Toughest double black in the east?

[RENO]

If that was gunbarrel, try top of Ovation when you can jump / slide into it or ski over the top of the trees. Lower O is about that steep with limited grooming and at least 3 times in length. Vertigo headwall EATS silly skiers and riders when conditions permit.

Yes, it is the length of Lower Ovation that makes it so intimidating to my son. The scary ones to me are actually the smoothly groomed, death sliders like Outer Limits sometimes is, or Upper Gondola Line at Sugarloaf. Not so hard to actually ski, but knowing you will not be able to stop if you fall is quite intimidating. Lower East Fall often fits that category too, though it is not as long.

The trail conditions in the East are what makes a big difference to me a lot more than the steepness. I've been on trails out west that are much steeper than Lower Ovation or Outer Limits and were a piece of cake to ride because the snow was awesome on them compared to a frozen solid wall of bumped up ice that is what LO was the last couple times I've been on it! I know what you mean about OL when it's smoothly groomed and still hard as a rock. I've seen a very good skier slip a little sideways and watched him slide out of control picking up speed down skiers left and launched off the snow ramp at the start of a mogul run and smash down after the ramp and then throw him off the first bump and land motionless under it. Had to be carted off. There was a bump racecourse setup there at the time. I thought it was in good condition until I saw that and decided to go in a different direction!

[skiadikt]

If that was gunbarrel, try top of Ovation when you can jump / slide into it or ski over the top of the trees. Lower O is about that steep with limited grooming and at least 3 times in length. Vertigo headwall EATS silly skiers and riders when conditions permit.

Yes, it is the length of Lower Ovation that makes it so intimidating to my son. The scary ones to me are actually the smoothly groomed, death sliders like Outer Limits sometimes is, or Upper Gondola Line at Sugarloaf. Not so hard to actually ski, but knowing you will not be able to stop if you fall is quite intimidating. Lower East Fall often fits that category too, though it is not as long.

The trail conditions in the East are what makes a big difference to me a lot more than the steepness. I've been on trails out west that are much steeper than Lower Ovation or Outer Limits and were a piece of cake to ride because the snow was awesome on them compared to a frozen solid wall of bumped up ice that is what LO was the last couple times I've been on it! I know what you mean about OL when it's smoothly groomed and still hard as a rock. I've seen a very good skier slip a little sideways and watched him slide out of control picking up speed down skiers left and launched off the snow ramp at the start of a mogul run and smash down after the ramp and then throw him off the first bump and land motionless under it. Had to be carted off. There was a bump racecourse setup there at the time. I thought it was in good condition until I saw that and decided to go in a different direction!

skiing out west is almost a different sport. on occasion i've encountered what they call hard pack but it's still nothing like the death slide "snow" we have in the east. and yeah terrain can be so much steeper. at some western resorts ol would be a double blue.

can't take this penn st thing too seriously. maybe these trails are steep for a 100-200 ft or so.

[TheLurker]

I'd toss upper portions of Starr and Goat into the mix.

[ski]

BTW . . . Jay Peak has no double blacks . . . . Smart move I say . . It's all semantics anyway .

[ski]

And Smuggs has a triple black . . . Black Hole

And if you have ever ridden the lift at Smuggs to the top of Madonna Mountain you go over Upper Liftline, a trail that makes anything at K look like child's play . .

[falldise]

If that was gunbarrel, try top of Ovation when you can jump / slide into it or ski over the top of the trees. Lower O is about that steep with limited grooming and at least 3 times in length. Vertigo headwall EATS silly skiers and riders when conditions permit.

Yes, it is the length of Lower Ovation that makes it so intimidating to my son. The scary ones to me are actually the smoothly groomed, death sliders like Outer Limits sometimes is, or Upper Gondola Line at Sugarloaf. Not so hard to actually ski, but knowing you will not be able to stop if you fall is quite intimidating. Lower East Fall often fits that category too, though it is not as long.

The trail conditions in the East are what makes a big difference to me a lot more than the steepness. I've been on trails out west that are much steeper than Lower Ovation or Outer Limits and were a piece of cake to ride because the snow was awesome on them compared to a frozen solid wall of bumped up ice that is what LO was the last couple times I've been on it! I know what you mean about OL when it's smoothly groomed and still hard as a rock. I've seen a very good skier slip a little sideways and watched him slide out of control picking up speed down skiers left and launched off the snow ramp at the start of a mogul run and smash down after the ramp and then throw him off the first bump and land motionless under it. Had to be carted off. There was a bump racecourse setup there at the time. I thought it was in good condition until I saw that and decided to go in a different direction!

skiing out west is almost a different sport. on occasion i've encountered what they call hard pack but it's still nothing like the death slide "snow" we have in the east. and yeah terrain can be so much steeper. at some western resorts ol would be a double blue.

can't take this penn st thing too seriously. maybe these trails are steep for a 100-200 ft or so.

When we went to Jackson Hole while waiting for our group to assemble we did a blue groomer called Gros Venture that was more like Outer Limits or Superstar than a blue thats for sure.....

Of course at that mountain on their toughest terrain if you fall you will probably end up in the hospital

[Powderputz]

Waterfall at Stowe should be on the list;
ANYTHING at Tuck's. I don't think Huntington is skiable unless an enormous amount of snow falls.

Methinks PA runs might have a MOMENT of extreme steepness. But it doesn't really matter if it's just a 40 or 50-foot section, 'cause it's just three or four turns.

K-27 at Hunter is steep up at it's top...but it's only steep for about 100 vertical feet. It gets progressively less steep as you go down.

Unfair to compare Jackson Hole to ANYTHING back east. How can you compare a 45-degree slope that's a continuous 45-degree pitch for 2200 vertical feet? S and S couloir is 90 degrees for 15-30 feet, again depending on snow conditions. Again, there's NOTHING like it back east.

[Grandmontes]

I'd say Killington Peak just under the top of the gondola. Consistantly, no snow and a sheet of ice. I'd have to agree with the sentiments that east coast skiing is tougher then west coast and I think skies faster in addition to slippage under feet. Hard to believe the west coast could produce any Olympic racers.

Don't know of anything in bounds at Jackson Hole that's that tough. Technically speaking you have to sign off before you jump into S @ S so that makes it out of bounds.

[polarjud]

Well, that was fun! I sure got a list of runs to try. No one has posted a video of Extrovert at Blue Know yet. It is similar to RipCord in length and a tad steeper in sections. But it does not compare with that picture of Lunch Rocks.

Lower Ovation has never been open on any of my visits and I never quite got the nerve to go under the ropes for it. So much more exposed than Julio or Anarchy.

Actually, the moment I think I was most scared in the east was when I was skiing with one of my daughters down Downdraft when we got to the intersection with Double Dipper. The crews had groomed Double Dipper an eveing or two before while it was still wet right before a very hard freeze. I was not sure she was going to be able to hold an edge. And it was still looked like such a long way down.

[halifax]

Face Chutes at Jay. Very impressive and they often hold great snow.

[Mtn Man]

Face Chutes at Jay. Very impressive and they often hold great snow.

+1 on this one. First run I thought of as "Hardest in the East". I was almost serious f'd up on that run, leaned into a tree, got spun around, fell head first and backwards, until I hooked a tree, basically hanging upside down. Be careful on that one, 50deg in spots!

B)

[jimmywilson69]

Don't know how I missed this post last week.

My home mountain is Roundtop and I have to say that while Gun Barrel is steep it usually ends up being 3-4 linked turns in the area where the person does the death slide in the Youtube video. Skiers left usually becomes massive ice chunk moguls, due to snowborders who side slip it. Skiing that portion of it becomes more of a traverse to a point where maybe you get 2 linked turns. then the rest of the trail really, IMO, isn't even a true "black" even by PA standards.

Extrovert at Blue Knob is a nice slope, pretty good sustained pitch for about 800-900 vertical feet. They don't have a winch cat, so it never gets groomed, they don't make snow on it hardly ever, because Blue Knob is state run. This ususally reslults in it being skiable about 10-15% of a "good" season. Most of the time it sits there closed as a glistening ice bump expose. When there is snow, it's fun though. I am not sure I buy that it is similar in length to rip cord, though I would estimate it to be a shorter run than rip cord. Maybe it's as long as the "steep" portion of rip cord, it has been 12-13 years since I have skied at blue knob.

Lower Ovation is pretty damn steep I know a lot of you guys say it's the steepest on the mountain and I agree. Vertigo Headwall is next for sure, and I would agree that upper gun barrel is similar, although Vertigo Headwall is longer.

At a closed ski area in Western PA, Laurel Mountain, there is a really steep trail called Lower Wild Cat. It's not as steep as Lower Ovation, but is probably similar to Outer Limits steepest pitch. It is sustained for about the same amount of length as loower ovation. I have skied it via snowmobile several times during college. When the lake effect snow machine is on, the snow is real nice down there.

[steamboat1]

No names that I know of but a few parts of the snowfield's on the back of Sugarloaf are pretty steep. Heck a few parts of the front side of the snowfield's are pretty steep.

[Botte]

The Face Chutes (Jay) & The Slides (Whiteface) are the two gnarliest things I've seen from a chairlift, but never skied. Unless, your barometer is the steepest 50 foot headwall, I think ya gotta consider changing pitch, rock & tree features, and stamina too. Lower Ovation after having skied down from the headwall? Vertigo, top to bottom when bumped? A middle/right line on Devils Fiddle? Then there's tree runs like Growler & Julio or Kitz Woods(Jay) & Deliverance(Jay). Stowe, the Loaf, Sugarbush, and MRG all have tough stuff too. I think Tunkhannock(Elk) when bumped is probably the toughest trail I've skied in PA. There's no way anything in PA stacks up to New England/ADKS.

[since1961]

Don't know of anything in bounds at Jackson Hole that's that tough. Technically speaking you have to sign off before you jump into S @ S so that makes it out of bounds.

Your kidding right? First since the thread is for the east I'll definately second Upper Liftline at Smuggs and Goat at Stowe, also Rumble at the Bush.

Nothing in-bounds that's tough? First, S&S(named for local legends Charlie Sands and John Sims) is definately in-bounds. Corbets, which is just up the ridge you don't have sign in for. In-bounds gnar is aplenty. I'll just name a few off the top of my head, most are on the trailmap, all lift served.

Tower 3 chute, Paintbrush, Expert Chutes, Wallstreet, Alta Chutes. Toilet Bowl, Two in the Hand and Central Chute. Tower 3 chute and Toilet Bowl are toughest IMHO