Wildcat and Attitash

[Keelhauled]

Big difference between MRG that relies on natural snow to open any terrain on the entire top 2/3 of the mountain or so vs Wildcat that has T2B snowmaking capabilities. It makes sense for MRG to not bank on Christmas given their reliance on natural snow.

Yea I know that's true now, my opinion is that MRG is harbinger of what will become more universal in the near future. It doesn't matter how much pipe you have if you don't get the temperature to utilize it cost effectively.

MRG used to have reliable snow by Christmas, but no more. We all used to have reliable cold by Christmas too, but IMO we are in the middle of making that transition to no more.

 

[snoseek]

It would take some substantial snow for wildcat to make it through March at this point. They ran the budget tight and probably assumed Mother Nature would fill it in like it usually does.

 

[SkiNewEngland.net]

MRG used to have reliable snow by Christmas, but no more. We all used to have reliable cold by Christmas too, but IMO we are in the middle of making that transition to no more.

Read up on the first years of Mad River Glen... Christmas was not at all reliable: https://www.newenglandskihistory.com/Vermont/madriverglen.php

 

[doublediamond]

Exactly. Has no one seen the movie White Christmas?

 

[Vince]

I've probably skied Attitash only 5 times in the last 20 years. Always thought it was kind of second rate.

Skied Tues all upper lifts closed because of wind. 3 trails off Flying Yankee. Good spring conditions but crowded and boring after a while. The Progression Quad is so slow its useless. Would have been better off somewhere else. Crotched would have been better.
Weds not very crowded maybe people were pissed off from Tuesday. The new chair and the Bear Peak HSQ were both open. The new Mountaineer HSQ makes a huge difference. It's like a new ski area. Good spring conditions. I like the top to bottom cruises here. A little steeper and twisty than the usual intermediate cookie cutter. No novice trails from the top.

Base was pretty deep. Not a mogul in sight. The trees and ungroomed are a chunk of ice. The glades look to have lots of downed trees. Kind of a snooze for expert terrain. But if you like top to bottom cruisers Attitash is better than most. Much better than it used to be.

 

[deadheadskier]

That's too bad. Grand Stand and Lower Ptarmigan have had some pretty good spring bumps in the past. The low elevation has them soften pretty early in the day too.

 

[eatskisleep]

I've probably skied Attitash only 5 times in the last 20 years. Always thought it was kind of second rate.

Skied Tues all upper lifts closed because of wind. 3 trails off Flying Yankee. Good spring conditions but crowded and boring after a while. The Progression Quad is so slow its useless. Would have been better off somewhere else. Crotched would have been better.
Weds not very crowded maybe people were pissed off from Tuesday. The new chair and the Bear Peak HSQ were both open. The new Mountaineer HSQ makes a huge difference. It's like a new ski area. Good spring conditions. I like the top to bottom cruises here. A little steeper and twisty than the usual intermediate cookie cutter. No novice trails from the top.

Base was pretty deep. Not a mogul in sight. The trees and ungroomed are a chunk of ice. The glades look to have lots of downed trees. Kind of a snooze for expert terrain. But if you like top to bottom cruisers Attitash is better than most. Much better than it used to be.

Not enough skiers at Attitash for moguls to form.

 

[snoseek]

Wildcat for the bumps and attitash for the groomer laps.

 

[Mainer]

You should have hit Bretton woods on Tuesday. Got 6 inches of fluffy snow on top of the 8 of cement. Was awesome especially the closed trails. Everybody was probably at wildcat on Wednesday. The quad there had been closed since Sunday and was only open for little bit Sunday afternoon after the snow. Attitash never opened on Sunday so no chance to mogul up the new snow before it froze solid. bear peak didn’t open until Wednesday either

 

[So Inclined]

You should have hit Bretton woods on Tuesday. Got 6 inches of fluffy snow on top of the 8 of cement. Was awesome especially the closed trails. Everybody was probably at wildcat on Wednesday. The quad there had been closed since Sunday and was only open for little bit Sunday afternoon after the snow. Attitash never opened on Sunday so no chance to mogul up the new snow before it froze solid. bear peak didn’t open until Wednesday either

Attitash was open Sunday - tough sledding as the 10-12" of new, fairly heavy got sticky, but it was open. Nothing above Flying Yankee or Kachina on the Bear side for most of Monday or Tuesday though.

Wildcat was lots of fun today once the sun softened up the bumps.

 

[soposkier]

Have an epic day pass to burn and planning to head to either attitash or wildcat this weekend (headed out from Portland so those are my options). Will be with my beginner son, think Whiffletree at Sugarloaf level. Thinking Attitash will be the play. Never skied there, always did wildcat if headed that way, but looks like there is way more to offer then Wildcat for the "advanced" beginner. Don't think he is ready for polecat yet, at least to truly enjoy.

Deadhead you sound well versed in the kids ski game. Didn't think I would ever care about this when joining the forum 15 years ago. Maybe I'll start a dedicated kids thread.

 

[deadheadskier]

Attitash is a little steeper as a whole than Wildcat, but there is more variety of Whiffletree type trails. Your kid should enjoy either option. Park at Bear and start there with trails like Wandering Skis and Snow dancer. Much easier access to the lodge and lifts on the bear side.

As an FYI, you can ski both the same day. 30 minutes between the two, but they allow both. So if you wanted to start your day at Attitash where it likely softens sooner and then head to Wildcat for the afternoon, you could. When I was a pass holder I would do that sometimes in the spring. Some days when Tash softens by 10AM, Cat does not until 1 or so. Elevation and aspect makes a big difference between the two

 

[soposkier]

Attitash is a little steeper as a whole than Wildcat, but there is more variety of Whiffletree type trails. Your kid should enjoy either option. Park at Bear and start there with trails like Wandering Skis and Snow dancer. Much easier access to the lodge and lifts on the bear side.

As an FYI, you can ski both the same day. 30 minutes between the two, but they allow both. So if you wanted to start your day at Attitash where it likely softens sooner and then head to Wildcat for the afternoon, you could. When I was a pass holder I would do that sometimes in the spring. Some days when Tash softens by 10AM, Cat does not until 1 or so. Elevation and aspect makes a big difference between the two

Yea he loves trying new mountains and different lifts, will be great wherever we end up with the soft snow.

How are the Bear Peak blues compared to Whiffletree? He has skied Scoot at Sugarloaf so can handle a little steeper but tired him out quick. Being very cautious of progressing too quick against his choice, striking a delicate balance haha.

 

[deadheadskier]

The two trails mentioned are a little steep for the first 20%, but then mellow out to a moderate pitch. My 5 year old daughter gets pretty timid on steeper terrain, but managed it fine going slow up top. Then she let em fly the rest of the way. Forget the trail, but be mindful of the upper cut across to get back to the Bear chair. Very flat on the lower cut over.

Also when crossing over or back to Attitash proper, use the upper cut across, not the lower. Less skating

 

[doublediamond]

The Progression Quad is so slow its useless. Would have been better off somewhere else. Crotched would have been better.

The whole purpose of the Progression Quad install was to cut 4 lift operators and a scanner and to have 1 new lift to maintain vs. 2 50-year-old lifts. Why do you think Vail put so much money into Jack Frost/Big Boulder? It wasn’t because they see it as a cash cow mountain. It’s to cut operations costs (by removing most of the combined-lifts) as much as possible.

Same with the new six pack at Mt. Snow. One lift gets you up to Long John like before the Grand Summit Hotel was put in vs. the two tandem triples that were there under ASC/Peak. It also has a second positive benefit of enticing Long John/Deer Run/Uncles/Ridge/Carinthia skiers/riders to ride the six pack vs. going over to the crowded main base.

 

[Ski2LiveLive2Ski]

Got 4 days to ski Epic places in NE starting Sat 3/23

Debating between spending them at Stowe and Okemo or adding to the drive time (from NJ) by going as far as Wildcat (and maybe hit Attitash too) Only every been to each of those once (loved Cat but not Att then).

Based on recent conditions and forecasts would folks think it worth the extra driving to add the NH places?

 

[MidnightJester]

Choose VT overall and if NH choose Attitash at the moment. Been rough season in NH.

 

[Ski2LiveLive2Ski]

Thanks with that advice I will stick to VT and drive less, as WC was the only thing tempting me to go as far as NH

 

[chuckstah]

Definitely don't drive to NH for Attitash. 99 percent of my worst days of the season over the last few years are at Attitash. WC is worth the mileage after a nice storm, but otherwise stick to Stowe. This upcoming week looks cold, with some snow most days. Firm and fast.

 

[MidnightJester]

Anyone thinking about the WILDCAT option for Monday? They are looking at 18" over the weekend and they will be fully open with every corner available. : )