We arrived at Whiteface the morning after a blizzard last year. Excited to ski the POW, the lifties were telling us this was a rare powder day at Whiteface.

By 10:30AM, almost 2 feet of powder had been skied out down to the sheet ice underneath.

As we spent the next 2 days losing our edges on the ice and twisting ankles on the remaining powdery bumps in between, we reflected on that, and the loooong drive on crappy country roads and pondered – “Why would anyone host the Olympics here?”

We found the apres-ski to be sorely lacking – The majority of folks seemed to be in a big hurry to get out of there – Lot’s of horn honking and road rage (at a ski resort??)

The best part of the trip was the private chalet we rented with the wood fired outdoor sauna crafted out of a giant barrel, and lots of other personal touches.

For great skiing though – We’ve settled on Jay Peak in Vermont – Where there is more snow than ice, and where recent improvements mean a thriving apres-ski scene to unwind in front of a fire with an irish coffee before heading out for dinner.