Skiing near Boston mid-Nov?

[johnnash]

I have to go to Boston (from the DC area) on business Nov. 19-20, and was wondering if any nearby resorts might be open for some early skiing if I went a couple of days earlier. I checked the websites of quite a few Mass. and NH resorts, but didn't see any that had announced a planned opening date. Does anyone know if there are any resorts within a couple of hours' drive of Boston that traditionally open that early? If so, I'll keep an eye on their websites. I'm sure it wouldn't exactly be world-class skiing, but better that than staying home! Thanks.

 

[yak]

Your best bet would be K-mart, but others may be open depending on how kind Mother Nature is to us. Some of the closest mountains would be Wachusett and Waterville.

 

[molecan]

I have to agree here. In Mid-November, barring fantastic snowfall, and moderate temp days to keep it there, the options are slim, and often consist of one (1, uno, ein) manmade snow run from top to bottom, until areas have a chance to build base on other trails.
I wouldn't make a multi-day trip of it, unless you can keep yourself amused for long periods of time on one, or few runs. I also would consider doing it mid-week, to keep the crowds down.

Also, it is generally considered that there is 'no beginner terrain' at this time of year, even if you are on a top to bottom Green. Over crowded slopes, thin cover, thaw/freeze cycles, and often active streams and drainage under the snow can cause pits, nasty conditions, accidents, et al.

The New England mountain that have announced planned opening dates are Killington in VT,Nov 10, (2.5 ish hours from Boston), Sunday River in ME, Nov 10, (3 hours at least from Boston), and Bretton Woods NH (just about 3 hours, and planning to open 'in the first week or two of november')
Stowe is 'planning for November 18th opening. Jay Peak is 'planning' on opening 'soon', probably around the same time as their competition at Stowe and Sugarbush.


Disclaimer: Despite the comments posted above, which could be misconstrued as being negative, I, personally will be skiing opening day and weekends, and every weekend during the early season at these places. With a big 'ol grin on my face to boot.

 

[johnnash]

OK, thanks for the advice. By "K-Mart", I'm guessing that Yak means Killington, so I'll keep my eye on their website. So far it doesn't mention the Nov. 10 opening date that Molecan refers to, but I guess they've probably announced that in local papers, so it's probably their target at least. And, molecan, as for your observation that "Over crowded slopes, thin cover, thaw/freeze cycles, and often active streams and drainage under the snow can cause pits, nasty conditions, accidents, et al.", that sounds to me like normal mid-winter conditions on the local DC-area slopes, so no problem! (Actually, I may be hyperbolizing here a bit, but not much.)

 

[Geoff]

OK, thanks for the advice. By "K-Mart", I'm guessing that Yak means Killington, so I'll keep my eye on their website. So far it doesn't mention the Nov. 10 opening date that Molecan refers to, but I guess they've probably announced that in local papers, so it's probably their target at least. And, molecan, as for your observation that "Over crowded slopes, thin cover, thaw/freeze cycles, and often active streams and drainage under the snow can cause pits, nasty conditions, accidents, et al.", that sounds to me like normal mid-winter conditions on the local DC-area slopes, so no problem! (Actually, I may be hyperbolizing here a bit, but not much.)

The cover on the manmade terrain at Killington is fine early season. They have to put down enough base so they can groom it. You won't be hitting rocks. If it hasn't thawed and refrozen, the skiing surface is usually OK, too. It does bump up quickly even midweek when there is limited terrain.

You absolutely do not want to ski there on a November Saturday because of the crowding. We usually ski from 7:30 to 9:30 or 10:00 and then go find something else to do. No big deal if you have a house and a season pass there but it's a waste if you're coming up from D.C. Saturday the 18th will completely suck since all the Bronze pass holders will be blacked out the next weekend.

There should be a number of ski areas open by then. Cheap lodging won't be a problem at that time of year. Book your flight, reserve your rental car, and hold off picking the mountain until a few days before.

...and if you're flying into Logan midweek, beware that rush hour starts at 3:00 and doesn't thin until 7:00. It will be quicker to take 1A to 1 to I-95 and head up to Sunday River rather than take a tunnel and deal with the I-93 traffic.

 

[johnnash]

Thanks for the tips -- especially the info on the probable crods at Killington on Sat and the Boston traffic . I guess we'll look to Sunday River. Although, judging from the story Admin posted, maybe we'd be better off to head for North Carolina ???!!