Ski New Hampshire, a travelogue by Jim and Vince Kenney
Feb 28 - Mar 6, 2010

We are heading up to northern New Hampshire early tomorrow morning for five days of skiing during Vince's college spring break. We hope to post nightly reports while sampling different NH ski areas during the week. The roster will likely include Attitash, Wildcat, Black Mtn, Loon, and Cannon Mtn.

We love NH. The mountains are big, pristine, and scenic, especially in the vicinity of mighty Mount Washington, elevation 6288'. Besides the assortment of interesting, sizeable mountains (several exceeding 2000 vertical feet), rustic NH is also one of the more affordable ski destinations in the US.

We're excited about reports of big snow from the Nor'easter of 2010 that coincidentally swept through New England in recent days. We expect to log over 1300 miles, including lots of scenic driving around the magnificent 800,000 acre White Mountain National Forest. Our ride on this trip is the Gray Lady, a 1992 Honda Accord. Hopefully, she won't sink in a snowbank.

Stay tuned over the next week here on DCSki.com. We'll try to post daily comments, photos and video of our father and son ski adventures/misadventures as we Ski NH.

Jim Kenney
Happy Trails!

Nice. I can't wait to hear how things go. You guys have fun and be safe!!

'Way to get out there, guys! Have a great time and travel safely.

Woody

If you are not skiing your legs off all the time, a great place to visit is the AMC lodge at Pinkham Notch, Joe Dodge Lodge, named for the long time AMC hutmaster, Joe Dodge. It's located across Rt 16, a mile south of Wildcat. There is a large relief map of the Presidential Range covering a 20'x20' table and a bookstore full of great reading on mountains in general and the Presidentials in particular. The pictures on the walls from the ski pioneering days before WWII are also amazing. If weather cooperates, always a big IF there, you may want to hike up the Tuckerman Ravine trail either to ski or to look. In some years it is safe to ski in March. I have gone as early as mid March. If it is not safe to ski the bowl you can still go as far as the Hermit Lake shelter for a look and ski down safely on the Sherburne ski trail (1900 vertical feet) back to Pinkham Notch. The rule is that you hike on the Tucks trail and ski on the Sherburne. They parallel each other and are never more than 200 yards apart. I have skinned and skied the Sherburne as far as Hermit Lake in midwinter. Hermit Lake and all of the Sherburne are out of avalanche run out zones. I will never forget my first sight of the headwall.

http://www.mountwashington.org/weather/summit.php

http://www.mountwashington.org/weather/avalanche/

A stay at the lodge is also an experience to remember. It includes breakfast and dinner and meals are served family style in a big dining room with large picnic bench tables. Conversations with table mates are easily struck up and you will meet people with amazing experiences and tales of the mountains.

Whatever you do have a great time.

We had a smooth 10.5 hour trip up to Conway, NH from Northern Virginia. We are staying at the White Mountain Hostel. The Nor'easter of 2010 left a very irregular trail of snow. There was nothing but old remnants of snow until about 50 miles south of NYC, then about one new foot extending up to the Hartford, CT area. Then bare grass throughout Massachusetts. The ground finally turned white again as we entered the White Mountains of NH. Gotta love how the pioneers of old kept geographic names simple and accurate.
Tomorrow we ski Attitash: two peaks, 1750' vertical drop, 78 trails, 11 lifts, and 29" of new snow in the last week. This should be good!
Jim Kenney
Happy Trails

First photo: Xanadu Meadowlands, NJ. This is a retail and entertainment park scheduled to open later in 2010, maybe. Its completion has been delayed by the Recession. The slanted building is an indoor ski area.



Second photo: wood carving business in along NH Route 16.



Third photo: the Saco River Covered Bridge in Conway, NH, circa 1890.

Vince,

We did that two years ago with a small RV and our two boys. Hit the same places you are going to (except Black). Had a blast!!

We are planning on doing it again this spring break (march 27 - april 6). Hope the snow holds up!

BTW, we are planning on camping at the Barnes Field campground just north of Wildcat (but before Gorham). If you happen to drive by, feel free to post what the access road looks like. We have chains for the RV but its not 4x4.

Jim, I thought you were planning a big group trip into the wilds of Maine? Oh well, your timing looks good and I'll be interested in what you think of Black Mtn since I was disappointed they closed for the season just a day or two before we got there at the end of the record snow season a couple of years ago. North Conway is neat you should be ashamed for bypassing Cranmore, but I think you will have plenty of right coast action anyway. Cheers!

March 1, 2010 was a great day to be at Attitash; partly cloudy, good visibility, and no crowds. They've received 29 inches of snow in the last week, much of it just this past Saturday. The snow was wet. Ungroomed trails skied a little like cotton candy, however, the groomers were excellent for deep carving. Apparently they needed the coverage and the locals were very glad to get the snow, heavy or not.

We started on the original Attitash Peak, where lift served skiing dates back to the mid-1960's (ski pioneers climbed these hills as far back as the 1930s). Many of the trails are the old fashioned, narrow, twisty variety that I really enjoy. The views of the White Mountain National Forest are gorgeous. After a few hours we skied over to Bear Peak. It's much newer and was opened in the 1990s. The runs have a little more wide open feel, and its full vertical is served by a high speed quad. This is the place to rack up cruising mileage and is a nice complement to the original terrain.

It was a relatively mild day with temps in the upper 30's. We got a great taste of the excellent variety Attitash offers with 78 trails and approximately 300 skiable acres. There are a fair amount of nearby condos and slopeside homes. Although we were visiting just for the day, Attitash looked like a great resort for an extended visit for those who seek ski-in, ski-out accommodations less than 10 miles from bustling North Conway, NH. BTW, the folks up here are very aware of the tremendous snow tallies being recorded this winter in the mid-Atlantic. They were quite envious until the dumps from the recent Nor'easter.

Jim Kenney
Happy Trails

Photo 1: view of Bear Peak trails from the Attitash Summit Triple


Photo 2: Vince entering Tim's Trauma, this was probably the steepest, longest bump run we experienced at Attitash. Good stuff.


Photo 3: Jim atop Attitash Peak. Rather unusually, the summit has a 30'observation tower providing great views in summer and winter. What a great introduction to New Hampshire's beautiful north country.


Video: ~ two minute video featuring the glades, bumps, and scenery of Attitash.

March 2, 2010 was a superb day at Wildcat. The stuff that skier's dreams are made of: great packed powder snow (54" in the last week), no crowds, 40-45 degree temps, no wind, and tons of sunshine. Vince and I skied our tails off. Riding the Wildcat Express Quad's 2000+ vertical foot rise every ascent while staring Mt. Washington in the face all day provides an awesome big mountain feel right here in the Granite State.

I've said it before on DCSki and I'll say it again, Wildcat may be my favorite ski area in the East. It has fantastic, long intermediate to advanced groomers with undulation, curves, and drops. There are also fun bump runs down the fall line and pretty glades. Polecat represents one of the best, long, scenic green circle runs in the US.

Wildcat ranks among the top five mountains for highest lift served ski terrain in the East. During the fickle Nor'easter storm last week this was crucial because it received more snow and less of the nonfrozen precip than many surrounding areas. There is no development at the base. This is pristine skiing the way it used to be. We love it!

Photo 1: Getting ready to start an amazing day at Wildcat


Photo 2: Vince gets posterized


Photo 3: How do I say this...the prettiest place I ever made yellow snow


Photo 4: Friendly Mainiac crossed the border for a great ski day in NH.


Three minute video with scenes from Wildcat

Wow. That shot of Vince with Mt Washington above is just spectacular. That's def one that you should have an 8x10 of in the living room!!

March 3, 2010 - Black Mountain, NH. This place has history (75 years), soul, and gnar. At first blush it looks like a benign little mom and pop establishment. There's even a platter pull for the kiddies. But don't dare condescend or underestimate it. The longer Vince and I snooped around the more we found numerous steep, little glade shots all over the 1100 feet of vertical at Black.

When making an extended visit to the Mount Washington Valley a day at Black provides a very fun retro-alternative to the bigger resorts. It's inexpensive too, with near daily deals. Today (and every non-holiday Wednesday) they offered $15 afternoon tickets.

BTW, we stayed at the White Mountains Hostel in Conway, NH the last three nights. It costs $24 for singles and is within easy striking distance of a half dozen downhill ski areas. The manager is a nice lady named Cindy. She does a great job keeping the place spic and span, including a double kitchen available for use by guests. Link: http://www.conwayhostel.com/

After skiing Black we took an incredible 75 minute drive through Crawford Notch on Rt 302, passing the Mount Washington Hotel, Bretton Woods ski area, and Cannon Mtn ski area. We're relocating to the Lincoln, NH area to ski Loon and Cannon Mtn the next two days.

Photo 1: There is a horse corral beside the Black Mtn base lodge.


Photo 2: Vince in some steep glades below what is known as Hanger Cliff


Photo 3: View of Black summit from midstation, some of the steepest glades are to the right of the lift line.


Photo 4: I thought this vacation home had a nice view of Black Mtn and the Presidential Range.



Here is a 3.5 minute video of some of our experiences at Black today:

^Lookit that, someone still skiing The Claw!

Thanks Jim and Vince. It has been over 40 years since I've skied Black Mtn. and your post brings back memories of skiing in college days. When the weather was too severe to go to Wildcat, which happened often in those days, we would go to Black. Just to put things in perspective, we used to stay at a place called Streeter's Cabins in Jackson for $0.50/night, bring your own sleeping bag and firewood. The water and heat were turned off for the winter and each cabin had a pot belly stove. I believe those cabins are long gone.

March 4, 2010 Vince and I had a real good first ever visit to Loon Mountain, NH. It was a little cooler today, approx 28-30 degs for highs and cloudy, but with good visibility. It was apparent this part of NH did not receive the same amount of last week's Nor'easter snow that we saw at Wildcat and Attitash. Loon, however, has a very resortsy feel with the attendant snowmaking and infrastructure to keep conditions good regardless.

Loon is one of the most convenient big mountains to the Boston metropolis and is just a two hour drive from the city on I93. We saw far more folks on the hill today than any previous day this week, but liftlines were still virtually nil. Loon's 2100' vertical is served by 12 crowd eating lifts, including three HSQs and a fast gondola.

We rode the gondola and hit the Loon summit and the North Peak early in the day skiing big, fast groomers like Walking Boss and Angel Street. We also skied a lengthy bump run called Flume. Then we rode the Tote Road Quad, a transfer lift, to access Loon's new South Peak terrain that opened two years ago. We rode more long groomers here that were easy (Cruiser), medium (Boom Run), and steep (Ripsaw). They all dropped about 1500 vertical feet.

We finally hit the central and original part of the ski area served by the Kancamagus Express Quad. It features a bunch of family friendly blue cruisers and the largest terrain park I've seen in a long time. Loon has three base lodges, lots of slopeside lodging, and numerous restaurant and shopping options in nearby Lincoln, NH.

Tomorrow we plan to cap a great week in NH with a visit to Cannon Mtn.

Jim Kenney
Happy Trails

Photo 1: Loon Peak Summit


Photo 2: Bumps on Flume trail


Photo 3: Vince on South Peak


Photo 4: the Loon Mtn Terrain Park


Two minute video with scenes from Loon Mtn:

Jim,
I am really enjoying your daily trip reports, especially the videos. I did not realize the Loon Steam Train ran on week days. Neat!
The Colonel

Pretty views up there! I really like the picture of Flume with the landscape filling the frame.

I hope Vince is doing as well in his other subjects as he is in Skiing. I can tell he's been doing his homework!

Jim,
You and Vince have a safe trip home. Who did you say owns the CT sweatshirt left at Blue Knob? I mailed the keys and glasses to Robin. Hope to ski with you at Snowy Luau!
The Colonel

Vince and I had a super day at Cannon Mtn today. Our second truly bluebird, no wind day of the 'trip. Visibility unbelievably clear. We're making a pit stop with my cousin in Massachusetts tonight before returning home tomorrow. Making an abbreviated report tonight, but we plan to post some photos and video tomorrow morning of the great skiing we had at Cannon.

COL, the sweatshirt belongs to Rudi.

We had a great day on March 5th at Cannon Mtn, NH. 35 degs, blue skies, no wind, super visability. Mt Lafayette was a gorgeous backdrop for our ski runs all day long. Cannon got almost as much snow as Wildcat in the Nor'easter last week. Its 4100' elevation helped in that regard. Cannon has many long, steep groomers that descend the full 2000+ feet of vertical. One of our highlights of the day was a short hike over to the closed Mittersill ski area (see video below). The ~20 trails at Mittersill are like skiing backcountry, no grooming and all natural. Some are somewhat overgrown. They plan to install a new double chair there next year and it will be a major expansion of Cannon's lift served terrain.

Photo 1, tram view. At age 19 Vince has visited twice as many ski areas as his years, but never rode a tram before. The Cannon tram is a beauty and rises over 2000 vertical feet.

Photo 2, Vince and the view of Mt. Lafayette (elev 5260') from Vista Way

Photo 3, Vince on the bumps of Paulle's Folly with Echo Lake in the background.

Photo 4, father and son photo op on the walk to Mittersill. We had a great week. Ski NH!

3.5 minute video of scenes from our day at Cannon Mtn:

Ski NH summary: We had a great ski trip to New Hampshire and arrived home in northern Virginia on Saturday, March 6. Besides the outstanding skiing, we got a good tour of the White Mountains, the most impressive range in the northeastern US. This area has a real alpine feel to it, with all kinds of winter activities at every price point and skill level.
Our housemates at the White Mountains Hostel in Conway included ice climbers, cross country skiers, AT/telemark skiers, and budget minded downhill types like us. Yet each day we'd drive past some very upscale accommodations such as the Eastern Slope Inn in neighboring villages. There was something for everyone and a ski area around every bend of the road.
Midway through our week we relocated from the Mount Washington Valley to the Lincoln/Franconia area, about a 75 minute drive on beautiful NH Route 302. We saw snowshoers in action several times during the week, including a very technical looking pair of individuals on the drive to Lincoln outside the Appalachian Mountain Club's Highland Center lodge at Crawford Notch. Just a few miles west of there, however, we passed the Mount Washington Hotel Resort and Spa where you could get the pampering of your life.
Traveling on a family budget, we opted for our final two nights at neat, little Parker's Motel http://www.parkersmotel.com/ with great views and a hot tub. It's halfway between Loon and Cannon (~5 miles to either) and was a heck of a deal at $49 per night. Northern NH draws more tourists in summer than winter and there are some very nice bargains inherent with that for skiers.
The last thing we did on our trip was a very cool après ski stop at the New England Ski Museum next to the Cannon Mtn tram building. It's very small, but a ski buff could spend hours in there looking at the old gear, patches, clothing, and miscellaneous artifacts. There is a film on an ancient form of skiing in Mongolia. We saw an exhibit on Toni Matt's famous 1939 schuss of the Tuckerman's Ravine headwall.
There is one place to go on the web for information and bargains on all of New Hampshire's ski areas: www.SkiNH.com


Photos:
Photo 1: Snowshoeing near Wildcat


Photo 2: White Mountains Hostel, Conway, NH


Photo 3: the Mount Washington Hotel


Photo 4: Parker's Motel, Lincoln NH


Photo 5: the New England Ski Museum

Jim and Vince,
Great reports from NH. Now you need to get busy chronicling our weekend at Blue Knob.
Thanks for the reports.
The Colonel

Guys,

As I mentioned before, we are planning on doing almost the identical trip in three weeks. The pictures and stories are getting us all excited! Also, the notes on the cheap lodging are much appreciated as we might opt to spend a night or two in a hotel instead of the walmart parking lot!!

Steve, despite the new snow just before our visit the roads were clear everywhere we went, probably because it was a wet snow that didn't stick as well or melted quickly off the blacktop. Driving there with an RV would have been fine. There is a lot of time for more storms between now and your visit, but as of last week the best conditions in NH were north and/or high; i.e., Wildcat, Cannon, and probably Bretton Woods (only drove by it, but it looked snowy).

COL, what's this, chopped liver?
http://www.dcski.com/articles/view_article.php?article_id=1248&mode=headlines