The Vertical Drop Thread

[x10003q]

Really somewhat dependent on region and how big the mountains are. Copper has total vert of 2601 and True-Up Vertical Descent of 2410, for a resort in the category 2000-2500 acres. The difference is on the order of 10%. Think anyone cares? What's more interesting is to compare Copper with Keystone. Keystone has more acreage, less True-up Vert, and more total vert. They are both easy driving distance from Dillon, which has good lodging options. If someone has never been to either and is trying to decide where to go, looking up True-up Vert might be worthwhile as another piece of info.

For Massanutten, the difference is 60 ft for 1100 ft vert. Does that really matter from a skiing standpoint? No. But it matters for marketing purposes. At 1100 ft, Massanutten has more vert than any ski area in PA. Using True-Up Vert, Blue Mountain and Blue Knob just beat Massanutten.

You could also say that actual elevation matters. Beech Mountain in NC would not be a ski area if it wasn't at over 5000 ft. Beech is like Plattekill in that total vert and True-up Vert are the same.

East coast vertical matters more in east than Rockies/West coast vertical because it truly indicates the size of the mountain. Out West, the acreage matters more than the vertical. East coast acreage is so much smaller than western acerage that the vertical is one of the best ways to indicate the length of the runs.
Bogus Basin in Idaho (basically a day trip mountain for Boise) is 'only' 1800 vertical, but 2600 acres!! In the east - Killington seems to be the largest at 1509 acres and that might include Pico. Sugarloaf is 1240 acres (610 acres with snowmaking) and a huge chunk is Brackett Basin and Burnt Mountain. Gore is 439 acres.
Vertical matters in the East.

 

[MarzNC]

Vertical matters in the East.

Vertical matters in the northeast. In the southeast, people who don't fly to ski have fun at small mountains with under 100 acres and less than 900 ft vert.

One of the reasons I appreciated Mountain Vertical is that they had a separate category for Southeast and Mid-Atlantic (NY, NJ, PA). Lumping the southeast with East makes little sense. I think of upstate NY as "northeast" together with New England when it comes to skiing. I think of MD, PA, NJ for Mid-Atlantic and most of the ski areas/resorts are in PA.

Snowshoe is the only true destination resort in the southeast. The total vert and True-up Vert are a bit misleading. There is a section on the backside that has two black trails that was probably used to come up with 1480 ft. for both. But most of the main resort is more like 800' vert and Silver Creek is probably around 600' vert.

 

[MarzNC]

I'm considering using the Indy Pass in the midwest in March since I have relatives who live there I could visit. Mountain Vertical will come in handy for quick comparisons. Range is 160 to 820 ft True-Up Vert. The highest vert is at Mt. Bohemia.

 

[Brownski]

Catamount gets credit for a full 1k which is right about what they claim I think

 

[MarzNC]

For the Mid-Atlantic (NY, NJ, PA), looking at the ski areas 1200 feet or less, most are the same for True-Up Vert and total vert. Only real difference is for Titus.

NY
Holiday Valley: 680 vs 750
Holimont: 520 vs 710
Titus: 640 vs 1040

PA
Whitetail: 835 vs 935
Hidden Valley: 540 vs 610
Tussey: 460 vs 500

 

[Harvey]

It doesn't matter to me, much. Give me 500 feet, good snow and minimal lift lines. McCauley is awesome.

Did I say that already? Should I just make it my sig?

 

[raisingarizona]

What’s your favorite lifts for hot lapping good verts?

 

[Brownski]

What’s your favorite lifts for hot lapping good verts?

Plattekill double, Whiteface summit quad, Killington canyon quad- I’m trying to think of others

 

[Green light]

What’s your favorite lifts for hot lapping good verts?

Straight brook quad

 

[DHA]

The True-up numbers have Greek Peak at 950. Those of us who work there know its no 950. Only if you include the planned extension of Greek Peak East to chair 4 that never happened. Coincidentally their trail map includes that never developed expansion at the top of chair 4 and Greek Peak East.