KillingtonZone.com

Hey all,

Planning a week-long ski trip to NH this winter and would appreciate any advice. We will stay in North Conway and ski Wildcat, Attitash, and Black Mountain. Any other suggestions? Cannon looms large but is a haul. Is early March a good time to go?

Wildcat and Sunday River are where it's at from North Conway.

Wildcat is good. VERY fast HSQ. Needs snow, and their snow making isn't the best.
Cannon is worth the trip; watch the weather. It can be wind swept and icy, but when it's good it's great.
Attitash- don't care for it. To each his own.
Bretton Woods- great family mountain. Spectacular views. Best in east IMO.
Black- Now that's a mountain I haven't skied in a very long time. Fond memories though. Is Whitneys still there? Family skiing.
Sunday River- pick of the litter. It will be good in March when others are starting to melt out.

You didn't say when. Early March is still winter, late March is spring; except for Sunday River, there can be a big difference in coverage, depending on the snow year. You might do better with this query on AlpineZone.

pray for snow...

Take a look at the annual snowfalls in NH, the snowmaking coverage on those hills as well as the amount of snow actually blown. Unless you are paying half price or less midweek and are 20-30 min drive, why?

Hey...

New Hampshire has some beautiful skiing. It's not as glitzy as Vermont, but the Whites are taller and more rugged than the Greens. It feels more like being out west than most other places in the east. In terms of hills:

(1) Cannon is one of the coolest ski areas in the East. It will probably be icy. So what? The terrain is gnarly. Front Five is pretty cool. DJ's Tramline is arguably the most difficult marked trail in the East. Kinsman Glade is, I think, the longest marked glade in the east. Mittersill is a throwback area. Views are spectacular. The tram gets you from base to summit fast. Food sucks. Amenities suck. But it's about the skiing. If you're with beginners or intermediates they probably won't like it.

(2) Wildcat has the fastest HSQ in the East and perhaps the country. I think this is the hill in the East where you can get the most vertical in the least amount of time. Polecat has to be the best green trail in the East, with the best views. With all due respect to Rogman, the views from Bretton Woods are amazing, but the views from Wildcat are better. Mount Washington is in your face and on a clear spring day you see people hiking up Tuckerman's. They look like ants of course. Food and amenities are worse than Cannon. But that's not what you're there for. There is an unmarked trail that may be the longest tree run in the East. I won't share the name, but locals may want to show you.

(3) Bretton Woods has arguably the best groomed snow in the East. It's flat, but the snow is perfectly manicured. I disagree with DaPimp here. Regardless of natural snow and other stats, Bretton Woods has the most reliable groomed snow in the East, IMHO. Food decent, great views of Mount Washington and the Bretton Woods Resort. Apres at the Bretton Woods Resort is as upscale as it gets. Experts may get bored, although they have a cool tree area named Rosebrook and a cool t-bar that only services glades. They're easy but fun if you have the right attitude. Beginners and intermediates will be in love with the place.

(4) Attitash - not a big fan. The other areas are simply better.

(5) Black - Not worth it. Cool local area, but there are better options.

(6) LOON - this is the one that hasn't been mentioned. It's the most well-balanced of all of the NH ski areas. The most varied terrain, the most amenities, good lift system, including gondola. Spread out. Skis bigger than its acreage suggests. Good trees, well run ski area. It's run by Boyne, so perhaps there are deals to be had with Sunday River.

(7) Sunday River - An obvious choice, but not NH and doesn't have the same kind of vibe as the old school Cannon and Wildcat.

My choices:

For experts: Cannon, Wildcat
For diverse group of people or for those who want to have diverse terrain: Loon, Sunday River
For Beginners/Intermediates/Groomer Loving People - Bretton Woods
Would Avoid: Attitash, Black

BTW, North Conway is one of the coolest ski towns in the East.

Best restaurant and Craft Cocktails: White Mountain Cider Company.
Great views and great food: Ledges.
Legendary Apres and Good Steaks: Red Parka.
Overrated BBQ but good Beer (not worth a long wait, kind of a tourist trap kind of place): Moat Mountain Smokehouse.
Best Burger/Pub Food: Shovel Handel Pub (good live music program too)
Best Brewery - Tuckerman Brewery in Conway (Altitude is my personal favorite)

Hope this is helpful!

Risaiawsome has a good write up about NH Skiing. I will add:

Don't be put off about Cannon being icy. I ski there all the time and always find good snow. It's a great bargain too, two for one on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They make as much snow as anyone since they invested millions of dollars in 500 HKD tower guns and snowmaking upgrades a couple of years ago. The food in the Cannonball Pub is good, the other food in their cafeterias is like cafeteria food anywhere. Cannon has one of the oldest ski trails in the country and the 10 minute hike from the bottom of the Taft Slalom to the top of Mittersill is a classic-people have been doing it since the 30's. There's also the Tuckerbrook (back country) Trail that is fantastic if you can park a car at the bottom trailhead. Then down the road from the trail head is The Horse and Hound, a rustic country Inn that's been there since the 40's for a quiet après ski by a fireplace.

Bretton Woods is great for at least one day of skiing and be sure to go inside the Mount Washington Hotel. Drinks at the lobby bar with huge windows showing off the Presidential Range is the best view in après ski anywhere. Dinner in the main dinning room would be very memorable.

Don't go to Loon on Saturday or Sunday.

The Kancamangus Highway goes from I93 to Route 16/North Conway, past Loon Mountain. Try to drive it, either on a trip to Loon or on your way up or back home. From Lincoln on I93 through Franconia Notch and loop back to North Conway on Route 3 and 302 past Bretton Woods/Mount Washington Hotel through Crawford Notch.

In late March you could hike up to Tuckerman's Ravine if it's a nice day out.

The views from Wildcat are the best in New England.

If you take a day off and its nice out, a snow cat ride to the top of Mount Washington would be like taking a trip to the moon.

Have fun and post pictures and report here.

Thanks everybody for the great info. The excitement and anticipation of visiting "new" mountains and skiing new lines fills my dog days of August with dreams and aspirations!

Haven't been since I was in my 20's, but I would guess that Cranmore would be good with beginners/intermediates too.

da Pimp wrote:Take a look at the annual snowfalls in NH, the snowmaking coverage on those hills as well as the amount of snow actually blown. Unless you are paying half price or less midweek and are 20-30 min drive, why?

I am a Wildcat passholder. I could easily be a Killington passholder as I have an uncle who lives nearby and would welcome me every weekend if I wanted to do that.

I choose Wildcat because I enjoy the experience there better, especially on the weekends. Here are some of the reasons why.

It's a pain in the ass to get to for most people, so the crowds are minimal. The longest I think I've ever waited in a liftline there is 15 minutes for the quad. Most Saturdays that line is 5-10 minutes during the busiest hour of the day. By 1:30, you might have to wait 5-6 chairs to get on. Lines are non-existent on the Bobcat triple.

Other lack of crowds appreciation factors are that if I happen to show up at 10AM, there's still ample parking within an easy level walk to the lodge. No hoofing it up a hill or waiting for a shuttle to bring me to the lodge from a far off parking lot. It's basically just like Bear Peak at K only the lot never completely fills. Once I get to the lodge it's always easy to find a seat to boot up. When I come in for lunch you never have to wait for a table in the bar, the food is reasonably priced and service is fast.

The real reason is the skiing itself though. Less than a seven minute ride up the quad for 2100 vertical of great pitched terrain with no run out. There is not a mountain in the East that you can spend more time actually skiing instead of on a lift or waiting in line. I get more skiing done in a morning at Wildcat than I can do in a full day at VT ski areas.

All of the trails are loaded with character. Only two of the 48 trails are like the super wide, straight boulevard runs so commonplace in VT. The rest are winding classic New England trails of a bygone era. They leave the majority of the mountain untouched by groomers. Only 23 of the 48 trails saw grooming last season. The on map glades are not named and the entrances are unmarked. This keeps the traffic down, so it's easy to find powder days after storms. And the off map stuff is absolutely killer. Loads of super steep narrow riverbeds and chutes. You have access to all of it, every run from a super fast lift.

As mentioned also, best view in the East. Mount Washington staring you in the face every run.

For a high level skier who has little concern for a resort type experience and wants to avoid crowds it's tough to beat.

If there's a storm, which hopefully there will be Attitash isn't a bad ski area. They've got two mountains and have competitive grooming and snowmaking. Some great old school trails at the top of Attitash and nice groomers on Bear. Never take the low trail to Bear; it's a flat long haul.There's a tower at the top you can see down the Mt. Washington Valley. You can see the view from the internet link on my signature here as well as Wildcat's. They also have good apres-ski with a band. The roads, especially the Kancamagus, which is a true mountain pass, can be treacherous in a storm. No matter where you go you'll have a blast. North Conway has a great ski village vibe.

Enjoy your stay in the great state of New Hampshire.

Everyone has an opinion, so here's mine:

Don't miss Cannon! It's my favorite ski area, it has spectacular steeps, glades and the Mittersill side (including unmarked lines) is phenomenal after snowfall. It's often far less icy and windy than people indicate, and soft snow and calm air can always be found somewhere on the mountain. It does have terrain for all ability levels (and a great secluded beginner area) but really shines for those expert skiers!

Wildcat is also very good. It can ski smaller than it is, but if you take time to find the glades (including Thompson Brook) and steep rough trails it's excellent; plus the lift is second to none.

Despite what others on her have said you should absolutely go to Black! It has a laid back atmosphere, is never crowded, cheap, good food and great lines. Despite it's small size there are many many trails to keep people of all ages and abilities interested, and maintains a historic character that it's hard to find anywhere else. You may find that this day will be the most memorable of your whole vacation!

Cranmore is a great option for night skiing or a half day on a day when you do something else - otherwise its small size may make it not worth it.

Loon is not good. It is over-crowded, often skied off quickly, has insufficient lift capacity and caters really only to intermediates. It's also expensive. Cannon is a far far better option

Bretton Woods is a mixed bag. If you are a beginner or intermediate looking to cruise groomed trails all day you will enjoy it, otherwise you will be bored out of your mind! They claim to be NH's largest ski area which is categorically false (Cannon and Loon are larger and Wildcat is much much taller) There are nice views, but WIldcat's views are better

Attitash, I like it, many others don't. The steeps on the front side of Attitash are fun, I don't enjoy the Bear side very much. Nice vibe though, and the Attitash side trails certainly have character.

Sunday River is a worthwile trip if you are staying in North Conway. The biggest of these mountains - though Cannon has more and better expert terrian, tree skiing and powder. Expect it to be crowded though, and certanly the most expensive and resort-y experience of the bunch.

King Pine is good for a multisport day. Alpine, Nordic, snowshoeing, skating, sleigh rides ect.

I also want to plug the town of Jackson, which is a beautiful mountain village and well worth the visit. Also, I would be remiss as a long time Nordic skier if I didn't recommend a trip to JSTF, the largest Nordic Ski trail network in New England. Even if you've never Nordic skied before, I guarantee you a good time!

Early March is the best time to visit NH for skiing. Warmer days, lots of snow (often the high point of winter snow cover), sunny weather and fewer crowds.

Cranmore is a great option for night skiing or a half day on a day when you do something else - otherwise its small size may make it not worth it.

Bretton Woods has Friday/Saturday/Holiday night skiing too.

Pushgears wrote:Hey all,

Planning a week-long ski trip to NH this winter and would appreciate any advice. We will stay in North Conway and ski Wildcat, Attitash, and Black Mountain. Any other suggestions? Cannon looms large but is a haul. Is early March a good time to go?

Go to Utah.

Cannon would be my first choice. I would highly discourage going out back to tucker brook unless you have a guide and a ride. Not a place for the casual passer through. Youll be completely out of bounds and end up in the valley. Im not telling where. If you do decide to venture over might be worth buying NH fish & game rescue insurance.