Wildcat, NH 02/29/12

jamesdeluxe

Administrator
Day 3 of the Northeast Ski Blogger Summit brought our crew to Wildcat, a NH ski area that many here are very familiar with, but one that I'd never visited.

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Patrick is a big fan of Wildcat's consistent 2,100 verts and its narrow, winding trails and I couldn't find much to complain about, other than the fact that my legs are getting a bit shot after the previous days. Similar to other stops on this trip, groomed trails were rock hard in steep spots and very carvable in others; however, the off-piste was nice and soft. Views of Mount Washington were stellar and locals pointed out the names of famous locations on the mountain that I'd heard about for years, but never saw in person.

RivercOil on "Upper Catapult" with Tuckerman's Ravine in the distance
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We got a nice taste of Wildcat and covered all of the classics, including a top-to-bottom run on Polecat, the longest novice trail in New Hampshire. To make it interesting, we were instructed by our host Thomas Prindle not to stop, which was more challenging than I had expected because of the aforementioned dead legs.

Gord at the top of "Wildcat," which was cut in 1933 by the Civilian Conservation Corp and was one of the first racing trails in the U.S.
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Since Wildcat is 100% on National Forest Land, there's no base infrastructure other than a bare-bones lodge whose exterior hasn't been painted in many moons. I liked the no-nonsense ambiance and understand why it's referred to as a classic New England ski area.

Heading back to the Mount Washington Valley through Jackson.
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Bobby Danger":2cdpanam said:
james these pictures touched my soul ----- THANK YOU-----
Glad you liked them. The NE expats are always going on about how they moved out west and never looked back, but it's OK to look back -- it won't bite. BTW, at every NH ski area on this trip (Cannon, Attitash, Wildcat, Bretton Woods), I made a point to sample the New England Clam Chowder. All were great (granted, it's tough to screw up the recipe), but Wildcat's was exceptional. They must use some kind of rocket-powered clam broth.

Very amusing to speak to longtime locals with that New Hampsha brogue. I kept thinking that I was talking to Bobby D.
 
jamesdeluxe":3q3prynl said:
Bobby Danger":3q3prynl said:
james these pictures touched my soul ----- THANK YOU-----
Glad you liked them. The NE expats are always going on about how they moved out west and never looked back, but it's OK to look back -- it won't bite.
Don't confuse looking back with fondness with looking back with longing or burning desire to return. When we say we never looked back, we mean the latter, not the former.
There are definitely things I miss about skiing in New England and the NE in general. There are other things I never care to see again. Ice storms is one that comes to mind; bumps the consistency of concrete is another.
 
My take on this day:

Wildcat NH : February 29, 2012 (NSBS 2.3) – Like meeting an old friend

http://madpatski.wordpress.com/2012/03/ ... ld-friend/

Click on link to access the TR with extra pictures.



Tom, the Wildcat video guy, is looking for a good place setting up for the first video sequence

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yftf8LSe13s[/youtube]
Here are the results of Tom's work.



In Jake's backyard


Bye Bye White Mountains


I was tired and had trouble focusing on the road once I hit Montreal
 
Good report. Nice pics. Fun video.

But, um, since when does South Orange, NJ equate with "Central New York?"
 
flyover":u8c524o4 said:
Good report. Nice pics. Fun video.

Thanks. The draft was written a while ago, but it just took time to get it together with the pics (even if they are digital)

flyover":u8c524o4 said:
But, um, since when does South Orange, NJ equate with "Central New York?"

That NJ license isn't registered to someone called "Harvey" either. :lol:
 
flyover":30qdjk68 said:
But, um, since when does South Orange, NJ equate with "Central New York?"
LOL, I grew up and spent half of my life there, go back several times a year, and write/edit the NY Ski Magazine; thus, I still identify as a CNYer -- who has lived in NJ for seven years. 8-[

No NJ shame here, I like many aspects of where I live in the Garden State, but wish I could do something about the drive times to skiing: an hour from fourth-tier EC hills (Poconos) and 1:45 from third-tier EC hills (Catskills). On the plus side, we're only 12 minutes from a major airport with nonstops to most places, so getting outta Dodge for destination trips is comparatively easy.
 
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