VT, NH, ME for a beginner without crowds next week?

[PolyAnalyst]

Hey everyone! Recently moved to Boston and have been dreaming of the slopes this year... I'd like to take my girlfriend skiing somewhere next week (Thurs, Fri, Sat). She's a second-time skiier, so we probably wouldn't take advantage of something as huge as Killington. Any suggestions?

Ideally, something that's:
1) Inexpensive (Ha!)
2) Short Lift Lines
3) Green Slopes+
4) Maybe cheap lessons, too?
...
N) One or two fun Diamonds for me. :grin:

Thanks a ton!

 

[riverc0il]

Black, NH!!! Very inexpensive and GREAT green slopes and easier blues. Some good expert terrain. Short but fun.

Burke, VT... a little more expensive. Dedicated beginner area serviced by a high speed quad. That is pretty rare and you'll have plenty of options as well. No lines.

Saddleback, ME. Very inexpensive and dedicated beginner area with good expert terrain. Not sure about lines there on a holiday... I have heard the double queues up a bit but the new quad to the summit may fix that problem.

 

[PolyAnalyst]

Black, NH!!! Very inexpensive and GREAT green slopes and easier blues. Some good expert terrain. Short but fun.

Burke, VT... a little more expensive. Dedicated beginner area serviced by a high speed quad. That is pretty rare and you'll have plenty of options as well. No lines.

Saddleback, ME. Very inexpensive and dedicated beginner area with good expert terrain. Not sure about lines there on a holiday... I have heard the double queues up a bit but the new quad to the summit may fix that problem.

Thanks for the suggestions! Black looks like it could be great if the weather was a bit colder (but it looks like the entire NE is faced with that right now).

 

[davidhowland14]

Ragged Mountain.

cheap-ish. Great beginner terrain, especially with the spear mtn. triple having just opened. And the expert terrain is excellent. Crowds are kept low by 6-pack.

 

[ccskier]

Ragged Mountain.

cheap-ish. Great beginner terrain, especially with the spear mtn. triple having just opened. And the expert terrain is excellent. Crowds are kept low by 6-pack.

Ragged is a great choice. You may also want to consider Mt. Sunapee.

 

[bobbutts]

I'd probably skip Sunapee based on crowds and price

 

[Mildcat]

Cannons Tuckerbrook area is great for beginners and if I recall correctly you can buy a Tuckerbrook only ticket for less money. If your GF takes a lesson you can sneak off during the lesson and ski some fun terrain.

 

[riverc0il]

Ragged Mountain.

cheap-ish. Great beginner terrain, especially with the spear mtn. triple having just opened. And the expert terrain is excellent. Crowds are kept low by 6-pack.

Ragged is a good choice. Great beginner area. I disagree with cheap. Ragged is very expensive for what it is. Expert terrain is limited, especially if the trees are closed.

 

[davidhowland14]

yeah, that's why I put cheapish. I haven't gotten a chance to look at their ticket prices this season. They run less than the $60-70 per day that waterville, loon, etc will charge you, though.

 

[riverc0il]

They run less than the $60-70 per day that waterville, loon, etc will charge you, though.

By $1. Their weekend/holiday price is $59. I REALLY like Ragged, especially as a family and beginner friendly mountain. But for what they offer, Ragged is one of the worst value's in New England. IMO.

 

[PolyAnalyst]

Price certainly isn't everything, but for a beginner who won't take advantage of more than a few slopes, it's probably an important factor. (Although, I'd pay a 50% premium if I could avoid lift lines!) Just as a quick comparison (holiday adult prices):

Black Mtn: $39
Saddleback Mtn: $40
Ragged Mtn: $59
Burke Mtnn: $60
Cannon Mtn: $64
Mt. Sunapee: $66

Looks like Black Mtn is a pretty good deal! Although, I'm also intrigued by Cannon's 1/2 price ticket for the beginner area -- that might be a good compromise for what we're looking for.

Thanks again for the advice, everyone!

 

[riverc0il]

Snow conditions may be a factor, too. I just noticed you are looking at next weekend. Of those mountains, Black will have the worst snow making of the bunch. But hey, that is why it is cheap!

Good call on Cannon's Tuckerbrook pricing. Not a bad option either.

 

[hammer]

Pats Peak...not as big, but they have a green trail from the summit and their blues are also quite doable for someone who has their ski legs. Good (albeit short) steeps for southern/central NH. Full price lift tickets are $52/day.

It will be crowded (what place won't be?), but they have a lot of lifts for their size so the lift lines shouldn't be too long. They also do a great job with snow making and grooming IMO.

 

[awf170]

Saddleback Mtn: $40

What!?!?!?!?!?

That is ridiculous. I need to make the trip there this year.

 

[MichaelJ]

Cannons Tuckerbrook area is great for beginners and if I recall correctly you can buy a Tuckerbrook only ticket for less money. If your GF takes a lesson you can sneak off during the lesson and ski some fun terrain.

+1 Tuckerbrook is a really nice little "area" all to itself. I went there as a beginner and enjoyed it plenty. Plus, it's only $32.

However, after that warm mess it's going to be all about conditions this week. I'll bet they can work up Tuckerbrook nicely, but the rest of Cannon might be a bit ... slick.

 

[Highway Star]

PICO, by Killington...you might be able to get a cheap package deal. Plus it's only a few minutes to Killington's nightlife...

 

[RootDKJ]

PICO, by Killington...you might be able to get a cheap package deal. Plus it's only a few minutes to Killington's nightlife...

Pico - for beginners? I was always under the impression it was more geared towards a "natural" environment (aka moguls). I could be way off here though.

 

[bigbog]

around SundayRiver area(Bethel/Newry/Rumford)...

If you think about SundayRiver and it happens to be ultra busy... Mt. Abram(sp?) (just a few miles south of Bethel), Black Mtn.(few miles West of Rumford), and Shawnee Peak(SE of Bethel)...are all good bets for uncongested trails...and pretty good for beginners as well, although SR has some great beginner/intermediate trails...but might get pretty busy during that stretch, but at least you can check it out without losing a lot of time to the others. With good coverage and spaced trails....another vote for Sxxxxxxxxx...particularly if conditions are pow or pp.
$.01,
STeveD

 

[Mildcat]

If you think about SundayRiver and it happens to be ultra busy... Mt. Abram(sp?) (just a few miles south of Bethel), Black Mtn.(few miles West of Rumford), and Shawnee Peak(SE of Bethel)...are all good bets for uncongested trails...and pretty good for beginners as well, although SR has some great beginner/intermediate trails...but might get pretty busy during that stretch, but at least you can check it out without losing a lot of time to the others. With good coverage and spaced trails....another vote for Sxxxxxxxxx...particularly if conditions are pow or pp.
$.01,
STeveD

I disagree on one point, he wants something inexpensive which $77/day is definitely not inexpensive. I would've brought up lift lines in the South Ridge Area too but I'm not sure how they are now with the Chondola. If the Chondola is keeping the lift lines down the high price of a lift ticket might be worth it for good beginner terrain.

 

[Edd]

I disagree on one point, he wants something inexpensive which $77/day is definitely not inexpensive. I would've brought up lift lines in the South Ridge Area too but I'm not sure how they are now with the Chondola. If the Chondola is keeping the lift lines down the high price of a lift ticket might be worth it for good beginner terrain.

With all the wind holds recently, I'm sure South Ridge has been a very busy place. I was hoping to ski Thursday when I'm not blacked out but the winds are forecasted to be strong.