billski
Active member
Date(s) Skied: Saturday January 7, 2006
Resort or Ski Area: Crotched Mountain, NH
Conditions: PP
Trip Report:
While it's generally difficult for a seasoned skier to get excited about an 875' vertical, it's not often these days you get to ski a "startup" ski area. This is the second year of operation. There is a certain sparkle about this ski area which made it almost exciting.
I selected Crotched for a daytrip for my 9-year old snowplower, and my 14-year old wanted to tag along too. My selection was based on it's 1.25 hour trip from Boston, excellent snowmaking, reports of liftlines, and a day ticket that runs till 5pm, thanks to night skiing lighting.
I had a hard time recognizing the place as I pulled in. The last time I was there was 20 years ago for nighttime beer-league racing.
The old, perpetually breaking down chairs and t-bars were gone. The old wooden lodge was replaced.
While I am reticent to criticize any ski-area startup, I would be remiss if I did not comment on the lodge. Simply put, it is perhaps the ugliest (from the outside) lodge I've ever seen. If one didn't know better, you would think it was some pre-fab manufacturing facility. Clearly, the focus was on cost - it's expensive to build such a facility from scratch, which I entirely understand. I do hope they will find the funds someday to turn it into something a bit more folksy.
Along the same vein, this lodge has no uphill viewing capacity. The mountain-facing windows look out at snowbanks. There is no opportunity to look "up-hill", which is kind of a shame.
Now that I've dispensed with the negativism, (which is all I have), I must comment on the apparent dedication and love for skiing that the owners have. There is a lot of commitment, attention and effort into making this a complete ski facility.
We needed rentals for the kids, and this was a refreshing change; I've never seen rentals done in such an efficient manner - No messing with forms to lose or drop, they print your rental privlidges right on your lift ticket (purchased inside the building). Rental facility is on the ground floor. The process was pretty smooth, there is plenty of room for dressing and changing.
Interestingly, their rental equipment seems to have overcome the one major hassle I found with rentals - once you were fitted with a boot, it had to be removed, walk over in your socks to the ski equiment and have it adjusted to a binding. Not here. The boots were coded and the binding was adjusted to a code, rather than a specific ski. Seemed to work pretty good, though not a proceedure I would recommend for high-performance skiers. But hey, with a market of beginners travelling 0.5mph, this is fine.
It was quite simple and they were amply staffed with teens who were well-trained. The equipment return process was equally simple.
On the second floor of the lodge was the cafeteria, the place you would hang when you needed a break. The kids found fried dough - it was a highlight for them! M. said the pizza was "weird" (no more descriptive), but the hamburger, hot dog and other menu items were fine. Apparently the blue slushie was "gross" according to a few others.
They had a NASTAR course, which was going to be my fun for the day (other than the delight of skiing with my daughters). It was their first day of NASTAR and there was a lot of setup for them to do. Clearly they were committed to it. They attracted about 50 racers in my estimate. It was a well run course. They didn't have time to build a starting box, it was an on-the-snow start, but no matter - this was a startup operation, they deserve some slack.
If you're a boarder, there's plenty to do, and the terrain park is one of the most substantial and varied I've seen in New England.
The snow was great. Packed powder all around. If you pushed hard enough, you might find some scratch stuff underneath, but that was the exception. 100% open is true. Of course, there are only 17 trails, but no matter. Glades skiing abounded, with some fairly easy blue glades under "Moon Walk". Some other fun short woods runs were found between the "Magnitude" and "Galaxy" trails. Rocks to be seen here and there, but nothing dangerous.
Predictably, the majority of of skiers/boarders were either beginners or lower intermediates. Most people appeared to be locals.
Lots of moms and dads with elementary-school age kids. Didn't see a lot of lessons, but perhaps we got there too late. Probably about an equal number of boarders and skiers as well.
Parking was a piece of cake compared to the larger resorts. A drop off zone was quite efficient and didn't even need management.
I think this place could compete with Wachusett for the metro-Boston crowd (which I are one). One thing that killed it in the past was it's distance from a major highway. While that is still true, it's only 1.25 hours from metro boston, versus 1.0 hours for Wachusett. I think if they simplified their driving instructions, it could be more attractive. I bagged the mountain's directions and opted for mapquest's choice of Rte 13 and Francestown turnpike, which was pretty, but could be interesting during snow fall.
Granted, it would be hard to compete with a huge marketing machine like Wachusett, and Wachusett has a many more trails. The upside however is that Crotched has virtually no liftline wait and plenty of seating in the lodge (unlike Wachsett). Thanks to efficient lifts, I did find more people on the slopes, which had a tendency to create overcrowded greens.
The only other mark I would strike would be on the green trails that empty into the blues, near the bottom, such as Galaxy into Big dipper. Using the cross-mountain trail at the bottom of green-rated Galaxy to get across, took you through the terrain park, which was a challenge. Given their market, there really needs to be more green-trails. In effect, there are really only two green trails. Those two trails filled with beginners practicing their new skills, midget race teams being coached. I know, there is only so much acreage to go around and I commend their efficient beginnings.
Nostalgia in me ressurected itself when I spied the old upper t-bar still configured and in place. It can be found as you exit the "Love Terrain Park" quad chairlift. It's not running, but it was sure nice to see. I wish it was running, to give my kids a sense for the way skiing used to be.
I had to go over to nelasp.com to try and figure out the trail system as it had been in the past. All the trail names are new.
Lift ticket prices were reasonable, though there wasn't much of a diff. between adult weekend and midweek prices, which I was suprised at.
We skied until about 4:30. The sun had set and the lights were on. I then remembered why I don't night ski any more. It got cold on the face and the lift rides seemed slower. Time to go in.
I really wish Peaks (the Crotched Management company) well. The place was busy and I was glad to see that. It's really expensive to run a ski hill these days, especially night skiing with lights and full snowmaking. This place really does have a good market niche. As a Metro Boston skier when looking for a mid-market day ski area for beginners eager to advance, I avoid Nashoba and Bradford(in essence, ski schools, nothing against that), Wachusett, Gunstock, Sunapee (all too crowded and "convenient" for my liking).
Would I go back? Sure, if I had beginners or lower-intermediates in tow. Anyone who is price-sensistive or didn't want to travel far from Boston would also be a good candidates.
Resort or Ski Area: Crotched Mountain, NH
Conditions: PP
Trip Report:
While it's generally difficult for a seasoned skier to get excited about an 875' vertical, it's not often these days you get to ski a "startup" ski area. This is the second year of operation. There is a certain sparkle about this ski area which made it almost exciting.
I selected Crotched for a daytrip for my 9-year old snowplower, and my 14-year old wanted to tag along too. My selection was based on it's 1.25 hour trip from Boston, excellent snowmaking, reports of liftlines, and a day ticket that runs till 5pm, thanks to night skiing lighting.
I had a hard time recognizing the place as I pulled in. The last time I was there was 20 years ago for nighttime beer-league racing.
The old, perpetually breaking down chairs and t-bars were gone. The old wooden lodge was replaced.
While I am reticent to criticize any ski-area startup, I would be remiss if I did not comment on the lodge. Simply put, it is perhaps the ugliest (from the outside) lodge I've ever seen. If one didn't know better, you would think it was some pre-fab manufacturing facility. Clearly, the focus was on cost - it's expensive to build such a facility from scratch, which I entirely understand. I do hope they will find the funds someday to turn it into something a bit more folksy.
Along the same vein, this lodge has no uphill viewing capacity. The mountain-facing windows look out at snowbanks. There is no opportunity to look "up-hill", which is kind of a shame.
Now that I've dispensed with the negativism, (which is all I have), I must comment on the apparent dedication and love for skiing that the owners have. There is a lot of commitment, attention and effort into making this a complete ski facility.
We needed rentals for the kids, and this was a refreshing change; I've never seen rentals done in such an efficient manner - No messing with forms to lose or drop, they print your rental privlidges right on your lift ticket (purchased inside the building). Rental facility is on the ground floor. The process was pretty smooth, there is plenty of room for dressing and changing.
Interestingly, their rental equipment seems to have overcome the one major hassle I found with rentals - once you were fitted with a boot, it had to be removed, walk over in your socks to the ski equiment and have it adjusted to a binding. Not here. The boots were coded and the binding was adjusted to a code, rather than a specific ski. Seemed to work pretty good, though not a proceedure I would recommend for high-performance skiers. But hey, with a market of beginners travelling 0.5mph, this is fine.
It was quite simple and they were amply staffed with teens who were well-trained. The equipment return process was equally simple.
On the second floor of the lodge was the cafeteria, the place you would hang when you needed a break. The kids found fried dough - it was a highlight for them! M. said the pizza was "weird" (no more descriptive), but the hamburger, hot dog and other menu items were fine. Apparently the blue slushie was "gross" according to a few others.
They had a NASTAR course, which was going to be my fun for the day (other than the delight of skiing with my daughters). It was their first day of NASTAR and there was a lot of setup for them to do. Clearly they were committed to it. They attracted about 50 racers in my estimate. It was a well run course. They didn't have time to build a starting box, it was an on-the-snow start, but no matter - this was a startup operation, they deserve some slack.
If you're a boarder, there's plenty to do, and the terrain park is one of the most substantial and varied I've seen in New England.
The snow was great. Packed powder all around. If you pushed hard enough, you might find some scratch stuff underneath, but that was the exception. 100% open is true. Of course, there are only 17 trails, but no matter. Glades skiing abounded, with some fairly easy blue glades under "Moon Walk". Some other fun short woods runs were found between the "Magnitude" and "Galaxy" trails. Rocks to be seen here and there, but nothing dangerous.
Predictably, the majority of of skiers/boarders were either beginners or lower intermediates. Most people appeared to be locals.
Lots of moms and dads with elementary-school age kids. Didn't see a lot of lessons, but perhaps we got there too late. Probably about an equal number of boarders and skiers as well.
Parking was a piece of cake compared to the larger resorts. A drop off zone was quite efficient and didn't even need management.
I think this place could compete with Wachusett for the metro-Boston crowd (which I are one). One thing that killed it in the past was it's distance from a major highway. While that is still true, it's only 1.25 hours from metro boston, versus 1.0 hours for Wachusett. I think if they simplified their driving instructions, it could be more attractive. I bagged the mountain's directions and opted for mapquest's choice of Rte 13 and Francestown turnpike, which was pretty, but could be interesting during snow fall.
Granted, it would be hard to compete with a huge marketing machine like Wachusett, and Wachusett has a many more trails. The upside however is that Crotched has virtually no liftline wait and plenty of seating in the lodge (unlike Wachsett). Thanks to efficient lifts, I did find more people on the slopes, which had a tendency to create overcrowded greens.
The only other mark I would strike would be on the green trails that empty into the blues, near the bottom, such as Galaxy into Big dipper. Using the cross-mountain trail at the bottom of green-rated Galaxy to get across, took you through the terrain park, which was a challenge. Given their market, there really needs to be more green-trails. In effect, there are really only two green trails. Those two trails filled with beginners practicing their new skills, midget race teams being coached. I know, there is only so much acreage to go around and I commend their efficient beginnings.
Nostalgia in me ressurected itself when I spied the old upper t-bar still configured and in place. It can be found as you exit the "Love Terrain Park" quad chairlift. It's not running, but it was sure nice to see. I wish it was running, to give my kids a sense for the way skiing used to be.
I had to go over to nelasp.com to try and figure out the trail system as it had been in the past. All the trail names are new.
Lift ticket prices were reasonable, though there wasn't much of a diff. between adult weekend and midweek prices, which I was suprised at.
We skied until about 4:30. The sun had set and the lights were on. I then remembered why I don't night ski any more. It got cold on the face and the lift rides seemed slower. Time to go in.
I really wish Peaks (the Crotched Management company) well. The place was busy and I was glad to see that. It's really expensive to run a ski hill these days, especially night skiing with lights and full snowmaking. This place really does have a good market niche. As a Metro Boston skier when looking for a mid-market day ski area for beginners eager to advance, I avoid Nashoba and Bradford(in essence, ski schools, nothing against that), Wachusett, Gunstock, Sunapee (all too crowded and "convenient" for my liking).
Would I go back? Sure, if I had beginners or lower-intermediates in tow. Anyone who is price-sensistive or didn't want to travel far from Boston would also be a good candidates.
