Wildcat or Attitash?

deadheadskier · Sep 22, 2016

snoseek said:
Polecat may be the most fun green on the planet!

With Wild Kitten being number 2. Both are fantastic.

It would never happen, but sometimes I think about how cool it would be if they extended Wild Kitten up to the summit branching off Upper Wildcat to have a Polecat twin.

Most mountains the green terrain gets ragged on. Not Wildcat

snoseek · Sep 22, 2016

Yeah forgot about the kitten....that always a good way to extend a long run. Polecat is often my warm up run and also my last run. Overall the trails quality is everything I like about New England skiing. Even Bobcat/Cheetah are nice because they give you a rare opportunity to let em run and just rail turns on the bottom. This thread and the pics are warming me up to skiing NH this winter!

jimk · Sep 23, 2016

cdskier said:
I've always wanted to make it to Wildcat at some point. The view looks stunning. From my VT condo it is only about 3 hours...if I happened to be in VT for an extended midweek vacation at some point it wouldn't be unreasonable to drive over to Wildcat for a day or two...

Back in 2005 I drove all the way from VA to Wildcat for two days of skiing. I had my son and nephew with me. It was Easter break and that was all the time we had. My nephew actually came up from Norfolk to join us in Northern VA for the drive up. We were going to do a third day at Wachusett on the way home, but it got rained out. All three of us still considered it a successful trip. Back in VA all the nearby ski areas had been closed for a month or more.

This old article covers a lot of why I think Wildcat is so special: http://www.dcski.com/articles/view_article.php?article_id=838&mode=rss

dlague · Sep 23, 2016

I too am more of a Wildcat fan. Better views, fast Chair, more vert, fewer people. Attitash gets too many people and after 10 am it gets skied off. I have been to Attitash 5 or 6 times and I feel like u should have worn skates. Not sure about their snow making, but they seem to make hard snow (wet) and open up.slow. Also annoying is the summit triple - slow as sh**! The fastrst chair goes 2/3 of the way up. The lodge gets way over crowded. Bear Peak does have a few nice runs but the lift line can get long. Also parking while not the worst is not great.

cdskier · Sep 23, 2016

jimk said:
Back in 2005 I drove all the way from VA to Wildcat for two days of skiing. I had my son and nephew with me. It was Easter break and that was all the time we had. My nephew actually came up from Norfolk to join us in Northern VA for the drive up. We were going to do a third day at Wachusett on the way home, but it got rained out. All three of us still considered it a successful trip. Back in VA all the nearby ski areas had been closed for a month or more.

This old article covers a lot of why I think Wildcat is so special: http://www.dcski.com/articles/view_article.php?article_id=838&mode=rss

Nice article. I take it you wrote it?

One of the main reasons I never visited was distance. When I was only doing one or two long weekend trips to New England a year, I always stuck to VT. My driving limit was around 6 hours (which put Stowe at the northern edge of my range and Wildcat about 1 hour outside of it). Now with a condo in VT that changes the dynamics. For normal weekend trips I'd always ski at Sugarbush, but if I can find time to stay up there for a week, then it opens up possibilities of taking a few days out of that week to travel somewhere else without a terribly long drive.

bigbog · Sep 23, 2016

podunk77 said:
If the whole mountain's open, Attitash has some pretty steep groomers that can be a lot of fun. Only problem there is the slow summit lift on Attitash proper (not Bear Peak, the lift over there is faster). As previously mentioned, Wildcat has a super-fast summit chair, looong runs and absolutely gorgeous views. Come for a three day weekend, ski 'em both the first two days and ski your preference the third day. Can't go wrong, and if you're looking for cheap, clean, very basic lodging, try the Maple Leaf Motel in North Conway. $50 a night last time I stayed there, and the owner did something really nice for me that, according to his policy, he didn't need to do.

Agree with all although I've only skied Attitash in early Spring(~99') and Wildcat a few times near Spring, both after their prime snow coverage, but you have to love Wildcat's pitch plus the beautiful stream flowing by it's lodge.
A Little Hi-Jacking Trivia:
Podunk77, your lodging info begs for a poll for which line from which President would apply to your $50 price/night @the Maple Leaf Motel?....:lol::lol:

1) "Yes We Can.."
2) "Well There You Go Again.."
3) "The Only Thing We Have To Fear is Fear Itself.."
4) "There is a Malaise(sp?) that rests with the Population.."
5) "Because the People of America Need to Know Whether Or Not Their President's A Crook.."
6) "Read My Lips No New Taxes.."
7) "We All Must Sacrifice.."

It's been an exciting morning...up in the attic, checking out the top of my soffit vents..
Agree, I know of a lodge close to Someday Bigger, that has some terrific pricing...

thebigo · Sep 23, 2016

My family's criteria:

Crotched - When only man made snow is available or we want to night ski
Attitash - When on vacation with the family or wildcat is frigid
Wildcat - Whenever powder is available and/or the family gives me a day off. Not to say there is no lower level terrain at wildcat but the family prefers attitash for the warmer temps and reduced drive.

RichT said:
I've never been to NH.

Stretch it to a three day weekend and add Cannon on Monday, you owe it to yourself and will not regret it.

RichT · Sep 23, 2016

Thank you so much everyone!!!!! I love the pictures too. Look like i'll be visiting all of them.

yeggous · Sep 23, 2016

I'm a fixture at Wildcat. I consider it home. I hit it early and often. My record vertical skied in one day is 52 runs,104k vertical feet.

Everything else said in this thread is spot on. On most mountains the trails down the center are swarmed. At Wildcat the opposite is true. Everyone skis the side trails and rarely ventures down the middle. This is partially because it's not obvious how to access them. My wife calls this the wildcat wormhole.

Attitash has some excellent glades if you know how to access them. In winters with lots of mixed precipitation the tree skiing can be better there as the valley dams in the cold air. I've seen crazy deep base snow at Attitash in years where inversions scorch Cannon and Wildcat.

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deadheadskier · Sep 23, 2016

Hopefully the middle trails open this season! Other than a couple days on Lift Lion and one run poaching Al's to Catenary/Cougar, that was it for me last year

Los · Sep 24, 2016

podunk77 said:
and if you're looking for cheap, clean, very basic lodging, try the Maple Leaf Motel in North Conway. $50 a night last time I stayed there, and the owner did something really nice for me that, according to his policy, he didn't need to do.

Maple leaf -- thanks for the tip!!

Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone

Wildcat or Attitash?

deadheadskier

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snoseek

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jimk

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dlague

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cdskier

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bigbog

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thebigo

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RichT

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yeggous

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deadheadskier

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Los

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