Smaller areas come up big in Ski Magazine’s annual resort survey

Mad River Glen came in at No.5 in the East in this year's Ski Magazine survey. (Ski Vermont)

When’s the last time Stowe finished 17th on any list of the top ski resorts in the East? 

That’s where the storied property lands in Ski Magazine’s 2022 Reader Resort Survey, an annual roundup that has always had Stowe in its upper echelon. This year, Smugglers’ Notch takes the top slot of a list highlighted by smaller resorts. Behemoth Killington is at No. 3, but Mad River Glen makes perhaps its highest-ever appearance at No. 5.

Jay Peak, Cannon, Sugarloaf, and Sugarbush are the other New England ski areas in the top 10. 

Sunday River, also normally in the higher rankings, finished 14th. Heck, Wachusett finished two spots higher than Stowe this year. 

“We will invariably get angry missives ranting about how tiny Wachusett can best big-bad Stowe in any reputable ski-resort survey,” the folks at Ski Magazine wrote. “Well, that’s on you guys. It’s a reader survey—you vote, not us.

“Across the board, we saw a higher response rate for smaller ski areas, even welcoming a new ski area into the rankings for the first time this year (hey, Hidden Valley!) Not surprisingly, we also observed that those visiting the larger ski areas hemmed and hawed even more than usual about lift lines, parking, crowds, and limited amenities.” 

Here’s the entire list, which is also absent some other mainstays of the past such as Loon, Wildcat, and Bretton Woods.