Wachusett

[Greg]

Lots of Wa Wa fans here I'd imagine. I'd like to try it sometime, but just never made it there. How far is it from the 90/290 merge? I can get there in about 1:30. I'm guessing it'll be 2 hours+. Is it worth the drive?

 

[Zand]

Wawa is 30 minutes tops from 90/290. I've actually only been that way to Wachusett once. From my house I can take various back roads or route 31 up through Princeton instead of going all the way up to Westminster on the highway and going down. I like it more than Jiminy, mainly because it's not just a bunch of straight-down trails.

 

[Greg]

Gonna have to try it. Maybe it'll be a fun option when the Worcester hills are the big snowfall winners. That seems to happen at least once a season.

 

[SkiMangoJazz]

I live real near wa wa and went a lot last year. The secret is to get there very early. Weekdays lifts open at 9, weekends at 8. They usually let you on a bit before then.

The first hour to two hours is good skiing. On weekends after that it's just too crowded.

They do an amazing job of snowmaking and grooming, so even when everywhere else sucks the first two hours are usually good skiing. There's nothing really steep besides one section of Smith Walton (which is often closed for racing training.) It's got very good intermediate crusing trails, but the runs don't last very long. On a good day I could do 9-10 runs in an hour, skiing onto the lift.

Great beginner mountain, by the way, if you've got someone you're trying to get going. The beginner area is all by itself, so no fast skiers flying by, and has a very consistent pitch and it's own lift.

All in all I love skiing there, but for more than a couple of hours it gets boring, and when the trails get crowded it really is pretty hazardous.

Let me know if you're going, particularly if it's a weekday morning, and I'll meet you there.

Steve

 

[thetrailboss]

Wachusett is a decent mountain. An absolute gold mine since it is so close to Boston and it is such a large mountain. It is worth the visit. I skied there one night in 2005 and they did not groom much...so it all froze solid. Good terrain though...felt like a big mountain and skied like it, but lack of expert stuff. Small price to pay for its location.

 

[hrstrat57]

wa wa

Real nice....

Gotta get there early, first chair a must....even on sat I can rip off 10 runs before the parking lot fills up.....I am always out of there by 11 on a weekend....line gets too long to justify the wait for 800-1000 vet.

Best part tho, do it right and it is cheap!! Even without a season pass....you can get a discount pass via AAA. $8 off every visit.

Equally important and a little known secret only for my AZ friends if you turn the ticket in by noon they give you back 5 bucks. Of course you have to let them cut off the ticket:sad:

I got in about 20 days last year most with my then 12 year old daughter, and ski'd a bit with some epic bears, which was super. Great skiers and great company! Hope to hook up with some AZ'ers next season!!!

Great place to lay em over for a couple of hours or so!!!

 

[Sky]

Greg, if you ever get the urge to go mid week someday...let me know. You can get quite a few yo yo runs in in 2-1/2 hours, then be on your way to work for 1/2 day (if that works for you).

The other option is after the school groups leave (7:30 PM til closing)...but if it's a 2-hr drive home...probably not a "good" option.

 

[Greg]

Thanks everyone. Again, I'd like to try it just to say I did it...

 

[hrstrat57]

Thanks everyone. Again, I'd like to try it just to say I did it...

Greg,

I seriously think once you give it a whirl you'll be back for more. We are about the same distance (I live near URI) and I go for just 2/3 hours all the time. Well worth the easy drive. I leave about 5:45 if I go on Saturday or Sunday and catch first chair easy with a stop at Mcdonalds RI state line for a bite to eat/ pit stop.You'll be impressed. Bump this thread when you wanna go, I'll be happy to show you around.

I quite likely will go opening day(which is usually day after Thanksgiving) if not I will be there on Saturday......

Honey Dew donuts on 146 just outside of Worcester on the way home....yum!

Midweek the trails are empty...but the 146, 290 and later 190 splits can be tricky with rush hour traffic. I leave about 6:30....to allow for it. For you I expect 395 would be a pc of cake....

 

[Greg]

Midweek the trails are empty...but the 146, 290 and later 190 splits can be tricky with rush hour traffic. I leave about 6:30....to allow for it. For you I expect 395 would be a pc of cake....

I'd be doing 84 --> 90 --> 290 --> 190

 

[MichaelJ]

Another trick is to get up there for night skiing on a weeknight before the after-school programs start for the year (which bring a lot of people, mostly younger, onto the mountain), or on a Sunday night. Almost the entire mountain is lit, they regroom at 4pm, and the lighting is excellent.

Some of my favorite ski "trips" (it's exactly 50 miles there from home) have been night runs at Wawa after work. Especially in the spring under a full moon...

 

[hrstrat57]

Another trick is to get up there for night skiing on a weeknight before the after-school programs start for the year (which bring a lot of people, mostly younger, onto the mountain), or on a Sunday night. Almost the entire mountain is lit, they regroom at 4pm, and the lighting is excellent.

Some of my favorite ski "trips" (it's exactly 50 miles there from home) have been night runs at Wawa after work. Especially in the spring under a full moon...

Never been night skiing at wa. When I was teaching at Yawgoo Valley a few years ago quite a few of my instructor buds went up on a regular basis but I was always too busy......:-(

I gotta do it this year......they used to rave about it, esp after 8:30 when the mountain cleared out....

 

[awf170]

So you guys pretty much started this thread and said all these good things about Wawa so I would go to the weekly gathering instead of going to the rock gym? Thanks a lot. Though I think I'll choose the rock gym.

I'll be happy to show you around.

This just cracks me up. The mountain has like 10 trails.

 

[hrstrat57]

This just cracks me up. The mountain has like 10 trails.

I think it's 18 actually....but thanks for sharing your thoughts....

I'm out......

 

[Marc]

So you guys pretty much started this thread and said all these good things about Wawa so I would go to the weekly gathering instead of going to the rock gym? Thanks a lot. Though I think I'll choose the rock gym.



This just cracks me up. The mountain has like 10 trails.

That's fine Austin...







Sometimes it is healthy to question your own sexuality.

 

[thetrailboss]

So you guys pretty much started this thread and said all these good things about Wawa so I would go to the weekly gathering instead of going to the rock gym? Thanks a lot. Though I think I'll choose the rock gym.



This just cracks me up. The mountain has like 10 trails.

:roll: Well Austin, when you have to pay taxes, get a job, have a family, etc. you will realize that sometimes you have to take what you can get with regards to skiing and riding (in terms of location, time to go, price, etc). Wachusett is what it is.....it can't be everything to everybody.

 

[Greg]

So you guys pretty much started this thread and said all these good things about Wawa so I would go to the weekly gathering instead of going to the rock gym? Thanks a lot. Though I think I'll choose the rock gym.



This just cracks me up. The mountain has like 10 trails.

Geez, Austin. You're too young to be this cynical, or maybe this is just an attempt at being "cool". Personally I appreciate hrstrat57's offer and will take him up on it if I head up there.

 

[SkiMangoJazz]

Not to pile on, but laughing at hrstrat for his offer was definitely rude.

"I'll show you around" doesn't mean "I'll be your guide" it's just an offer of friendship, and I'll tell you as small and as limited as the wa is, there is definitely an advantage to knowing when and where to ski which trails.

hrstrat is a joy to ski with, and any of us would benefit from him "showing us around." I live 15 minutes from wachusett, and he showed me some stuff when I skied with him.

 

[awf170]

I just found I'll show you around to be funny. Do you really need to be shown around a mountain with about 4 different ways down from the top? It isn't that difficult to find your way around Wachusett. And hopefully I can get to Wachusett this year for a weekly gathering, just if i have to pick one it will probably be the rock gym. Not because Wachusett is crappy, but because I don't want to deal with waiting in 20 minute lines and doing gaper slamon all the way down.

 

[Zand]

Wachusett has 5 trails from the top, same as the mighty Wildcat.