Vacation condo/home considerations in NH?

[Basil]

Anyone here ski in New Hampshire primarily?

I grew up skiing at Sunday River, in Maine. My parents bought a small 2 br condo there in the early 1990s. Our family has grown, and we've outgrown it, but I essentially haven't skied elsewhere in the east since I was a child (I'm 44 now).

My husband and I are now in the super very early stages of looking for our own place (like within a year or two). He did not grow up skiing, and at best will cruise the bunny slopes a few times a year. He makes a great sag wagon and "uber driver" though

I love SR and would love to own there, but he thinks it's too far from our house in Massachusetts. We decided therefore to look mostly at New Hampshire. He also thinks there is more to do in NH during the summer when we also would be able to use it. He likes biking more than skiing, so that's motivating if there are good trails/etc.

Thinking of looking near Loon and Bretton Woods, but having trouble figuring out the vibe of each place. My SR season pass will work at Loon so I plan on checking out Lincoln for a weekend this winter.

Any other thoughts in regards to terrain, snow quality, crowds at the various resorts?

 

[marzNC]

I wandered around checking out the skiing in NH in 2018 and 2019. My sense is that Loon and Lincoln are growing fast. Boyne Resorts has been updating lifts and adding terrain in recent years. What I heard back then was that the place is very crowded on weekends, partially because it's relatively close to Boston. Bretton Woods seemed much smaller and quieter. North Conway felt like a bigger town than Lincoln.

@liquidfeet has experience at Bretton Woods as an instructor.

Good luck picking your favorite.

 

[MissySki]

Anyone here ski in New Hampshire primarily?

I grew up skiing at Sunday River, in Maine. My parents bought a small 2 br condo there in the early 1990s. Our family has grown, and we've outgrown it, but I essentially haven't skied elsewhere in the east since I was a child (I'm 44 now).

My husband and I are now in the super very early stages of looking for our own place (like within a year or two). He did not grow up skiing, and at best will cruise the bunny slopes a few times a year. He makes a great sag wagon and "uber driver" though

I love SR and would love to own there, but he thinks it's too far from our house in Massachusetts. We decided therefore to look mostly at New Hampshire. He also thinks there is more to do in NH during the summer when we also would be able to use it. He likes biking more than skiing, so that's motivating if there are good trails/etc.

Thinking of looking near Loon and Bretton Woods, but having trouble figuring out the vibe of each place. My SR season pass will work at Loon so I plan on checking out Lincoln for a weekend this winter.

Any other thoughts in regards to terrain, snow quality, crowds at the various resorts?

I own at SR now and live in central MA, just for reference. The drive is long (around 4 hrs each way for us and we go pretty much every weekend and holiday period unless I am skiing elsewhere), but I find it worth it. Also depends what you like to ski, Sunday River has a lot of variety for all levels that can be hard to beat imo, as you know. Bretton Woods is on the more mellow side and Loon is very groomed.. but if you like those things primarily that could be fine too. I have heard that Sunday River plans to bring back mountain biking and make it more accessible to non-experts than before.. but that remains to be seen. North Conway is a fun area too with a bunch of mountains within driving distance.

 

[geargrrl]

Having just sold a ski condo, I would look at the fire insurance aspect of it. Many major insurers are going to stop insuring for natural disaster in the next upcoming years. So far the NE hasn't been subject to the fires of the west, but it may be worth investigating. I'm not talking Personal property insurance. Usually the HOA will carry separate structure insurance.

 

[Jilly]

Just for context and to add to @MissySki comment - I live 4 1/2 hours away from Tremblant. It's not all 4 lane highway either. But it's worth the drive compared to what's available in eastern Ontario.

So you need to think about both seasons, drive time/expense/weather conditions and how your family is growing and using a place.

 

[Basil]

Thanks all! Quieter is nice...crowded is not my thing. We are more "cook a pot of chili and soak in the hot tub" than "go out to the bar" apres skiers anyway.

I think it will be hard to beat the variety of terrain at SR! We live SW of Boston, so the traffic on a Friday night kills us. Usually we can make it in about 4 hours, but sometimes a bit longer. I think Loon would be about 3 and Bretton Woods 3.5...I'd love to go every weekend and I can entertain myself pretty well with podcasts and my own thoughts, but 8 hours in the car is a lot with kids for a weekend.

It's hard to know how the kids will develop as skiers, too. Right now, mellow and groomed is probably fine, but the youngest is just starting and is a maniac, so who knows for the future.

Loon seems most developed in terms of MTB but maybe a little intense for us I went over the handlebars once year doing mountain biking at SR, and haven't tried it since!

 

[elemmac]

Any other thoughts in regards to terrain, snow quality, crowds at the various resorts?

I don't ski New Hampshire often anymore. I have a place at Sunday River, so generally ski there. But as someone born, raised and still living in NH...I'll try to provide some insight on the two you mentioned:

- Loon will always hold a place in my heart. I grew up skiing there a couple times a season (along with small local hills in southern NH) and skied there A LOT in college. The mountain is awesome, has great terrain, a fun atmosphere, and is family friendly, but not overly so. The downside is the crowds...especially on Saturdays, mid-season. The new Kancamagus lift was supposed to alleviate some of the gondola congestion...I can't speak to if that worked or not (I haven't been in the winter since they've put it in). Lincoln has a good number of restaurants, places to shop, things to do, but very little charm (in my opinion). It's super easy to get to from MA. For you husband...The lift access mountain biking in the summer is pretty awesome. They've done a great job with their expansion. However, I'm not sure what there is for mountain biking there is up there outside of lift access, if he's more into trail/XC riding.

- Bretton Woods is a family friendly mountain, amazing beginner, and intermediate terrain. I find the expert terrain lacking a bit. They can get some of the best snow in New Hampshire due to how weather patterns move through the area. I don't believe there's any town/village there...someone else could probably elaborate on the infrastructure. They used to run mountain biking trails as well...I'm unsure on the status though.

Then there's the option of North Conway/Intervale/Jackson/Bartlett. I'm going to group these all together, because you can access a number of mountains within reasonable distances: Cranmore, Black Mountain for the smaller areas, and Wildcat, Attitash for larger ones. Plus, you could access Bretton Woods from that area with a slightly longer drive. North Conway village has a lot going on year-round, so you'll never really get bored with the area. This area also offers the most biking opportunities for your husband (I'd even say it has some of the best biking in New Hampshire).

Personally, I think the Mount Washington Valley checks both your and your husband's boxes better than Lincoln/Loon does. I think it's a better location for non-skiers in the winter, with more options for skiers in case your wants/needs change.

 

[elemmac]

Loon seems most developed in terms of MTB but maybe a little intense for us I went over the handlebars once year doing mountain biking at SR, and haven't tried it since!

Night and day...SR's mountain biking was gnarly! Loon has terrain that suits beginner to expert...plus most of Loon's bike trails are manicured flow, rather than ruthless rocky chunk.

 

[marzNC]

@Basil : have you skied at Waterville Valley? It doesn't get mentioned that often. When I stayed there midweek my impression was that there are many multi-generation families who own there. They get a season pass and don't feel the need to ski anywhere else. The program for seniors is the best I've come across. WV has nordic trails. Seems to have mountain biking in the summer, along with other outdoor activities. Like Loon, WV has been upgrading lifts and adding terrain in the last decade.

I liked WV enough that I went back later on after the T-bar at the summit was operational. The terrain on Green Peak adds variety because the trails are narrow and more traditional northeast skiing, as compared to the wider groomed trails at WV.

 

[BlizzardBabe]

I love the North Conway/Jackson area, but I spend most of my time there in the summer. As was already mentioned, there are a variety of ski resorts in the immediate area (I was conceived at Mt. Cranmore), so there's a bit of choice. Big expansion of condos going on at Cranmore, but it is a small area.

In the summers the downtown area in North Conway gets choked w/traffic, but there is a bypass, so you can avoid most if not all the nonsense. There's also a sneaky way round through Intervale. There's no shortage of mountain biking and hiking, kayaking and canoeing in the spring/summer/fall. Good restaurants (though, like everywhere, they've had a heck of a time finding staff and many are not open certain days of the week as a result).

If you head up there, check out The Red Parka, May Kelly's, and Sea Dog Brewery. All fun, low key, w/good food.

If I were fully in charge of my own life, I'd be living in Jackson or Intervale right now. Le sigh . . .

 

[ilovepugs]

Paging @Matro who lives on Tenney Mountain!

 

[Basil]

@BlizzardBabe Ha! I hear you. If not for pesky things like jobs and schools and such, I'd buy a big slope side townhouse somewhere and ski and bike every day.

We did spend a weekend at Attitash a few years ago. We had gone to that area in the summer and liked it. It was mid-pandemic (March 2021) with all those crazy travel restrictions still in effect. New Hampshire was the only state we could go to without a COVID test. Unfortunately, I was really unimpressed. My kids were newer skiers then, and the blue trails were icy and crowded and not much fun, even first thing in the AM. And the beginner area had this wonky set up with two parallel really slow double chairs, but they were only running one, so the line was insane. Maybe that was just the pandemic thing and we got unlucky, but I wondered if the whole Epic pass had something to do with it.

@marzNC That's a lovely write up of WV! I'll definitely check it out. My parents still ski in their early 70s (though more slowly and conservatively than before), so they would probably like that senior club.

@elemmac good to know! I felt pretty overwhelmed by MTB at SR...that was my one and only experience with lift served biking. I'm glad I wasn't the only one!

 

[marzNC]

We did spend a weekend at Attitash a few years ago. We had gone to that area in the summer and liked it. It was mid-pandemic (March 2021) with all those crazy travel restrictions still in effect. New Hampshire was the only state we could go to without a COVID test. Unfortunately, I was really unimpressed. My kids were newer skiers then, and the blue trails were icy and crowded and not much fun, even first thing in the AM. And the beginner area had this wonky set up with two parallel really slow double chairs, but they were only running one, so the line was insane. Maybe that was just the pandemic thing and we got unlucky, but I wondered if the whole Epic pass had something to do with it.

My guess is that it will take a few more years before VR has got Attitash set up well. The new lift to the summit will clearly make a big difference. I skied Wildcat and Attitash on the same day. It was early season and not much was open yet. Having the parking lot across the street from the base of the lifts on the old side felt odd.

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[liquidfeet]

Anyone here ski in New Hampshire primarily?

I grew up skiing at Sunday River, in Maine. My parents bought a small 2 br condo there in the early 1990s. Our family has grown, and we've outgrown it, but I essentially haven't skied elsewhere in the east since I was a child (I'm 44 now).

My husband and I are now in the super very early stages of looking for our own place (like within a year or two). He did not grow up skiing, and at best will cruise the bunny slopes a few times a year. He makes a great sag wagon and "uber driver" though

I love SR and would love to own there, but he thinks it's too far from our house in Massachusetts. We decided therefore to look mostly at New Hampshire. He also thinks there is more to do in NH during the summer when we also would be able to use it. He likes biking more than skiing, so that's motivating if there are good trails/etc.

Thinking of looking near Loon and Bretton Woods, but having trouble figuring out the vibe of each place. My SR season pass will work at Loon so I plan on checking out Lincoln for a weekend this winter.

Any other thoughts in regards to terrain, snow quality, crowds at the various resorts?

Lincoln is mostly a one-road "town." The retail shops, gas stations, restaurants, etc are all on that one road - NH 112. On one side of 112 there's Loon resort. On the other side are condos and a school or two. Across I-95 is the town of North Woodstock. It's much smaller, and quaint. I wouldn't call Lincoln quaint.
This area is overbuilt with condos. You might be able to find something priced lower than other areas surrounding ski areas in NH.

Bretton Woods is out in the middle of nowhere. The nearest town is Littleton. It's a real town, with Walmart and Lowes and dentists and a hospital and thrift shops and so on. It stretches out in all directions. Back when I was looking for a place to buy (never bought one), the prices in Littleton were low. Many were foreclosures. And these were houses, not condos. This was before Covid.

Good luck

 

[liquidfeet]

Loon is straight up I-95 from Boston. It's very easy to get to, and drivers come upon it before getting to Cannon and Bretton Woods. So Loon does get crowded on weekends and holidays when the driving distance is important to folks from down in Boston. Loon is on Ikon. I don't know Loon's terrain well.

Bretton Woods is a farther drive, but for a lot of skiers with families it's worth it. It is not on Ikon or Epic. The mountain is full of green and blue-green groomers which are perfect for kids and beginner/intermediate adults. I has bumps that are easy and good learning terrain and bumps that are difficult. The difficult bump runs are mostly short. It has a few steep groomers, but the steep parts are short. It has tree runs, from easy to difficult, which get bumped up. The lodge is fantastic. There's a climbing wall in there which opens on holidays. Outside, on holidays, there are little kiddie snowmobiles that kids can ride in an enclosed circle. There's a big Zip Line that is open all year long. And across the street is the Mt. Washington Hotel, one of the last grand hotels standing. It's a great place for relaxing after skiing. I enjoyed teaching there because the terrain is so learner-friendly. And when I wasn't teaching the bumps were fun.

 

[DebbieSue]

I have skied Loon and Bretton Woods and Waterville and Cannon over the decades. Loon is probably the most hectic of all on weekends. Lots of families, straight shot from Boston, and it’s on Ikon. I find the groomers there scary crowded sometimes, even weekdays, and stick to harder blues and blacks. Loon prob has the most dining and drinking options on the road leading up but it’s not really charming. Lots and lots of condos, but mostly not ski in/out. Waterville has the “Estates” village nearby w condis, rec center, pool, ice rink and Nordic trails. Lots of longterm families there. I think WV has the least variety for skiing and gets skiied out. Personally, I love Bretton Woods for skiing w family. Lots of beginner and intermediate terrain, including low angle bumps and glades that make it interesting. The steep runs are short so people who like a lot of vertical and speed aren’t challenged there. The lodge is very nice. There are are not as many “resort” activities as the other two and it is a bit further from Boston, but I like the skiing vibe there best. There are some on mountain ski in /out condos and more across the road near hotel and golf course. If roads are clear, it is not much of a drive fromBretton Woods to Cannon for challenging terrain or over to Attitash then North Conway. No idea about bike trails, mountain or otherwise, at any of these, but all have access to good hiking. Cannon is another to consider. Mittersill which is nearby/attached attached has condos, longterm families. Overall, has a locals vibe. It is a “skiers mountain” cold and steep, but there is a newer learners area. No resort town but nearby towns are very charming.
With young kids and if you like low key, I’d recommend Bretton Woods.

 

[MsWax]

We are from MetroWest/Merrimack Valley area in MA, and bought a place just north of Franconia NH in 2017. We spend almost every weekend up there, skiing mostly at Cannon, but taking trips to Bretton Woods and Loon as well. When we are not skiing, we're hiking or mountain biking. We really like the area!

North of the notch things are less touristy and busy than in Lincoln (or North Conway). It's an easy drive up on Friday nights, usually taking us 2:15 door to door.

More specifics on the skiing, as that what's you asked about, for us, Cannon is a great "home" mountain. It's definitely a skiers mountain (no frills), but we are family of 5 experienced skiers, and we go there to ski. The crowds are MUCH smaller than other local mountains (BW, Loon), which is important to us. Even on a busy day, you never have to wait more than 5-10 minutes in a lift line. My only complaints about Cannon are (1) the trees in the glades are too tight for my liking; I'll ski a few of them, but mostly I sit out the glades there (2) there is a pinch point in the middle of the mountain where things get skied off quickly, resulting in us usually calling it a day around 2pm. We get a pass that covers BW as well, and like others has mentioned, it doesn't have a lot of expert terrain, I LOVE the glades there!

Feel free to reach out if you have specific questions. We love our 2nd home, and don't regret for a second any part of that decision!

 

[liquidfeet]

^^ That. @MsWax has it right.

I have taught at both Cannon and Bretton Woods. Bretton Woods' terrain is much more relaxed than Cannon's. But it's glades present the skier with lots of choices from easy-peasy learning terrain to moderately easy to moderate and so on, progressing in difficulty in small increments. The groomers are situated such that from every lift a skier can get back to the main lodge by way of green trails. The whole mountain is laid out in a way that's user-friendly for skiers of modest skills. Are there blacks? Yes. These steep parts tend to be short at Bretton Woods. It does get crowded, however. Stay away during President's Week.

Cannon is definitely less crowded. Its rare long lines are usually due to race kids in training groups. It has long groomers, some of which are notably steep. When the mountain bumps up, the bumps are decidedly not beginner bumps. And it has challenging glades, both on and off the map. Advanced and expert skiers tend to love the terrain there. For beginners and novices, there's a large "family" area with a number of trails down near the lodge. The mountain does have that choke point that @MsWax mentions. It's at the top of the main lift, and it tends to get so icy and crowded that a sign at the lift's loading area warns beginners away. Cannon is also a high mountain. The bottom half of the mountain can be 10 degrees warmer than the top. And it can be windless while the winds at the top of the mountain are challenging to deal with.

If variety is your thing, and your family has advanced/expert skiers, you'll find much much more suitable terrain at Cannon than at Bretton Woods. If cruising calm groomers with lovely views is your thing, or skiing easy to moderate bumps through enchanging woods, Bretton Woods is going to be more to your liking.

 

[RhodySkiBum]

I'm late to this thread, but perhaps I can be helpful! We bought a condo in the center of Lincoln in 2017 and we love it! I live in Rhode Island, and the drive is about 3 hours. Our place is in the center of "town" so we can walk to most of the restaurants/bars and it is only a minute drive to South Mountain, 2 miles to the main lots at Loon.

I love Loon, but as others have mentioned it gets extremely busy on weekends/holiday weeks. So much so that we opted to buy a bronze (midweek) pass for this year instead of the silver or gold. We found ourselves avoiding the crowds at Loon on weekends so it just makes more sense. I do love the variety of terrain at Loon and they do a pretty good job of grooming and making snow when Mother Nature doesn't cooperate! On a weekday, when there are not many crowds or lift lines, it can't be beat! The glade trails are tight and can be "bony" however, so I usually avoid them.

We now also buy a "White Mountain Superpass" giving us everyday access to Bretton Woods, Cannon, Cranmore and Waterville Valley. Cannon is about a 15 minute drive from our condo, Bretton Woods about 40 minutes, still very doable to avoid the crowds. On a day with some natural snow, I also love the glades at Bretton Woods and the steeps at Cannon.

The town of Lincoln itself has been growing exponentially and has become much busier - they have added another hotel, are adding onto the large Riverwalk hotel and are building homes and condos anywhere there is a lot available! Real estate prices used to be reasonable, but have gone crazy. That said, most of the restaurants/bars close down by 9 pm and it is a sleepy town at night (ok with us!) North Woodstock restaurants stay open later. I work Saturdays, so we usually drive up on Saturday evenings, and we often stop in Plymouth (about 20 minutes south) to eat, to avoid the Lincoln crowds and break up the ride. Littleton also has great restaurants/breweries - about 45 minutes to the north.

The only downside of owning this condo, is the fact that shortly after we bought, the former President sold his unit, and because no one else stepped up, I have been acting as President for the last 6 years. I never wanted to (I am a nurse, not a businesswoman!) but there were issues with the condo building at the time that needed to be addressed (like the roof actively leaking with every freeze/melt cycle) and someone had to do it. I am trying to step down this year, now that we have the building in great shape, hoping someone else takes over

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions - I know the area pretty well and would be happy to help!

 

[Basil]

Thank you!
@RhodySkiBum that's really a great description. Unfortunately we are going to be tied to the school schedule for the next XX number of years (feels infinite atm!), so no great way to avoid weekend/holiday skiing.

@liquidfeet I think the glades at BW sound super fun! My DH would like the green trails. Doesn't really sound like he would like Cannon at all, for skiing at least.

@MsWax Thanks! We are just southwest enough from Boston to get stuck in traffic heading north almost every time.

Thank you all who contributed. I have to admit...I am having a hard time thinking about giving up Sunday River. I know that place so well now..and I have such good memories of my childhood there. I almost never wait in lift lines even during busy times (know how to avoid). DH and I have a lot of research and thinking to do on this!