NH in the spring

[gmcunni]

Have to spend a Saturday in Durham NH in late March and want to hit a mountain on Sunday. Looking at the map seems like the following are easy drive up from Durham without being horrible for the Sunday night drive back to CT:

Gunstock
Loon
King Pine
Cranmore
Attitash
Black
Cannon
Bretton
Wildcat

i've never been to any of them. Typically is one of these a standout for spring skiing? looking for a variety of conditions including spring bumps and some "intermediate" woods.

 

[Kristina P]

I went to school at UNH in Durham for undergrad and grad school. You will enjoy it there, very nice college town.
Black NH faces south so can be a great option for sunny spring turns.
Not sure abt their bumps though they do have nice low angle glades that prob will be on line.

If Redhat bumps up which it normally does that would be fun at Gunstock and is the closest of the mtns u listed from Durham.
I'd also consider Cranmore and Attitash. The others (wildcat, cannon, bretton) are great mtns but will certainly be longer drives.

 

[hammer]

My vote is for Wildcat, just make sure you get there later (slopes face west). Gunstock is a good choice for intermediate terrain but late March may be questionable unless we start getting some more natural snow.

 

[Kristina P]

Also, what about Pats Peak or even Whaleback? Pats will have nice bumps on Hurricane which imho is one of the better runs in Southern NH. Also, the main lift line trail at Whaleback bumps up and they may even seed on it so you should consider that as well.
Whaleback skis bigger than it looks from the highway.

 

[St. Bear]

I really love Black, and I think Loon and Bretton have a lot to offer and are unfairly bashed on this and other forums, but if you're in the area, you're doing yourself a disservice to go anywhere besides Wildcat or Cannon, especially if you've never been before.

 

[gmcunni]

thanks for all the quick responses.

Also, what about Pats Peak or even Whaleback? Pats will have nice bumps on Hurricane which imho is one of the better runs in Southern NH. Also, the main lift line trail at Whaleback bumps up and they may even seed on it so you should consider that as well.
Whaleback skis bigger than it looks from the highway.

i've been to Pats a few times and want to try something new. I hadn't noticed Whaleback on the map but see it is just off 91 which makes for an easy ride home at the end of the day, i'll add it to the list of possibilities.

 

[Tooth]

Cannon. Wildcat. If you are in NH why not?

 

[Geoff]

thanks for all the quick responses.



i've been to Pats a few times and want to try something new. I hadn't noticed Whaleback on the map but see it is just off 91 which makes for an easy ride home at the end of the day, i'll add it to the list of possibilities.

I-89. About 10 miles from the Vermont border.

 

[Edd]

If we're talking spring skiing my pick is Wildcat.

 

[dropKickMurphy]

I really love Black, and I think Loon and Bretton have a lot to offer and are unfairly bashed on this and other forums, but if you're in the area, you're doing yourself a disservice to go anywhere besides Wildcat or Cannon, especially if you've never been before.

I agree. Especially in late March, where the higher elevation of those mountains often means deeper and better spring snow,

 

[HD333]

I went to school at UNH in Durham for undergrad and grad school. You will enjoy it there, very nice college town.
Black NH faces south so can be a great option for sunny spring turns.
Not sure abt their bumps though they do have nice low angle glades that prob will be on line.

If Redhat bumps up which it normally does that would be fun at Gunstock and is the closest of the mtns u listed from Durham.
I'd also consider Cranmore and Attitash. The others (wildcat, cannon, bretton) are great mtns but will certainly be longer drives.

Gunstock also has some decent intermediate glades, Parallax, Lower Recoil Glades, Birch (if you can really call Birch glades it is super short ) and if those are to easy you can hit Upper Recoil Glades and Gunpowder. If you follow tracks you can find some off map stuff as well.

Redhat was left bumped up last spring.

 

[2knees]

Gary, you should check out Tenney Mtn. You'll have the place to yourself.

 

[gmcunni]

Gary, you should check out Tenney Mtn. You'll have the place to yourself.

i'm not badass enough to earn my turns

 

[riverc0il]

Typically is one of these a standout for spring skiing? looking for a variety of conditions including spring bumps and some "intermediate" woods.

Wildcat. Hands down, not even a contest.

Cannon is good in the spring too but Cannon doesn't really have much for "intermediate" woods. The Cat tends to have better top to bottom bumps.

 

[Smellytele]

Wildcat

 

[AdironRider]

I think if I was to go to just one ski area and wasnt coming back to NH for a while (as it sounds in this situation) it would be to Cannon. Tram, more interesting, varied terrain, bumps on par with Wildcat.

Wildcat is also a good choice, but every trail on that hill skis exactly the same. I always get bored by noon, but you can also really crank out some runs there. My one and only 80k vert day was there.

 

[deadheadskier]

Cannon or Wildcat would be my picks. Cannon will be the easier commute from Durham both to the mountain and home to CT if that matters much. You'll save a good 20 minutes on the drive to the mountain in the morning and about an hour on your ride home to CT.

Both of those areas and Bretton Woods, are probably the only areas that will be offering any tree skiing in the spring unless things change drastically (crosses fingers) in the next couple of months.