MONTPELIER, Vt. -- If you rely on the standard lists that appear in travel magazines this time of year for best places to ski, you might assume that the West has won the battle for destination skiing. Some best-of lists ignore the East entirely; others grudgingly give a spot to one or two places in New England on a list of 10 or 20 ski resorts nationwide.

Here's an unscientific list of what some ski areas around Maine and Vermont are known for, from expert terrain in Vermont, to a place in Maine where you can get a view of the ocean while you ski. The list does not pretend to be definitive, but draws on reputation, recommendations, personal experiences and other sources.

VERMONT

• Best apres ski: Stowe Mountain Resort. Nothing beats Stowe. Nightclubs, pizza joints, restaurants, inns, beds and breakfasts, and shopping line the Mountain Road between the quaint New England village of Stowe and the recently redeveloped ski resort at the base of Mount Mansfield, Vermont's tallest mountain.

• Best expert terrain: Killington Resort. Hit the double-black diamonds on Bear Mountain early in the day, before the crowds join you, your legs fail you, or gravity overtakes you. Head for Devil's Fiddle and Outer Limits for bump runs or Growler and Devil's Den for runs through the trees.

• Best cross-country: Catamount Trail, America's longest cross-country ski trail, runs the length of Vermont, stretching 300 miles between the Canadian border and the Massachusetts state line. It traverses some of the state's most spectacular back-country terrain, including several remote spots in the Green Mountain National Forest. It also connects with side trails taking skiers to commercial cross-country ski centers, inns and beds and breakfasts.

• Best snowboarding: Stratton Mountain Resort, home to Olympic gold medalist Ross Powers and other leading boarders. It's also the place where Jake Burton, creator of Burton Snowboards, created the boards in the late 1970s that would transform the industry.

• Best snowboard-free mountain: Mad River Glen clings tenaciously to its old-fashioned roots, which includes none of those newfangled 'boards. Mad River's ''Basebox'' base lodge hasn't changed in years and it still proudly sports a single chairlift to the peak.

• Best ride: Sugarbush Resort's Slide Brook chairlift, connecting the resort's Lincoln Peak and Mount Ellen areas. It climbs horizontally between the two mountains to offer views of Stowe's Mount Mansfield to the north and Killington Peak to the south and also plunges into the stunning, wild beauty along the Slide Brook.

• Best woods skiing: Jay Peak boasts some of the oldest and best ''off-piste'' options -- 24 gladed trails, which drop exhiliratingly down the fall line through beech, maple and spruce stands.

• Best family skiing: Smugglers' Notch gives parents a chance to ski -- or enjoy a night out -- with a variety of events and programs for the younger set, ranging from toddlers to teens, from Teen Alley Teen Center to its Little Rascals on Snow ski instruction for 2- and 3-year-olds.

MAINE

• Best view: Ski and see the sea at the same time. From the trails of Camden Snow Bowl along Maine's coast, skiers get a breathtaking view of the island-dotted Maine coast while heading downhill. Features wooden toboggan chute that's home to National Toboggan Championships.