Ragged Mtn 2016-17 Season Thread

[xwhaler]

Yup, thaz me. Plus I'm only 10 min from Ragged. No brainer for me. Good thing too. :dunce:

If I were that close it would also be a no brainer---could hop over for an hour of skiing and get a bunch of laps in.
I'm 1:15 from Ragged and 1:00 from CM. Ragged skis much bigger than CM but having Attitash (1:50) and Wildcat (2:00) as variety options with far more compelling terrain and consistent snowfall makes me get past the super low price Ragged pass.

I've definitely gone back and forth though....if Ragged had a more legit mtn devo program and/or had a partnership with another larger mtn (or even smaller mtn like Pats that offered night skiing) I may have gone that route.

This was my first season in a while getting a pass and it's made me realize how much I love variety....next yr's pass offers me more of that.

That said, Ragged did a great job this yr with snowmaking both in terms of expanding faster than in past yrs and offering more routes than in the past.
The pass is not simply a bare bones ski experience---even if you use it 8-10 times during holiday periods when it's $$ to ski elsewhere it's a great value.

 

[Jully]

A partnership would definitely be key in getting me to return. I'm still going back and forth myself... leaning towards a no though.

 

[Abubob]

As I get older I'm getting lazier. With Ragged right down the road from me it's tough to get out of the gravitational pull. With the cheap season's pass it's nigh on impossible. Another thing about Ragged is that when everything is in play there's just enough variety to keep me interested and happy. If Pinnacle Peak ever comes together THAT would be so cool.

Ragged doesn't make me a better skier like Cannon does but I can still scare the crap out of myself skiing the ungroomed side of Showboat or even Cemetary Gates. Ragged doesn't have the glades that Jay has but just enough to keep me interested.

A couple years ago I stopped getting a season's pass at Ragged to get some variety myself. More than once that season though I was not into driving even one hour. Totally get the idea for variety but as I like driving less and less Ragged becomes the better option for me. Plus the more I ski there the more it feels like home.

 

[Jully]

As I get older I'm getting lazier. With Ragged right down the road from me it's tough to get out of the gravitational pull. With the cheap season's pass it's nigh on impossible. Another thing about Ragged is that when everything is in play there's just enough variety to keep me interested and happy. If Pinnacle Peak ever comes together THAT would be so cool.

Ragged doesn't make me a better skier like Cannon does but I can still scare the crap out of myself skiing the ungroomed side of Showboat or even Cemetary Gates. Ragged doesn't have the glades that Jay has but just enough to keep me interested.

A couple years ago I stopped getting a season's pass at Ragged to get some variety myself. More than once that season though I was not into driving even one hour. Totally get the idea for variety but as I like driving less and less Ragged becomes the better option for me. Plus the more I ski there the more it feels like home.

If I was under 30 minutes to Ragged it would be no question. I'm coming from Boston and while I prefer Ragged to Crotched, the night skiing at Crotched is a nice perk. Then for just a few hundred dollars more I get access to Attitash and Wildcat for longer trips. If next year is a banner snow year, I will be kicking myself though. Late Jan/Early Feb this year was awesome at Ragged. Driving just 1:40 and skiing some great glades on a Sunday afternoon was pretty perfect.

I was also stoked at the attempt at bumps by Crotched this year. I was missing that at Ragged pretty badly for December and January.

 

[Abubob]

If I was under 30 minutes to Ragged it would be no question. I'm coming from Boston and while I prefer Ragged to Crotched, the night skiing at Crotched is a nice perk. Then for just a few hundred dollars more I get access to Attitash and Wildcat for longer trips. If next year is a banner snow year, I will be kicking myself though. Late Jan/Early Feb this year was awesome at Ragged. Driving just 1:40 and skiing some great glades on a Sunday afternoon was pretty perfect.

I was also stoked at the attempt at bumps by Crotched this year. I was missing that at Ragged pretty badly for December and January.

When you drive to Wildcat or Attitash do you drive right up Rte 16?

 

[Robbski]

Ragged today didn't have the kinda phluffy powder you might wish for. More of a wind buff and by the time I got there it was pretty well chopped up so kinda challenging. Grooming will make it beautiful.


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Your prediction was right on the money. On Thursday, The groomed trails had some of the best snow I've ever seen at Ragged. Ungroomed wasn't bad on Raggae glades and Birches either. Spear quad was on wind hold until 10:30 but when they opened flying Yankee was sublime. Showboat had great snow too. Can't see why it won't hold out through the weekend.

I'm about 1 and 45 minutes away and retired a couple of years ago. At $249 I think the pass is still a no brainier and I don't think it stops me from skiing elsewhere. I've been to Ragged 7 times this year and expect to hit it a couple more and it doesn't owe me a nickel. Ragged delivers on price, proximity, low crowds and usually decent conditions. I ski other mountains too but not if is going to cost me $90. But for $50 or $60 I'll mix it up by going elsewhere. I'll save the $$ and save it to travel west.

 

[Jully]

When you drive to Wildcat or Attitash do you drive right up Rte 16?

I've done that this year, yeah. In the past I have gone up 93 and cut over and down to Wildcat too. Haven't encountered problems with 16 though.

 

[SkiingInABlueDream]

I can totally relate on the exhaustion of day trip driving.
I used to dread n. Conway traffic on Pinkham notch days until I learned about the West Bank Road route.

 

[becca m]

For $249, the Ragged pass works for me as it is close (to where I am on weekends) and I'd shoot myself seeing it and not being able to ski it when conditions are good. BUT, if that were my only pass, I would get bored as they open terrain slowly and have a short season... when the glades are in, it's GREAT!!!

So, I have it as a supplement pass to a midweek Peak Pass (mainly for Crotched nite skiing) and probably a Cannon pass because I always feel challenged at Cannon.

 

[Savemeasammy]

I was at Ragged yesterday with my family. Hadn't been since 1990! The terrain was great for the kids. Lots of glades - although most aren't in play. Xwhaler brought us through one, but since I already have enough core shots on my skis, that was our only tree run. I was glad to see a bump line under the 6 pack, and was even more glad that my little guy wanted to hit it a few times at the end of the day. It's a really great setup for anyone who is learning. It's a nice flat pitch, and one side of the trail was groomed if you need to bail out.

The lodge was really nice. It's one of the better ones I've seen, but, wow, what a friggin' zoo!

About the loading on the hsq... c'mon Ragged... that really needs to be fixed. There is an uphill just as you are about to load. For most people it's a non-issue, but we found it problematic with our little guy who struggles to push himself through line with his poles. I also saw others struggling. We had one beginner who slid backwards into us... Not her fault. This is on the mountain imo. Aside from that, the on-hill experience was good (maybe they could have roped a longer queue for the 6 and given the guy directing traffic there some more training!)


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[Bostonian]

Was at Ragged on Friday myself, and it is a really beautiful lodge. Having the mountain to myself and just exploring was great. In terms of value, for $249 that's a steal! Considering Gunstock is $499 this coming year, if my family didn't have the house by G, I would so do ragged, since it is a lot of fun to ski.

The snow itself on Friday was probably the best groomed snow conditions I've skied all year. I'll end up doing the Gunstock and Peaks option this year again. Crotched, Snow, Attitash and Wildcat is worth it... Plus G for close to home too. However, Ragged is a fun place and really a hidden gem of sorts.

 

[xwhaler]

At the $249 pass price it won't be a hidden gem much longer. As Bill Belicheck says "it's better to get out a yr early then a yr late"
That's sort of my approach to Ragged for next yr. I fear the crowds are just going to get worse as the migration from Sunapee continues.
It's been a nice mtn for my family this yr but looking forward to a change of pace for next season.

 

[Jully]

At the $249 pass price it won't be a hidden gem much longer. As Bill Belicheck says "it's better to get out a yr early then a yr late"
That's sort of my approach to Ragged for next yr. I fear the crowds are just going to get worse as the migration from Sunapee continues.
It's been a nice mtn for my family this yr but looking forward to a change of pace for next season.

I'll also be intrigued to see how crowds do next year. I'm actually inclined to think the opposite. I think the $249 price was pretty well advertised and next year while more will sign up from Sunapee and other areas, I think a good number will leave. Many tried it for the $249 price and decided it was not worth it long term (you and me both included in that category).

 

[Abubob]

I think most of the crowds this season have come after snow events that happen to coincide with holiday periods. But if you guys aren't going in for the cheap pass I'll let you know how things turn out. :-D

 

[xwhaler]

I actually have seen a much more aggressive advertising of that pass this spring vs last spring.
Last yr they did virtually nothing to advertise it until sometime in Early April even though u could buy it if you discovered the deal in Mid March.

This yr they have it all up on their site, social media, every table in the lodge has a card holder showing the deal. The LCD monitor when u walk in has the deal in full view.

I think they will lose some folks but gain more. I've spoken to quite a few people who are casual skiers and live ~30 or so mins away that buy it to come out on nice days and get some runs in.
For that skier who sees Gunstock and Sunapee as high price Ragged at $249 is a no brainer especially as they aren't the folks scouring the internet to find skiing on the cheap deals like the AZ community.

I also see a lot of MA/RI plates in the lot so it could be folks who have 2nd homes in the area who are migrating over from the other 2 main competitors.

It's a good strategy for them if the goal is to create mass volume quickly. I do wish they did basic things like hire wait staff or someone to bus the tables in the bar however.

 

[Jully]

That is fair. I suppose I was just so shocked at the total number of pass holders they got this year that I can't imagine more. Getting volume quickly will hopefully work out for them. I would love to see Pinnacle happen in the next few years, though the terrain is in all likelihood not particularly compelling, I just find resort expansions exciting and positive overall.

Hopefully next year they do hire more staff... But who knows. If next year is a good snow year for So. NH I'll regret not having a pass, but the groomers and no bumps just don't cut it. I look forward to hearing how it is, Bob!

 

[Abubob]

Yer on July!


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[dlague]

I would not do the $249 season pass. Frankly, the woods have never been open enough to make it worth it. Bad snow years they struggle. Then again my season pass at Cannon was sub $300. Huge difference between the two.

 

[Abubob]

I would not do the $249 season pass. Frankly, the woods have never been open enough to make it worth it. Bad snow years they struggle. Then again my season pass at Cannon was sub $300. Huge difference between the two.

The NH resident military pass at Cannon is only $289.00. Having never served I do not qualify. That is a great deal and if I had THAT choice I'd go with Cannon myself.

 

[Jully]

The NH resident military pass at Cannon is only $289.00. Having never served I do not qualify. That is a great deal and if I had THAT choice I'd go with Cannon myself.

Precisely. The next cheapest pass for most people is over $400. If I could get a Cannon pass for under $300 I would almost certainly do that as well.