Help planning a trip up north.

[Jake123]

Hey, guys. I'm new to the forum and need help planning my first ski trip in a long time.

There are 2 of us in our early 20s. We are driving from NE Mass and don't mind a long drive. We're deciding on staying somewhere for 3 to 5 nights during the week of March 9. I ski and she uses skiboards. I haven't skied in about 10 years and she hasn't in about 2 years. I like long, easy rides and she really likes glades.

I have only skied mountains like Brodie in the Berkshires, Loon, and Wachusett. We would like to stay at a nice, quiet ski resort if one exists. So far I've only looked into Sugarloaf but pretty much anything from Vermont to Maine would be fine.

What are your suggestions? Is this a good time to ski and book reservations? Since this is a spring break week will it be hard to find a nice, quiet resort? Thanks! :-D

 

[phil]

The biggest question would have to be :

What overall kind of experience are you looking for?
Is the skiing/boarding the only thing that really matters, or is evening activities/nightlife a big issue?

That said, if I read your "nice quiet resort" meaning significant nightlife is not a concern I would suggest Saddleback in Rangeley, ME. You get a 2000' mountain with a good variety of trails including glades, and it does not tend to have the big hordes of skiers. Accommodations will probably be off mountain in town, where you will overlap with snowmobilers. Rangeley is a 4 season resort town, with fishing in the summer big since the 1800's. Mooseley Bagels in town is wonderful for breakfast.

The distance from the south is about the same and from Rangeley you can get over to Sugarloaf if you want a day there also. Vice versa on Visiting Saddleback from Sugarloaf as well.

 

[Jake123]

Nightlife isn't a big issue as long as there is a place to eat. An onsite gym/health room would be good but not a necessity. A hotel that is slopeside would be a plus as well.

 

[SKIQUATTRO]

if you are going for 3-5 nights...head west...they are getting pounded with snow...stay in Park City and you have your choice of Deer Vally, Park City, the Canyons..PC has great restaurants, bars etc...you can fly into SLC, take ground transportation to PC (30-40 min drive) and you are there...the PC transportation system is awesome, yo dont need a car and there is daily bus trips to ALTA/SNOWBIRD as well.....thats what I'd do...

 

[Greg]

Sounds like Bretton Woods might be perfect for you. That's about as "quiet" as it gets. There's not much in the area, but North Conway is only 30-40 minutes down 302 if you're looking for some dining, shopping, etc. The views of the Presidentials are great and plenty of cruising terrain to be had. I haven't been there in probably 10+ years, but I think they added some new gladed terrain a few years ago.

And welcome to the forums! Keep us posted on how your trip goes.

 

[tjf67]

I think you are looking the the right area over there in sugarloaf. They are getting the snow this year and generally do very well in March.

 

[Jake123]

Has anyone stayed at the ski-in ski-out condos at Saddleback? I did some searching and I guess they are pretty new. Bretton Woods looks like it would be good for us but a bit pricey to stay slopeside.

 

[Vortex]

Pm loafer89 he probably has more info on Saddelback.

The loaf and Sunday Rvier have nice slopeside set ups imo. Everything right there free shuttle service many dining options and lot of stuff to do. It you looking for a destination feel. Loaf would be choice 1 Sr choice two. mid week in March VT, Maine or Nh would all be wins. Many condos' at Sr are ski on ski out. Literally.

You don't walk across a parking out to a corner area. What one calls ski on ski off is different. if you have to go to a locker room or take an elevator... that is not what Sr would call ski on ski off.

 

[bigbog]

Northern New England conditions still great

Conditions up north are great. Any up & down temperatures in the wacko systems have only been lasting ~24hrs at the most...and the groomers in the north are the best. Bring the hardpack skis & demo/rent anything powder related, that is unless you have them.
VT & NH are nice, so is SundayRiver & Sugarloaf. Call the Loaf to see what they have for indoor facilities...I know the River has them. IF you can arrange the indoor stuff without lodging @Sugarloaf do it! Village of Stratton(~10max north of Loaf/past Mtn Access Rd) has plenty of good & cheap lodging as well as a good diner(Stratton Diner...opens at 5am) for breakfast...but there IS something to be said for convenience when from afar!
*Plus some good inexpensive restaurants around. Check up on Saddleback...I need to get out there...(once I get rid of flu & get boots back from bootfitter next week;-))
**However if you're coming up to Sugarloaf stay abreast of temps & wind....they can take a dive from cold... to shutdown @10am.

$.01

 

[JasonE]

Conway area - perfect!

OK... here's my suggestion: hit the Conway area of New Hampshire. Within less than an hour's drive you've got Black Mountain (a personal favorite), Cranmore, Attitash, Wildcat, Bretton Woods, Loon, and Cannon, plus several others. There's fantastic food (hit the Red Parka, it's amazing). And there are lots of lodging options.

As far as lodging, depending on what you're looking for and the amount you want to spend, but if you (like I am) are budget conscious, I can highly recommend the North Colony Motel. It's right on Route 302 in Bartlett, NH (at the base of Attitash Bear Peak). They run a mid-week special this time of year for two nights at $39 per night, and their weekend rates are decent also. It's not a luxurious place, but it is by far the cleanest motel room I've ever stayed at, it was very comfortable and very up-to-date (no faded wallpaper or worn-out carpeting, everything we very nicely maintained), and the people were really really friendly (the family that owns it lives on-site). Joe, the owner, teaches skiing at Attitash. I'm not sure what his wife Nancy does as a 'day job' but she was really helpful and was the one who cleaned the rooms.

Plus, if you're looking to spend a day resting and not skiing, a short drive up to Mt. Washington allows for amazing views (although you can't drive up it in the winter time) and the Conway outlet stores are a fun distraction. It's only an hour over the Kanc to Franconia Notch, which has a few things to do (though not as much as in the summer time). Oh - Cranmore Mountain also has a tubing park which is open at night, and was a LOT of fun.

My wife and I vacation up that way every summer, but this winter was the first of what I hope will be many ski vacations spent in the Mount Washington Valley. We're going up in March (a week after you are, actually) for three days, as well.

 

[JasonE]

I just noticed that you said you wanted to stay on-resort. Most of the mountains up there have on-mountain lodging, but I"ve got to tell you, you'll pay quite a lot more for similar rooms. All over the Conway area hotels were running specials that were half the price (or less) of staying on-mountain. My recommendation for the North Colony Motel (http://www.northcolonymotel.com/) stands. It fits your description perfectly (nice and quiet - in fact, the room was so quiet, we never even heard the parking lot being plowed the morning it snowed!!!) and is clean and comfortable. And it gives you more options for skiing (you can hit more mountains that way).

As far as it being spring break - it's not high school break, it's college break, and most college students head down south for spring break. It shouldn't be that busy.

Mountains in the area that fit your description of long, easy rides with some glades would definitely fit Bretton Woods (I've never skied there, but just looking at the mountain you can tell it's a great hill for people, like me, who enjoy the easy groomers), and also Cranmore. BW is about 20 to 25 minutes from the North Colony Motel, Cranmore about 10 minutes away. I also am a big fan of Black Mountain (not quite long easy groomers, but a lot of fun to be had on old-fashioned trails), but I am told that conditions there can be iffy in March because they don't make a lot of their own snow.

By the way - I will absolutely re-iterate my recommendation to eat at the Red Parka Pub. Their Teriyaki Chicken was probably the single best meal I've ever had, and their 10-oz. prime rib was at least 16 ounces and was cooked to perfection. Try their rice - it was incredibly yummy. And their salad bar is one of the best I've ever had (and only $3 more when you order an entree). Prices were quite reasonable for such high-quality food, too, ranging from about $12 to $18 a meal plus salad bar. There was this one desert, I forget the name of it, but it was basically a chocolate brownie with fresh strawberries, vanilla ice cream, and whipped cream, and it was incredible.

Anyway - just my recommendation from someone who just vacationed there a few weeks ago. We enjoyed it so much we're taking an unplanned mini-vacation during my wife's spring break (a week after yours) because we just can't wait until summer to go up to the area again.

Jason

 

[riverc0il]

Has anyone stayed at the ski-in ski-out condos at Saddleback? I did some searching and I guess they are pretty new. Bretton Woods looks like it would be good for us but a bit pricey to stay slopeside.

Unless you are going mid-week, you will not find Bretton Woods to be without lots of other folks skiing plus as you mentioned it is a very pricey location. But you will find good lower intermediate terrain on average and some easier trees that are rumored to be good.

My top recommendations would be Burke or Saddleback. Both mountains are uncrowded on the weekends and down right lonely during the week. Burke has more room to spread people out and easier access to the expert terrain, many people are not fond of the T-Bar at Saddleback but I think it adds to the experience. Both have some really rocking glades and a similar snowfall. Both have slopeside. I think Burke wins out with the nice restaurant at the base area deal. Tamarack Grill has a upscale restaurant and cheaper bar option. That part of the Kingdom has some amazing restaurants, something I sadly miss here in central NH. Miss Lyndonville for breakfast, Elements in StJ 20 minutes away is stellar. Tamarack Grill may be closed some days during the week, check in advanced. My only caveat would be Burke has unbelievably great long blue cruisers but they are upper intermediate blues, so bear that in mind.

 

[riverc0il]

A lot of recommendations miss the "quiet resort" part of the original post. Sunday River, Sugarloaf, Attitash, anything in North Conway, etc. are not going to be "quiet resorts". Black, Cranmore and Wildcat do not have slopeside. That eliminates the bigger places in Maine and the North Conway area, IMO. Bretton still stands as an option, especially mid-week when prices will be somewhat reasonable. Definitely not the best deal going by any means. Not sure if Bolton has Slopeside but I am pretty sure they do, again probably a better mid-week option and Bolton has night skiing too, so add that to your short list due to good glades and a smaller resort feel. I think you might get more bang for your buck at Burke or Saddleback, but I am sure Bolton offers a good experience and they will have more dependably good snow conditions due to the NoVT location.

 

[Jake123]

Thanks for all the info. We just booked 5 days at a condo (South Branch) at Saddleback. It came out pretty cheap for the ski and stay. We got a full one bedroom condo with a fireplace! I'll be sure to post some reports and pictures when we are there.

 

[Greg]

Thanks for all the info. We just booked 5 days at a condo (South Branch) at Saddleback. It came out pretty cheap for the ski and stay. We got a full one bedroom condo with a fireplace! I'll be sure to post some reports and pictures when we are there.

Sounds awesome! Have fun.

 

[crank]

Saddleback is a nice mountain and quiet. They do have good intermediate terrain and some very nice glades. I went last year and stayed in Rangely which is inundated with sleds. That would have been find but they rip around until very late hours and sleeping can be tough with those babys roaring through the parking lot. There are a few decent places to eat in town, nothing too fancy or pricey.

 

[phil]

I stayed off mountain at Saddleback for 2 nights just before New Years.
The Red Onion in town had a decent Dinner menu
Mooseley Bagels in town has great breakfasts.
There is an IGA Grocery store on RT 4 just beyond where the road to the mountain takes off, useful for snacks, etc.

Just be aware that the last fast food places are in Farmington, and Gas stations are few and far apart on the road between Farmington and Rangeley, and that Moose and deer are seen on the roads.

Enjoy