2/7/14 Bretton Woods

[medfordmike]

I got a free voucher for BW when I bought my new ski boots in the beginning of the season. I had never been to BW and based on what I have heard it was not high on my list. I can tell from my visit they are very good at serving their core market segments I am just not one of them. There is a difference between a resort with a ski area and a ski resort. That being said their reputation for scenery, grooming, facilities, etc. appears well deserved and I can see skiing there someday with my three young nieces.

I skied from 9-12:30. It was cold in the morning, -2 when I pulled up but it started out sunny with blue skies. By the time I left at noon it was near 20 but cloudy and in some ways it felt colder than the morning. I didn't spend much time on the groomers but I poked around in the glades. They have definitely seen some use since the storm and while coverage was good as you can see the snow is very edgeable but packed down in many places. The area around Stickney was better and there were other glades that were closed but looked to have nice coverage.



I will say that I think the Stickney Cabin is a brilliant idea (I am not being sarcastic). Put a small log cabin that serves alcohol and snacks in an out of the way corner of the mountain with the only convenient access a T bar. It really harkens back to the old days of skiing and several of the people in the cabin talked about riding a T bar for the first time in decades. The place is tiny, just a couple of tables and wood stove but a great vibe to it. For me it was probably the one thing I will remember most about my visit. Overall a decent day and for the price it was worth a side trip over from North Conway on the way back to Boston.

 

[Rowsdower]

I love the cabin idea. I've been meaning to make a trip out of Bretton Woods for awhile now with my girlfriend. Little things like that give a place a certain endearment. Definitely moved up my long list of places to visit.

 

[bdfreetuna]

That cat never gets old.

Bretton Woods is *excellent* for groomers, and also intermediates that want to ski black diamonds that boost their confidence. Also great if you care about classy amenities and all that.

I haven't been there in like 16+ years but I remember the mountain having some of the finest corduroy I've ever skied.

Maybe I would take my GF there as a confidence booster, or definitely any future children.

 

[Rowsdower]

That cat never gets old.

Bretton Woods is *excellent* for groomers, and also intermediates that want to ski black diamonds that boost their confidence. Also great if you care about classy amenities and all that.

I haven't been there in like 16+ years but I remember the mountain having some of the finest corduroy I've ever skied.

Maybe I would take my GF there as a confidence booster, or definitely any future children.

That's the idea. Seemed like a nice place for a date-cation. They have a lot of history and some great accommodations by the look of it, and a mellow mountain with good snow we can both enjoy.

 

[billski]

Stickney Cabin - I like it over there, because it's all glade skiing, which scares off 99.99% of the BW crowd. I believe there were 5 other people there. The cabin is really limited in their offerings (no food per-se, just snacks), so don't expect much. So it's nice and quiet over there, like not even being at BW it's so secluded. The T bar is a nice touch too. Next time I'll ski in jeans and a Patriot's jersey.

In the 80's BW's marketing tag line was "low stress skiing". And that's what it still is.

BTW, it's a great place to meet chicks too! (not that I'm looking). I got to talking with a lady who had always wanted to do the woods, but never could find anyone to go with her. I ended up doing several runs with her; The glades are pretty tame and the runs short.It was a big confidence booster for her.