Discover 10 Exceptional Ski Trails In New England
By Heather Burke, Boston.com Correspondent
Call me old school, but I love a true ski trail.
Give me trails with character, carved out of the mountain’s canvas, that swerve and turn, and reveal a new view around each corner. I like reverse fall lines, knolls, and variations on my vertical descent. It’s comparatively dull to ski a wide-open groomed boulevard with no undulations, just homogeneous surface to skid, carve, or cruise cord. Give me punchy pitches and a trail lined with snow-drenched pines and shimmering birches opening to a panorama. If mega monochromatic ski trails were the trend of the 80s and 90s, I say bring back ski trails with personality, a few surprises, and hopefully fewer people around the next bend.
Here are some beauties — unique and exceptional ski trails in New England.
1. Pole Cat at Wildcat in Jackson, New Hampshire
saunters down the full 2,000’ vertical, while giving you the sensation that you can reach out and touch Mount Washington’s eastern flank. The view into Tuckerman’s Ravine is unrivaled, especially on a sunny March day when you are riding laps on the high speed Wildcat Express and hikers are huffing up Tuck’s for their turns.
2. Jester at Sugarbush
is one of the prettier ski trails in the beautiful Green Mountain State of Vermont. From Heaven’s Gate 3,975’ atop Lincoln Peak, you saunter down playful Jester with a few twists and turns – with heavenly Mad River Valley views below. Sugarbush’s Castlerock trails are awesome as well, but be warned — these double black diamond drops are not groomed and not for everyone.
3. Goat at Stowe, Vermont
, is a heart-thumping, narrow, precipitous run with serious vertical drop. This trail, along with the very steep Starr, are outstanding adventures and part of Stowe’s famous Front Four. You can’t see beyond each knoll, which makes it even more daunting. National and Nose Dive, also steep and scenic, have been altered and widened, taming their wild side.
4. Muleskinner at Saddleback Maine
makes the list for old fashioned ski trail appeal. The traverse (or hike for snowboarders) out to this narrow twisty trail takes you back in time, and out into the woods as you pass the glades of Casablanca. Muleskinner is not groomed, instead it is gritty and untamed with wonderful views of the Rangeley Lakes region.
5. Upper Ravine at Cannon Mountain in New Hampshire
starts from the highest lift-serviced elevation in New Hampshire at 4,080’. Upper Ravine Trail cruises down with grand views of Franconia Notch. Neighboring Taft Slalom trail,
pictured here, is another legendary trail looking toward Mittersill.
6. Chilcoot and Drifter at Smugglers Notch in Vermont
turn the skier and rider in every angle while descending Madonna Mountain. Skier’s right is Drifter, where you can peek across the Notch at Stowe’s Front Four and the impressive 4,395’ Mount Mansfield. From Chilcoot, skier’s left, you can see Lake Champlain and the stately Adirondacks — even as far as Canada — on a clear day.
7. Shockwave at Maine’s Sunday River
gets my vote as a cool trail. Neighboring White Heat earns all the accolades (longest, steepest, widest in the East), but Shockwave is a little steeper, with a few drops and twists after a beautiful entry overlooking the Bethel valley toward Mt Abram. Shockwave is not an exhibitionist trail to those riding the quad to sister White Heat, so you ski it purely for your own exhilaration.
8. Flying Fox at Loon in New Hampshire
is a personal fave of mine. It starts with sweeping views as you depart the Gondola and head toward this fun, flirtatious run. Perhaps I have an affinity for Flying Fox and neighboring Picked Rock since I skied here with my dad, and he would stash beers behind the big boulder to enjoy later on gorgeous spring ski days at Loon. The challenge was to find them in the snow.
9. Crawford’s Blaze at Bretton Woods
offers a perfectly framed view of “The Mount,” along with a fun curvy descent through delightful trees along the way. Herb’s Secret and Granny’s Grit are gems too. Take the chair back up to Latitude 44 for a scenic lunch looking at Mount Washington and the grand 1902 Hotel.
10. Binder to Double Bitter at Sugarloaf, Maine
starts with the eye-popping panorama, from the 4,237’ summit, winding its way down on a relatively narrow trail to Double Bitter with its fun banked turns and twists. It does deposit you at Stomping Ground Terrain Park, but you can bail to Candy Side or Peavy’s XCut over to Sidewinder to escape the jibbers, jumps, and kickers.
Those are a few of my favorite ski trails. I would love to hear about yours so I can inspect them. See you on the slopes.
By Heather Burke, All Photos by Greg Burke
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