Amazing Scenery and Great Terrain - New Hampshire's Wildcat Mountain
Written: Feb 25 '04 (Updated Feb 29 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Superb views, lots of trails, 2100 vertical drop, glade skiing, off-piste terrain
Cons: Not too much terrain for beginners
The Bottom Line: One of the undiscovered gems, Wildcat Mountain offers a big vertical drop, glades and off-piste backcountry skiing along with the best scenery in New England to skiers who find it.
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| jps246's Full Review: Wildcat |
With arguably the most impressive scenery of any ski area in New England and a 2,112 foot vertical drop, Wildcat Mountain, across Pinkham Notch from Mount Washington is a ski experience that no New England skier or boarder (or anyone else for that matter) should miss.
Located in northern New Hampshire, Wildcat offers varied trails, glade skiing, and scenery rivaled almost nowhere else in New England.
Wildcat’s Details
Location and Mountain Information
Wildcat Mountain is a 4,062-foot mountain that is located on Route 16 in Jackson, New Hampshire. The ski area is situated just to the north of the top of Pinkham Notch, which separates Mount Washington and the Presidential Range from the mountains to the east. It is located about 3 or so hours from Boston and is generally easy to reach. Weather in Pinkham Notch can get pretty nasty, so at times Wildcat can get hard to reach.
With its high elevation and location in the White Mountains, Wildcat receives plenty of natural snow. On average, winter snowfalls are about 250 inches (that’s almost 21 feet!). In addition to the natural snow, Wildcat has snowmaking on 90% of its trails and grooms trail everyday.
A family-owned operation, Wildcat Mountain focuses on quality terrain and skiing instead of fancy base lodges or on-slope lodging. The fact that the mountain is also located in the White Mountain National Forest prevents much of the commercial development that is found at other nearby ski areas. The closest lodging and restaurants are in Gorham to the north (about 20 minutes) or Jackson in the south (again about 20 minutes).
Operations
Wildcat is open from 9am to 3:30pm on the weekdays and from 8:30am to 3:30pm on the weekends. The mountain is generally open from skiing from mid-November until early May. Skiers are only able to purchase full-day lift tickets at Wildcat.
Ticket and Rental Prices
Tickets at Wildcat are in line with prices at many of the other New England ski areas (if not a bit cheaper). A full-day ticket on a weekday is $49 and $52 on weekends for adults. Consecutive ski days can be added to a ticket for $25, saving almost 50%.
A half-day ticket is available on Sunday afternoons for $20 that allows skiers to ski from noon until closing.
There are several other ways to save at Wildcat. They offer Skier appreciation days (bring in your season pass from any area), senior discounts, two-fer Wednesdays, skiing free on your birthday, and discounts for college students.
Season pass rates are very reasonable – an adult season pass with no blackouts is only $399 and offers unlimited skiing at Wildcat.
Rental prices for skis and snowboards are $30 a day, while high-performance skis are $38 and helmets are $5.
Trails and Lifts
With its 2,112 feet of vertical drop, Wildcat offers 225 acres of skiable terrain and 47 trails. Terrain on the mountain is geared towards intermediate to advanced skiers, as only 25% of the trails on the mountain are for beginners. The remaining trails are roughly broken down such that 45% are intermediate and 30% are expert.
Wildcat also offers the Polecat Trail, which at 2 ¾ miles long, is the longest beginner ski trail in all of New Hampshire. It’s a lengthy trail skiers of any ability can use for long cruising runs with plenty of views of Mount Washington and Pinkham Notch.
There is a specific novice area for beginners served by its own lift and there are several different glad areas for more advanced skiers looking to get off the trails. For those looking for even more adventure, Wildcat’s backcountry is open to skiers and boarders. For those looking to try out some tricks, Wildcat offers a terrain park.
Wildcat’s terrain is served by one quad lift and three triple lifts. The lifts move quickly and large lines rarely form waiting for them.
Skier Services
Wildcat Mountain offers a full-service base lodge that includes ski and snowboard rentals, a ski shop, cafeteria, lockers and restrooms. There is also a ski-school, along with a child daycare center.
The ski school at Wildcat offers many different programs that are available to children and adults. There are also special clinics and programs that are offered throughout the year.
Lodging is not available slope-side and anyone looking to stay overnight must look to Gorham, Jackson or North Conway for lodging options. Some of the nearby hotels do offer ski-and-stay packages.
Summertime at Wildcat
Wildcat offers lift rides, special events and other activities such as interpretive tours throughout the summertime. The views across to Mount Washington are just as spectacular in the summer as they are in the winter.
Experiences
I’ve skied at Wildcat several times and every time that the visibility is good, I spend as much time gazing across at Mount Washington as I do skiing down the runs. The view is stunning and is worth the trip alone. The entire massif of Mount Washington and the Presidentials rises up from across Pinkham Notch, from the thick forests in the notch to the alpine tundra at the top of the mountain. Additionally, the view from Wildcat looks directly into the two most well known ravines on Mount Washington, Tuckerman Ravine and Huntington Ravine.
If it’s cloudy, or you can pull yourself away from the view, the trails are just as great at Wildcat. It’s big enough that you can ski different trails throughout the day and there’s almost enough natural snow that you can enjoy the glade skiing and the tree skiing throughout the year. I’ve been at Wildcat when the area around the base lodge had about 7 feet of natural snow on the ground – you can only guess how much was up around the summit.
Crowds are generally not too bad at the mountain. Most skiers go to the more commercialized and well-known ski areas and leave Wildcat for the adventuresome among us to find. A local favorite, Wildcat is a treat to ski at. Even on weekends your unlikely to see any major lines for lifts and you can still find trails where you won’t be looking out for other skiers.
I really enjoy the mountain – there are so many different trails to chose from and the customer service provided by the staff is excellent. It keeps me coming back time after time and it doesn’t help that I can stand there and stare at Mount Washington and get some great pictures.
Final Thoughts
One of the undiscovered (by many) gems of New Hampshire’s ski resorts, Wildcat Mountain offers a big vertical drop, many trails, glades and off-piste backcountry skiing along with the best scenery in New England to skiers who find it.
Other Ski Resort Reviews
Bellayre Mountain (NY) / Hunter Mountain (NY) / Ski Windham (NY) / Burke Mountain (VT) / Catamount (MA) / Jiminy Peak (MA) / Whiteface Mountain/Lake Placid (NY) / Gore Mountain (NY) / Cannon Mountain (NH) / Wachussett Mountain (MA)
Recommended:
Yes
Level of Experience Needed: Intermediate
Best Time to Visit: March
Best Suited For: Friends
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