Ski New Hampshire and the great winter resorts of the Granite State have been watching the weather in anticipation of another fantastic season and have announced their projected opening days for the coming winter season. Eleven of them will be open for business by Thanksgiving weekend and an additional eight have announced plans to open before Christmas. Several of the ski resorts still have special prices on passes and offer packages throughout the season. New Hampshire’s resorts will open over the course of a month starting in early November with Bretton Woods being first in either New Hampshire or Vermont.
Here they are in order of opening:
November Ski Area Openings:
- Bretton Woods, Route 302, Bretton Woods, (6030 278 3320, Snow line (603) 278 3333 - November 8
- Crotched Mountain, Francestown Road, Greenfield, (603) 588 3668 (Main & Snow line) – November 15
- Attitash Mountain, Route 302, Bartlett, (877) 677 7669, (603) 374 2368, Snow line (877) 677 7669 – November 22
- Loon Mountain, Loon Mountain Road-Kancamagus Highway, Lincoln, (603) 745 5811, Snow line (603) 745 8100 – November 22
- Waterville Valley Resort, Ski Area Road, Waterville, (800) 468 2553, –November 22
- Cannon Mountain, Franconia Notch State Park, Franconia, (603) 823 8800, Snow line (603) 823 7771 –November 28
- Mount Sunapee, Route 103, Newbury, (603) 763 3500 – November 28
- Ragged Mountain Resort, Ragged Mountain Road, Danbury, (877) 467 5476, (603) 768 3600 – November 28
- Cranmore Mountain, Skimobile Road, North Conway, (800) 786 6754 - November 28 – tubing only
- Granite Gorge, Route 9, Roxbury (near Keene), (603) 358 5000 – November 29 – 2nd annual Thanksgiving Railjam only
- Wildcat Mountain, Route 16, Pinkham Notch, (603) 466 3326, Snow line (888) 754 9453 – November 29
December Ski Area Openings:
- Gunstock Mountain Resort, Cherry Valley Road, Gilford, (800) 486 7862, (603) 293 4341 – December 5
- Cranmore Mountain, Skimobile Road, North Conway, (800) 786 6754 – December 6 – riding and skiing
- McIntyre Ski Area, Kennard Road, Manchester, (603) 628 6163,– December 6
- Pat’s Peak, Flanders Road, Henniker, (888) 728 7732 – December 6
- Granite Gorge, Route 9, Roxbury (near Keene), (603) 358 5000 – December 12– skiing and boarding
- King Pine Resort, Eaton Road, Route 153, East Madison, (800) 373 3754, ((603) 367 8896, - December 12
- Dartmouth Skiway, Grafton Turnpike, Lyme Center, (603) 795-2143 – December 13
- Balsams Wilderness, Cold Springs Road, off Route 26, Dixville Notch, (877) 225 3951, (603) 225 7267 – December 19
You have to remember, however, that all of these dates are dependent upon the weather and a warm spell or a few days of rain can spoil the best plans of snow-makers and hungry skiers.Some larger areas should open earlier than some of the smaller areas because of their snow making potential. Areas that feature natural ski areas, natural terrain, and natural snow will be slower to be open and we will just have to wait for that to happen. A quick check of all of New Hampshire’s ski area conditions can be found at Ski New Hampshire.
