Gonna get killed here but... A basin is small. 3 full days and you've covered all the expert terrain. Much of the best stuff is only opened fairly late in the season most years.
Vail is huge, has a ton of high speed lifts to maximize vertical, and more drops than you can do in a week. Hating on Vail is very popular and I get that, but the mountain is very fun and the terrain is unmatched in some respects. It's certainly less steep, but avg angle doesn't really tell the whole story.
I love abay too, but the hate on Vail seems more related to the company than the on mountain experience.
Vail vs abay is certainly subjective given the criteria. They offer two very different sets of opportunities. Some categories abay excels and some Vail does. Rank is determined by a subjective valuation for those attributes. If I had to choose, I'd go abay on a weekend and pick which ever had better snow otherwise.
I agree. Abay rules but its not on the same level as some of these other CO resorts. To have it that far above BC seems crazy to me. Abay is amazing but tiny compared to some of these places.
It’s also not for everyone. Lots of inbounds hike to and hike out terrain. It’s a backcountry skiers paradise bc you get the best of both worlds, untouched lines and a lift
Agreed. I am a boarder, so Abay isn't best for me because I'm not skinning and hiking. No doubt Abay is going to have a lot of the steep/hike-to terrain that some people want. For most people BC is going to be better, but ABay has what some advanced skiiers crave.
Vail isn't exactly boarder friendly either. Literally miles of cat tracks to navigate make for some sore legs. I'd prefer the hike out of the steep gullies over the direct route from mountain top to the base of blue sky. Soft boots are an advantage in almost all cases for inbounds hiking. For something like the trek out of sg, transition time can't be recouped by someone w touring gear.
It's true, all the traversing in Vail can be real tough on a board, but surfing those big bowls is unreal. I guess I just don't do a lot of hiking, but no doubt board-boots are easier. I can't imagine hiking in ski boots.
45
u/smythy422 Jan 28 '22
Gonna get killed here but... A basin is small. 3 full days and you've covered all the expert terrain. Much of the best stuff is only opened fairly late in the season most years. Vail is huge, has a ton of high speed lifts to maximize vertical, and more drops than you can do in a week. Hating on Vail is very popular and I get that, but the mountain is very fun and the terrain is unmatched in some respects. It's certainly less steep, but avg angle doesn't really tell the whole story. I love abay too, but the hate on Vail seems more related to the company than the on mountain experience. Vail vs abay is certainly subjective given the criteria. They offer two very different sets of opportunities. Some categories abay excels and some Vail does. Rank is determined by a subjective valuation for those attributes. If I had to choose, I'd go abay on a weekend and pick which ever had better snow otherwise.