Resort Snapshots: Bretton Woods and Loon Mountain 11-18-12

On Sunday, November 18, Bretton Woods offered a lovely white ribbon of deep snow to decorate an otherwise drab landscape. Cover it with snow and the sliders will come! (Tim Jones photo)

You know the feeling . . . there’s nothing quite like it . . . putting on your boots and clicking into your bindings for the first run of the new season. Riding up the lift, you just can’t stop smiling. But even the fastest of high-speed lifts travel W-A-A-A-A-Y too slow. At the top, you unload, take a moment to savor the ribbon of snow winding away below you. Then, the pull of gravity takes over,  you start sliding, lean into your first wobbly turn, and another snow season is underway!

Sunday River and Killington had been open for a couple of weeks, but a busy work schedule had kept me off the slopes. Instead, my season started at 9 am on November 18, 2012, the Sunday morning before Thanksgiving, at Bretton Woods in Bretton Woods, N.H. Later that day, I stopped and took some more runs at Loon MountainResort  in Lincoln, N.H. No sane or normal person would ski two areas in one day, but both Bretton Woods and Loon Mountain had opened on Friday, they were both on my travel route, only 45 minutes or so apart, and I felt a professional obligation to bring you a first-hand comparison.

Black Mountain Snow Dance. A local yoga instructor came out (in a bikini and Tele skis on a very chilly night!) to lead the crowd in a collective plea for more snow this winter. Great fun for everyone there. (Tim Jones photo)

Marilyn and I had driven up Friday night to the Mount Washington Valley where we’d settled into the White Mountain Hotel, an absolutely lovely lodging property hidden away at the base of Cathedral Ledge in North Conway. This is a great spot, sort of like the Mount Washington in miniature, but cozier and friendlier. We really enjoyed our big, comfortable room (with an amazing bed!). Out our window we had a beautiful view stretching north up the valley. The location is just far enough from the bustle of Main Street and shopping malls to be quiet, yet it’s only 20 minutes from Wildcat (opened the day after Thanksgiving); 15 from Black Mountain (scheduled to open December 14); 10 from Attitash and Cranmore (opened the day after Thanksgiving).

We’d often heard about the food at the White Mountain Hotel, and it was simply fabulous. They served a hearty breakfast (made to order or Continental)  early enough to get you out for first chair. The Sunday brunch is legendary, but sampling it would have meant missing the early-morning skiing, so we settled for a regular breakfast instead. The Friday night seafood buffet, a local tradition, was both outstanding and inexpensive considering the quality and abundance of the food, well worth going for even if you are staying elsewhere.

On Saturday we did some hiking, toured a couple of ski club houses, for a future story (super bargain for the right people) and attended what was hoped to be the world’s largest “Snow Dance” at Black Mountain in Jackson (which won’t be open for a couple of weeks). If we get dumped on this winter, thank the two hundred folks or so who paid homage to  and asked blessings from Ullr, the snow god at Black on Saturday night. It was a fun evening and I’m hoping they make this an annual event.

Bretton Woods and Loon Mountain in One Day

The early birds at Bretton Woods found ribbons of soft corduroy to slide on. (Tim Jones photo)

But Sunday was for skiing and that first run, top-to-bottom off the Zephyr chair at Bretton woods, was everything anyone could reasonably hope for this early in a new season with no natural snow.

Typical of early-season skiing, the ride up the lift was over mostly bare ground, looking at one lovely ribbon of deep white snaking down Range View alongside. No, there wasn’t a lot of terrain open. Just that one ribbon of white, but four fast top-to-bottom runs on the smooth corduroy were enough to remind my thighs what skiing feels like. We ski in November and December so our legs are ready for January!!

At 10 o’clock, just as the first signs of scratchiness were beginning to show on Range View, they opened the Bethlehem Express which also offered soft, groomed corduroy on one perfect ribbon of white on Bigger Ben to Bretton’s Woods. Four more quick runs there sent me inside with grouching thighs. I’d have skied Bretton Woods more after a short break, but Loon was calling.

About 45 minutes after leaving Bretton Woods (driving right past Cannon Mountain which isn’t open quite yet,) we pulled into the parking lot at Loon. Fifteen minutes later, I was clicking into my skis at the top of the Gondola and ready to take some more runs.

Loon Mountain had plenty of snow on the trails that were open. The skiers and riders who got there early had the best conditions. (Tim Jones photo)

Loon appeared to have more terrain open than Bretton Woods. And, as expected, the snow was deep and there were no bare spots. But, after a morning of skier traffic, the trails were showing significant wear and tear. That’s always the way it is early in the season when you have a lot of pent up demand (especially on weekends) let loose on limited terrain. I’m certain the conditions would have been near-perfect for the first few runs had I been there at first chair.

Still, there were bands of soft loose granular down the edges of the trails. I caught the lull when the early-birds had gone in for lunch and didn’t have many other skiers to contend with so I could pick my lines and avoid most of the spots already worn down to hardpack. With sharp edges from a pre-season tune (highly recommended) I got in five more perfectly enjoyable runs on four different trails to make an even baker’s dozen before my legs gave out.

I only hope your opening day is as good or better. If you haven’t skied yet, what are you waiting for?

Three Early-Season Tips

1) Early season weather and snow conditions can change in a heartbeat. ALWAYS check conditions last-minute before you go. Don’t assume that, just because the area was open and offering great snow yesterday, it will be today.

2) Go early in the day. This is true all year—the best snow conditions are  (almost always) in the morning. But it’s especially true when there are lots of skiers and riders on only a few trails. If you are going to ski in the afternoon, make sure your edges and your technique are sharp.

3) Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are the best days to ski. Most people ski on the weekends, of course, but a significant number will either start the weekend early on Friday or stay on into Monday. Skiing Tuesday through Thursday means fewer people and snow that’s been buffed up for the coming weekend!

 

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