Rate a Ski Lodge

[Tin Woodsman]

Mt Ellen Base Lodge : retro, basic , classic, casual – gotta love a base lodge with a fireplace and an upstairs bar with a deck that looks out on the mountain

+1

For all the reasons it's great, the new Gate House lodge at LP disappoints. No fireplace. Feels smaller than it is. Too much space taken up by food storage for the base area. Cramped bar with lousy light stuck in the basement. They've improved it somewhat by adding additional boot/bag storage space and adding on the the Pub, but it was really poorly conceived in Year 1.

 

[skiberg]

Best base lodge in NE is the Mid-mountain lodge at Burke. Small, old school, great bar, mostly locals. The best base lodge I have ever been in is Lake Lousie, Canada. It defys explanation. Only those who have been to it can appreciate it. Bromley also has a great old lodge. Mount Sutton Quebec has a great feel and really good French food. Cannon's new lodge is great with the new bar and much more room. There are very few base lodges out West. These are uniquely Eastern skiing creations.

 

[PomfretPlunge]

Suicide 6 - Livin' in the 70's

x2!

You mean it isn't still 1979?

:flag:

Our schoolbus used to stop at the bottom of S6 and we would ski *every day*

 

[cannonist]

Sunnyside Timber Lodge at Waterville is surprisingly comfortable. Also the North Peak lodge at Sunday River is one of the best designed upper mountain lodges in the northeast.

 

[bigbog]

1a) Sugarloaf and SundayRiver main lodges are overcrowded as all heck by 10am...but that makes it kind of a challenge, much like a NASCAR pitstop.
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* 1b) Sugarloaf's thermostat is much, MUCH too high in the early AM..like a friggin sauna..(if anyone's scanning...My fat chance!..lol). I mean if I were there overnight to workout...it would be great...
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2) Have had a relaxing time in Wachusett's lodge...midweek evenings...every time I've stopped in to ski...

Ditto cannonist, that North Peak lodge is well placed...imho.
Ditto Sky on Wildcat's back deck, with the mountain and gravelbottom brook beneath....always makes me wanna get home and break out the ww-canoe(OC-1).

 

[billski]

Magic has come a long way. It still looks a bit dated and dumpy (c'mon folks, let's be honest here) but the bar and deck are perfect. Seating is good and plenty of space. They need to put matts down in front of the rest rooms. Every time I am there, I almost slide on the tile and break my neck.

I'm giving a hall pass to the resorts that are barely making it. 8)
Yep, the ground floor vestibule and rest rooms definitely need rubber mats. I just go to the john upstairs by the pub. Crotched Mt. got religion and is putting rubber mats everywhere.

 

[billski]

x2!

You mean it isn't still 1979?

:flag:

Our schoolbus used to stop at the bottom of S6 and we would ski *every day*

S6 has the best informal ski museum. Bosquet comes in second for ski memorabilia.

 

[ceo]

I've complained before about Wachusett's base layout; when you get there, usually after walking across an icy or muddy satellite lot and trying to hold onto your skis on the shuttle bus, you have to walk all the way around the huge, sprawling base lodge to the ski racks. The lodge itself is pretty nice.

Wildcat's base lodge is not only cramped, it's what seems like a half-mile walk from the lifts (and it was an even longer walk to the gondola).

Besides being split-level, the other problem with Sugarloaf's lodge is that it's a hike to get to any lift other than Skidway. Though it's really handy to have the Snubber and Sawduster lifts ending just above the lodge; I remember being pleasantly surprised when they realigned them that way.

I like what Cannon's done with the Peabody base, expanding the Peabody lodge and putting the ski school in their own building. And unlike Wachusett, the ski school is actually right by the main beginner slope. And the Notchview lodge (which I still call the Old Peabody Lodge) provides a separate boot-up area, which I like. I think they should have put the rental shop, rather than the ski shop, in the right-hand addition to Peabody, rather than leave it in the basement of Notchview, but I never use it so it's not a big deal.

 

[Edd]

I always enjoyed Wildcat's lodge. When you first arrive and walk out back to drop off your skis there's often music playing that sets a good tone for the day. In the spring I've gotten sunburned more than once having lunchtime beers on the deck where I don't mind at all sitting on the floor against the wall because all the seats are taken. Usually a good vibe out there.

I'm the rare frequent SR skier that prefers to go to South Ridge but that's because I ski weekdays. I like the Foggy Goggle with it's deck and the tons of cubbies and seating. Barker has to be really dead for me not to feel cramped and I don't care for the mandatory uphill walk from the parking lot. It's also not a great place to buy food. I wish White Cap could get tore down and rebuilt but it probably doesn't make financial sense. I do enjoy North Peak with it's deck and large seating capacity. It's a great option on a powder day.

Saddleback is nice but I think Bretton Woods has it beat. BW feels bigger and definitely has more seating capacity. They've got a good thing going upstairs. You can buy a beer and comfortably sit anywhere up there including the circular fireplace or the deck. Most lodges aren't set up where you can grab a pint and leave the bar area.

 

[Riverskier]

I always enjoyed Wildcat's lodge. When you first arrive and walk out back to drop off your skis there's often music playing that sets a good tone for the day. In the spring I've gotten sunburned more than once having lunchtime beers on the deck where I don't mind at all sitting on the floor against the wall because all the seats are taken. Usually a good vibe out there.

I'm the rare frequent SR skier that prefers to go to South Ridge but that's because I ski weekdays. I like the Foggy Goggle with it's deck and the tons of cubbies and seating. Barker has to be really dead for me not to feel cramped and I don't care for the mandatory uphill walk from the parking lot. It's also not a great place to buy food. I wish White Cap could get tore down and rebuilt but it probably doesn't make financial sense. I do enjoy North Peak with it's deck and large seating capacity. It's a great option on a powder day.

Saddleback is nice but I think Bretton Woods has it beat. BW feels bigger and definitely has more seating capacity. They've got a good thing going upstairs. You can buy a beer and comfortably sit anywhere up there including the circular fireplace or the deck. Most lodges aren't set up where you can grab a pint and leave the bar area.

For me, the biggest reason I prefer Barker isn't so much the lodge itself or the parking, but the location. I hate having to basically take a lift to another lift from South Ridge or White Cap. Oh, and I like the bar. Of course nothing is stopping me from going there no matter where I ski out of.

 

[deadheadskier]

I typically park at Whitecap as I ski weekends. It does suck to not be centrally located, but I usually arrive around 9. At that point the parking is most convenient at White Cap.

 

[Riverskier]

I typically park at Whitecap as I ski weekends. It does suck to not be centrally located, but I usually arrive around 9. At that point the parking is most convenient at White Cap.

Thats my backup if I can't get a spot at Barker. Always convenient parking there. Both of those lifts out of there are very slow though, and can be quite frustrating if you are eager to start your day.

 

[Smellytele]

Always parked at Whitecap. I would drive by the attendants and park in the lower parking lot. We could ski right to the car as well at lunch and the end of the day.

 

[Edd]

Whitecap is a decent option on weekends. I don't take advantage of that fire pit enough.

 

[cannonist]

I almost forgot. I was pleasantly surprised by the Gunstock base lodge last year. It has a nice feel to it. Although it can be a hike to the lifts on a powder day