Attitash Mountain Resort

Attitash Mountain Resort is a ski area located on U.S. Route 302 in Bartlett, New Hampshire, near North Conway. Constructed in 1938 by the Works Progress Administration,[2] As of October 2019, Attitash is operated by Vail Resorts (after being purchased from the previous owners, Peak Resorts).[3] It operates under a special-use permit with the White Mountain National Forest.[4]

"Attitash" redirects here. For the lake in Amesbury and Merrimac, Massachusetts, see Lake Attitash.
Attitash Mountain Resort
A view of Attitash and Bear Peak
LocationBartlett, New Hampshire, US
Nearest major cityNorth Conway
Coordinates44°04′56″N 71°13′47″W
Vertical1,750 ft (530 m)
Runs68
- 29% beginner
- 44% intermediate
- 27% advanced
Longest run1.34 mi (2.16 km)[1]
Lift system10 chairs: 2 High Speed Quads, 1 Quad, 3 Triples, 2 Double, 1 Surface Lift
Snowmaking98%
Websitewww.attitash.com
Skiing at Attitash

Located in the heart of the White Mountains, Attitash is home to two mountains, Attitash and Bear Peak. Attitash/Bear Peak has a total of 68 ski runs. It is a resort that appeals to all skill levels.

Attitash means "blueberry" in the Abenaki language.[5]

Mountain statistics
  • Vertical drop: 1,750 ft (530 m) (Attitash); 1,450 ft (440 m) (Bear Peak)
  • Base elevation: 600 ft (180 m) (Attitash); 600 ft (180 m) (Bear Peak)
  • Summit elevation: 2,350 ft (720 m) (Attitash); 2,050 ft (620 m) (Bear Peak)
  • Trails and glades: 68; most difficult 27%; more difficult 44%; easiest 29%[6]
  • Total skiable area: 311 acres (1.26 km2)
  • Trail length: 23 miles (37 km)
  • Chairlifts: 8 — 1 fixed grip quad, 2 high-speed quads, 3 fixed grip triples, 2 fixed grip doubles, plus 1 surface lift (Snowbelt Conveyor Lift)
  • Tree skiing: 60 acres (240,000 m2) of diverse terrain in different glades across Attitash and Bear Peak
  • Average annual snowfall: 120 inches (3,000 mm)
  • Typical season length: December through April (actual dates subject to change)
  • Hours of operation: 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. weekends and holidays, EST; 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. mid-week, EST; Times may vary early season: Nov to Dec - 3:30 PM
  • Exposure: Northern (both peaks)
  • Uphill lift capacity: 14,385 people per hour
  • Tuning and repair: Complete ski and snowboard repair and tuning center in the Attitash Base Lodge

Winter
A view of the slopes of Attitash in summer

Attitash has two peaks, Attitash and Bear Peak, both of which offer a variety of terrain. Attitash consists of old New England-style trails. The more challenging terrain on this mountain are narrow trails with challenging fall lines. It also offers a learning center, featuring a Snowbelt, Learning Center chairlift and the Double Double chairlift (627 vertical feet in 11 minutes),[7] which provides access to longer greens trails. Bear Peak was developed by the American Ski Company and features wider trails and glades. Both mountains have high-speed quads, the Flying Bear at Bear Peak taking skiers straight to the summit (1,462 vertical feet in 8 minutes), and the Flying Yankee at Attitash taking skiers halfway up the mountain (860 vertical feet in 6 minutes).[8] The Summit Triple (1,659 vertical feet) takes about 11.5 minutes to get to the top.[9]

In the era of Peak Resorts, snowmaking and grooming were vastly improved. Despite concerns from locals, Peak was the company that managed to finally get the resort out of Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. While the halfpipe was removed, the terrain park was arguably improved by splitting it into three separate parks and moving them all to Bear Peak, allowing the blue they originally occupied to be used for the ski school.

In the second half of the 2018/2019 season, the top half of Attitash was closed due to major problems with the Summit Triple. Despite a fairly new bull wheel (replaced just a few years earlier), it was found to also be in need of massive repair to the gear box, including a replacement "planetary gear". The triple's replacement has long been a hot topic. While hopes are the new owners (Vail Resorts) can finally replace it, for now the Summit Triple was noticeably repaired (the new planetary gear in the base station is silver, not black) and has run smoothly.

It is unknown at the time what investments by Vail Resorts, who closed the deal in October 2019, plans to make in the former Peak Resorts properties, including Attitash.

Summer

Attitash also has summer activities, including a miniature water park, an alpine slide, mountain biking, and horseback riding. Peak Resorts has brought new attractions like the year-round mountain coaster (a faster, powered version of the alpine slide), a climbing wall, four Euro bungee trampolines, a giant air bag jump, and the newest attraction, the East Coast's longest single-span zip-line.[10] Peak Resorts improved year-round operation in hopes for high enough profit to replace the Summit Triple with a high-speed quad. So far this has not succeeded yet and it is unknown how Vail Resorts will change summer (and winter) operations at the time.

References
  1. "Attitash Bear Peak: Wandering Skis". Jollyturns.com. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  2. "Attitash Mountain Resort". The Living New Deal. Department of Geography, University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved 2016-06-23.
  3. "Vail Resorts Closes its Acquisition of Peak Resorts; Adds 17 U.S. Ski Areas Near Major Metropolitan Areas to Portfolio". PR Newswire. September 24, 2019. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  4. "Attitash Mountain Resort". Peak Resorts. Retrieved 2016-06-23.
  5. "About the Wonderful NH Seasons".
  6. "Mountain Stats". Attitash Mountain Resort. Retrieved 2016-06-24.
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-09-24. Retrieved 2016-09-06.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-09-24. Retrieved 2016-09-06.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-09-24. Retrieved 2016-09-06.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-02-09. Retrieved 2015-02-08.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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