Over from England, looking for recommendations for 1st week in April

[MattyNeth]

Hi there - newbie here :smile:

I am bringing my family over from England to New Hampshire in a couple of weeks and staying in North Conway with the plan being that we are going to ski April 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Two of the children have never skiied (aged 4 and 7) so looking just to put them in for a one day taster session or similar with some of activities that they can do like tubing. The oldest children is 11 and can snowboard no problem by herself. My wife and my mum are coming across as well, but they want to shop at North Conway :razz:

I know the area a little (went to Loon Mountain 15 years ago and also drove over to North Conway) so just after some help on what may be open for those dates. I tweeted Cranmore as that seemed perfect, but they said their scheduled close was March 31st but would stay open if there was plenty of snow left. Could do Sunday River as thats only an hour away from North Conway I think or drive across the Kanc to Loon?

Any recommendations?

 

[David Metsky]

The ski areas near North Conway are Cranmore, Attitash, Wildcat, and Black. Black is the smallest and may be closed by then. Wildcat and Attitash are the biggest, with Wildcat offering the most challenging skiing. Both have kids programs and should be open the first weekend in April, especially with the storm we're getting this week.

 

[Angus]

Scenery: 1) Wildcat, 2) Brettonwoods, 3)Loon, 4) Cranmore, 5) Attitash ... opinion
Distance: 1) Cranmore, 2) Attitash, 3) Wildcat, 4) BW & Loon ... educated guess
Ski School: 1) Cranmore, 2) Loon - Brettonwoods, 3) Attitash/Wildcat ... speculation
trails for novices: 1) Brettonwoods, 2) Cranmore, 3) Attitash-Loon, 4) Wildcat ... opinion

I'd throw in Shawnee Peak maybe and never been Sunday River but scores high. Wildcat will be coldest too. I know Loon, Sunday River and Wildcat all host kids around the Easter break from England so you won't be alone.

 

[bigbog]

NH...has the altitude=driest snow(a given)/scenery as Angus has mentioned...so choices there are good.
*EDIT: The Presidential Range....Mt. Washington, Eisenhower...etc. is a neat area to catch some views of a real mountain range from the side of the road....pretty unique.
SundayRiver: 1 HR+ ...depending on who you get caught behind (N.Conway to Bethel..#16 to #2) is a nice day trip, but is a little more $$$. If decided on..get there early and you'll have a full day of skiing. Great snowmaking/grooming and temps should be pretty good..

$.01

 

[Cornhead]

+1 on Wildcat, pretty mellow terrain for the most part, awesome view of Mt. Washington and Tucks. Wildcat looks flat as hell from the summit of Mt. Washington, don't believe the autoroad is open that early, or that'd be another attraction.

 

[yeggous]

Considering the state of things right now, I think there will be snow everywhere. Whether or not places are open will be a mountain by mountain financial decision.

In that area, Wildcat is the King of Spring. However, it has limited terrain options for novices. Attitash would be a good choice in terms of terrain, but I am not clear what their plan is. Usually they close around April 1 even with a ton of snow left. This is because they operate as one area (shared staff, equipment, lift tickets, etc) combined with Wildcat. This allows them to combine resources and visitors alike at one mountain and stay open until the bitter end. Yes, Wildcat is the coldest but that is a good thing in April. Who wants to ski slush?

Bretton Woods has lots of beginner and intermediate trails and usually makes it into April. They have less snow than Wildcat so I am not sure what their terrain offering will look like. I encourage you to check their snow report as the day comes near.

Sunday River is a solid hour plus drive from North Conway, but would be another good option. Lots of trails, plenty of snow.

 

[vcunning]

One key consideration . . . the mountain may be open, but kids programs may have ended. I've run into that before. But generally you could also arrange for a private lesson for the 2. Worth checking as you get closer. As previous posters have said, their will likely be snow everywhere, but is there staff to run ski schools?

 

[MattyNeth]

Thank you

Thank you so much for the replies

Cranmore seems a winner (if it's open!) as it's so close to where we are staying. I'll keep checking the weather forecasts and the resort websites to see what's open. Looks like more snow on the way

 

[puckoach]

While the chosen region has just gotten a ton of snow this week, it could be very different a week from now.

Previous posts covered many key and excellent points. However, if Cranmore is closed, strongly suggest Bretton Woods as the first alternative. Another thought, focused on the 4 & 7 year olds is King Pine. A much smaller hill, it is very family friendly.

Weather Underground and NOAA are the weather sites to use, rather than the mountains themselves.

 

[bobbutts]

Kanc is a beautiful drive (in good weather) and Loon should have a good amount of stuff open still. Sunday River is most likely to have a full lineup of services still running I'd say. BW is the most beginner friendly place. Others offered good advice too.