffer 34
5 Hunter Lower K27 44 Westway 40 upper Crossover 40
6 Stowe Goat 38, National 37
7 Sugarbush Black Diamond 36, Rumble 33
8 Killington Lover Oviation 44 Outer Limits 38
9 Gore Rumor 37, Lies 30, Lower Steilhang 32, Upper Darby 30
10 Smuggs! Freefall 40, Liftline 38
looks alot like mine
That Alta picture is actually Mt. Superior just west of Alta. . .
Well, thanks for the effort in changing the photo, but still a fail. That’s not East Castle. here’s a photo: http://bit.ly/xzLNWH. Also, in the honorables, it’s Regulator Johnson, not Regular. And it shouldn’t be on the list. Maybe Great Scott under the tram…
I’ve skied three out of the top 5, and two of the honorable mentions. Guess I’ll have to add the rest to my Bucket List.
The other guy is right. Thats Mount Superior. Also East Castle is rarely open. But despite the irresponsible reporting you are correct Alta is in fact amazing.
Snowbird has better steep then any run you picked . Regulator Johnsons is a puusy trail; Alta on the same page
White Heat – The Steepest, longest, widest, lift serviced trail in the east. Make sure you keep the commas in there 😉
Yes
White Heat? Huh? the only thing epic about that trail is dodging the gapers who want to claim they boarded/skied the “steepest, blah, blah, blah” trail in the east. As for bumps on that trail, lucky if they ever are more than one or two wide, barely getting beyond the edge of the lift. Very unlike the photo attached.
Mill Brook is a “secret” trail at Mad River Glen that is as scary as anything I’ve skied out west or in the Alps. Its a narrow chute where a stream cuts its way down the hill. Steep and narrow, pretty much walls on either side so there’s nothing to do but execute fast, tight turns…or just point straight down and hope for the best.
UTlocal – save the ski snob routine. Its not ALWAYS ice and rocks out east. Our mountains are older and the rocks aren’t as jagged, so we don’t need 50 feet of snow to open. I’ve skied everywhere, and a fresh dump at Mad River Glen is still pretty much as good as it gets. Best part – no west coast douche bags!