Skiing in the East vs. Skiing in the West

Skiing in the Northeast versus skiing out West can be very different from one another. For one thing, the resorts are very different. In general the resorts and mountains in the Northeast are much smaller in comparison with the ones out West. In the West you have mountain ranges such as the Rockies, Sierra Nevadas, and Cascades that dwarf the Green and White Mountains in the East. Because the West has much larger mountains, the resorts are obviously much larger as well. With bigger resorts and greater in bounds skiable terrain come other differences. The bigger resorts in the West tend to attract larger crowds than the ones in the East which means bigger base and mid mountain lodges are required to accommodate the greater quantity of skiers. Due to the larger crowds at Western resorts, gondolas are seen much more frequently. Gondolas are able to efficiently and conveniently transfer eighty to a hundred skiers up the mountain at a time. They're ubiquitous throughout most Western resorts, but are only featured at one East Coast resort, Jay Peak. Since most Western resorts are much larger in terms of the sheer size of the mountain, the associated mountain town is also usually much larger. Western ski resorts are world renown for having some of the best nightlife in towns that are both welcoming and vibrant. East Coast resorts can't even come close to matching there west coast counterparts in this comparison. When a well versed skier thinks about famed western ski towns names such as Aspen, Tahoe, Jackson Hole, and Salt Lake City come to mind. These four towns also share something distinctly western which is unparalleled powder and backcountry terrain. This is probably the biggest difference between west coast skiing and east coast skiing. At east coast resorts you'll never find deep, airy powder, and are much more likely to hear the piercing, grating sound of skis sliding on ice. You'll also never be able to ski any of the sprawling, expansive backcountry terrain that west coast resorts have to offer.