New Hampshire  Published:
Winter 2004By Heather Burke We are undeniably drawn to the mountains in winter; it’s like a gravitational force that lures us each weekend. Our family loves discovering New England’s ski resorts, and tapping into the positive energy at these higher elevations. So each Friday, we pack up the car and head to the slopes, in search of outdoor excitement and inner peace.  During
a winter weekend at New Hampshire’s Attitash we found all the
essentials for our kind of spiritual on-slope retreat. First, Attitash is easy to get to, since the resort is located just 15 minutes north of the North Conway hub. Second, there are plenty of lodging options to choose from (over 16,000 beds in the region). We opted for beds close to the source (without camping in the ski patrol hut) by staying at the Grand Summit Resort Hotel. Third, the ski area is sizeable with two separate mountain peaks and modern lift service, an ideal combination of terrain and speedy access to satisfy our souls and our skis. We arrived at the impressive Grand Summit Hotel on Friday evening, and moved all our gear into a well-equipped one-bedroom suite.  There was
just enough time for the kids to plunge in the outdoor heated pool
before we went out for a bite. Meanwhile, I toured the Hotel’s gift
shop, restaurant and then the exercise room (which I declined
-figuring I would get enough thigh burning on the hill the next two
days). A short drive back into North Conway gives you more dining options than you could tackle over an entire winter. And then there is the shopping, L.L. Bean, Ann Klein, Polo – all the biggies, all tax-free for those needing justification to shop. My family reminded me we didn’t come to shop, but made an exception to browse gear at Joe Jones Ski and Sport.  We had heard wonderful things about the Coyote Rose, and were not
disappointed by the chef’s inspired southwestern preparations. After
our festive dinner, we drove back to the mountain, enjoying the lights
and sights of the Mount Washington Valley along our way.Saturday morning, we were up with the sun, and first to load the Flying Bear high-speed quad. The benefits of being slopeside - you can slip on your warm ski boots in your room, grab your skis from the courtesy ski check, and walk out onto the slopes without the stress of packing up the car and inevitably forgetting goggles (or worse a family member). We paused and stretched at the Bear Peak summit, taking in the spectacular morning rays shining on Mount Washington – glorious and soul revitalizing – a spiritual moment. Enough of that, it was time to carve up the fresh groomed snow on Illusion and Mythmaker. Bear Peak is the newer of the resort’s twin peaks, added in 1994. Bear has half a dozen wide, well-pitched cruisers serviced by a speedy quad, a lower mountain triple and the Abenaki quad.  Now that our kids have reached double digits, warm up runs are fast
paced and adrenaline producing. They like their Dad’s 10 by 10 creed
(10 runs by 10am), which is certainly attainable riding The Flying
Bear. We saw about 12 others skiers all tolled in the first two hours
– we cherished our solitude. After several laps including the western
most intermediate Wandering Skis trail back to the Hotel to shed a
layer, we headed toward Attitash. It’s a bit of a huff to get from one mountain to the other, as indicated by a cross-country skier on the trail map, snowboarders be advised. My husband studies trail maps like scripture, so he planned our day to include both mountain peaks, but only one crossover – I recommend his method. Attitash is the original ski area dating back to 1965, and there’s a more traditional flavor to the narrow trails winding from the 2,350’ summit. You get that “what’s around the corner” feeling at every turn, but the views of The Mount are frequent and magnificent. We found plenty of interesting twists, rolls and knolls on Tightrope and Ptarmigan – two of Attitash’s more dynamic trails. There were certainly more skiers and riders on this side – but we still found our peaceful white carpet. I was fascinated to learn that during Attitash’s first decade, it was known as the Red Carpet ski area. Back then, the resort limited ticket sales to reservation holders, and the base lodge truly had red carpeting. Those exclusive days are gone along with the old flooring. Today the slopes are open to all and served by a plethora of lifts.  Before lunch, our kids insisted we check out the Superpipe, the
longest halfpipe in the state at 500-feet. Being the caboose of the
family, I watched as one by one my husband, daughter and son all
dropped in to the monster pipe and rocked from one 17 foot wall to the
other. What’s a mom to do but follow and hope that everyone comes out
in one piece? We all had big smiles from our pipe adventure when we sat down to lunch at Ptarmigan’s Pub. The base lodge has a cafeteria and a Flatbread Pizza café downstairs. We opted for a sit down meal upstairs with inspiring views of the slopes. Sans red carpet, we did enjoy wait service and hearty food but we cannot claim it was as prompt as the Flying Bear. For our lunchtime entertainment, we watched the Budweiser Aerial Assault team launching off of huge jumps on the hill in an incredibly well choreographed show (their tour stop was Attitash on this March weekend). After admiring the Olympic caliber aerialists during our repast, the Palmer X Park was taunting our son. So we checked out the huge elements in the park. It was a full ski day. I lost count of runs after 20. My daughter was ready to fold up by mid-afternoon, and my legs were too. We gals skied back to the hotel and let our mogul men bash some more glades and steeps on Bear. This is when the slopeside value kicks in. I would not want to wait in a busy base lodge till last chair, then cram into the car. Instead my daughter and I shared soothing hot cocoa back on our couch by the picture window. Then we all hit the outdoor pool at 4pm. Here we encountered peak splash time, lots of bathing bodies. While the kids made new swim friends, I enjoyed looking up at the slopes reviewing our adventures while soaking in the steam-covered water. Dinner in our suite was ideal, since the kids were happy to just hang out after their big outdoor day knowing there was more of the same on our Sunday schedule. We did take the kids to the evening Aerial show at Attitash that night. It was even more spectacular than the noontime show because they add fireworks and flaming torches to their flips and twists during the finale. The only drawback - these talented athletes got our son’s adrenaline pumping again, it was hard settling him down for a night’s sleep. Sunday morning came with a dusting of fresh snow, so we were first on and first up the lift just behind the patrol. We had the benefit of familiar turf on our second morning, but still found a few new trails we had overlooked the day before. None of the terrain here is super challenging, and yet there is plenty to occupy the total family from forgiving cruisers to glades, and some kicking terrain park features. The biggest lift line we saw on this prime early March weekend was under ten minutes. I kept watching for the after church crowd to arrive on our fresh powder Sunday, but they must have all gone to brunch. In their absence, we made turn after turn on soft snow, with the occasional pause at the scenic summit. Eventually it was time to conclude our weekend of downhill delight and head home, feeling revived with mountain air (plus a dose of physical fatigue). Attitash/Bear Peak can be reached at www.attitash.com |