# Balsams Wilderness, December 22, 2010



## billski (Dec 23, 2010)

Balsams-Wilderness, December 22, 2010
  [sorry, no photos, the camera was forgotten.]
  (Continued trip from Black on Dec. 21).

Conditions:
Groomers acked powder
Ungroomed: 12" pure fluff
Roads: Packed powder
Webcam: http://thebalsams.com/skiing_webcam 

  Since Balsams was one of the few areas I have never visited or collected the requisite souvenir pin, I decided to save Saddleback  till the snowpack was deeper and more trails were open.  Being the explorer that I am, Balsams was too convenient to pass up, especially off-season.  When I cracked the plan, I had no idea this was to be their opening day.

  I jumped into the ski-mobile and headed northward from the 13 mile woods toward Errol, in search of breakfast.  Good God, 13 mile woods looks just as spectacular in the winter, as it hugs the mighty Androscoggin River.  Logging trucks outnumber civies 10:1.  The roads were snow-packed.  The restaurant had a hand-written sign, closed until December 27th.  (Beginning to sound like Alice’s Restaurant!)  Well, I looked at the map, and there wasn’t a substantial enough village to support a restaurant for miles.  So I headed west to Dixville Notch.  As I rose toward the notch, the trees become coated in snow, and nearly everything was white.  Road was more snow-packed.  After I crested, there was the majestic Balsams Resort.    Looks prettier in the winter than in the summer.  I thought the slopes were a brief attachment to the resort and only intended to stay an hour or so.  Boy, was I in for a surprise.

  So I drove the winding drive-way to the resort.  The snow-covered trees drooped down from both sides over the road like a honorary welcome.  I was surprised to find the parking lot entirely empty.  I parked in front.   I walked the door, and a statesmanlike gentleman rushed to greet me, he in his suit, me in my sweats and hiking boots.  He invited me in.   Billski being Billski, I asked for a tour, in which he obliged.  I passed the “men must wear jackets after 6PM” sign and strolled through the various rooms of the second floor, the solarium, the game room, the billards room, the dining room, and of course, the Ballot Room.  I would venture to say that this hotel eclipses the Mt. Washington in terms of sheer elegance.

  “We will take in our first guests starting tomorrow”.   I said, “Can I get some breakfast?”, “Well, our restaurant is not open yet, but you can get breakfast at the ski slope”.  Well, that’s where I’m going….

  Anyways, enough, enough, where are the ski trails? I don’t see them.  “Oh, they’re across the street.”  “And you will be the first and only customer today.”  Really?  I excitedly drove down the road a half-mile, and sure enough, there was a sign as substantial as any east coast resort.  I drove in about a half mile, and the mountain revealed itself.  Little did I expect I would find and entirely free-standing ski area, quite physically disconnected from the main resort complex.   I wish I had my camera, my words must suffice.  

For starters, the parking lot, main lodge and slopes are all on the same level.  No trudging over to the lift, a short downhill glide and you are there.   The lodge structure was quite striking.  A large, A-frame structure, about 3 stories high, steeply pitched to deflect the snows.  Its architecture is timeless. It is not locked in a time-warp.  The lodge centerpiece is the central fireplace, so wide you could lay in it, surrounded by, rocking chairs!  The chimney soared three stories high, with huge moose heads on each of its four sides.  The place was buzzing with people – all staff in various stages of training.  There were dozens and dozens of instructors all getting the low-down on every operational detail.  It reminded me of some old-time movie where all the mansion staff hurried things to completion.   The bathrooms reminded me of top-flight rest rooms at the best of hotels.

  I went to get my ticket at the desk,  “I thought I would be the first on the mountain!”, the woman responded, “Those are staff, just getting a few turns in”.   The tables are round, big thick wood tables with stools built into them.  All the chairs are padded.  Very nice.  Everyone has a #1 view of the slopes.

  “Am I the first paying customer?”,“Yes you are!”.  $45 holiday, $40 regular. I had a breakfast sandwich, which was delicious – egg, real sliced sausage on English muffin, generous, delicious and reasonably priced.

  I was parked no more than 20 paces from the ski racks, so down went the skis and inside to buckle up.  Out to the skis, clicked in and glided to the triple chair.  There were essentially 3 trails open that interested me, a black, a blue and a green.  The mountain skis bigger than the stats might otherwise suggest.  The trails are classic – narrow, sinuously making their way down the mountain.  No straight shots anywhere.  The blue and green skied like groomed butter.  Lots of woods shots off of each, but the woods were simply not ready.   Apparently ski patrol had a hay day roping off lots of good stuff.  I saw some woods shots and track here and there, but for the most part stayed on the groomers all morning.  The black trail (all open trails were off to skier’s right of the lift) was a bit icy – the cat had crunched up some earlier ice formations from the niar event.  Most of the day, I shot down trails alone, nobody ahead of or behind me.  It was ski-on lift day.  The single-pole double was not running.

  I lost count of the number of runs I did.  I had toyed staying just an hour and shooting over to Saddleback, but I figured I would short-change both areas.    Late in the day, the cats began whacking away at the whales on other closed trails.  I suspect in a couple of weeks, this place will be skiing nearly wide-open.

  Stopping for lunch, I had the most delicious Cheeseburger at a price less than those demanded at places like Stowe and Sugarbush.

The darling woman at the ski shop was very, very helpful, considerate and interesting.  She helped me with my small purchases in a manner I am unaccustomed to. Again, I was the first customer.  She told me to invite everyone in to buy something!   

There is no pretension or exclusivity at the ski lodge.  There is a laid-back air of civility, courtesy and consideration, which make this an island of relief in this mad, rush-rush place we call  the northeast.

  By the afternoon, some sleepy families appeared (hotel guests ski for free) and meandered onto the slopes.  A handful of students showed up, seemingly a race team, perhaps from St. Anslems, though I am uncertain.    I had inquired, hinted and suggested to patrol to open more stuff, I was dying looking at all this untracked stuff just asking to be skied.  

  Indeed, there was powder to be skied if you know where to look, per the Riverc0il School of Snow Navigation.   12” of pure, unadulterated joy.  I suppose trails are closed because you still needed to vault the waterbars.  C’est la vie.    Unlike Riverc0il, I had no encounters of the alien kind, other than those I solicited.   The leagues of patrol seem to have all sequestered into the patrol shack.   Training was perhaps the agenda, but I suspect Cocoa and Schnapps were the main event.

  There is another hill, behind the lodge, with its own lift, for rank beginners.  Entirely segregated from us “speed demons”, you couldn’t ask for a better arrangement.   They pride themselves on having no lines.

  There are no boulevards here, only if you count the run outs at the bottom.  The woods range from knurly to widely-spaced.  They are marked and sanctioned.  There was no consideration given for a terrain park or a half-pipe.  

It snowed lightly the entire day.  each trip on the lift left my parka with a good dusting.  There was no wind, surprising for this north-facing slope.

  The Balsams Wilderness has to go into the running for the “most scenic” award, which most often goes to Wildcat.  You honestly feel like you are skiing in the wilderness.  The name is apropos.  

  I search for a resort comparison, but come up short.  Maybe Black, maybe Magic.  But the parameters don’t match.  Oh, a powder day at Balsams would be orgasmic.  You can lodge a half-hour away on the cheap, drive over and have a great day  of skiing.   I can’t imagine spending a week here.  Even two days in a row might be a bit much, for me, but maybe not others.

  I had one “incident” that comes with being “first”.  A bit of grease landed on my jacket from the chair.  The management courteously and considerately said they would pay for the cleaning.   If the cleaning did not work, they would buy me a new parka.  They passed the integrity test.

  I’ve known only one other couple who have skied there, and they said they had the place to themselves.  Now that I’ve been, we’ll have to compare notes.

  In summary, if you want to go skiing, and be treated first-class, go Balsams Wilderness.  Absolutely everyone I encountered from the liftie, to the desk to the short order cook were kind, considerate, cheerful and helpful.  These people had been trained and coached at a level way above what you find at any East Coast resort.   Many of these people asked my name, and returned later to ask me (by name) how my day had been.  Pretty amazing.

  You’ll get the most from skiing here if you let yourself fully engage in the experience.  If you want miles of leg burners, mogul fields, board parks, this is not your place.  However, if you want to get out and ski in a majestic, remote area where the winters are cold and long, where the welcome is warm and appealing, this is your place.   It takes a lot for Billski to pay full fare at a resort, but this was definitely a justifiable expense, especially on the tail of a $50 room.

I am planning to go back to Great Northern and ski at Saddleback, but may find a diversion to Balsams in the cards.  Do it.   It’s worth the drive.


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## riverc0il (Dec 23, 2010)

Nice report! Sounds like I should considering delaying my visit until after a little more snow. The place sounds like it would be absolutely epic on a powder day when they are at 100%. I'll take no crowds and untracked powder snow over steep and gnarly terrain almost any day. The place sounds even better based on your review.


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## billski (Dec 23, 2010)

Definitely wait a couple weeks for the woods.    I neglected to comment on the snowmaking. They seem to have a lot of it.  Most of the trails have stockpiles on them, and, in my book, already look ski-able.  I think they are saving it for their hotel guests to arrive.  Remember, they pitch this as a "family area."  Most places do, but I think this resort means it.  I never saw so many young faces in a ski school organization.  However, I have no doubt these kids are qualified.


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## Huck_It_Baby (Dec 23, 2010)

What a great report! I enjoyed the read and wished I was there. I'd have hit that untracked powder =)

I'm heading up to VT the 1st two weekends in Jan with an open agenda. I'll be trying to convince my buddies to make the drive to the Balsams Wilderness! Thank you!


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## snoseek (Dec 23, 2010)

I love this place. Did my internship here, lived right in the hotel for six months. I will always have a special place for it.

The skiing is pretty ideal on a fresh snow day, empty, fun, quiet, no pressure.

I can also recall they would grind the hamburger over at the hotel each morning and send it over, needless to say it was a great burger, so fresh. Things have changed a lot but hopefully not that little detail.


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## midd (Dec 24, 2010)

Great report.  Had my single best day there last January, right before the big rain storm.  Plenty of untracked to be found even a couple days after the storm.


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## snowmonster (Dec 24, 2010)

Thanks for the report. I have been considering a weekend at the Balsams this year. snoseek had only good things to say about the food and amenities. I think that would be a good draw for little snowmonster. As for me, having the hill to myself is enough of a draw. I think I should seriously look at booking a trip.


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## polski (Dec 24, 2010)

Excellent report Bill!

And ...



riverc0il said:


> I'll take no crowds and untracked powder snow over steep and gnarly terrain almost any day.



Hear hear.


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## Bobt2ski (Dec 24, 2010)

Enjoyed reading about Balsams Resort!!!!  Thanks for sharing your experience about it!!!


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## Angus (Dec 24, 2010)

I think I saw Dan Egan do a short segment on skiing at the Balsams maybe 4-5 years ago. It was snowing and he was skiing in the woods throughout. Three day weekend - Sunday River, Balsams and Saddleback- pretty sweet, 3 places I've never skied.


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## Angus (Dec 24, 2010)

For those seeking an interesting read, I'd suggest..."We Took to The Woods" by Louise Rich. Errol is a great place in the summer too. Lake Umbagog is truly unique and I'd recommend a day paddle down the Androscoggin. For those seeking moose, this is the place!


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## billski (Dec 30, 2010)

What a difference a few days make

* 	Alpine*



  	 		 			 				Trails open:  14 			 				  		 		 			 				Glades open: yes 			 				  		 		 			 				Primary surface conditions:  Packed powder/powder 			 				  		 		 			 				Average base depth:  18-28 			 				  		 		 			 				Date Posted:  December 30


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## 4aprice (Dec 30, 2010)

Next time remember to take the camara Bill.  Balsam's is one area I just doubt I'll ever get to but love the report and would love to see pics.  Rural Northern New England is a special place covered with snow.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ


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## riverc0il (Dec 30, 2010)

No takers, eh? Not too surprised, long drive for most folks. Twice as far as Cannon for me in central NH. I bet tomorrow is going to be a killer day, I can't wait.



4aprice said:


> Next time remember to take the camara Bill.  Balsam's is one area I just doubt I'll ever get to but love the report and would love to see pics.


I'll follow up with a TR with pics.


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## RISkier (Dec 30, 2010)

Really an interesting report. The Balsam's is a place I've thought would be really fun for a weekend venture. Stay at the hotel and do it up right. It's a real haul for a weekend, unfortunately.


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## billski (Dec 30, 2010)

riverc0il said:


> No takers, eh? Not too surprised, long drive for most folks. Twice as far as Cannon for me in central NH. I bet tomorrow is going to be a killer day, I can't wait.
> 
> 
> I'll follow up with a TR with pics.




Go get 'em RC!  I looked at the lift web cam a few times today, Very few skiers.  Hmmmm.  Darn!  I won't get out till the weekend/Monday.


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## billski (Dec 2, 2011)

Putting the pieces together:

Oct 14, 2002
"Steve Barba at The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel told me that a power company is now taking wind velocity measurements along Mt. Gloriette ridge to see what the potential is for wind turbine power. He indicated that the power firm found that the ridge is in “the 99th percentile” in New England when it comes to available wind running at 9 knots or more daily. "
Source


Northern Pass interested in land near NH resort
November 17, 2011

CONCORD, N.H.—The board of directors trying to sell the Balsams Grand Resort Hotel and thousands of acres of surrounding forest in New Hampshire says one party interested in some of the land is the Northern Pass power line project.

The 7,000-plus-acre property in Dixville Notch was put up for sale last year. The Tillotson family has owned it since 1954.

"Tom Deans of the Tillotson Corp. said the board has been looking at options. He said the Northern Pass has shown interest in some of the land.

A Public Service of New Hampshire spokesman said Thursday the Northern Pass group is talking to property owners as it seeks a new route to connect transmission lines. He declined to comment on those discussions."
source


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## riverc0il (Dec 3, 2011)

Northern Pass has nothing to do with wind power... it is a project to build electric towers and run lines from HydroQuebec down to central NH. Who knows if HydroQuebec has ulterior motives for wind power at Balsams but a quick look at their web site suggests they are only getting started in wind power and still don't have an active farm yet. I doubt the purchase price of the Balsams would be worth the price for wind power development....


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## billski (Dec 3, 2011)

Agreed.  There is however a common theme.   Power. It also could be a strategy of buy it all, the subdivide or lease it.


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## billski (Dec 3, 2011)

billski said:


> Agreed.  There is however a common theme.   Power. It also could be a strategy of buy it all, the subdivide or lease it.


Never underesimate the power of lobbyists. What goes on under the table is often way more importantf than that which goes on above the table.


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## smowler (Dec 3, 2011)

The first rule of the Balsams is you don't talk about the Balsams.

The second rule of the Balsams is if you DO talk about it you use refer to it as  "Bretton Woods".

It is great news they did re-open after all!


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## nlmasopust (Dec 12, 2011)

I sure hope they don't mar Dixville Notch with a power line.  There are already a few lines going to the west of it over near Canaan.

I've skied "Bretton Woods" several times, ex-girlfriend was from that area originally.  One time I went pre-season and skinned up, also with no day-ruining encounters of the alien kind despite seeing several.  One benefit of going very early to earn some turns is that, if you can find it, there is a connecting trail (somewhere along the black trail to far skier's left) to the VAST trails.  They open the VAST trails after a certain date probably in December, but before that date, the VAST trail to the summit of Dixville Peak is pretty nice skiing.  Not steep, but I could make chill, linked turns all the way down through 10-12" of fresh pow.

And really...   No one is going to go here.  You could put huge billboards all up I-91 for it and people still wouldn't go.  Less than 1000' vertical, 5 hour drive from central CT, 10 trails or whatever they have.  I'm not too worried about it getting crowded.

Also, I wouldn't call this place steep by any means.  But if you like carving on nice blues it is ideal.  I've NEVER seen any ice there at all.  Has always been soft, wonderful surface.  If you like no crowds, it's ideal.  Woods are okay, but fairly short sections only from what I remember.  Lodge really is great as Billski says.

I'll find some photos from there and post 'em.


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## nlmasopust (Dec 12, 2011)

Pics:

Base area, tow-bar and summit double:






Skinning up for third lap next to tracks from 2nd lap, lodge with huge deck and bunny slope double in background:





Up and down tracks on VAST trail to summit of Dixville:





On the summit of Dixville.  Cold, windy, humid from a squall that went through, but summit fever cured!


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## bigbob (Dec 23, 2021)

Does the VAST you are referring to stand for Vermont Association of Snow Travelers, a snowmobile association? This is in NH and there are snowmobile trails in the area which are under the New Hampshire Bureau of Trails managed by local clubs, probably the Colebrook Ski Bees.


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