looking for a small NE ski area for lessons; minimal boredom

This weekend my girlfriend wants to go skiing. She's only been once, and clearly has the potential to be good but is still very shaky. We want to get her into a half-day lesson someplace so that she can learn the fundamentals.

One of the things she was not happy with when we went to Mount Snow a few weeks ago was the number of people on the trails, even though we were in a fenced-in beginners area. So, we're looking for a place near Boston that's small and not too crowded on the weekends, but offers decent lessons. And ideally something that will keep me from getting bored while she's taking a class.

any suggestions? I'm afraid Wachusett might be too mobbed, even though it's definitely the most convenient. I'm familiar with all of the Southern VT ski areas, but don't know much about the mountains closer to Boston. I'd like to keep the drive under 90 minutes, if I can. This would just be a day trip.

Sunapee?

Maybe Watervlle Valley?

^ good suggestions ^

I will add Sun can be less crowded than Sat.

thanks. Waterville might be a little too far for this time out, but sunapee looks like it would work.

any other suggestions?

If your drive tolerance is 90 minutes from Boston, then the options are a bit limited...there are the feeder hills inside of I-495 but with around 200 feet of vertical you will get bored quickly.

Wachusett is a good place to go when the crowds are down, which I've only seen on some nights and late in the season. Also, if you are an advanced skier, you may not find Wachusett all that interesting...the trails are practically all groomed cruisers.

With the South Peak beginner/novice area, Sunapee would be a good option, but that's 90 minutes for me from just south of Nashua. Not sure if that would be too far for you coming from Boston.

If you don't mind a place with less than 1000 feet of vertical, I'd recommend Pats Peak or Crotched in NH. Both have a good mix of terrain...Pats would have more beginner and advanced stuff (including a shorter bump run with decent pitch), but they do tend to get more crowded than Crotched.

hmm. I see sunapee is being a little optimistic on their drive times - they're saying 90 minutes from Boston. I just checked on mapquest and it's 100 miles from here. knowing that it takes at least 15-20 minutes just to get from my house onto I-93, it's probably around 2 hours. I'm inclined to just head up to VT and spend the weekend at my parent's house!

Pat's Peak
McIntyre

Pat's is probably your best bet for the least amount of boredom and the least amount of people, but both are probably within about an hour-90 mins of you and are a little bit cheaper than Mt. Blow.

That's almost mutually exclusive.

The only mid-sized mountain within an hour of Boston is Wa and it will be crowded on weekends except...

* - When it's real real really cold out. Like last Saturday it wasn't crowded at all. But you have to know how to dress when the temps are in the single digits (or lower).

* - Night skiing on holidays. The kids are out of school and come during the day.

* - Usually by the second week of March, the few-times-a-season skiers forget about skiing and the crowds start to thin out. There's several good weeks left.


A little over two hours from Boston and you could get to Berkshire East. It's a very nice old-fashioned mid-sized mountain without too many crowds.

I haven't skied Sunapee in years. It's a nice mid-sized mountain but I hear it gets crowded.

If the conditions are good at Waterville, It can get crowded.

You might look at Ragged. It's a mid-sized mountain in NH. Never skied there but it's supposed to be nice.

Never been to McIntyre, but with 180 ft of vertical I'd guess it's no bigger than the Boston area feeder hills...

Drive time to Ragged would be on the long side because of the amount of back roads off of I-89 or I-93, but it is a nice place and you would not have to worry about crowds.

Pat's Peak is perfect for you.

I can't really help you with the current question, but once she gets a few more days under her belt you should plan a trip to Bretton Woods - it's some of the easiest groomer cruisers you'll find anywhere, and it's just far away enough from Boston to keep the crowds at bay, but not too far to do as an easy weekend or an ambitious day trip

The beginner terrain at Waterville Valley is a little inconvenient...the J Bar is way on the right (from the lodge), while the two mild greens with their own double chair that aren't too crowded are down a hill way to the left. The Valley Run is a nice, fairly long green more or less serviced by its own quad that doesn't get too crowded (Quadzilla), but it can be a little intimidating for beginners...it's steep for a green just before the end, but very wide. You can't find any greens off the main (White Peaks) quad.
Crotched used to have a nice deal where you would show up Sunday afternoon and pay $25 for a lift ticket and a rental. I took my daughter there several times when we were learning, and the few hours we would get in were fine at that level. The main runs were skied off by then, of course. Pat's is a lot easier to get to from the Boston area, in my opinion.
Only went to Sunapee once when we were still green-bound...I think there was a small area to one side with its own lift and a bunch of greens, but the only long green I recall crossed more advanced trails over and over and scared us at the time.
Don't bother with McIntyre. You'll be bored stiff there, and the one lesson my daughter took there was a DISASTER. You can have some fun at Pat's or Crotched. I don't know Wachusett, so I can't say if the extra drive to NH will give you some crowd reduction.

What about Gunstock, near Laconia? That is the closest Southern N. H. area that I know of.

they have a nice beginner area but it's not an easy ride from Boston, and I'm pretty sure it's more than 90 minutes.

well I mapped it. Looks like it might do the trick:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sour...25&ie=UTF8&z=8

thanks for the suggestions!

We're definitely going to try some of these places out this winter. due to an unforeseen Wii disaster (my parent's cat ate through the video cable connecting it to their television), I've been asked to go to their house in Vermont to rewire it in a cat-proof manner for them this weekend. So, we're going to head up there on friday night, get my mom rolling with Wii Fit once again, and then head to Bromley on Saturday AM, which is only about 40 minutes away. hard to beat a free meal and free lodging even if I do have to crawl around behind the television for a bit!

Just tie this guy to it.

Problem solved.

Wachusett has nice first time and beginner terrain. Very weak ski school.
Nashoba has an excellent ski school, and you will be bored.
Butternut in Great Barrington has excellent terrain, and very good ski school.
Jiminey Peak in Hancock Ma.has an excellent beg. program and terrain you will enjoy.

Another option is to wait until March. Typically, the crowds have died down, and the weather is warmer.

yeah - I can't wait and she wants to get in several days this winter so that she can start skiing with me. we have two weekend trips planned with friends this winter, so we're hoping to get a jump on her abilities before then.

Yep. Gunstock and Sunapee where the first thing that came to my mind but they are both probably closer to 2 hours from Jamaica Plain. Pats Peak might be 15 or 20 minutes closer.

Sunapee will be more like a "small resort" since it's a baby Okemo. I've hiked Gunstock a lot and done beer league on the flat lit lower mountain at night. The upper part looks more interesting but I've never skied there during the day.

Might suggest night skiing at Wachusett. School crowds depart around 7:00 pm and if it's a relatively warm night it should be comfortable. I introduced a friend to skiing 2 years ago and he had 3 weeks of group lessons (with the same instructor!) with only 1 person (him!) in the group.

L2T might be able to suggest the better night to try if you're up.

(Pretty nice restaurant and bar as well in the main lodge)

It's not.

If you're amenable to night skiing, you could also check out Nashoba Valley. Pretty small and no challenge for intermediate to advanced skiers, but a decent place to learn. Also much closer to Boston!

Nashoba's running an advertised special on Sunday nights currently - lift, lesson & rentals for $50. (www.skinashoba.com) I've got some friends who are skiing Monday night on a similar deal .. although they're not advertising it, it still might be available.

If you try a weekday, plan on the 7:30 lesson block ... the hill is a zoo from around 3:00 until 7:00 weekdays when the after school programs are running.

Try Crotched Mountain in Bennington NH.

Lots of really good instructors.

Even when it is most crowded the lift lines move well and there are trails not crowded.

Though it is a small mountain, the trails are fun (it's kids of like getting the combo platter - sampling of everything)

Plenty of night skiing (except Sunday night) and the even have midnight madness - goes until 3AM on Fri and Sat.

Prices are very reasonable

www.crotchedmountain.com

Crotched is nice, and I prefer it to Pat's, but it is a bit off the beaten path. Pat's is more or less right off 89, but you've gotta drive a bit in the sticks to get to Crotched. I can get to Crotched from where I live in about 1/2 hour on a good day, but I was pretty unsure that I was following the directions correctly the first time I went until I actually saw the place.
Just print out some online directions and a map and pay attention carefully as you go if you choose Crotched. It is a nice small mountain, and I'm thinking now that the $25 Sunday deal also included a group lesson that ended up being private the times we went (since there was no crowd). Not sure if they still have that deal, though.

Wachusett. Half a day. Then take her to lunch at the Angler in nearby Westminster. Get the Sesame Shrim or Buffalo Shrimp. Depending on how lunch goes, stop in a the Town Crier for a sticky tumble.

Or REALLY wow her. Half a day. Then hit the Wach Village Inn and get a couples massage. Back to civilization in time for a nice dinner in town. Dinner at the Inn is very good as well. I would call and see about a one night package. Ski, Stay, Dinner, Massage.

I am biased, but I have to say that Berkshire East is one of the hidden jewels of NE. It has a lot of terrain, a lot of variety, rarely gets crowded, and has good instructors (not talking about myself )

The blues are challenging, the blacks steep and interesting. It has good beginner terrain as well. Drawback is the lifts are all non-detachable, so a bit slow, but this only helps with the big postive which is that the trails are not littered with people.

A 5 minute lift line is a rarity and very long for the 'beast. Even on holiday weekends. I'd ski there over any NE area on a weekend. (Well maybe not, but I love uncrowded slopes.)

NE Ski Area

I think Don Denver is originally from Nebraska, he might have some ideas for you...

I'll second Berkshire East. Uncrowded in my experience and has a nice range of beginner's terrain: a little first-timers' slope with a magic carpet, a classic bunny slope with a double chair, a really easy long trail from the top, and a big wide practice slope with more pitch (Exhibition). Can't comment on the teaching.

When she lived in Burlington, my gf learned to ski at Bolton Valley. She described it as a nice, small, family owned resort.
Google Maps shows it 200 miles from Boston, however.
1704 foot vertical, has night skiing too.