Cranmore Mountain, Spring Snowboarding

I Met up with an old buddy for some spring riding at Cranmore Mountain (cranmore.com). It was one of those classic days where the higher in the sky the sun got, the fewer layers of clothes were required. I started out with my typical riding gear on and by the end of the day I was in a long-sleeved t-shirt and vest.

The day started out slow on the slopes, with no lift lines. Cranmore was spinning just two lifts this Wednesday morning. At first, I was fine with that but after realizing the trails I wanted to ride were dumping me off at a closed lift (Lookout Double), I realized how much it sucked.

A combination of wet sticky snow and a basically zero elevation near the base meant we snowboarders needed to pedal our way back to Skimobile Lift the only one operating to the summit. BUT unlike my experience at Attitash, at-least this one lift was a high-speed quad which zipped us back to the top pretty quick.

Lunch at Cranmore

By about lunchtime, the snow around the quad was in pretty rough shape. To be expected for March conditions.

There are plenty of food options at Cranmore, well, at least it seems there are when there’s no COVID and when the season is in full swing. Most things were either not open are had complicated reservation systems to get food. We found the deck not far from the lift to be a perfect place to relax. There is a walk-up window to grab things like beer and typical bar food (burgers, fries, etc). Our lunch included Guinness, it was St. Patrick’s Day after all and there’s no denying my red Irish beard!

New Hampshire Mountain Views

The views of the White Mountains from Cranmore are fantastic. Especially the snow-capped Mt. Washington and the Presidential Range. I am torn on whether I prefer this side of the White Mountain National Forrest or the other side where Loon Mountain and Waterville Valley are located. From where I live in Boston, this side of the range takes me almost another 45-60 minutes to get to whereas I can get to Loon in 2 hours flat.

Cranmore is a Cruiser Mountain

Overall I found Cranmore to be a cruiser mountain with no truly challenging trails. All the glade trails were closed due to lack of snow coverage so I’ll be sure to hit those in 2022. My favorite runs were Audacity, North Conway, Split Decision, and Hurricane.

Overall Takeaways From The Day

• Cranmore is a really chill mountain
• Aroma Therapy on the lifts! This is truly unique. I could not spot where the scent was coming from, but it must have been from the towers. I wish all the mountains did this
• It’s not a huge mountain but does present some decent vertical drop (1,200 ft)
• The outdoor decks provide a great sense of gathering and community. Many people stayed after the mountain closed to hang out and have a few beers and laughs
• Parking was easy and it’s all right at the mountain. I didn’t notice any remote lots
• There is a small retail shop stocked with your typical things
• This mountain seems to attract a local crowd of people
• Many people were relaxing and tailgating after skiing which is something you don’t typically see