Attitash Mountain, Spring Snowboarding

This was my first time riding at Attitash Mountain (attitash.com), and unfortunately, the weather was not ideal. Watching the forecast leading up to Thursday, and there was a 40% chance of rain. That 40% turned to 100%, and so it goes. The good thing about an overcast and rainy day at the mountain is hardly anyone comes out, which means short (nonexistent) lift lines and no crowds on the trails.

I can’t complain since just the day before, at Cranmore Mountain, the weather was 55 degrees and super sunny, classic spring riding in a t-shirt and vest.

Lodging

I stayed at the Attitash Mountain Village, conveniently located directly across the street from the mountain. I could see a few trails from the back deck. 

The room was pretty awesome in that it felt more like a studio apartment, more so than a hotel room. Here are a few photos.

Another great detail about staying at this resort is that you get priority parking for the ski mountain. This means I could park super close to the pedestrian tunnel that takes you under the road and directly to either the summit triple lift or to the ticket office. I highly recommend staying at the Attitash Mountain Resort.

Food Situation

Attitash Mountain is located in the town of Bartlett, NH, which is about a 15-minute drive from North Conway. I discovered too late that there is not much for food options once you are at the mountain and or the Attitash Mountain Resort. Sure, driving back to North Conway was an option, but I was coming off a full day of riding at Cranmore, and the idea of driving back to North Conway for food was not appealing. Luckily there’s Matty B’s Mountainside Cafe located on the resort property. The food was really good and was ready quick. If I had stayed more than one night, I would have stocked up the room’s fridge and cooked in the unit.

Snow Conditions

Overall, the mountain conditions were fair considering the temperature was in the mid-40s and it was raining. The snow at the base and around the lift was slushy, but it was decent and only sticky in select areas on the actual trails. Like most mountains, I found that on the black diamonds, there were often ice spots from people staying too long in their turns and scraping (plowing) the snow off into little mounds.

I look forward to experiencing this mountain in the wintertime and when all the lifts are open. Too often, I was left pedaling my way back to a lift due to the nearest one not being open and the flatness between it and the lift that was open. The sticky wet snow compounded this.

Lifts

They were spinning only three lifts total on this day, and that seemed fine (except for the issues it caused me on a snowboard, most likely not an issue for skiers). I was able to get myself around to the trails I wanted to experience without much issue.

The issue with the lifts isn’t the number of them; it was the fact they are ancient and super slow (there’s no high-speed quad on the Attitash peak side of the mountain). Of the mountains I rode this year (including the small local Wachusett Mountain), Attitash is way behind in their lift situation. I mean, they don’t have a high-speed quad taking you to the top. The clunky Summit Triple which takes, what feels like an eternity getting to the summit, was probably something like 8 minutes bottom to top. I cringe thinking about the experience if there were long lift lines AND THEN an 8-10 minute life ride (I didn’t time this so if I am way off, please correct me in the comment section!).

Riding Experience

The trails were fast and provided a moderate amount of technical challenge. I didn’t make it over to the Bear Peak, so I can’t comment on those. On the Attitash side, I found myself excited about the vertical drop, but it was often short-lived, and if you’re not careful, you’ll end up on a green trail. The short-lived thrill would not be such a big deal if the lift experience were better. When I hit Attitash in 2022, I’ll spend time over at Bear peak.

My favorite runs of the day were the 3 Ptarmigan trails (upper, middle, and lower). Some great vertical drop combined with sharp winding angles. I also enjoyed Tightrope into White Horse trails.

Due to the persistent rain, I cut the day short before making it over to Bear Peak. I’ll need to make a second trip to this hill next season.

Video From Chairlift

Overall Impressions

• Good vertical drop (1750′ (Attitash), 1450′ (Bear Peak))
• Decent spring snow conditions
• Lift operators were friendly
• Lift RFD card is scanned manually
• There is a retail shop and plenty of indoor bathrooms
• A skier-dominated mountain. I didn’t see another rider until about an hour after I got there
• The base area is very cluttered and a bit of an eyesore. Clearly, there is a lot of focus on summer activities at Attitash. Water slides and other structures are all right there in your face which gives the mountain a commercial feel
• The mountain seems to attract an older crowd – at least on the day I was there
• This was the first mountain where I saw a bench specifically for snowboarders!