Attitash Bear Peak, NH (Sun, 1/20)

[Jerry]

Made the weekly pilgrimage to ABP on Sunday. MLK weekend was *crowded*. The crowds generally tend to congregate on the blues, so if you can ski the blacks, you will probably be in pretty good shape. We didn't even make our way over to the Attitash Peak b/c it is usually more crowded than Bear. The good news is that Bear Peak had most of the groomers open. I think the only thing left on Bear that isn't open is Lower Kachina and some of the glades are unskiable. There are a couple of glades that are good to go, though. Avenger (double black) was open finally. Groomed on the left, moguls on the right. Illusion and Reckoning were loaded with kickers on the sides of the trails. For the ABP uninitiate, this resort is generally loaded with good places to do jumping. So, any boarders and skiers that enjoy catching some air, you should definitely consider a trip here. ABP now has almost everything open now (I don't know about the half-pipe, but I would guess that it's not quite ready yet.) The snow quality was decent, with a couple of icy patches. A little secret for those who have never been or have only been a few times. If you are driving up from the south on 16 to 302, you will come across the parking lot for the Attitash Peak first. You will have to park across the street and walk cross it (or take the tunnel) to get to the lifts. Instead of stopping here and parking, you should continue on down 302 for about another 1/4 mile until you reach the parking lot for Bear Peak. The parking lot is closer and the walk is shorter. One caveat, it's not all that obvious from the street where the driveway is, so look for the sign for the Grand Summit Hotel and turn in there. A word to the wise also, this is where the buses park, so oftentimes the ski club members from middle school and high school will spend their time in the Bear Peak lodge rather than the Attitash lodges. If you are trying to avoid the younger generation, you would do well to eat your lunch at an Attitash eatery. Personally, I don't mind these nice folks, so I take advantage of the better parking opportunities.