[ghaff]

There can be a lot of ice and hard-pack; sure it's not getting any better.

Don't know how true the generalization is but, while some people have condos for the weekend in New England, you tend to live nearer a major metro center and go up for 2 or 3 day weekends.

Out West, I imagine it's more common for people to just move to one of the larger ski towns--or at least to get a second home there for their recreational season of choice. At least, that's the very anecdotal impression I get. If I wanted a season pass and had a lot of free winter time to spend downhill skiing, I'd probably do it out West. New England is more accessible for multi-season activities but the locations are probably also more accessible for weekends and long weekends.