2/5/14 Wildcat and Attitash

[medfordmike]

I had planned on taking a few days off to ski long before the recent storm. I had a free pass to Bretton Woods that I wanted to use and thought I could hit a few of the areas near North Conway along the way. I have never skied Wildcat and given the recent snow I decided to go there today ahead of Bretton Woods. Wildcat has lagged behind the pack as far as making snow all season. but the weather today seemed like the perfect opportunity to ski Wildcat. The fresh light snow made what was open a lot of fun. Light and fluffy in the morning until it got a bit carved up with skiers and riders. Not crowded at all. For a good part of the morning I would see no more than one or two people on my trip down. I really enjoyed Wildcat. I tend to prefer mountains that can be described as "throw backs" or if your a marketer, "classic New England skiing".



I skied Wildcat from 9-1 then decided to take advantage of the ability to ski at Attitash in the same day for no additional cost. I have skied at Attitash before and while I generally like the terrain it is not a favorite of mine. Conditions were good and it continued to snow hard when I was there (1:30-3:30). A lot of their terrain was open but under the snow there was definitely some noticeable hard pack on a few of the trails.

 

[Smellytele]

Pictures look throw back except that the cars are new. Glad you had a good day at the 'Cat

 

[billski]

Pictures look throw back except that the cars are new. Glad you had a good day at the 'Cat

It's the color - reminds me of color film when the prints aren't fixed properly.

 

[nmak16]

wow that looks great

 

[medfordmike]

I only own a iphone camera and when I tried to adjust the shot (with the cheap software on the phone) the colors didn't change that much. When I saw them on my iPad they reminded me of the old Polaroids I would find tucked away when we packed up my parents old house.

 

[Nick]

do you have some kind of case on the phone? It looks like a yellow tint. You might also have white balance set incorrectly instead of on Auto. That would do it.

Still good pics and I actually also kinda dig the look!

 

[medfordmike]

I do have a case on the phone. For some reason the pictures I took the next two days look a little more 21st century! Also, I have glove liners that let you use touch screens. God knows what I hit when I am trying to take a photo with a wool liner on. Outside of Microsoft Office I am techno-amish.

 

[bdfreetuna]

I have never read on this forum that Attitash is one of their favorites to ski. In fact this report is the most positive thing I've read about it (and even this was a bit neutral).

I've never skied there but it appears to be a decent couple of hills. Why the lack of love? Does it deserve the nickname Attitrash?

 

[albiestew]

No, it does not deserve the nickname "Attitrash", but I seldom ski there on weekends. It is a good ski area with some interesting and challenging terrain on the Attitash side, but the lift structure there is pretty slow to the summit. They do a good job of snow-making and grooming, so conditions are usually as good as can be expected, given prevailing weather conditions. Bear Peak has a high speed quad to that summit, and it is pretty good skiing, but not as interesting as Attitash. When the crossover to both areas is open, there is a lot of good skiing to be had.

 

[billski]

I have never read on this forum that Attitash is one of their favorites to ski. In fact this report is the most positive thing I've read about it (and even this was a bit neutral).

I've never skied there but it appears to be a decent couple of hills. Why the lack of love? Does it deserve the nickname Attitrash?

The vocal minority here is an imbalanced group (no offense intended) which leans towards the more rough-edged side of skiing - cheap budgets but passionate skiers, quicker to jump into the snow, first ones out the door, not your mainstream skier demographic. The only reason certain areas get dumped on is because a few people don't find it their cup of tea.

My $0.02 is, all that matters at the end of the day that you have a smile on your face when you get off the hill. Lots of people like Attitash, Okemo, Killington, ah, the list goes on. You can see it by their bookings, ticket prices, etc. Remind yourself that what you are hearing are just a few data points.

As for the disparaging nicknames, it seems to be in vogue for most areas, deserved or not. They sound clever too..

 

[bdfreetuna]

Fair points Bill. Yet I have never heard the nicknames "Sad River Glen" or (sorry I'm gonna get flamed for this one) "Gay Peak".

hehe

 

[medfordmike]

Every place is unique and can be someones favorite place. Hell I am a Wachusett season pass holder (it is great after work for me and close to work and home) and I would take Berkshire East over its bigger southern VT neighbors and Pico over Killington most days. In my case the lift layout at Attitash is a problem. The terrain at Attitash is fun but on a weekend there are other places closer to home that fill the same need. So in my case it is not necessarily worth going out of my way for but I can see where those seeking a family place who have a connection to the North Conway area would find it a good home.

 

[john1200c]

Despite the lifts, I like the place. Seems a little more crowded this year than in recent years, but I attribute that to the issues up at Wildcat.

 

[4aprice]

My $0.02 is, all that matters at the end of the day that you have a smile on your face when you get off the hill. Lots of people like Attitash, Okemo, Killington, ah, the list goes on. You can see it by their bookings, ticket prices, etc. Remind yourself that what you are hearing are just a few data points.

As for the disparaging nicknames, it seems to be in vogue for most areas, deserved or not. They sound clever too..

One of the best thoughts of the year. I do enjoy the humor in many of the nicknames, however.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

 

[glennz]

Attitash has some fun steeps and some fun cruisers. On the main mountain (Attitash Peak), the biggest issue is that all the steeps are short and end at the main thoroughfare where the high speed quad unloads. From there on down, you are playing frogger with huge crowds. Bear doesn't have that problem, but it has less of a selection of terrain. They also groom virtually every square inch of both peaks, which doesn't excite me. Crowds have been much bigger there this year as someone mentioned. Wildcat was incredible this past Friday, and I heard it stayed great all weekend. The snow this week should have most everything open up there.