Maine/NH this week - advice?

[ts01]

Any advice for skiing Wednesday - Friday (possibly Saturday) this week? On a road trip with kids visiting colleges up here and have set those days aside for some skiing. It's raining steadily if not heavily down in low areas and seems from the weather reports that it's doing the same up in the mountains -- Wednesday could be wet but clearing, then Thurs / Fri are supposed to be drier and nicer.

My initial thinking was Wed - Sugarloaf; Thurs - Sunday River; Friday -- Tuckermans or Gulf of Slides (we have skins, packs etc), or if avy reports counsel otherwise, lift-served at Wildcat.

This is out of my normal range though, I've never skied up here other than a Tuckerman trip last year. So if there are problems with this plan or stunningly better options or sequences based on how places will recover from this rain, clue me in!

It's tough to be up here with just 3 days -- I'd also like to hit Saddleback, Cannon, and others but time is a limiting factor. And in Maine it seems we ought to do Sugarloaf and Sunday River because they're the 800 lb gorillas and also from the college visiting standpoint, that's where they'd have the easiest access with bus trips, outing clubs, etc.

No reservations yet b/c I thought we could roll in last minute this late in the season and be able to find someplace at or near wherever we want to go. Only constraint really is we need to be driving south by Friday night or Saturday is about the only other factor.

Thanks for any advice on this.

 

[riverc0il]

Not a bad plan going Loaf > River > Pinkham as that puts the furthest location out as your first stop then you work your way back. Your other option would be switching Saddleback for Sunday River and going Back > Loaf > Pinkham. You might also consider Wildcat which has really good spring skiing and you the views are the best skiing views in the east hands down. Cannon does not make much sense based on your plan unless you want to switch from ME to NH for skiing (i.e. Cannon, Wildcat, Pinkham).

Looking at the current weather and weather for the weekend, I think Friday is definitely your best shot for earning turns though unfortunately you may be dealing with wet snow rather than a corn cycle. But Wednesday and Thursday may have instabilities. And regardless, it seems best to work your way backward from Maine.

Are the areas you ski going to be a determining factor in college choice? Are the different colleges in different regions which would make proximity to certain mountains more important? I would say ski the areas that interest you because the areas you select offer the type of skiing you enjoy, not because they are the gorillas.

 

[riverc0il]

Not a bad plan going Loaf > River > Pinkham as that puts the furthest location out as your first stop then you work your way back. Your other option would be switching Saddleback for Sunday River and going Back > Loaf > Pinkham. You might also consider Wildcat which has really good spring skiing and you the views are the best skiing views in the east hands down. Cannon does not make much sense based on your plan unless you want to switch from ME to NH for skiing (i.e. Cannon, Wildcat, Pinkham).

Looking at the current weather and weather for the weekend, I think Friday is definitely your best shot for earning turns though unfortunately you may be dealing with wet snow rather than a corn cycle. But Wednesday and Thursday may have instabilities. And regardless, it seems best to work your way backward from Maine.

Are the areas you ski going to be a determining factor in college choice? Are the different colleges in different regions which would make proximity to certain mountains more important? I would say ski the areas that interest you because the areas you select offer the type of skiing you enjoy, not because they are the gorillas.

 

[snowmonster]

I second the Maine plan. Loaf-Back/River-Pinkham combo should be a winner. Lots of snow at those locations which should survive all this rain (fingers crossed). If the rain lets up by Wednesday, Friday at Tux should be good and soft but check weather before you go. Sherburne on the way out may not be snow all the way so be prepared to hike out. GOS is also a good alternative but please remember to bring skins or snowshoes for the GOS trail. Consider skiing Saturday too when temps hit the 80s.

 

[ts01]

Not a bad plan going Loaf > River > Pinkham as that puts the furthest location out as your first stop then you work your way back. Your other option would be switching Saddleback for Sunday River and going Back > Loaf > Pinkham. You might also consider Wildcat which has really good spring skiing and you the views are the best skiing views in the east hands down. Cannon does not make much sense based on your plan unless you want to switch from ME to NH for skiing (i.e. Cannon, Wildcat, Pinkham).

Looking at the current weather and weather for the weekend, I think Friday is definitely your best shot for earning turns though unfortunately you may be dealing with wet snow rather than a corn cycle. But Wednesday and Thursday may have instabilities. And regardless, it seems best to work your way backward from Maine.

Are the areas you ski going to be a determining factor in college choice? Are the different colleges in different regions which would make proximity to certain mountains more important? I would say ski the areas that interest you because the areas you select offer the type of skiing you enjoy, not because they are the gorillas.

Steve, thanks for jumping in.

Wouldn't say the ski areas are determining factors but it's a piece of the puzzle. Kids prefer MRG/Magic type hills but also have never turned down a day at the bigger ticket places -- where Sugarbush, Le Massif and Whiteface have been eastcoast favorites. All of which in general inclines me favorably to Saddleback and Sugarloaf from what I've read.

But in reality (1) the schools we're looking at (Bowdoin/Bates/Colby) seem to send buses or vans most frequently to SR/SL, (2) there's a $339 student season pass from Boyne for both hills, and (3) a lot of people rave about SR too so there's probably good reason. So it's pretty obvious we should hit at least SR + SL so they know the deal -- just like eating checking out the cafeteria even if there's a cooler place to eat in town (i.e. Saddleback).

My real question is given weather this week would it make more sense to hit one or the other of SR or SL on Wednesday when it's wet. Winds are projected the same Wed/Thurs (+/- 10mph).

Then Fri/Sat we'll take what we can get in the Whites. I hope they realize Saturday's a prime day and we stay up to ski it.... but sometimes it's like pushing rope to get a commitment in advance.

 

[ts01]

I second the Maine plan. Loaf-Back/River-Pinkham combo should be a winner. Lots of snow at those locations which should survive all this rain (fingers crossed). If the rain lets up by Wednesday, Friday at Tux should be good and soft but check weather before you go. Sherburne on the way out may not be snow all the way so be prepared to hike out. GOS is also a good alternative but please remember to bring skins or snowshoes for the GOS trail. Consider skiing Saturday too when temps hit the 80s.

Thanks. Packs, hiking boots, skins, tele gear all loaded.

Good to hear re snow up there -- saw some of the AZ event pics from Sugarloaf and it looks great.

 

[riverc0il]

Kids prefer MRG/Magic type hills

Saddleback is right on par with places like Magic and MRG whereas Sunday River is the antithesis of places like MRG and Magic. Lots of folks like the River and I am not trying to knock it... but just want to point that out with the kids preferences as you describe. Loaf is a resort but far superior to the River and a more interesting mountain overall. You could always go Back > Loaf > River and skip Pinkham so the kids know which pass to get. Loaf/River is a great deal and even though I prefer Saddleback to either, it is hard to argue with price and convenience.

I can not really comment on the weather for Wednesday as I don't know what is forecasted for that region. Loaf recovered a lot better than Sunday River did last week following a rain freeze but that does not mean it will ski better during a rain event with no freeze. I don't think there is a better decision here based on weather alone.

Good luck with your decision on this trip.

 

[wa-loaf]

(Bowdoin/Bates/Colby) seem to send buses or vans most frequently to SR/SL, (2) there's a $339 student season pass from Boyne for both hills, and (3) a lot of people rave about SR too so there's probably good reason. So it's pretty obvious we should hit at least SR + SL so they know the deal -- just like eating checking out the cafeteria even if there's a cooler place to eat in town (i.e. Saddleback).

If they go to Colby, Sugarloaf will be home. Bates and Bowdoin head primarily to Sunday River. Mostly out of proximity.

 

[spiff56747]

Hello everyone,

I am new on this forum.. I was supposed to go skiing a month ago to Bretton Woods/Waterville but had to reschedule to April 3rd weekend. I don't think the hotel I reserved will let me cancel the reservation.

Do you guys/gals think its worth it to go this weekend to that general area? The forecast says 75+ degrees on Saturday and Sunday. Thanks for any advice

 

[wa-loaf]

Hello everyone,

I am new on this forum.. I was supposed to go skiing a month ago to Bretton Woods/Waterville but had to reschedule to April 3rd weekend. I don't think the hotel I reserved will let me cancel the reservation.

Do you guys/gals think its worth it to go this weekend to that general area? The forecast says 75+ degrees on Saturday and Sunday. Thanks for any advice

Go, just leave the face mask at home.

 

[spiff56747]

Go, just leave the face mask at home.

Maybe I should wear it to prevent major sunburn?

 

[hammer]

Go, just leave the face mask at home.

+1...and putting the appropriate wax on the skis won't hurt. Coverage should be fine even with the NCP...I skied at Gunstock (further south) last weekend and many trails were still edge to edge.

 

[ts01]

Thanks to all who offered info here. We ended up in cruddy rain conditions at Sugarloaf 3/31; gorgeous sunshine and soft bumps at Sunday River 4/1; and a perfect day at Tuckerman on Friday 4/2. Trip report to follow on Tucks - great day, first time for the kids.

I was disappointed we didn't see SL at its best but the outstanding day at SR more than made up for it, and we had no doubt Sugarloaf was a great mountain. But we hadn't realized how much ungroomed, natural terrain there would be up in Jordan/Oz/Aurora areas at Sunday River. Like Steve posted above, based on what I'd seen on the interwebs and trail maps I assumed SR would be the antithesis of what we like; looks like a great big Okemo / Killington sort of place. But the undeveloped northern area was really nice and makes it a best of both worlds type of place. Bottom line, I wouldn't want to be there on MLK or Presidents day but even if I were I'd just head north ASAP and stay there.