Has this season so far changed where you think you'll buy a pass next year?

[yeggous]

I'm the fence between the Granite Pass (Attitash, Wildcat, Crotched) or the Super Pass (Cannon, Waterville, Bretton Woods, Cranmore).

I have been a Granite Pass holder for a few years. I love Wildcat when they have snow, but they are seriously hurting now with their busted snowmaking. I'd like to believe that they are going to make some serious investments this summer. I just have a hard time believing they'll actually do it in a substantive way. Crotched has fantastic snowmaking to the point where they are perpetually running out of water (a first world problem) and their "new" lift (the Curse of Ascutney) is great when it is working, but it is constantly breaking down. Forget Attitash. I'd be happy to trade it in for another mountain.

The down sides of the Super Pass:
1) Much more expensive
2) No "local" option near home
3) Most of my ski buddies are Granite Pass people
4) Not open as late in the spring

The upsides:
1) Bretton Woods blows early and offers a dependable product
2) Bretton and Cranmore are serious about snowmaking
3) Cannon gives all the ungroomed you need -- if Mitersill is open
4) Crowds are much worse at all 4 mountains than Crotched or Wildcat

 

[AdironRider]

Choose your school system in NH carefully also, Exeter would be about ideal as it comes...or even PCA if you're considering going that route. There's tons of subpar school systems in NH....I did k-12 in Sanborn and wouldn't exactly consider that a well funded school. As far as skiing, if you're based out of Twin mtn then Cannon is your obvious choice. Jay is just a bit too far IMO

Thanks for the advice but Im actually a product of the NH public school system, specifically Exeter, well at least through middle school before I went the prep route on a swimming scholarship. As Deadhead mentioned the Exeter system is large, but covers a huge amount of the area and has to cater to a pretty diverse economic background. They do a good job delegating up those 1700 kids into their respective ability levels. For example, at least when I was in the system there, I really went to school with only 100 or so kids of the same ability level. I think they call it integrated grouping or something of that ilk.

 

[Newpylong]

Whaleback because, well, it's Whaleback, and it's $300 and in my own town.