Attitash 01/23/10

[hammer]

Date(s) Skied: Saturday 1/23/10

Resort or Ski Area: Attitash/Bear Peak, Bartlett, NH

Conditions: Machine Groomed in AM, scraped in PM, crowded but manageable

Trip Report: Had a very good day at Attitash/Bear Peak yesterday. Plenty of snow cover, groomed and real nice in the AM but got scraped off by the afternoon. Crowds were a bit high because of the Military Salute day but lift waits were never more than a few minutes. Only hit the Attitash summit once...nice stuff from the top but the summit lift is too slow. Didn't go into any of the glades at Bear Peak but it looked like there was enough cover to be skiable.

Will try to post a few scenery pictures later...connection's a bit slow on-site.

 

[bheemsoth]

I was there yesterday as well, completing a three day tour of the Mount Washington area mountains.

Conditions in the morning were nice, with most trails well groomed. In the afternoon the groomed surface was scraped off and the steeps were VERY icy.

Spent the AM on the main mountain, and headed over to Bear in the PM. Nice bumps over on Bear, but I didn't hit the trees at all. By last run the blacks and double blacks were too icy to even be enjoyable (at least for me).

Attitash is a great mountain, but the biggest thing holding it back is the summit lift on the main mountain. Not only is it the only lift to service the top of the mountain, but it is SLOWWWW (approx. 12-14 minutes long). They have an HSQ over at bear which makes that peak much more enjoyable.

Everyone I know who has been to that mountain complains about that lift, and some refuse to go back due to it's speed. Given this, I'm sure they could earn back their investment in a summit HSQ.

 

[mikestaple]

I think every trip report of Attitash is summed up by:
1) conditions were great in the morning and scrapped off by the afternoon, and
2) the lift to the summit is way too slow

I thought I read some where that the new owners, Peak, decided to concentrate on snow making capabilities over replacing the summit lift. So there are more trails to ski, but the lift to the summit is still slow.

 

[hammer]

I think every trip report of Attitash is summed up by:
1) conditions were great in the morning and scrapped off by the afternoon, and
2) the lift to the summit is way too slow

I thought I read some where that the new owners, Peak, decided to concentrate on snow making capabilities over replacing the summit lift. So there are more trails to ski, but the lift to the summit is still slow.

It's a real shame about the summit lift...I actually liked the trails on Attitash more than Bear Peak since they are a bit narrower, and the top has some nice stuff, but I couldn't stand the long lift ride.

I actually would rather not see a high-speed lift to the top...a quicker FG lift would be just fine and would likely keep the traffic down.

The lesson I learned for my next trip there is to ski the steep trails in the AM...I decided to take Middle Ptarmigan as my last run of the day, big mistake. Didn't fall, but the trail was scraped down to hardpack so it was survival mode the whole way down the steep section. My son went down it as his first run of the day, and he said it was real nice then.

 

[bheemsoth]

It's a real shame about the summit lift...I actually liked the trails on Attitash more than Bear Peak since they are a bit narrower, and the top has some nice stuff, but I couldn't stand the long lift ride.

I actually would rather not see a high-speed lift to the top...a quicker FG lift would be just fine and would likely keep the traffic down.

The lesson I learned for my next trip there is to ski the steep trails in the AM...I decided to take Middle Ptarmigan as my last run of the day, big mistake. Didn't fall, but the trail was scraped down to hardpack so it was survival mode the whole way down the steep section. My son went down it as his first run of the day, and he said it was real nice then.

I also hit Ptarmigan as my first run of the day, and then again as my last before lunch around 1:30. I think I took three solid falls on the second run, after having it be beautiful earlier in the day.

 

[deadheadskier]

I actually would rather not see a high-speed lift to the top...a quicker FG lift would be just fine and would likely keep the traffic down.
.

I haven't skied Attitash in a LONG time.

Would having a fixed grip going from mid-mountain to the top be a good solution? Yes it would jam the HSQ more, but from the looks of the trail map, you could lap much of the summit runs via a shorter ride and not have to head to the base.

I plan on hitting the tash this season at some point. Last time I was there I don't think Bear Peak was even in the planning stages, so I'm really looking forward to it.

 

[kickstand]

I think every trip report of Attitash is summed up by:
1) conditions were great in the morning and scrapped off by the afternoon, and
2) the lift to the summit is way too slow

I thought I read some where that the new owners, Peak, decided to concentrate on snow making capabilities over replacing the summit lift. So there are more trails to ski, but the lift to the summit is still slow.

They're smart to concentrate on snowmaking rather than replacing the triple. In addition to uphill capacity, the upper mountain is on Forest Service land, so it's not just a matter of raising money and securing permits. I seem to remember hearing that part of the reason the Flying Yankee stops where it does is because it terminates below FS land.

So, for those of you who choose to skip the summit triple, I salute you. Keep the summit open for the rest of us. Enjoy your high-speed lifts. I will enjoy my quiet time on the triple and will rest my legs up for another great run.

As a side note, those new fan guns are awesome. They supposedly much more efficient than the tower guns, and it seems as though they water content of the snow is much lower than the towers. I've noticed it doesn't get icy nearly as fast as the snow from the other guns. Well worth the $3m they sunk into it a couple season back.

 

[Angus]

I think every trip report of Attitash is summed up by:
2) the lift to the summit is way too slow

A few years back, we went to Attitash in the summer. They offer rides to the summit along with waterpark and alpine slide. My son and I went up. It felt like a half hour. We were discussing why it took so long and decided they were running the lift at 1/8 normal speed so riders could enjoy the views! I guess not.

On a side note, Attitash was my first big mountain I ever skied at after taking lessons at Blue Hills. I still remember getting myself on on a chair lift with no idea of how to get off. Luckily, the one I was on ran parallel to another lift that ended about half way up - I was able to watch and learn! I also remember touching my Mighty Mac parka's steel zipper to my lips and taking a couple of layers of flesh off in process of getting it unattached after it had become frozen - I think on the same lift!

 

[threecy]

A few years back, we went to Attitash in the summer. They offer rides to the summit along with waterpark and alpine slide. My son and I went up. It felt like a half hour. We were discussing why it took so long and decided they were running the lift at 1/8 normal speed so riders could enjoy the views! I guess not.

Fixed grip lifts tend to be run slower in summer months, since they can be harder to load without skis.

 

[hammer]

Some pictures in here:

http://forums.alpinezone.com/gallery/showgallery.php/cat/1191

 

[billski]

Thanks for the tr and pics. Do you see or hear much evidence of people taking to the woods? Do they leave any trails in their natural state?

How were the lift line waits (minutes)?

I don't care about slow lifts on any day but a bitterly cold day. It also keeps costs down. I guess a new generation is taking home and 65mph is the new minimum highway speed.:???: Signed, The old fart.

 

[hammer]

Thanks for the tr and pics. Do you see or hear much evidence of people taking to the woods? Do they leave any trails in their natural state?

How were the lift line waits (minutes)?

I don't care about slow lifts on any day but a bitterly cold day. It also keeps costs down. I guess a new generation is taking home and 65mph is the new minimum highway speed.:???: Signed, The old fart.

I didn't really see anyone go into the woods...they looked skiable from the lifts albeit a bit bony. My son went down one natural liftline trail at Beak peak which was "interesting".

With the military salute day, the lines did get a bit long, but I didn't have any more than a few minute wait in a singles line. Only hit the Attitash summit triple once but the lines looked like they were 5-10 minutes. Biggest surprise to me was the crowd at the Bear Peak HSQ...guess the secret's out on that one.