New England Skiing By Heather Burke As we enter another ski season, skiers and riders are anxious to see what’s new and what’s up – particularly what is up in the clouds in the form of white precipitation heading our way. While I cannot predict powder accumulation with my desktop crystal ball, I can tell you about new lifts, events on the slopes, and deals worth driving to. What’s New for New England skiers this winter? Loon Mountain skiers will find a new quad on North Peak – the 20-year old triple to the 3,050’ summit took a leisurely 10 minutes. Ride time on NH’s newest high-speed detachable four-seater is T minus 5 and you are skiing Loon’s infamous Walking Boss and Flume trail – where more glades have been added.  Over
in Vermont, Stowe’s other mountain, Mansfield’s next of kin
Spruce Peak has two new lifts; a high-speed detachable quad
replaces the 1963 Little Spruce double, and there is a new triple
chair to the summit. Next year another quad goes in and a grand new
base lodge will become the centerpiece of Stowe’s master plan alpine
village – all part of a $250 million “Spruce up.” Saddleback
near Rangeley Lake in Maine has a new quad chair, seven new trails and
a brand new base lodge in time for their opening Dec. 18. This
previously rustic and still remote Maine ski area is under new
ownership (after near closure a year ago), and things are looking up.
The Maine professor that bought the place is giving it a modest face
lift including building a slopeside hotel next season, but he has no
plans to increase ticket prices, widen the time-honored long twisting
trails or replace the summit T-Bar to the scenic 4,120’ peak.Wachusett finally got the green light (from environmentalists – get the joke – green light…) for their Vickery Bowl expansion. The much-anticipated 1,500’ triple chair at Vickery Bowl will spin this season, bringing skiers to two new blue trails: Frannie's Folly and Piece of Cake. Jay Peak and Mount Snow are both old – 50 years old to be exact. ASC owned Mount Snow will celebrate its golden anniversary on Dec. 12, and kick off monthly parties to commemorate each decade, so be ready to dance in your ski boots to big band, disco, rock and hip-hop. What’s Hot? Training camps are “hot” on New England’s slopes this winter. Skiers and riders can pick up tips and tricks while rubbing shoulders with some of their favorite winter sports heroes at local resorts. Extreme team originals Dan and John Egan are reunited at their home mountain of Sugarbush and will teach clinics Dec. 17-19 and Feb. 3-6. For more on dicing bumps and trees with this dynamic duo visit skiclinics.com. For chicks on sticks, Kristen Ulmer will host women’s ski clinics at Mount Sunapee Jan. 2 and at Sugarbush Jan. 6-9. Kristen was a mogul specialist on the U.S. Ski Team and SKIING magazine voted her one of the top 25 skiers in the U.S. Now her mission is to help women reach their full skiing potential during her unique girls-only clinics.  World Cup Champion Bode Miller has designed “Team Bode,” an all-mountain skier camp for kids ages 6-12. Two six-week camps will be offered at Bode’s official ski area, Bretton Woods. Although Bode will be away most of the winter chasing Gold, young race fans can learn from his personal training tips, then ski his signature trail off the Rosewood Summit quad (new last season) at NH’s largest ski area. At Stratton, Olympians Ross Powers and Tricia Byrnes offer snowboard camps throughout the winter. Mount Snow’s hometown hero and US Olympic Gold medalist will host the Kelly Clark Camp for kids 7-15. Terrain Parks continue to be cool – with expanding age groups, ability levels and greater gear choices from skis to boards to blades. Waterville Valley has added terrain features sprinkled all over the mountain called WV (Wicked Venture) Zones. These new bump and glade areas for varying abilities offer posted tips on how to progress in each. Waterville also expands their parks to three this season, so you can graduate from the Little Slammer on up to the high-end Exhibition Park. Sugarloaf and Killington both launch new superpipes to keep up with the demand for bigger better competition caliber playgrounds. Cranmore’s Darkside will now see the light thanks to the addition of night lighting in the terrain park and on eleven trails from the summit. The downtown North Conway ski area is planning a Cranapalooza Block Party with games, fireworks and music on Saturday afternoons and into the evening (with a $12 night ski ticket).  What’s In?
Glades are in, in bounds and on the trail map (ironic after years of yellow tape forbidding skiers to ski the trees tucked between trails). Jay Peak, the leader of the chainsaw brigade, increases its glade system for the coming season, and plans to expand another 250-acres of glades in West Bowl over the next two years. Other resorts selectively trimming tree lines to give skiers and riders woodsy alternatives to traditional boulevards include Sugarbush, Okemo, Killington, Stratton, Waterville Valley, and Burke. What’s Out? Straight skis are out. Any board that does not fashion a side cut can certainly be labeled as historical technology, best used as fencing material. Shorter, shapelier skis benefit everyone, making skiing more accessible to beginners, improving enjoyment and control among intermediates, and letting advanced skiers rip arcs like never before all over the mountain. For a free demo on snow direct from the manufacturers’ vans, go to demo days at Sunday River Nov. 27-28 or Sugarloaf Dec. 11-12. What’s Up? Hopefully the temperature is up (above zero) this coming winter, and snowfall totals rebound from our abysmal lack of accumulation in 2004’s winter months. Last season’s deep freeze, and accompanying snow-drought, kept skiers inside for January and much of February too. The Farmer’s Almanac is calling for a big Nor’easter in December that could deliver an old-fashioned White Christmas. What’s Down? Season Pass prices are down. New England resorts are catching on to a trend that western resorts have long followed. American Skiing Company offered an all East pass at an all time low price. Booth Creek’s “Threedom” pass is the New Hampshire deal – including Loon, Cranmore and Waterville Valley. The goal among ski area honchos is to engage new and lapsed skiers. The bonus is die-hards are getting a much-appreciated price break, plus an inducement to sample sister areas on these combination passes.  This
Season’s Must Ski! The Cog Railway is opening this winter for
skiing. The famous coal-driven railway made history when it opened in
1869 as the first mountain climbing train in the world. 135 years
later, The Cog is making history once again – and skiers should get on
board for this one-of-a-kind adventure, and ski down the western
flanks of Mount Washington. Riding the Cog in winter, the train chugs and whistles up the Eastern seaboard’s highest peak, delivering skiers to the 3,800’ Waumbeg Station, about a third of the way up the Cog’s summer route to the 6,288’ summit of Washington. From this departure point, rail riders enjoy a fantastic view of nearby Bretton Woods before skiing along either side of the Cog’s trestles. The ski runs are about a mile long, 1,100’ vertical, on an intermediate groomed trail right next to the train. This ideal family activity combines the amusement of a train ride and the excitement of skiing alongside a steaming locomotive, plus it has tremendous historical significance. “To find a similar ski train experience, you would have to go to Europe,” said Doug Waits, The Cog Railway marketing director. “This is an exciting event in history for the Cog Railway, and for New England skiers it will be an incredibly unique experience.” Prices for the ski train experience are $25 for a single ride (round trip for non-skiers or one way to access the ski trails) or $59 for a full day and multiple rides. A $75 combination ticket includes skiing at Bretton Woods plus the Cog for a full day (with a complimentary shuttle connecting the six-mile span). This winter, the train will operate daily, and stay open year round. |