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Arnold
from Connecticut
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Mar 27, 2008 |
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Overall Rating: 4.2   |
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Don't to listen to Darryl K. Lewis's review. That person is dead wrong. Catamount is known for being steep. The double diamond Catapult IS STEEP. It's not the "steepest" trail, but the research confirms it is similar to those up north you mentioned. Even so, you admitted you didn't see or ski Catapult. How can you judge on it if you never did it?
Apart from Catapult, I love the terrain. This place has something for everyone, from long cruisers such as Ridge Run to curvy runs such as Sidewinder. The huge jumps on the sides of Turnpike our fun to go off as well as the terrain park.
Add to that, this mountain rarely has crowds unlike nearby mountains which is GREAT!! Unless you're real far, come up here, you'll enjoy it.
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Tony
from Westchester
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Feb 11, 2008 |
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| Overall Rating: 4.4 |
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I am a regular rider at Catamount. I usually come with my father who spends the day skiing while I am in the terrain park. The set up is excellent with a junior jib park for beginners. For the serious minded, there is even regular rail jam competitions. There are never crowds so you can ski up and down the mountain continuously and get quite a number of runs in a short time. All the trails generally come back to the base so it is easy to meet up with friends of a run or two and then head off separate ways. All in all Catamount is a great bargain (given a day trip can be made easily without the need for an expensive hotel). However, if you stay over, small towns in the area have an abundance of New England charm and excellent eating and entertainment.
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Darryl K. Lewis
from Jamaica, New York
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Jan 4, 2008 |
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| Overall Rating: 3.0 |
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SkiTown Review
Ski resort reviews can be helpful only if you know the skill level and skiing perspective of the person authoring the review. I am a middle age advanced skier with no interest in jumping off cornices or cliffs. I will often at high speeds hit a small lip in the terrain and get a little air, but thats about the extent of it. I venture in and out of moderate mogul fields in an attempt to become a better all-around skier, but I tend not to spend a majority of my ski day dealing with the bumps. I had promised my granddaughter a ski day during the 2007 Christmas break, so we headed toward the Berkshire Mountain area. According to SkiTowns website, the Berkshires had conditions of deeper snow bases and a greater percentage of skiing acreage open than both the Catskills and the Poconos. I had asked my granddaughter to choose between Butternut and Catamount (The Cat), and she chose The Cat. With that said, here are my impressions of The Cat.
Terrain Rated 3.0:
The Cat is the typical Berkshire/Pocono mountain of a 1,000-foot vertical drop and a little over 100 acres of terrain. Fortunately for us the snowfall in the northeast was significantly better than last year at this time, and approximately 70% of the mountain was open. But unfortunately for me there was not enough coverage to open any black-diamond terrain. From the looks of the closed expert terrain, the steepness would not intimidate most advanced/expert skiers. I was not able to view their signature double-black diamond trail Catapult from the Ridge Run access trail. The Cat claims that this is the steepest trail in the Berkshires, and one of the steepest trails in the Northeast (Hmmmmmmmmm? I would love to hear what Jay Peak, Sugarloaf, Killington, Stowe, Cannon, and Sugarbush would say about that). It appears that the only hope in presenting a substantial challenge to experts would be to allow moguls to develop on selected expert trails. The fact that moguls are allowed to develop on selected runs was verified in my conversation with a ski patroller. Since I was relegated to intermediate runs, I found them to be more or less predictable. The upside to this is that they were great ego boosters for my granddaughter. She devoured them and asked me when we were coming back. When facing the mountain, approximately the left third of the mountain contains mainly green-circle beginner/novice trails. For me, The Cat represents a decent first-trip-of-the-season mountain. I can get my ski legs working and practice technique. I must admit that come March or April you would probably have to drag me kicking and screaming to spend a day at The Cat.
Service Rated 4.0:
I have no idea what the Cat is doing correctly, but on a gorgeous day during Christmas break, we waited no longer than 30 seconds on any of The Cats lift lines. There are only four lifts that access strategic points of the mountain, and on that day only three were operating. But those three were enough to handle the skiers/boarders efficiently. At lunchtime I ordered my standard bowl of chili. It had a good flavor and a heck of a spicy kick to it. The traces of meat were very small, but it was sprinkled with kernels of corn which was quite different. When I parked my car and arrived near the lodge, a roving administrator directed me to the lift ticket purchase area and all involved were very cordial and courteous.
Crowds Rating 4.0:
I was amazed that The Cat wasnt that crowded. During the height of the lunchtime period (11:40 am to 1:00pm) we were able to readily find seats in the lodge cafeteria. We arrived at The Cat at approximately 9:30 am, and I could still get a parking spot fairly close to the main lodge, with a relatively short walking distance.
Activities Rating 2.0:
The Cat has a half pipe and a terrain park. The town of Great Barrington, Massachusetts is nearby, but it is a small town and I am not sure what it has to offer. Otherwise, there may be little else to do but ski and board in The Cats vicinity.
Value: - Rating 2.0:
Lift tickets at The Cat were relatively high for the size of the mountain. Adult all day weekend tickets broke the $50 barrier. A small bowl of chili and bottle water cost me $10, which I do realize is about par for most ski areas (but that still doesnt make it right or inexpensive).
In summary: As an early season tune-up (if there is sufficient snow coverage), The Cat is a decent place for the advanced/expert skier to get in a little practice and work on technique. For a family tending to lean on the novice side, The Cat is a good place to spend a day. But any extended stay will certainly lead to boredom for the accomplished skier, and a day and a half will probably be enough for the entire family. Dont get me wrong! A day of family skiing at The Cat is still a good day of skiing. Your novice spouse, kids, and/or grandkids will love you for it. But if you are an advanced or expert skier, just remember to keep it to one day only.
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Michael Petronio
from Poughkeepsie
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Jun 13, 2007 |
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| Overall Rating: 3.0 |
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Having only resumed skiing after 20 years, I don't have much experience with judging terrain etc. However, I decided that my two older kids (5 and 7) should learn how to ski and basically picked Catamount on the basis of proximity.
I was very pleased with the kids' ski school. Considering how many kids arrive in the morning they do a good job of getting them equipped and out on the slopes by 9 a.m. They don't overtax the kids, and the instructors all seemed to do well with the kids. Even when my little one kept falling down at first and started crying, they were able to get her re-motivated and back on the skiis.
The adult introductory class varies in efficacy. I ended up with two other folks who also had skied previously, so we all quickly ended up on the green trails during the initial lesson. My wife ended up with other novices and her group did not even get up the magic carpet during her introductory one-hour lesson!
We went about 4-5 times during February and March. By the end, my oldest daughter was skiing the green trails with a wedge, and my younger one had learned to steer and stop on the bunny slope using the wedge. Both were confident on their skiis.
For someone at my level (beginner-intermediate), Catamount offers nice cruisers and a couple of nice wide blue slopes to practice technique.
Crowds on Saturdays can get pretty bad, but this season might have been an anamoly because groups scheduled for December/January had to reschedule for February and March because of lack of snowfall.
Overall, I strongly recommend Catamount as a family-oriented ski area with very good kids' instruction.
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Linda S
from katonah, ny
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Feb 12, 2007 |
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| Overall Rating: 4.0 |
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We just spent two days at Catamount. My kids, 6 and 8, LOVED ski school and didn't want the lessons to end. The instructors are clearly doing something right, as they have got both kids skiing in a weekend, and loving it. Sign up for ski school was a little chaotic, but they were very good about putting them in the appropriate groups, and about moving them up as they progressed.
I am an intermediate skier, so for me the terrain was perfect,with a bit of difficulty here and there to keep it interesting. We were there on a weekend, the weather was perfect, the snow was excellent, and even though the parking lot was packed we spent almost no time waiting in lines.
THe cafeteria needs improvement and is too crowded at lunchtime, but we weren't there for the food. THis is a great place for families and intermediate skiers, and we are going back next weekend.
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shahan islam
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Mar 23, 2006 |
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| Overall Rating: 1.8 |
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The terrain is not bad - however in relation to the conditiona and cleanliness of nearby resorts (eg. Butternut), this is not a good value. Further, the staff is quite rude and not friendly on group days unless one brings large groups.
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John
from CT
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Feb 13, 2006 |
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| Overall Rating: 3.4 |
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catamount ski area has the distinction of being in both new york and massachusetts.
i raced here a couple times, it was a little icy, but ok. the place was deserted. pretty interesting setup at the base- an old 1970's european-styled village that never really took off.
it has some steeper runs, at least for a southern New England resort. its good enough.
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John
from CT
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Feb 13, 2006 |
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| Overall Rating: 3.4 |
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catamount ski area has the distinction of being in both new york and massachusetts.
i raced here a couple times, it was a little icy, but ok. the place was deserted. pretty interesting setup at the base- an old 1970's european-styled village that never really took off.
it has some steeper runs, at least for a southern New England resort. its good enough.
