MOUNTAIN SKI AREAS
1. Sunday River, Newry, ME
15 South Ridge Rd • 207 824 3000
• Ski: mid-Nov–mid-Apr • Adm •
www.sundayriver.com
The most accessible of Maine’s high-mountain skiing, Sunday River splashes across eight interconnected peaks, with 135 diverse trails served by 15 lifts (including five high-speed quads). Lights extend evening skiing on most weekends and holidays. Snowmaking on 95 percent of terrain guarantees a long season. Evenings are enlived by the popular Shipyard Brew Haus microbrewery. During the summer it’s a popular golf resort.
Skier on the slopes, Sunday River
2. Bretton Woods, NH
99 Ski Area Rd • 603 378 3320
• Ski: mid-Nov–Apr • Adm •
www.brettonwoods.com
This is the largest ski area in New Hampshire boasting 464 acres (188 ha) of skiing and snowboarding on 62 trails, 35 glades, and three terrain parks. The ski area is closely allied with Omni Mount Washington Resort, so ski-stay packages give access to one of the last grand hotels of the White Mountains.
A husky sledge ride, Bretton Woods
3. Killington, VT
4763 Killington Rd • 802 422 6200
• Ski: mid-Nov–mid-Apr • Adm •
www.killington.com
Killington Resort stretches across six mountain areas in central Vermont, providing 155 ski trails. As New England’s largest ski resort, it also features 22 lifts, including two express gondolas and five express chairs, that give access to the highest lift-served ski terrain in the state of Vermont. Snowboarders’ needs are also catered for with The Stash and Dream Maker terrain parks as well as the 500-ft (152-m) Superpipe with 22-ft (6.7-m) walls.
4. Mount Mansfield, Stowe, VT
5781 Mountain Rd • 802 253 3000
• Ski: mid-Nov–mid-Apr • Adm •
www.stowe.com
As the tallest of the attractive Green Mountains, Mansfield challenges hikers every summer and fall. Come winter, Stowe Mountain Resort takes over the slopes with 116 trails and more mile-long lifts than any other resort in the East. With average annual snowfall of 333 inches (8.46m), Stowe has a long season of deep snow. Summer golf resort.
5. Cannon Mountain, Franconia, NH
9 Franconia Notch State Park • 603 823 8800
• Ski: Nov–mid-Apr • Adm •
www.cannonmt.com
One of the oldest ski areas in the US, Cannon has a refreshingly noncommercial feel about it, not to mention the spectacular White Mountains vistas from its 98 trails.
6. Attitash, Bartlett, NH
Rte 302 • 800 223 7669
• Ski: late Nov–Apr • Adm •
www.attitash.com
Not as big or challenging as some New England areas, Attitash (and attached Bear Peak) have vistas of the White Mountains to make the skiing memorable. The longest vertical drop is 1,750 ft (534 m), but 11 lifts serve 70 trails.
7. Sugarloaf, Carrabasset Valley, ME
5092 Sugarloaf Access Rd • 207 237 2000
• Ski: mid-Nov–late Apr • Adm •
www.sugarloaf.com
Offering the only lift-served skiing above the treeline in the East, its 54 miles (87 km) of trails crisscross Sugarloaf, Maine’s second-highest peak at 4,237 ft (1,291 m). The continuous vertical drop of 2,820 ft (860 m) is New England’s longest. Sixty of Sugarloaf’s 162 trails are rated difficult (black diamond) or expert (double black diamond). Summer golf resort.
Ski lift going up Sugarloaf
8. Smugglers’ Notch, Jeffersonville, VT
4323 Rte 108 S • 802 644 8851
• Ski: mid-Nov–mid-Apr • Adm •
www.smuggs.com
Smugglers’ Notch, an all-season family resort, is well known for its learn-to-ski programs and activities for kids. The resort stretches across three peaks, with 9 lifts serving 78 trails. The skiing at Smugglers’ can be challenging, despite its family orientation; the Black Hole is the only triple black diamond trail in the Eastern US. Visit during the summer and other attractions are offered as well, including fishing, waterparks, canoeing, and golf.
9. Mad River Glen, Waitsfield, VT
802 496 3551
• Ski: mid-Dec–early Apr • Adm •
www.madriverglen.com
This mountain, with some of the East’s most challenging terrain, is run by a co-op of hardcore skiers who keep it simple: no snowboards; a single-chair lift from 1948 that limits numbers on the slopes; and no fancy lodge or hotels with hot tubs.
10. Stratton Mountain, Stratton, VT
5 Village Lodge Rd • 802 297 4000
• Ski: Nov–early May • Adm •
www.stratton.com
A pioneer in snowboarding, this resort is located in the Green Mountain National Forest near Manchester, a town popular with both skiers and shoppers. The 16 lifts serving 97 trails and top-ranked terrain parks include four six-person chair lifts. Summer golf resort.
