# Attitash 1/23/16



## dlague (Jan 26, 2016)

*Attitash*

*Conditions:* Very firm/bullet proof/ice

*Trip Report:*
Well we were not going to ski Attitash because last year around this time the trails were rather crappy and not well taken care of.  However, we thought that we should give it another chance and this year was no different.  Unfortunately we arrived later than we would have liked but we got there in any case around 10:30.

When we arrived we headed right over to Bear Peak and skied down Avenger which is a great run but gets skied/snowboarded off quickly.   It was super hard with a very thin layer of PP.  We skied down Illusion where there was snow making going on and it skied well but there were whales so it was not an all-out cruiser.  After a couple more runs on that side we opted to head back over to Attitash proper to do another run before eating lunch.

After eating we headed to the summit on what feels like the slowest chair in the East.  We skied Upper and Lower Saco down to Idiots Option.  The run had decent coverage but every now and then the tails would wash out which was a little freaky.  Idiots Option was very firm and even though I sharped edges the night before it was not holding well.  That run is pretty straight and fast so it was fun in any case.

Further down on Lower Cathedral there are some really nice rollers that are fun to catch air on but there was ice and landings were sometimes sketchy.  We eventually resigned ourselves to skiing off the HSQ to ski the middle of the mountain.  We skied Moat, Grandstand, Cathedral, Spillway and Whitehorse.  Moat skied very fast and was scraped off at the top but had a good base about 1/3 the way down to the base the same was true for Grandstand.  Upper Cathedral was good to Lower Cathedral (mentioned earlier) but was the most crowded.  Spillway was s shit show for the first few pitches which are fairly steep.  The reason it was bad was due to the idiots who think they need to stop and figure out a way down because they should not have been there in the first place.  It was busy up top as well since it is somewhat narrow.  Once past the pitches the runs were great and had the best cover.  Whitehorse was really fun and tricky at times.  It was top to bottom whales of varying size and contour.  That run was definitely a work out.  While the front trails were the most fun of the day, there were many sketchy sections.  I saw a kid bite it on Spillway and this dude face planted big time where Grandstand and Moat merge after he decided to follow my son over a snow making bank.  Never follow youth.  There were plenty of others situations.  While I saw many beginners, the conditions were not well suited for them.

The highlight off the day was the tribute to Veterans.  They do it right.  They have a parade of flags representing all military branches then hang them in Ptarmigan Bub - see pics below.  The Ride and Ski party was a lot of fun and the band was awesome.  They happen to play at Attitash and Wildcat.  They do Johnny Cash justice as well as Grateful Dead, Eagles and others!

Our son who was in college in Florida has moved back to go to school up here and he had never skied at Attitash before which also influenced our decision.  Having Veterans free and two comp tickets helped as well.  Someone handed us their lift ticket while walking from the parking lot which ended up being the fourth we needed.  All in all, it was a free lift ticket day to boot!









I circled the whales (hard to see) but White horse was littered with those!


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## Edd (Jan 26, 2016)

I haven't been yet, this season. Can you confirm the existence of a taco place on the Attitash side? I want tacos.


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## dlague (Jan 26, 2016)

Edd said:


> I haven't been yet, this season. Can you confirm the existence of a taco place on the Attitash side? I want tacos.



Cannot say - we packed our own lunch and then later ate in the Pub, but there is a place called The Cantina which might be the place you are talking about.


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## Brad J (Jan 26, 2016)

I skied wildcat that day and it  was similar , went out to eat with friends that night and they reported very good conditions at Attitash, well they lied, thanks for an unbiassed report. I was feeling I had made a mistake with Wildcat, now I am thinking that was their intent.


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## hammer (Jan 26, 2016)

Kinda matches our past experiences there unfortunately.

We'll be staying right at Attitash in March...unless the snow conditions change a lot between now and then I think we'll just drive over to Wildcat for the day.


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## deadheadskier (Jan 26, 2016)

The only times I've been to Attitash when it's been great have been warm spring days.  I like their trails.  Summit lift is a bummer.  Not sure why things tend to get skied off there so quickly.  They've got some pretty nice snow making equipment, so you would think the surfaces would be better there more often than they are.


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## Edd (Jan 26, 2016)

They have good snowmaking but I've always considered steepness to be the issue with scratchy conditions at Attitash. Decent vertical but low elevation, too, so they don't get the snow that Wildcat and BW get. Between those 3 areas Attitash has the most challenging scenario in terms of snow quality.


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## yeggous (Jan 26, 2016)

I agree that conditions at Attitash are often tough. Cranmore often suffers the same problem but is prone to warm and soften more readily.


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## Edd (Jan 26, 2016)

yeggous said:


> I agree that conditions at Attitash are often tough. Cranmore often suffers the same problem but is prone to warm and soften more readily.



Way less steep, also.


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## dlague (Jan 27, 2016)

I was ok with the conditions but many intermediates we ski with called a day by 10.  My wife called it by 2.  I think conditions were great if you race.

The bummer in all of this was Cannon's conditions were actually really I have been told by several and we drove right by it.


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## joshua segal (Jan 27, 2016)

I don't know if it's true or not, but I've often heard it stated that "part of Attitash's problem with snow quality is a very low base elevation".


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## VTKilarney (Jan 27, 2016)

I have no desire to ski Attitash in mid-winter, but I love their deck when the weather is warm.


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## john1200c (Jan 27, 2016)

I'm seriously considering switching my pass to BW for next year.  I keep hearing from people how much better the conditions are up there.  It's a shame because Attitash is 7 minutes from the house and the trails could be awesome if they tried a little harder but every year I am less thrilled with the place.  They haven't done anything with the lodges in a long time, & personally, I can't stand that they put the terrain parks over on Bear Peak.  I really liked lower Kachina and lower Myth Maker they way they used to be.... What was wrong with leaving it on Thad's??  Not sure what to do...  My kids and wife don't like Wildcat that much so that's not a factor for us.


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## joshua segal (Jan 27, 2016)

john1200c said:


> I'm seriously considering switching my pass to BW for next year.  I keep hearing from people how much better the conditions are up there.  It's a shame because Attitash is 7 minutes from the house and the trails could be awesome if they tried a little harder but every year I am less thrilled with the place.  They haven't done anything with the lodges in a long time, & personally, I can't stand that they put the terrain parks over on Bear Peak.  I really liked lower Kachina and lower Myth Maker they way they used to be.... What was wrong with leaving it on Thad's??  Not sure what to do...  My kids and wife don't like Wildcat that much so that's not a factor for us.



A lot of people like BW for its "more mellow" feel.  They do have superb snowmaking and a fine lift system. BW detractors are likely to suggest that the terrain quality is suspect.


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## deadheadskier (Jan 27, 2016)

Go with the Super Pass.  That would give you Cranmore as close option on the days you don't want to drive up the Notch.  Definitely agree with you on the lodge (Ptarmigan's does nothing for me) and terrain parks.  Kachina and Myth Maker are great trails.  You don't need to use "great trails" for terrain park purposes.  Wide, consistently pitched, straight trails that are boring for normal skiing work just fine for terrain parks. 

It's unfortunate that Attitash doesn't ski as well as one would expect out of it.  Peaks is known for good snow surfaces, but it just doesn't appear to happen at Attitash.  Maybe the elevation is a factor.  Maybe operationally they're mixing in too much water.  Perhaps they don't resurface enough.  Replacing that summit chair, moving the terrain park back to Thad's and rededicating to better resurfacing and the place would be a lot better.   It has the steepest terrain in the valley and some great character trails.  

I'll wait until a warm spring day when I hear the bumps are good on Grand Stand before opting for it over Wildcat this season.


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## dlague (Jan 27, 2016)

I think the way the have the HSQ setup shortens the place a lot unless you want to take the slow ride to the top.  Even then there is not a whole lot up there in any case.  There are too many switch backs and connector trails on Attitash proper.  Bear Peak has better sustained runs.


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## Brad J (Jan 27, 2016)

joshua segal said:


> I don't know if it's true or not, but I've often heard it stated that "part of Attitash's problem with snow quality is a very low base elevation".


I think this year they made a lot of snow in marginal conditions which turned into white concrete, durable but not fun, I am sure they will resurface some trails especially the ones with fan guns. They had done that in years past. The biggest problem is the Summit lift , that drove me to Wildcat and away from my friends.


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## SkiRay (Jan 28, 2016)

This weather pattern is killing the season this year - http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/killington-vt/05751/daily-weather-forecast/81740_poi

Looks like the area will get some snow this weekend. Maybe a bit more than dust on crust. 

R


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## Warp Daddy (Jan 28, 2016)

Skied ATTITRASH in similar conditions in the past, probably will put it in the rearview mirror forever .....too many other options


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## dlague (Jan 28, 2016)

Warp Daddy said:


> Skied ATTITRASH in similar conditions in the past, probably will put it in the rearview mirror forever .....too many other options



This was our third attempt and probably our last.   


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## Edd (Jan 28, 2016)

I'm going to slay Attitash tomorrow and devour tacos and Margaritas.


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## prsboogie (Jan 29, 2016)

Edd said:


> I'm going to slay Attitash tomorrow and devour tacos and Margaritas.



Cantina is the "taco" place your thinking of.  Was going to be there on Monday but it looks as if it will be a washout with rain, WTF with this season already


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## Edd (Jan 29, 2016)

It was not open today. My disappointment has no limit. I'd say more but I would just sound unreasonable.


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## prsboogie (Jan 29, 2016)

Well that sucks, probably won't be open on Tuesday when I get there


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## SkiRay (Jan 29, 2016)

Edd said:


> It was not open today. My disappointment has no limit. I'd say more but I would just sound unreasonable.



Attitash or the taco joint?


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## Edd (Jan 30, 2016)

Taco joint. Only weekends. Seems obvious but I get irrational when it comes to Mexican food. I want it.


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## Bassil (Jan 30, 2016)

Brutal!


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## Nick (Jan 30, 2016)

Edd said:


> I haven't been yet, this season. Can you confirm the existence of a taco place on the Attitash side? I want tacos.



Guacamole?


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## bdfreetuna (Feb 1, 2016)

Gotta get up to Wildcat this year, later in the season. Attitash, probably pass. Gonna get up to Cannon and ski some gnarly woods. Did you see the Ski Magazine laid out all the secret stashes at Cannon. Nice. Watched some YouTube videos of the stashes. Some are hairy as hell.

East Bowl looks great; there's that one down before mittersill, and then another one I forget the name with like a 20 foot huck. Not to mention Tramline and whatever the glades over there is.

Go get it.


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## Brad J (Feb 6, 2016)

Was at Attitash today and was surprised at how well they recovered from rain and how much snow they made in a short time. With colder weather coming they will be in good shape for Feb vacations.


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## prsboogie (Feb 6, 2016)

Was there Tuesday before the rain and besides a couple trails, the surface was pretty good, Humphrey's Ledge was awesome and Bear Peak very edgable


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