Sunapee - any good on a powder day?

I need a close escape on Monday, need to be back early, and I'm thinking Sunapee might be the best option. WA just ain't gonna do it.

Go to Cannon. They will get more snow, have better terrain, and it will be easier drive since it is all highway. I'll be there if by the slight chance I don't have school.

Yea, but Sunapee is only 1.5 hrs compared to 2.5 for Cannon.

I'm with awf170. I'd leave an hour earlier and sacrifice an hours skiing to get back at the time you need and opt for Cannon.

Consider Ragged then, get in the woods. Sunapee is not bad, could be steeper but then I'd earn my turns at the local golf course on a good powder day rather than miss it. Crotched could be fun too - go right thru p-boro. When you get off the highest lift, climb up a little and poach some powder on the old slopes.

I agree that Ragged could be great on a powder day, they have always left some trails alone and its even better when they open up the glades.

One thing I noticed about sunapee is that they also have some fun glades, they are closed most of the time but every so often I have been able to hit some of them. They have a steep one, forgot the name but it starts at the north peak triple and take you into the sun bowl lift. I was on it two weeks ago and it had exposed tree/branch trunks that was cut off, I was thinking 6' inches more and this trail would be fun. Also, they have been claiming that they will leave certain trails alone for the powder day, keep an eye out for them on their snow report. Given they aggressively groom, skiing on powder with a groomed based is different than on a natural trail with powder.

BTW, watch your speed while driving 89 and rt 103, state and local police are out to enforce the limit. Even when driving around the limit, its still a shorter drive than Cannon.

Go to Ragged!

Ragged would be my #1 option close to Boston on Monday. I skied Ragged on Sat., 2/21/08 (will post a trip report with pictures later). Trails are in great shape, and woods are filled in. 6+ inches of snow is going to make everything nearly perfect!

Cannon is a great mountain with new snow, but the drive up rte. 93 might be tough.

Crotched is close, but there are better options with better terrain.

Tenney should be considered. No crowds, plenty of ungroomed, cheap, nice woods, but really slow lifts. If everyone is having problems with wind, Tenney would be my choice.

Sunapee is a great hill for cruising, but just isn't steep enough (with the exception of Goosebumps, Flying Goose, Lynx, and a few short glades) for good powder skiing. Ragged isn't the steepest option either, but it does offer a LOT more gladed terrain (with steep sections) and a handful of interesting ungroomed runs (Birches, Sweepstakes, Big Rock, Crew Cut, etc.) The high speed 6-pack lets you run up crazy amounts of runs off the main mountain.

Don't forget, Monday is the start off NH school vacation week. All places in NH should be busy with a foot of fresh, but a busy Ragged is only a 3-4 minute lift line. I would think Sunapee is going to be a zoo, and $65+. Tenney will prob. be empty. I would think Cannon would be somewhere in the middle.

Wind might be an issue everywhere. This is the one point that might go to Sunapee. The North Peak triple (which is where their best powder runs are) usually runs in high wind. If the Ragged 6-pack is on wind hold, you can only access spear mt. (still some great terrain, but slow lift). Start heading up 93 in the AM, call Ragged before the 89 split. If they plan to open all lifts, go to Ragged, if not, call Sunapee or consider Tenney. If you get to Ragged, and they don't open the lifts, you can always head north to Tenney (about 30 mins. away).

Trust me, if Ragged gets 6+ tonight, and you're on the lift at 8:30AM on Monday morning (with all lifts running). You will have your best ski day of the year.

i was at sunapee yesterday for the whole day./ The groomed trails had loads of cover and the woods was filled with feet of powder. The glades off that triple you mentioned had some exposed spots but if you went off to the left a bit more there was lots of great light fluffy powder. The glades on the other side of the mountain were in good shape. If your into just going off into the woods there was lots of snow.I think if you hit his mountain on a snow day you cant go wrong.

I hadn't thought about Ragged and it's a little closer than Sunapee. And I've never been.

I'd go to Berkshire East, but I don't think they're going to get the snow NH will.

Leave very early if you want to do sunapee tomorrow. It will be a frigging zoo bc of NH school vacation week. Sunapee does like to groom most of their terrain as noted there are glades off north peak, way off to skiers left (boundary?) from the hs quad, and into sun bowl.

If Beast gets some snow, it will be a solid choice.

I will let you in on a secret - I made it to killington from providence RI in 2:50 saturday AM, not that much farther than Sunapee....

Edit: Based on forecasts, GO TO RAGGED!

IMO, Ragged and Sunapee is about the same driving time. Ragged distance wise is shorter but you have to take a state highway that has a lower speed limit. You can hook over off 89... go north one more exit and then go south but its almost the same driving time.

Last time i was at Ragged was on powder day, they had glades, powder on natural trails and powder on groomed based trails. That was a memorable day.

I think Ragged is winning here. :-D

The weather report for Ragged:

SNOW WILL BEGIN ACROSS INTERIOR SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE DURING THIS MORNING... AND CONTINUE INTO SUNDAY EVENING. THE SNOW WILL FALL HEAVILY AT TIMES DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE SNOW IS EXPECTED TO WIND DOWN CLOSE TO MIDNIGHT... WITH TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 12 TO 16 INCHES ANTICIPATED.

wa-loaf said:

The weather report for Ragged:

SNOW WILL BEGIN ACROSS INTERIOR SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE DURING THIS MORNING... AND CONTINUE INTO SUNDAY EVENING. THE SNOW WILL FALL HEAVILY AT TIMES DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE SNOW IS EXPECTED TO WIND DOWN CLOSE TO MIDNIGHT... WITH TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 12 TO 16 INCHES ANTICIPATED.

Click to expand...

They were still in beautiful shape yesterday, tomorrow should be epic.