New England Skiing By Heather Burke What’s new and improved on New England slopes as we enter ski season 2006-07? Let’s hope our weather is vastly improved over last year’s tiresome balmy, rainy reality. This season, I would settle for serious snow over fancy new lifts or freshly cut trails. Ironically, snowmaking caps the list of capital at most ski resorts in the Northeast.  To
see significant swanky new stuff on the slopes, go to
Stowe. Now in year
3 of their 10-year $300 million master plan, skiers will finally get
to ride the highly-anticipated transport lift connecting Mansfield and
Spruce. In the past, Spruce Peak was the less-frequented distant
cousin (with secret snow stashes), and the backside of neighboring
Smugglers’ Notch Ski Area. With a new summit quad last season, the
construction of Spruce Mountain Lodge, and mountainside cabins, this
other side of Stowe is rising to “Ski Capital of the East” status. On the flip side, Smugglers’ Notch Resort celebrates its 50th year, and continues to be the perennial award winner for families. If you have little kids to entertain, you should go to Smugglers’ - the “Disney of ski areas.” While there aren’t spiffy high-speed lifts on the three interconnected mountains, skiers will find the classic Rumrunner Trail on Sterling has been widened.  In
the Mad River Valley,
Sugarbush’s new
Lincoln Peak Village greets skiers with three new buildings. The new
Gate House doubles the previous base lodge with a food court, pub and
café in a post and beam setting. The addition of Clay Brook provides
slopeside suites, and the new Timbers Restaurant features indulgent
dining for downhillers in a Vermont roundhouse barn. Killington debuts a Spa at the Grand Resort Hotel for those preferring to be pampered, and the resort has added nighttime tubing for thrill seekers. Sister Pico received some beautification to its family-friendly central base.  Okemo continues to
develop the Jackson Gore area with snowmaking on new trails Big Bang
and Eclipse, more ownership lodging, and two new après ski activities:
swimming at the Springhouse and skating at the Ice House.If you are looking for a ski resort to call your own, Haystack, which was sold off from Mount Snow last winter, is now a private ski resort with 900 membership slots, the likes of Montana’s Yellowstone Club. If you just want to name your own terrain, Mount Snow and Sugarloaf are both putting their new park titles up for grabs. Mount Snow’s 4,940’ park serviced by the Nitro Express quad will be the longest in the East. Sugarloaf’s new park under the Superquad will host new features for fun seekers and added entertainment for those riding the chair above. Visit the ski area websites for your chance to name these terrain parks. In the White Mountain state, Loon and Waterville Valley both debut new Burton Progression Terrain Parks offering graduated elements for those learning to launch and slide rails. Loon’s South Peak Resort is being constructed with more ski in ski out lodging in Lincoln. Waterville Valley, turning 40 this season, has widened Upper Valley Run, and the World Cup trail to meet FIS standards.  Bretton
Woods, now under new ownership, has expanded the Hobbits
Children’s Center, and added lights and music to the Lumber Yard
Terrain Park.
Tenney Mountain is also under new ownership, skiers and riders
will find improved snowmaking, widened trails and an expanded terrain
park. The future looks bright for Tenney with plans for new lifts,
trails, a lodge and resort homes. Humble King Pine has replaced their Black Bear double chair with a triple, added an advanced ski trail and a new groomer to the fleet to smooth out their family friendly trails. Gunstock is pumping up their Saturday night skiing with live music and fireworks as part of “Gunstock Rocks Saturday Nights.” Crotched will continue its version of “Midnight Madness” on Friday and Saturday nights, 9pm to 3am, with 100% terrain lit up, a bonfire, winter volleyball, and terrain park events. A “Midnight Madness” season pass is $99, giving you 18 nights at Crotched, starting December 29. Cranmore has their version of a happy hour party on snow, you can ski, ride, tube and swim in the indoor pool, all on one lift ticket during “Freaky Fridays.”  If
you are looking for a more posh, pampered experience,
The Balsams
has that regal, removed from the riff raff feel. Visit midweek in
January, you can stay at the grand N.H. resort hotel for $79 per
person, per night including their bountiful breakfast, and ski their
exclusive alpine trails and Nordic trails free.In Maine, Sugarloaf was the first New England resort to open, thanks to new low-E snow guns. Sunday River has a few new trails to flaunt, and a new look to the Foggy Goggle for enhanced après. Neighboring Mt Abram has 60 new tower guns and improved pumps and pipe to put this family friendly ski area on the snowmaking map. Shawnee Peak has built 32 slopeside townhouses with views of Moose Pond.  The
new owners of
Saddleback have spent $15 million on a new quad, a beautiful base
lodge and snowmaking, while increasing the terrain by 44%, in the past
three years. If you haven’t skied this 4,120’ ski area in the Rangeley
Lakes region, with 2,000’ vertical, what are you waiting for? More
lifts, trails and a slopeside hotel? Well, that is in the works too.If you don’t feel like driving, hop the Ski Train to Wachusett. This season you can ride the MTBA commuter rail for $7 from Boston’s North Station to the ski area, and your fare is deducted from your lift ticket purchase. As for deals, season pass prices have stayed low while day ticket prices creep up ever so slightly toward three digits. This is a sign that you should buy a pass and ski more often to get your investment’s worth (at least that provides a good excuse). American Skiing Company has sold out of the outrageous all-for-one pass good at six eastern ski resorts. You can carve up the Granite State with NH’s Threedom Pass good at Loon, Waterville and Cranmore for $329 Sunday-Friday. If you didn’t pounce on those pass deals, a Ski Maine’s Passport buys you 52 days for $535 at Sugarloaf, Sunday River, Saddleback, and Shawnee Peak, to name a few. |