Hidden gems of New England

When your go-to mountains become overrun with college kids home on break and elementary school groups it might be time to check out some of these lesser known mountains. Many have a lot better prices than the big guys (Ktown is charging $86!) and fewer crowds means the trails will be less scraped-off... maybe you'll even find some sweet untouched snow stashes!

Bromley
Peru, Vt
Ever been riding gondola at Stratton bemoaning the flat light and icy conditions, looked out and saw a peak bathed in sunlight not too far away? Often over shadowed by the better-known resort, Bromley should not be overlooked. The mountain boasts 43 trails winding through 163 acres of state and national forest with glade runs and park features all serviced by ten lifts. The south-facing slopes get lots of sun and tickets are $65, $57 on Sundays as compared to $87 at Stratton.


Burke Mountain
East Burke, VT
Over 100 acres of glades and 50 New England-style tight and windy trails, just the way they should be. One of the coolest things about this mountain is that it naturally separates out the different levels: the bottom half of the mountain is green trails only, while the top half has a nice mix of blues, blacks and double blacks. This keeps the noobs in their own area and not side-slip scraping all the snow off your favorite trails. They also get an average annual snowfall of 200 inches, while they may fall a little short this year they did get 4 inches in the last 72 hours which is better than a lot of places around here.


Magic Mountain
Londonderry, VT

If you're into those New England style trails, natural bumps and cheap ticket prices this is definitely the place for you. Magic doesn't have a ton of trails- that's not what it's know for. This is the mountain you come to if you love powder stashed trees, bombing cliff drops, natural freestyle features and plenty of off-piste goodness. It had some of the most challenging terrain around and is low cost to boot: only open Fri-Monday and powder days (6" or more) peak ticket prices top out at $59.


Saddleback Mountain
Rangeley, ME
Awesome summit views of the beautiful Rangeley lakes are just an added bonus of checking out Saddleback. It's also one of the few mountains in New England to offer above tree-level riding, boasting some sweet snowfields only a short hike up from the summit lift. In addition to having some nice steep headwalls to drop down, they also recently expanded to include the stellar 44 acre Casablanca glade: only the first part of an on-going glade expansion that will be progressing in the next few years. Peak tickets are a mere $59.


Black Mountain
Jackson, NH

This is another old school mountain with tight trails, a few steeps,  and fun glades. It definitely doesn't have that posh resort feel of some of the other mountains in the area, all the chairs are fixies and the largest is a 3-seater. What it lacks in amenities it makes up for in charm, no lift lines, and cheap tickets: peak price of a whopping $45. It also happens to be the oldest ski mountain in NH.





Ps. Don't hate me for including your "secret spot", just trying to help out my fellow riders.