WATERVILLE VALLEY FROM OVERHEAD. Photo Credit: Waterville Valley Resort
Excerpt from Jay Flemma
WATERVILLE VALLEY, NH – It all started with a snarky T-shirt worn by a local skier at Waterville Valley in New Hampshire:
SKI NEW HAMPSHIRE – WE’RE LIKE VERMONT, JUST NOT AS STUCK UP
“Bro, them’s fightin’ words!” joked a fellow skier in a Mad River Glen hat. “I’m gonna make my own shirt! ‘SKI VERMONT – IT’S LIKE NEW HAMPSHIRE, BUT WAY COOLER,” he replied, and the trash-talking was on. Vermonters, on the one hand, championing Killington, Sugarbush, Mt. Snow and the like. And the New Hampshirites (that’s the demonym – the noun you use for people from New Hampshire) New Hampshirites on the other hand praising the likes of Cannon, Attitash, and Loon. It’s the Long Trail against the White Mountains, and your loyalty depends on what side of the border you live.
It’s a worthy question to explore. Along with Whiteface Mountain in Lake Placid, the White Mountains and the Long Trail are the east coast’s definitive ski resorts, and their contributions to the American skiing culture are impossible to overstate. This series will explore the New Hampshire and Vermont scene in depth, but along the way we’ll review the latest gear, meet some of the interesting people who color our sport and, of course, talk about where to play golf and ski on the same day.
Opened in 1966, Waterville Valley Resort, in the eponymously named New Hampshire town, lies in latitude 43 degrees, 57 minutes North, and longitude 71 degrees 30 minutes West. Comprised of two connected peaks – Mount Tecumsah and Green Peak, facing northeast and north respectively – it stands at a highest altitude of 4,004 feet above sea level, and its 46 miles of trails descend a 2,020 foot vertical. Mount Tecumsah is the larger of the two by far, but they are cleverly interconnected by a high speed quad chair, moving skiers back and forth across the terrain with ease. This greatly eases congestion on the mountain and translates to short lift lines.
The overall trail plan of the resort is excellent. Skiers of all levels except beginner can ascend to the summit and ski all the way down, enjoying the stunning panoramic views. The aforementioned quad chair – called Sunnyside – connects the two mountains, making traversing across the mountain easy. High winds sometimes close certain lifts, such as Sunnyside and the tiny High Country chair servicing Mount Tecumsah’s three short summit runs, but with the exception of a two early hours on Saturday, the vast majority of lifts were open and lift lines were virtually non-existent. For the two hours of high winds, there were long lines with the Green Peak and White Peak Express Quad doing the lion’s share of the work.
Favorite trails of Your Author and His Wingman include Periphery or Tangent -> The Boneyard! (It was all moguled out, but not steep or icy – perfect for honing technique.) True Grit and Psyched, two other expert runs, were also covered in fresh powder, making for exhilarating skiing. World Cup Run, Lower Bobby’s Run, (the steepest terrain on the mountain, named after Bobby Kennedy, who skied here often), are favorites of both locals and ski patrol, as is the colorfully named Wong Way.
Waterville Valley is also renowned for three more things: it’s the birthplace of freestyle skiing, its ski schools are all but unparalleled at any level, and its always packed with families and kids, especially tykes. As soon as they can walk, parents are putting them on skis; it’s a beautiful thing.
“Lookit Daddy! Lookit Daddy! I ski! I ski!!!” a bubbly little blonde girl shrieked joyously, as her proud parents beamed. The Mom hugged the Dad, who looked just as delighted as she did. The family that plays together stays together, indeed.
The link to entire piece is HERE: Border War! Vermont vs. New Hampshire Skiing Part 1 – Waterville Valley
Posted from JayFlemma.com
