Whether you’ll need to do the pizza pie down the hill or you have knees of steel and crush moguls, there’s a local ski area for you.
The Upper Valley has 5 ski areas to explore, all reasonably priced so you can have low-key small mountain fun. No long lift lines or crowded lodges here.
Just peace.
The snow. Your skis or board. And you.
Whaleback. Enfield, NH.
# of Trails: 31
# of Lifts: 4
Trail Variety: Mix of beginner, intermediate, advanced and double black diamond trail map
Hours: Tues.- Wed.: 2 -7 pm, Thurs.. 2 – 8 pm, Fri. 1 – 8 pm, Sat.-Sun. 9 am – 4 pm, closed Mon. Hours change in March.
Locals love this mountain for its friendly staff, family friendly atmosphere, and great prices. They offer a lot to the community for outdoor skiing fun: vacation ski camps, adult race league, Friday Night Kids Club, After school programs, and more.
Highlights:
Nice selection of advanced and expert trails
Reasonably priced
Afternoon and evening skiing
Storrs Hill. Lebanon, NH.
# of Trails: 3
# of Lifts: 1:
Hours: Fri. 6-9 pm, Sat. 10-4, Sun. 11-4. Mon-Thurs. Open for lessons only.
A non-profit treasure that is dedicated to making skiing available and affordable for everyone to enjoy.
Highlights:
Ski jumping
Staying close to home for a quick run
Learning to ski
Dartmouth Skiway. Lyme, NH.
# of Trails: 22
# of Lifts: 4
Trail Variety: 25% beginner, 50% intermediate, 25% expert. Trail Map.
Hours: Open 7 days, 9 to 4.
Beginners can ski from the top, a feat usually reserved for intermediate and advanced skiers. This ski area doesn’t just appeal to those new to the sport, 100 Dartmouth All-American athletes and 30 national champions hail from this mountain.
Highlights:
Great for learning to ski
Budget friendly skiing
Suicide 6. Pomfret, VT.
# of Trails: 24
# of Lifts: 3
Trail Variety: 30% beginner, 40% intermediate, 30% advanced
Hours: Mon. – Wed. 9 – 4, Thurs. 9 – 5, Fri.12 – 5 Sat. – Sun. 10 – 5.
Suicide Six is one of the oldest ski resorts in the country, opening the first uphill rope tow in 1934. It’s a family friendly resort with lots to offer.
Highlights:
Provides a lot of trails for challenge
Terrain park
Uphill skiing
Quechee Ski Hill. Quechee, VT.
# of trails: 13
# of lifts: 3
Trail Variety: 2 easy, 9 intermediate, 2 glades, 1 terrain park.
Hours: Fri.-Sun. 9 – 4.
A great family ski area: great trails, grooming, size, instructors, and prices. While you’re here enjoy sleigh rides and live music. They even have a ski team.
Highlights:
Uphill travel
Excellent for kids to learn to ski
To see cool images of some of these great mountains see this link.
Looking for more? A bigger ski experience?
There are four more ski areas within 45 minutes, and many more larger mountains within an hour. All offer excellent trail conditions, quality service, and amazing overall ski experience. For the ultimate ski vacation, head to the White Mountains! I loved Cannon for its wide and long trails; Wildcat for its challenging, steep terrain; and Bretton Woods for its night skiing. My mom loved Loon.
