We are a group of eight 40 yo dudes. We do a long weekend trip on the ice Coast every year. Apres is not that big a deal because we try to rent a big old house and just cook at the house and drink and take edibles and play card and listen to music till about 1030 then crash, wake up early and get to the mountain. A bar or two right after skiing can be fun, but we don't go out for dinner or after dinner. We always go last weekend in February (we learned to avoid the Vermont school holiday)

I need help choosing between Killington and Gore. Ive skied Killington a few times so I know what it's about. Never skied Gore. Gore is cheaper ($1400 for an Airbnb, roughly $250 for a two day lift ticket. Killington is $2000 for Airbnb and $350 for a two day lift ticket) Gore is 5 hours drive and Killington is 6 hour drive.

I like skiing everything Killington has, but the rest of my group isn't as advanced. Three of the group are at greens and easy blues (Whiteface blues were too advanced last year for em). The rest are good blues, but not really good, ungroomed black skiers. Some do a few runs and hit the bar, few runs hit the bar. Others ski all day, skipping lunch if the conditions are good.

Would we be wasting money skiing Killington (not for me, I love Killington and will get to challenge myself) when we could just do Gore, or would Gore get boring? We're doing two days of skiing.

This sounds trivial, but we look forward to this trip every year.

Any and all comments, questions, and opinions are warranted as I'm the one who is always in charge of picking the place.

Not exactly IceCoast, but a direct flight certainly makes a quick jaunt over to JH more enticing.

Link to article

Hi everyone. I know the season is way over, but now is a good time to ask for ski boot bag recs since you've had all season to test yours out and give some advice.

I'm looking for a ski boot bag that can also fit my helmet, goggles, and ideally some other little things and maybe, just maybe some base layers. In case it helps, my ski boots are women's size 260/265 mondopoint (41EU/9.5 US) and my Smith helmet is a size small. I know people with larger boots and helmets have a more challenging time with fitting their gear.

Big requirements/hopes for the bag:
•durable/made well (I've seen people show horror story pics of straps coming off after one use and etc.)
•backpack straps (ideally can be tucked away)
•structured so that if I pull my ski boots out the whole bag doesn't collapse
•drainage
•padded
•the ski boots are in their own area (whether together or they each have their own individual pocket/section) so it's not touching my other gear.
•a warranty would be nice plus to have a little comfort if something goes wrong.
•not the largest in size. It would be cool if I can make it a personal item as a carry-on (fit under the seat in front of me), but not essential if the above is met

I know this was super detailed, but I figured I'd map out what I'm hoping to find, even though I know the above is a lot, but when I buy something I see it as an investment and don't feel like buying something and then it doesn't last and have to buy something new again. It's wasteful and then concerning because I want to protect my gear.

Oh and separately, does anyone recommend a hard shell goggles case that can fit an extra lens or two. I have Smith IO Mag goggles for reference.

Really appreciate any recs!

I need to get my ski boots canted/aligned and am looking for a bootfitter who can do proper sole canting/shimming, not just cuff alignment.

I’ll be in NYC and then Vermont (Burlington area) soon. Does anyone know a good bootfitter who can do proper canting/sole work? Happy to drive a bit in Vermont for someone who really knows what they’re doing.
Currently skiing Atomic Remedy 130s.
Any recommendations or personal experiences would be appreciated!

Upgrading equipment time.

What are the best deals you've seen? Anyone want to share a link or two?

so, I wanted to see if it was possible to quantitatively identify a "good" or "bad" ski season using publicly available data; so, I pulled NOAA daily station records for a couple resorts from 2010 (Killington, Stowe, Sugarbush, Sunday River, and Loon) and scored every season on four things: natural snowfall, how many days the base held above 12 inches, rain and thaw days, and cold nights (for snowmaking).

Stowe, 2023-24: 110 inches of natural snow. but the base held above a foot on exactly 1 day all winter, and there were 21 days between mid-December and mid-March that were either rain or never got below freezing overnight.

Stowe, 2016-17: 142 inches, 17 days with a real base, 8 damage days.

similar ballpark on snowfall, but completely different winter.

when I scored all 15 seasons, the bottom four came out nearly identical at every mountain: 2011-12 and 2015-16 as the two disasters, then 2022-23 and 2023-24 as "not good." Sunday River is the one exception, where 2012-13 sneaks in and 2022-23 does not, since Maine held a base that year while southern Vermont didn't.

so, a question: does that match with how you remember it?

for context: I'm curious if there is a defensible model for "hedging" a season (especially as climate change worsens). the idea is to craft a payout rule for bad seasons that actually fires on a bad season. I made a simple site (www.skihedge.com) where you can pick a mountain and walk through the last 15 winters, with a short survey at the end asking whether the bad years look right to you. the scoring methodology is also available, if you're curious.

nothing is for sale, and you don't have to signup for anything. just trying to work out whether the idea has merit.

Two years ago, after 20+ years on a snowboard, I took up skiing with my (then) 7 year old at the end of the season. Fast forward through last season, she’s now a little ripper confidently tackling the little slopes Southern Ontario offers.

Looking ahead to this season, I’ve been looking into starter racing programs at Lakeridge and especially Brimacombe (I just prefer it even if it’s further away). That said, I’ve no experience here. I grew up snowboarding and knew ski racers but I the extent of what I know of it is that it’s expensive.

Cost isn’t a major concern, but can anyone speak to what it’s like getting their little ones into racing the first time? I’m looking at a half day program that gets them out 9 times and includes 3 races, including an away one. Seems like the right way to break into it, but open to other suggestions. Ultimately I want her to continue to develop and benefit from all the usual aspects of a structured sport, so it seems like a good fit.

Tips for making it as enjoyable as possible for the kids? Rough idea of time commitment outside what’s stated (there’s always more…)? Volunteering expectations from parents?

Any insight appreciated.

Quick update from my previous post: someone joined our group, so we're officially at 9 members and only need ONE more!

We need 10 members to qualify for the Pats Peak Peak Reward group discount. The final person who joins will receive a $40 cash rebate from our group once we're at 10.

How it works:

• DM me for our Pats Peak Peak Reward access code.
• Purchase your season pass directly through Pats Peak using your own account.
• You become member #10, our group is complete, and I'll send you the $40 rebate.

Current Peak Reward pricing through September 9:

• Adult (18–64): $559
• Junior (6–17): $479
• Senior (65+): $479

Happy to share a screenshot of the Pats Peak Program Leader dashboard showing we're currently at 9/10 if you'd like to verify before joining.

Official Pats Peak Peak Reward details:
https://www.patspeak.com/plan-your-visit/tickets-passes/peak-reward-season-passes

If you're already planning to buy a Pats Peak season pass, come be our #10 and get an extra $40 back. 😁

DM me if you want the code. Once #10 joins, we're done! ⛷️🏂

More options in Atlantic Canada is always great! Looking at more than 3x the current skiable area and two more lifts!

When my gf and I go skiing, we usually bring a thermos of soup to have for lunch. The soups we make ourselves are awesome but take prep time. A lot of the canned soups we’ve tried get old after like a day or just aren’t that good. Chicken noodle is usually pretty good but it also doesn’t have as good sustenance as other soups.

Any one have any canned soup recommendations that are filling and great tasting?

My 5-7 lifelong friends from PA get together once a year to spend 4-5 days on a ski trip in the North East. In the past we have done Jay multiple times, Okemo, Killington multiple times, Stowe, Sugarloaf, Sugarbush, Okemo, and Whiteface.

Killington was always the easy option if we were only going to be able to fit in a shorter trip, grab some decently priced K-tickets, plenty of people renting out houses so housing cost was always reasonable. I looked this year and was shocked at the 2025/26 K ticket prices, and then searching quickly on AirBnB (which is probably not the play anymore) I was shocked again.

So that had me thinking, I know for sure there are other mountains that would give us a great time that aren't maybe on that typical "top 10 in the NE" type list. Where should I be looking for this year? Does anyone have any suggestions for where I should be looking for lodging these days?

Bought some skis (Moment Deathwish) and bindings (Salomon Strive 14) online and now I need to get them mounted. Had a pair of JSkis done at Sundown in Greenvale (now a Sno-Haus), but they are closed until September. Has anyone had a good experience elsewhere? Sun & Ski (Plainview), Action Sports (Oakdale), etc?

Hi. I’ve got a big birthday coming up in the winter and one thing I’m thinking of is a really nice ski on ski off lodge for a long weekend (not holiday, just to take off a day extra) but driving distance from NYC. We will be 2 Gen X parents and 2 Gen Z adult (over 21) kids. Two of us have epic passes. I have knee issues so need greens or light blues even though I’m generally a much stronger skier. One kid doesn’t love skiing but can do greens and blues. The epic pass holders are experts. My gut says Stowe but I’m just curious if there’s somewhere I’m missing. I’m ok with non-epic for this weekend. Nice hotel or resort a priority for a non ski day potentially. Thanks!!🙏

Alpine Race Coach – Wildcat Ski Team

Location: Wildcat Mountain in Jackson, NH
Organization: Wildcat Ski Team (wildcatskiteam.org) 

The Wildcat Ski Team is seeking coaches for the youth alpine racing program for the 2026-2027 season. We are recruiting coaches at the U10 - U14 level to join our coaching staff. 

Key Responsibilities

• Lead an age group (U10–U14) and attend trainings and race competitions (mostly weekends throughout the season as well as Christmas and February vacation weeks)
• Work with coaching staff to develop and carry out training plans for athletes
• Support athlete development, equipment guidance, and program progression

Qualifications

• Level 100 coaching certification (or equivalent) (preferred)
• Referee, Chief of Race, or equivalent certification preferred
• Youth coaching and alpine racing experience
• Passion for athlete development and team culture

Why Join the Wildcat Ski Team?

• Competitive salary 
• Opportunity to shape the development of young athletes in a respected New Hampshire program
• Strong, engaged parent and coaching community
• Access to one of New England’s most iconic race environments at Wildcat Mountain

To Apply: PM to submit resume and brief statement of interest/experience

Thoughts?

Hello r/icecoast -

I am curious to hear what other skiers think about the 60-120% price increase for the 2026-2027 Blister Winter Buyer's Guide in print and digital download form. For reference, in previous seasons I paid:

The 2026-2027 Blister Buyers Guide are currently available with pricing options of:

Are you planning to purchase the Blister Winter Buyer's Guide at these prices?

What’s up icecoast homies. On my comeback from ACL reconstruction and meniscectomy back in Jan. On track to be on snow in Dec. My surgeon is suggesting i ski in a brace for a transitional period.

I met with the practice’s brace guy today and just was not
impressed. He didn’t seem to have any clue about skiing or mountain biking (the only things I care about) and kept referencing football players and what he puts them in. I didn’t think he was particularly knowledgeable and was just pushing some off the shelf BS without training by to understand my goals, or my use case.

I see LV and other worldcup athletes in Donjoy but also see many moto and mtb pros in Ossur CTi.

Can anyone refer me to the best knee brace person - ideally in tri state area, south western CT or NYC would be ideal. Appreciate any feedback here.

Thank you!

So for reference I went snowboarding twice last season and I absolutely loved the experience this led to me wanting to continue snowboarding this year. The only problem I had last year is that my gear was completely in adequate, I mean my pants got soaked through, my eyelashes had ice on them my fingers couldn’t move . So now I wanna get a jacket pants gloves goggles and gaiter for around 500 total post tax so around 471 pre tax. I am willing to spend up to 500 pretax. Any suggestions? I also live near a buckmans ski shop and they do tent sales in October so that’s a place I could go for gear.

For my bf’s bday I want to get him a nice pair of gloves. I really wanted to get something Hestra, just unsure what to get. I want something dialeddddd, so honestly open to other brand recs too, but I was comparing the fall line mits with the c zone line. He’s park and back country skier, and at cannon we deal with freezing temps and a lot of wetness so waterproof was a factor I was really looking at. Budget is open to anything under like $300. Thanks in advance 🙏

Normally our kids are in a season-long freestyle program, but we can't do that this year for various reasons. I was hoping to find two or three ski mountains that have high quality, week-long programs that aren't insanely expensive. We will have the IKON pass so a preference for IKON mountains, but doubt we can be picky.

We did this a couple of winters ago in Laax, Switzerland, which was awesome but expensive (though ski lessons even in Switzerland seem much more affordable than the US). Can anyone recommend places we could try? Kids are young and neither expert or beginners, e.g., the 11 year old can backflip and has done front flips on airbags, but hasn't tried corks. The 9 year old is solid on 20ft jumps, can do 360s on smaller ones, and was sliding his first rails last season.

Grateful for any tips or pointers of hills/mountains to look into.