There’s nothing quite like the exhilarating winter thrill of spending the day racing down a snowy mountain or snowshoeing through beautiful wilderness, only to curl up by a warm fire with a delicious dinner and drink in the evening. While people in some parts of the country need to hop on a plane to Aspen for such an experience, those on the North Shore can find it right in their own backyard at the region’s most beautiful ski resorts.
Mount Sunapee Resort
Boasting a 1,510-foot vertical drop—the highest in Southern New Hampshire— and a 2,743-foot elevation, Mount Sunapee Resort offers some of the widest variety of ski terrain close to home. “It’s around two hours from the North Shore,” said Caroline Sweet, communications manager for New Hampshire’s Vail Resorts, which includes Mount Sunapee. “That’s a lot closer than you’ll find this sort of terrain [elsewhere] in the area.”
The Newbury, New Hampshire, resort is a magnet for skiers of all skill levels, offering 233 acres of skiable terrain, nine chair lifts, four terrain parks, and 67 trails for beginner, intermediate, and advanced skiers, plus skiing and snowboarding lessons and rentals. But it’s the extras that really make the place special, even for people who don’t ski.
“Sunapee is a great area,” Sweet says, pointing to everything from the scenic Lake Sunapee; to on-mountain dining; to great lodging like Maple Hill Farm Country Inn B&B and Mountain Edge Resort & Spa at Sunapee; to ski resort events and activities like the fun and exciting Slush Cup the weekend of March 28.
Sunday River
Sunday River is a lot more than its 884 acres, 139 trails, 19 lifts, and 2,340 vertical feet, although those stats are nothing to sneeze at. Instead, the Newry, Maine, destination is a true ski resort, with three onsite lodging options, including ski-in, ski-out slope-side stays, a luxury spa, five hotel restaurants, shopping, and even a dog-friendly inn. There’s also a huge array of things to do, from fireworks and nightlife, to indulging in food, drinks, and live music at the spectacular Iglu winter-wonderland venue carved entirely from snow and ice, and so much more.
Loon Mountain
“The winter in the northeast can be a time where it’s difficult to find things to do,” says Taylor Siewierski, communications manager for Loon Mountain Resort in Lincoln, New Hampshire. But the opposite is true at Loon Mountain, located in the White Mountain National Forest, which is celebrating its 60th winter season. Each Loon Mountain winter seems to get better, with the resort investing in more snowmaking and better snow coverage on higher elevation trials, Siewierski says. Visitors will not only find more and better snow, but also 403 skiable acres, 73 trails, 14 lifts, and three peaks, along with award-winning terrain parks.
There’s a lot to do beyond downhill skiing and snowboarding, too, including Sno-Go rentals, cross-country skiing, New Hampshire’s longest gondola sky ride, and events like the Torchlight Parade on January 17, featuring snowcat rides, fireworks, face painting, and a stunning team of skiers and snowboarders coming down the mountain holding spectacularly flaming batons. If the après ski scene is more your speed, Loon has you covered, there, too, in the perennially popular Paul Bunyan Lodge or the laid-back Babe’s Blue Ox Lounge.
South Peak Resort at Loon Mountain
South Peak Resort at Loon Mountain offers a rare blend of mountain energy and peaceful seclusion. The neighborhood feels like a private alpine enclave, where modern slopeside homes sit beneath wide-open trails, and the quiet hum of the river follows you wherever you wander. Guests can step from their front door onto the snow in winter or enjoy warm-weather strolls along treelined paths that frame sweeping views of the surrounding peaks. Though it’s just minutes from downtown Lincoln, South Peak Resort feels worlds away— an inviting retreat where adventure, relaxation, and natural beauty meet in effortless balance.
Bretton Woods
Bretton Woods, New Hampshire’s largest ski area, is simply spectacular and the alpine and Nordic skiing crown jewel in the White Mountains. It offers 464 acres of skiing and riding, 63 trails, 36 glades, nine lifts, and a scenic skyway gondola, not to mention a spa, an adaptive skiing program, tubing, a canopy tour, sleigh and carriage rides, and so many more ways to enjoy the outdoors. It also boasts three distinct lodgings, including the legendary and historic Omni Mount Washington Resort, home to beautiful rooms, dining, and shopping, and even The Cave, a prohibition-era speakeasy. brettonwoods.com
Waterville Valley Resort
If Waterville Valley Resort feels like a secret escape, that’s because it is. “It is essentially this isolated, quintessentially New England ski town,” says Rainie May, marketing operations manager. “It’s tucked away in the middle of the White Mountain National Forest, and it’s one way in, one way out.” That hidden, secret feeling helps Waterville Valley feel like a safe, relaxing getaway for skiers of all abilities and families of all sizes, shapes, and ages. “Our target audience is ages one all the way up to 80 and beyond,” May says.
Waterville Valley’s superlatives speak for themselves. There’s a 4,004- foot mountain elevation, a 2,020-foot vertical drop, 10 lifts, and 62 trails. But the renowned resort isn’t content to rest on its laurels. This season, Waterville Valley installed a brand-new, state-of-the-art surface lift. The new T-bar will enhance uphill capacity and improving access to terrain, adding to the overall ski experience across the board.
Even beyond skiing and snowboarding there’s a lot to do, with enough activities and events to fill a weekend or longer, including Nordic skiing, fat biking, snowshoeing, a bowling alley and arcade, live music, après ski fun at the Freestyle Lounge, and countless family events all year long. “We want families to be able to go out and experience nature, all in one location,” May says.