MA / NH skiing 2019-20

[marzNC]

Still time to get a discounted ticket for the Boston Ski Expo. Last email I got has BONOV as the promo code to save $3 off the $15 admission. Kids 12 and under are free. The drawing this time has 4 Ikon passes as prizes. All adults who fill out the survey at the entrance get a $10 coupon for GetSkiTickets.

I've had a good time at the Expo the last three years. But since my daughter is in college in North Carolina, won't be going again any time soon.

 

[marzNC]

Since Gov. Sununu was part of the ski industry before becoming governor of NH, not surprising he made a little video about his visit to Bretton Woods to see the new mid-mountain lodge (not done yet) and gondola. Will be the first season for the gondola due to delays in 2018.

http://instagr.am/p/B4fSYfsnYHq/

 

[marzNC]

Oops . . . wrong thread. Nothing to see here.

 

[marzNC]

The two ski areas I thoroughly enjoyed in NH the last couple years were Tenney Mountain and Waterville Valley. I'll continue to follow them even though I don't know when I'll get back to NH for skiing.

WV is starting to build snow whales at the base using fan guns. Should get 4+ inches from the coming snowstorm. Definitely frigid weather after that with night time lows in single digits. My daughter won't mind missing out on the cold weather in the Boston area next week now that she's in college the NC mountains.

Silver Streaks for Over 50 folks is the best program for seniors I've ever come across. It starts Dec. 9, 2019 and goes all the way into mid-March. A couple seasons ago they even started doing an uphill clinic.

 

[marzNC]

Sorry to be missing out on the Boston Ski Expo. But now that my daughter is no longer in school in the Boston area, I don't have an excuse for being around New England in mid-November. If anyone is interested and doesn't have a ticket, the promo code for $3 off is BONOVT. Kids 12 and under are free. Get $10 in a GetSkiTickets voucher for filling out the survey on one of the tablets at the entrance.

There is a Meet On The Hill thread for Divas interested in meeting up at the Expo.

 

[diymom]

For those who are taking the T to the Expo, be warned that they are starting work on the red line this weekend starting around 8:45 on Friday evening and will be running shuttles between Broadway and MIT stations until Monday morning. (But if you do find yourself at Broadway station, Doughboy Donuts is a short walk away, open 24 hours.)

And if you haven't been to the Seaport World Trade center before, as an FYI cell coverage can be spotty inside. It can make meeting up challenging at times.

 

[marzNC]

Apparently Wachusett installed a snow depth mapping system called SnowRight last season. Won't necessarily be noticeable to skiers but should make snowmaking and grooming more efficient. Makes it easier to have enough snow everywhere and not have sections with that are deeper than necessary. Also makes it easier to know exactly how much water will be needed to refresh the slopes after a warm spell.

Loon also has a snow depth measuring system in one groomer. The intention is to install the system in more groomers as part of future budgets.

 

[marzNC]

The evening group lessons for women at Blue Hills sounds like a great deal for beginners and intermediates. Check out the thread by @marymack for details.

Who'd be interested in a Women's Clinic at Blue Hills in Eastern MA?

What I learned taking lessons at Massanutten (small hill in northern VA) is that you don't need much terrain to work on fundamentals. In fact, it can be easier to focus because there is less temptation to just go ski on harder terrain. Some drills need to be learned on green trails first.

 

[MsWax]

Condition report:

Cannon - We skied Cannon on opening day, 11/23. They had 20 trails open, which was significantly more than other mountains in the area. They advertised the conditions as "firm and fast," and were they ever. There was a lot of ice, even for Cannon, with some areas being downright dangerous. We saw multiple people carted off in sleds, and while we skied the whole mountain, we called it a day at lunchtime. My 9- and 11-year-olds loved the park, but they are hardcore Cannon lovers and even they agreed the rest of the mountain wasn't fun.

Bretton Woods - This was our second weekend of the season at Bretton Woods, and the contrast between conditions there and at Cannon was stark. We headed there on Sunday, partly because the 6-year-old flat out refused to go back to Cannon. As always, the conditions were fantastic. The weather was a mix of snow/mist/light rain, but the skiing was fantastic! They had some new trails open, and with the gondola running we were able to stay dry enough. We skied until 2pm and would have kept going if we didn't have to drive home that night. Everyone enjoyed themselves, and the 9- and 11-year-olds even found a few small cliffs to jump off to keep things interesting.

 

[MsWax]

We skied Cannon all weekend and the conditions were much improved over last weekend. They opened a lot more trails as well, and had plenty to keep the whole family happy. However, they still don't have their beginner terrain open, and I saw at least 4 people being taken down the mountain in sled on Saturday alone...

 

[marzNC]

The Boston Ski Expo was a few weeks ago, but for those who've never been here's a video that gives some idea of what's to be found at a "ski expo." What's missing is the noise. With loudspeakers all over the place, it's not quiet. Even on Thursday and Friday when it's not that crowded.

There were a few times that Divas met up at the Expo. See the Meet On The Hill (MOTH) thread for how that got organized. Need a minimum number of posts to see that Divas Only section.

Boston Ski Expo Highlights, from Senior Skiing

 

[Olesya Chornoguz]

Hi Divas that ski in NH, what lodging options would you recommend near Loon?
Thank you. @MissySki @lisamamot

 

[MsWax]

Hi Divas that ski in NH, what lodging options would you recommend near Loon?
Thank you. @MissySki @lisamamot

What are you looking for in lodging? Proximity to mountain? Amenities? Cost? There are lots of options in that area, so if you provide a little more info we can probably give better suggestions.

 

[Olesya Chornoguz]

What are you looking for in lodging? Proximity to mountain? Amenities? Cost? There are lots of options in that area, so if you provide a little more info we can probably give better suggestions.

We already have found some lodging. Still would love to hear your input if we go to Loon in the future. @nopoleskier were looking for a budget option with a decent breakfast that's included, doesn't have to be super close to the mountain since we will be driving.

 

[heatherrrrz]

I stayed at Holiday Inn last year for our trip to Loon, about five minutes down the road and free breakfast. It's kind of expensive, like around $150 a night I think I paid. I found North Conway Grand to be cheaper for when we skiied and tubed at Cranmore. There might be options on airbnb/VRBO that are cheaper.

 

[BlueSkies]

Mt. Sunapee has posted a date of March 17th for the annual Ladies day.

 

[MissySki]

Mt. Sunapee has posted a date of March 17th for the annual Ladies day.

St. Patrick's Day

 

[ski diva]

Mt. Sunapee has posted a date of March 17th for the annual Ladies day.

Hmmmm....maybe I'll go this year.

Here's a link.

 

[bunnyslopelover]

This is a fair assessment. My family calls Cannon "home," but we ski a fair bit at Bretton Woods as well. Comparing the 2 with regards to skiing ability, I find...

Never Evers: Cannon wins. Their Tuckerbrook area offers a lot more "bunny slope" options for people who have never skied before vs. Bretton Woods "learning quad" area

Beginner trails beyond bunny slope thru Intermediate skiers: Bretton Woods is the clear winner. This is their "bread and butter," and they do an amazing job grooming, so even if mother nature has not been kind, the conditions are decent at Bretton Woods.

Strong Intermediate and Experts: Cannon wins here. They have more challenging trails and more variety to their trails (pitch, curviness, groomed vs. ungroomed, trail width) than Bretton Woods, where many of the trails have the same feel. However, even in good conditions, the mountain has "pinch points" that get skied off early, so we rarely ski past 3pm (usually call it a day sometime after 2).

Glades: I love Bretton Woods glades, probably because I'm not a strong skier in the trees. They have a variety of steep vs. tame, but the tree spacing is always "reasonable" to me. I've gone into some of Cannon's "easier" glades (Lost Boys), and still find it too tight for my liking! However, my kids and husband love the glades at Cannon, so this is definitely a personal preference (or ability) kind of thing.

Lines: Cannon almost never has lift lines. If I have to wait more the 5 minutes to get on a lift it's a busy day. At Bretton Woods, you can wait up to 30 minutes (or more) on any weekend.

This is useful thank you!

 

[MissySki]

Hmmmm....maybe I'll go this year.

Here's a link.

It was a lot of fun last year, I hope to go again this year if I can fit it in.