Me and 3 of my skiing/snowboard buddies are trying to finalize our trip to NH this year. We were planning on hitting Bretton Woods, cannon mountain, loone mountain, gunstock, and maybe one other mountain as none of us have been to NH to ski. Last year we went on a big CO trip and hit Loveland, a basin, keystone, breck, and copper, but we don’t have the funds to get out there again. We are debating between January 1-6 and March 7-14. Since we have never goin our east we aren’t sure when the best time would be to go based on conditions. Any info would be great!
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Need help planning NH trip
- Thread starter Imcdaniel
- Start date
Smellytele
Well-known member
March
We are coming from Columbus, Ohio and staying in New Hampton at a family cabin. It’s about a 12.5 hour drive without stops
Smellytele
Well-known member
Where is the cabin in NH?
from_the_NEK
Active member
New Hampton (just south of Plymouth)
...and March. More reliable deep snow coverage than early January. And likely not deep cold.
I will keep that in mind thanks! And yes free lodging is a plus, that’s why we landed on NH. Does NH not get that much snow until February?
Smellytele
Well-known member
from_the_NEK
Active member
New Hampshire's mountains get a fair amount of snow (but typically less than the mountains in northern Vermont). However, by late February/early March it is at its deepest since it has been accumulating all winter (barring a major meltdown). In early January, it is still pretty early in the season for a deep base of snow to set up.
Smellytele
Well-known member
missed the New Hampton quote - read it as New Hampshire for some reason.
from_the_NEK
Active member
The first time I read it as "New Hampshire" thinking he typo'd. Then I thought about it for a second and realized that New Hampton is an actual town :grin:
Jully
Active member
Is there any reason in particular that you are looking to ski Gunstock? It is not in the same league as BW, Cannon, or Loon. I'd recommend dropping Gunstock and replacing it with either Wildcat or potentially Burke in VT. Burke and Wildcat should both be about 90 minutes from where you are (30 minutes further from Bretton Woods).
Vermont gets more snow for sure, but by March everywhere will be 100% open or close to it. If you're really looking for powder days, VT would have a higher chance than NH, but you're likely not coming to New England chasing powder anyways.
Vermont gets more snow for sure, but by March everywhere will be 100% open or close to it. If you're really looking for powder days, VT would have a higher chance than NH, but you're likely not coming to New England chasing powder anyways.
Honestly, we were just looking at some of the mountains close to us as potentials to ski during our trip. If there are some “must ski” mountains not to much farther we may heavily consider them.
In regards to conditions, it seems as though March is the right time according to you guys, as our priority is to have the highest number of trails open as possible. Skiing must really not be that fun in January then!
I had to double check I said “Hampton” and not “Hampshire” haha.
January is still fun...but if you can only pick one time to make a trip, then March is "usually" the better choice. That doesn't mean you can't have all trails open and fresh snow in January. You're just historically speaking more likely to have a deeper base with more trails open in March.
from_the_NEK
Active member
Depending on where in New Hampton they are staying, Gunstock is the closest ski area at only about ~30 minutes away. It might be a good option for an half day, especially if weather conditions are marginal.
Wildcat or Cannon the lift served places to be in NH.
In March, I'd def hit WildCat and Bretton Woods. Cannon would be next on my list but it's a haul from BW & The Cat
I'd def stay away from Loon and Gunstock based on crowds and conditions being better further north
I'd def stay away from Loon and Gunstock based on crowds and conditions being better further north
Jully
Active member
Agreed. Depending on your style of skiing, Loon could be a good option too, but avoid it on weekends.
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