I have a colleague from Europe that may be visiting our Cambridge office in February and he was curious if there are any skiing options within an hour or so from Boston that he could visit on the weekend during his trip. I know there are options, I just don't know what the best recommendations would be. Any insights from anyone here? I know there's a decent amount of people on this forum more familiar with skiing in that area than I am.
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Skiing Near Boston
- Thread starter cdskier
- Start date
The only option with at least 1000 vertical is Wachusett. It can be more than an hour with traffic, but it's about an hour without . Also, I believe you can take a commuter rail out there if they don't plan on renting a vehicle. Everything else near Boston is like 400 vert or under.
I'd tell him to expand his travel range to two hours and look into Cannon, Loon or Waterville.
I'd tell him to expand his travel range to two hours and look into Cannon, Loon or Waterville.
SkiingInABlueDream
Active member
Oh man, I cringe at the thought of February weekend skiing anywhere that close to Boston just because of crowds. And even Ragged and Sunapee for the same reason. An exception IMO would be a wachusett night session if it's very very cold.
I can certainly suggest that, although he may be ok with smaller hills as well if it is close just to have some fun on a weekend when he has nothing else to do. Any pros/cons of some of those other options?
Killingtime
Active member
Loon has very nice terrain but gets really crowded on weekends. Great bar scene though. I've never seen Waterville get overly crowded (maybe I've just been lucky). Its just an all around cool place but smaller than the others mentioned.. Cannon in my opinion has the most interesting terrain in NH.
Might as well go to Killington-same 2.5-3 hour drive
From Boston? Killington is over 3 while BEast is 2:15.
For any option, depends on what the friend is looking for - terrain/ crowds / vibe / nightlife or not.
Yeah, I have to second Wachusett but I would set reasonable expectations in terms of conditions and crowds.
If he were to consider the 2-3 hour window, that opens up a lot of options and I would say to wait until closer to the date to determine what area has the best conditions.
Bosco DaSkia
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youse guys are too funny. he asks for places an hour away, so of course BEast an the Loon are top suggestions.
cdskier, a little more info on your guy's goals would help narrow the search. Lotta choices in the area. Is this dude lookin' to learn or is already best skier on the mountain? Typical Englishman in the Alps style binge drinker or is he more of a teetotaling type chap? Does he have transport and gear or is he thumbing it to the rental counter?
Day trip or a whole weekend deal? These guys do both.
bssc.com
bssc.com
cdskier, a little more info on your guy's goals would help narrow the search. Lotta choices in the area. Is this dude lookin' to learn or is already best skier on the mountain? Typical Englishman in the Alps style binge drinker or is he more of a teetotaling type chap? Does he have transport and gear or is he thumbing it to the rental counter?
Day trip or a whole weekend deal? These guys do both.
Ski Trips & Packages from Boston - BSSC
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Ski & Snowboard - Day Ski Bus Trips from Boston and Providence - BSSC
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There are four bumps within an hour. Bradford, Ward, Nashoba and Blue Hills. Blue Hills is to be avoided even though it's the closest. It's so close to the coast, they struggle more than the others to get good snowmaking temps. Of the other 3, Nashoba is the nicest looking. I've only skied Ward, but if you're going that far, only 20 more minutes gets you to Wachusett, which skis like small mountain and not a neighborhood hill like the others
parahelia
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Nashoba isn't bad for what it is - a well-run feeder hill, fun for a few hours of laps. Basically it's one ridgeline with a bunch of "trails" that are somewhat indistinct from one another. The pitch on looker's left is a little steeper than looker's right. It's a zoo weekday afternoons with school groups, and many high schools train there. They have good snowmaking and seem to recover quickly from adverse events.
machski
Well-known member
The unfortunate part with Blue Hills is that it is the largest vert closest to town.
Thanks for the input. My colleague had his eye on Wachusett given the fact that you can get there via train. Thanks to Bosco for the bus trip info. Those prices are actually pretty impressive and that's another interesting option to consider that I shared with him if he decides to expand his range. He likes to ski and has his own boots that he would bring with him if he decides to ski, so certainly not a beginner. I get the impression he skis a handful of times per year typically (lives in Belgium, but I know he's done some trips to the Alps).
shpride
Active member
Blue Hills is now run by the old owner of Pleasant Mountain. They have upgraded the snowmaking a bunch this year. A new pump went in a few years ago so they can make a ton of snow when the conditions are right. I love the character of Blue Hill for a small hill and I love skiing there.
The terrain there does look superior to Bradford, Nashoba or Ward.
I skied with an Arlington HS race coach earlier this winter. He said while the snowmaking equipment has improved, they don't always use it effectively. Specifically he said they tend to only want to use it while the mountain is closed for the night.
parahelia
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Another plus for your friend - the train to Wachusett stops in Cambridge (Porter Square). So he wouldn’t need to head into Boston just to head back out to the mountain.
I'm not sure where he's staying, but our office in Cambridge is pretty close to North Station in Boston.