Wachusett (wachusett.com) is my local mountain and so by default, it is the one I ride the most. I typically make the 45-minute drive once per week from late December through mid-March. For a local hill, Wachusett has a fair amount of terrain to offer including some decent vertical drop (1,000 ft) for a mountain with a high peak of just 2,006 ft.
The Wachusett Mountain Experience
For anyone that has experience skiing or riding a small local hill like Wachusett, you’ll know what I mean when I say that you likely spend more time in lift lines than you do making turns on the trails. The reason is that the runs are short, and there are only two primary lifts servicing all the blue and black trails. Do the math and it’s just not possible to move all the people up the mountain in a way that prevents pooling up and long lines. It doesn’t matter the time of day or the day of the week, either. I have only ever hit this mountain midweek and at or after 4 pm and the lines rarely cease.
This is not a knock on the mountain, even-though it probably reads that way. It’s just the reality of a mountain that is 60 minutes from Boston and 30 minutes from Worcester, which happens to be the second largest city in the state, as well as in all of New England.
Snowboarding At Night
Wachusett has terrific night skiing and riding and I find this to be very impressive. There are certain areas of the trails that are in flat light and it’s hard to see, but that is not the majority of the time. The atmosphere at the mountain at night is amplified by the music at the lifts, the smell of chocolate from the waffle huts, and the general good vibes of the people standing in line with you.
In the winter months, the night time temps tend to be a bit on the frigid side and if you can get past that, you are good to go. The snow is typically in great condition at night because Wachusett grooms twice per day. In the morning is their first pass, and then again at about 4 or 5pm.
The Parking Situation
There is a very large lot right at the base of the mountain and I was able to park there all the days I went this season with the exception of one time (the day after the first snow of the season). There are multiple remote lots and the shuttle service seems fine enough with buses running constantly back and forth.
The Lodge
The lodge is standard and has all the things you would expect to find. Food is cafeteria-style grab and go and there are a decent amount of tables. The retail shop was actually one of the best I saw this season including the 4 mountains I rode in NH.
Wachusett Mountain Rangers
Wachusett Mountain has something called “Rangers” and they wear orange jackets. They are basically the police of the mountain and work with the ski patrol. I learned from a local guy I met and rode with one night that the Rangers are a volunteer position and the perk is they can ski for free on their few shifts they have each season. The Rangers tend to keep a keen eye on snowboarders and get after them/us for riding too fast or appearing to be out of control. I didn’t have any run-ins with them but they do exude an air of arrogance when you see them in the lift lines or get stuck with one on the actual lift.
Wachusett Mountain In A Nut Shell
People come to this mountain because of where it’s located as I mentioned above. It’s pretty sweet to leave work at 4 and be on the mountain by 5 and because of the lights, get about 4 hours in during the week. Because of this, folks are more tolerant to things that you experience at a small mountain (i.e. Rangers, long lines, short runs). There is a good mix of skiers and riders and aside from the Rangers, there doesn’t seem to be a strong bias towards skiers like you experience at other mountains in New Hampshire.
For anyone reading this who is looking for a good local to Boston hill to learn on this is the right place for you (you might also consider Nashoba Valley).
For anyone reading this who is not a new skier or rider, beware of those learning because there are a lot and they scrape the snow off the mountain like champs as well as clog up the trails with traffic.
This write-up has a tinge of negativity in it I realize. I don’t mean to be this way, but in order to give an accurate account of my experiences at Wachusett I can’t leave this stuff out.
Interesting Points About Wachusett Mountain
- You can buy lift tickets from their app which is a decent experience
- Their three main lifts are high-speed quads. There is another lift that is older and it services 3 trails at mid-mountain
- The 3 main lifts use RFID cards and automatic scanners
- The lift operators are mostly young kids and they are nice enough
- The lift operators are very strict about putting down the bar on the lift and use a loudspeaker to remind you continuously until you are out of earshot
- Wachusett has a racing club
- Wachusett has a designated terrain park area
