NH Day Trip

After sizing up the weekend’s weather the S.G. decided that a day trip was in order. Saturday looked pretty tough, cold and windy. Figuring many areas chairlifts may be experiencing wind holds, I took the day off.

Sunday was the gem. A must ski! With temperatures soaring north of 40 degrees around Boston and sunshine galore it was the perfect opportunity for the Day Trip.

Mount Sunapee, NH – looking up at North Peak and the Summit from the learning area

I few phone calls later and I had found a ski buddy, the alarm was set for a 6:30 am start. Mount Sunapee in Newbury, New Hampshire was the target. Honestly, I had never been there before. Besides sneaking glances while driving past it countless times on interstate 89, I knew only what I have heard through the grape vine, which was mostly all good. Time to see for myself…
It is no secret that Diane and Tim Muller (Okemo, VT & Crested Butte, CO) were leased Mount Sunapee by the state of NH back in 1998. Ever since then it has been continuously improving every aspect of the skiers/riders experience.
People have begun to take notice. In this seasons the Ski Magazine readers’ poll Sunapee finish with 8 top ten rankings in the East. The most important though, and the mountains bread and butter are…
• #2 Snow Quality
• #2 Grooming (#3 in North America)
Unlimited Water: Lake Sunapee provides more snowmaking water than the mountain could ever possibly use. It is a huge advantage over almost every other ski area in New England. They are only limited by operational expenses and ‘of course’ the weather.
a view of the frozen lake from the mountain

The result is that Mount Sunapee has had 40 inch bases on all of its snowmaking runs prior to last weekend’s snow storm. When it did snow – things were all that much better.
The Day Trip Vitals
Drive times: I was actually a little bit concerned about the traffic coming home on 89/93 as the MA school vacation week was coming to an end this Sunday. But it turned out just fine. There was a 4 mile backup at the tolls (thanks NH) but otherwise very smooth sailing, both getting there and home. All in it took 1 hour and 45 minutes each way. Very easy, all highways except for about a dozen miles off of exit 9 in NH on 89.
Conditions: Superb! It felt like a day in the end of March – sunshine, warm temperatures and no wind. The trails that have snowmaking, which is pretty much all of them less the gladed runs, had tons of coverage (no ice all day) and were all groomed to perfection.
some snow in the trees – Summit Glades

Tangent: The Joey Walls at Sunapee are not rivaled at any other resort that I have ever visited. They are huge and a byproduct of the massive snowmaking and grooming operations. They are also an important safety feature, “Keeping the guests on the trials.”
Exhibit A – Justin inspecting the wall…

Going with the Family or mixed Crowd?
Mount Sunapee is a great choice. I will be honest that the terrain there is not exactly the most challenging in New England. But there are some steep slopes were the advanced skiers/riders in your carload can get their thrills. Plus the mountain makes a conscious effort to keep several of the steeper trails bumped up. There is also a very well thought out and put together terrain park The Freeride Zone has a separate lift and features/sections for all abilities (no half pipe this season).
Bumps on Flying Goose

The learning area at Mount Sunapee is what you would draw up if one were trying to create the perfect (mythical) ski area. Totally separate lifts, trails and facilities from the rest of the hill make first timers and beginners feel safe and comfortable. No experts or advanced intermediates flying around over there, they will not even get on the lift! Sunapee is absolutely a great mountain for learning how to ski or ride. They also offer a TON of programs and deals – check this LINK.
The People: One thing became very apparent, very quickly. People LOVE Mount Sunapee! It seemed as though every fourth person in the lift line was wearing one of those volunteer mountain ambassador jackets and salivating to tell you how awesome the place is, in a friendly manner of course. It is not really a destination resort, and it feels local. Most of the clientele are day trippers (yours truly) and families. Most that go there end up returning for more.
From the Summit: A 1,500 vertical foot drop is nothing to shake a stick at. The mountain was actually surprisingly large. There were many choices and only a few of the slopes ever felt crowded, even on a very busy holiday Sunday. North Peak (serviced with a separate lift) also helped mitigate traffic on the hill and I spent many runs on that triple chair.
Run of the Day: Blast Off – form the top to bottom this run was stuffed with bottomless packed powder and had some great rolling terrain that you could really open up the throttle on and have some fun. Hit it three times.
The Scoop: From Boston, Mount Sunapee is a great (maybe even the best) day trip option. They have the facilities, programs and mountain operations of all the major resorts more then twice the drive time. The mountain itself has some size and personality. After one day, you will feel at home. Give it a try…
Think Snow,
photos ~ S.G.
South Peak – the dedicated learning area in the background