I haven't skied Burke since the verrry early 80's but it is a great "little"
ski area. By New England standards, It's probably a medium-sized resort. The
terrain is excellent and the trail ratings are more honest than most, so the
expert trails that they have probably really are. As far as the tree skiing
goes, it was decent 20 years ago, I've heard it has gotten way better with
locals doing a little clearing here and there. Another great thing about Burke
is the crowds...there aren't any. You'll be tired because you don't get any
breaks in the lift lines. Lastly, they have great snow up there. We used to
always go to Burke when the snow was iffy at Stowe or even Jay and were never
disappointed. They've had some fiscal problems in the recent past, but if it's
open this year, I'd strongly recommend it. You can try Stowe to see if you
like it better and then weigh the value of the season's pass. The terrain is
definitely better at Stowe, but the bang for the buck factor has to go to Burke
IMO.