Best small ski areas debate

I'll have to back up those who said Discovery in MT.  I skied there a decade ago and still talk about how sweet it was, great terrain and nobody there.  One day I'll return...

One year a few of us decided to ski every ski area in Montana.  We knew very little about Discovery and had no expectations.  Driving up to the mountain it appeared much like Maverick, which we skied the day before.  On the first chair ride we were already making plans to ski a few high speed groomers and then hit the lodge for a little lite drinking.  Getting to the top and "discovering" the backside was instant plan changer.  That day still stands as one of the greatest ski surprises of my life.

Cool thread - I'll have to start a bit of a list from reading this...

On the east coast theme, Mt Abram in ME is a great small area. 1,150 vf, only a few lifts. They count 5 lifts but I've only ever skied 2 of them, and one is a t-bar that goes from bottom-to-top, alongside a two-seater chair that almost everyone chooses over the t-bar so since were were cool with the t-bar we never had to wait even on holidays, and the terrain is pretty fun even if the runs are not super long.

Pajarito, NM. Probably has > 4 lifts now but had one bottom to top T-bar back in the day. Nice light northern NM powder.

I think we should set some guidelines as to what counts as a small mountain.

Arghhh....
It's even hard to escape regulation for a simple Q&A.

I want to ski Pebble some day. Their base is always so slim.
Discovery is a fun surprise.

Arghhh....
It's even hard to escape regulation for a simple Q&A.

I agree, to me a small ski area is truly hard to define because much of it has to do with the 'feel' or 'vibe' of the mountain, not necessarily the vertical, skiable acreage, or number of lifts. The experience at any mountain is a personal one, and personally I don't have a rubric for ski areas that I follow each time I visit a new area. However, when people start throwing out areas like Bridger, which may encapsulate what they believe a small mountain is, but is way beyond what I would classify as a small area.

But that's what makes debates fun, right? Point, counterpoint.

Going to throw another one out there:

Mittersill (Franconia, NH)
Vert 1500'
3 lifts (1 chair, 2 T bar)

Personally never had the chance to ski here while it was operating, it closed the year before I was born. However, Mittersill was our backcountry haven while I was growing up. It was accessed from neighboring Cannon Mt. via Taft Slalom and the Saddle, and was considered out of bounds until Cannon acquired Mittersill a while back. Cannon is currently putting the finishing touches on a new lift, which will start spinning when natural snow allows...

Can't wait to check out discovery,

If we are talking east and small it's holiday valley, ny south of buffalo

650' vertical has some steeps and trees, but the best part is 500" of snow a year