Expert skiers seeking something new this season in New England might check out New Hampshire's reopened Mittersill ski area, next to Cannon Mountain.
Closed since 1984, Mittersill's 86 acres will be operated by Cannon Mountain, which also will provide shuttle service to it on weekends and holidays.
Although the trails are partially overgrown, some have been cleared -- in a fashion -- by those who have trespassed on the property during the past 25 years.
"With no snowmaking, limited grooming, very limited patrolling and extensive rescue time, the area will carry a designation of 'Extra Hazardous,' " Cannon Mountain managers said.
Translation: The terrain, essentially an oversized tree- and shrub-studded glade, is for experienced backcountry skiers and snowboarders only.
Mittersill can be reached via the Tramway and the Cannonball quad chairlift. Cannon plans to install a double chairlift in time for the start of the 2010-2011 season.
If you don't meet the ability criteria for sampling Mittersill, enjoy the slopes and trails at Cannon, the New Hampshire-owned ski area with the highest vertical drop of any ski area in the East. The readers of Ski magazine once again rated it No. 1 for value in the East. They also ranked it No. 2 for scenery, third for access, third again for terrain/challenge, fourth for overall satisfaction and sixth for terrain/variety.
Creature-comfort improvements completed at Peabody Lodge during the off-season include a 3,200-square-foot family room, rental and repair shop and a pub. Snowmaking and grooming on the slopes and trails also have been improved.
For more information, go to www.cannonmt.com or call 1-603-823-8800.
Besides developments in New Hampshire, here's a brief look at what else is going on to attract skiers and snowboarders from Pennsylvania and other Mid-Atlantic states to New England.
VERMONT
Okemo
Early arrivals can be a pain, especially if their overnight accommodations aren't ready.
Okemo Mountain resort has a solution: the partial-day lift ticket.
It's perfect for eager overnight guests who arrive before check-in, said spokeswoman Bonnie MacPherson. The cost is $30 for adults, $26 for young adults (13 to 18) and seniors (65-69) and $20 for juniors (7 to 12) and super seniors (70 and older). Guests put their luggage in storage and head for the slopes.
Depending on where they go, they may benefit from improvements the resort made this summer to its snowmaking system, grooming fleet and Superpipe.
MacPherson said the resort will be improving its online ticket deals this winter and adding more print-at-home coupon options. "Facebook friends and Twitter followers will be the first to know about special deals offered throughout the season," she said. The resort has 119 slopes, trails and glades served by 19 lifts, including nine quad chairlifts, three triple chairlifts and seven surface lifts. The vertical drop is 2,200 feet.
For more information, go to www.okemo.com or call 1-802-228-1600.
Stowe
The best keeps improving.
Stowe Mountain Resort, voted the No. 1 resort in the East for the 2009-2010 season by the readers of Skiing magazine, is in the final stages of a 10-year master improvement plan.
Its makeover mission includes an inter-mountain transfer gondola connecting Mount Mansfield, the state's highest point at 4,395 feet, and Spruce Peak, its topographical sibling. The latter, described as the "core of the resurgence," features state-of-the-art facilities and a fully automated snowmaking system.
The revival includes two new high-speed detachable quad chairlifts, new trails and a new beginner area. It also features the new Stowe Mountain Lodge.
In addition to the transfer gondola, the resort has one high-speed summit gondola, three high-speed quads, two triples, four doubles and two surface lifts. The lifts serve 116 slopes and trails spread over 485 acres and total 39 miles in length. Snowmaking covers 90 percent of the terrain. The longest vertical drop is 2,160 feet and the average annual snowfall is 333 inches.
For more information, go to www.stowe.com or call 1-800-253-4754 or 1-802-253-3000.
Stratton
Great snow. Guaranteed.
That's the pitch Stratton Mountain Resort is using this season to attract skiers and snowboarders.
"Skiers and riders are invited to go out for an hour -- any time, any day -- and if they're not thrilled, they'll get a (lift) ticket for another day," said spokesman Jake Duhaime.
The resort is betting that most guests, "thrilled" or not, will go out on the mountain and stay there, thanks to a snowmaking system that "blankets" 95 percent of its 92 slopes and trails. Duhaime said the system is so powerful that it can "bury three football fields in a foot of snow in just one hour."
To make sure the snowmaking and grooming are top-notch, head snowmaker Lynn "Cape" Capen and trails and slopes manager Al DesRoches conduct "product evaluations" on their skis after crews have completed their work. Nice perk.
Stratton has more than 600 acres of terrain, including 120 acres of glades and a 45-acre learning park. The terrain is rated 42 percent novice, 31 percent intermediate and 27 percent advanced. The longest run is three miles. There are 14 lifts, including a 12-passenger base-to-summit gondola and four six-passenger chairlifts. The vertical drop is 2,003 feet.
For more information, go to www.stratton.com or call 1-800-787-2886 and 1-802-297-4000.
(Lawrence Walsh writes about recreational snowsports for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
Must credit Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Post new comment