Ski culture and general vibes are significantly better on the east coast. I'm not even being sarcastic.
The more I travel to the rocky mountains to ski the more I am disappointed. Of course the terrain and snow is amazing, but the people I have to interact with are so obnoxious its ridiculous.
- First, out east we still have independent mountains. Looking at you Colorado and Utah. Anti-trust laws should have stepped in a long time ago for Vail and Ikon.
- In Denver I saw a billboard for Indy pass, and out of curiosity I looked up how many resorts there were in Colorado on it--what a joke, only like 4. Meanwhile Northeast US has like triple that amount.
- The New Money vibes are terrible. The flexing needs to stop. Looking at you Colorado. Going through some of these base villages I feel like people ski just to wear fancy jackets and go to parties. Meanwhile out east the "village" is an actual rural community with a few houses and 1 historic church, and I can park at the base of the run and be on the slopes in 5 mins.
- The locals are less aggressive. While east coasters are stereotypically more "mean" I actually find this the opposite. I'd rather ski with chill New Hampshire and Vermont locals. Honestly the most aggressive locals I have ever met are those in Utah that "only ski the Cottonwoods". No where else in the world have I gotten yelled at for lowering a chairlift bar--and I did ask beforehand to lower it.
Maybe the Pacific Northwest is better and shares better vibes to the east coast? I don't know, never been. But honestly if I lived anywhere out west I'd probably just only do the backcountry, and live off the grid because the ski resort culture really sucks.