Hey
@silva - we all have our biases
I am firmly of the opinion that it is all down to what occurs on the day - i.e. insert experience "here" that elevates a particular resort on said day (could be a great pow day or??). Spoilt for choice really with any number of resorts around the globe able to deliver a fantastic snow experience - just gotta be there on the right day and the right time
Interesting however that you say Whitefish feels a lot bigger than Steamboat - why do think that is? They both have 3000 Acres each however Steamboat has 165 marked trails as opposed to Whitefishes 105 (so roughly 150% more) and with a similar difference in Vertical (1118 at Steamboat vs 771 for Whitefish) you would have thought the perception should have been the opposite - i.e. Steamboat feels bigger.
You will note in that other thread I said Steamboat lacked two things being big open bowls and sustained steeps so I wonder if the lack of big open terrain (no trees and open bowls etc.) means it feels smaller (i.e. much more dense due to the trees)? At the same time I said one of the main attractions of Steamboat was the Trees and provided you are reasonably competent that means you can ride a fair chunk of the whole 3000 Acres (allot of which is treed).
Not having many resorts to draw on for comparison I looked at Fernie as I had done a season there and it is smaller in Acres (2500 odd) and also has less marked runs and whilst it was many years ago it did seem to ski bigger which I can only put down to the handful of bowls and their open terrain (and maybe at the time longer hike to stuff being Polar peak which is also more open). Weird - one of these days I will get back their now that I am a more seasoned rider.
Guess I was wondering how treed vs untreed (so high Alpine like in EU and NZ) a place is factors into perception of the "big mountain" feel of a place?
