February 7, 2010 E-MAIL PRINT

Pitch perfect

by Peter Bronski/

Stowe Mountain's Front Four features some of the most legendary and steep runs in the region. (photo: Stowe Mountain Resort)

Stowe Mountain's Front Four features some of the most legendary and steep runs in the region. (photo: Stowe Mountain Resort)

There’s no shortage of diverse terrain at New England ski areas, from bumps to groomers to tree skiing to the park and pipe. There’s also steep skiing … as in double black diamond terrain that will challenge any skier. And in that world of steep skiing, there’s steep, and then there’s steep. I’m sure you know the drill:

As you approach the top of a run, the mountain seems to fall away into an abyss. At the edge of the rollover, you pull up short, stop and peer down the pitch. Maybe a bit of vertigo sets in. In your mind, you’re thinking, “People ski that?” Then, you muster some courage, throw yourself down the fall line and hope for the best. If all goes well, you emerge in the gradual runout at the bottom with a wide grin on your face, or maybe some sweat on your brow and adrenaline coursing through your veins, before you breathe a sigh of relief.

These are the steepest of the steep. They are runs that are intimidating — and thrilling — to ski. Of course, conditions have a lot do with just how intimidating they feel: fresh powder, ice, groomed corduroy, bumped out into moguls. At the end of the day, though, it all comes down to angles. Most of these runs hover around 30 degrees. Some are a little steeper, some a little less. But for the New England skier, you can just call them all pitch perfect.

Goat, Stowe Mountain Resort, Vt.
Cradled against Mount Mansfield, Vermont’s tallest peak, Stowe is home to the Front Four — National, Liftline, Starr and Goat — a quartet of some of the most legendary, and steep, ski runs in the region. Of the four, Goat has the fiercest reputation. Adding to the thrill is the fact that you’re more or less under the Fourrunner Quad chairlift, where other skiers and boarders can ogle you on your descent.

Runner-up: Choosing just one runner-up in this neck of the woods is a near impossible task. It seems everywhere you look, there’s another ski run that’s as steep as the last. There’s Ovation at Killington; Ripcord, Rumble, and FIS at Sugarbush; and arguably all of Mad River Glen, including the infamous Paradise. But if you have to choose just one runner-up, make it the Face Chutes at Jay Peak. They combine Jay’s renowned powder with steep couloirs like you’d expect to find at resorts out West.

Tramline, Cannon Mountain, N.H.
Best known as the ski mountain where Bode Miller cut his teeth as a youngster, Cannon Mountain also offers up its share of steeps, including Tramline. Warm up and get your legs under you on the intermediate upper portion of the run. Then grit your teeth and hang on tight as the angle steepens and you stare down into the depths of Franconia Notch.
Runner-up: Home to the only above-treeline, lift-served skiing in the East, Sugarloaf’s summit snowfields — and especially White Nitro and Gondola Line — will test your mettle.

The Catapult, Catamount, Mass.
Straddling the Massachusetts-New York border, Catamount ski area is home to Catapult, the steepest ski run in the Berkshires. Sure, it’s not as steep as other runs you’ll find at bigger mountains farther north, but if you’re skiing in southern New England, this is where to get your heart pumping.

Runner-up: Beast at Berkshire East is known for thrilling its share of skiers and boarders, but its steep pitch is short, so you’re through the gauntlet quickly.

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