Unfortunately, on a select group of us are able to head out west. And we’ve been heading north with the same basic group of folks for the last decade and then some. We didn’t want to stop that. Plus, we had to do a warm-up trip for Colorado! 

So, in an effort to maintain some continuity to the WICed Fest, we threw together a quick weekend trip up to Attitash in Bartlett, NH. The trip was nothing fancy – head up on Friday to a little cabin, ride on Saturday and head home Sunday. But, in true WICed Fest style, we made the most of this trip!

Friday started off with a great dinner at a little place down the road called the Red Parka Pub. Being the unpretentious folks that we are, we ate downstairs at the pub on the recommendation of WICed Fest OG Rob Anderson. As you might imagine, it was a busy night given that it was a Friday night in a New England ski town during the winter. But, the host saw six hungry / thirsty guys and did a great job getting us seated. Saying that being sat next to six college girls was a nice touch would be an understatement… Anyway, the food was terrific, the beers even better and the live band was simply amazing. A great way to start off a terrific weekend.

Everyone else – there were eleven of us in total – started rolling in once we got back to the cabin. The libations were flowing freely as everyone caught up with each other. It’s important to note here that this trip marked the triumphant return of Rob Anderson to the WICed Fest. Rob is a co-founder and was last spotted on a WICed Fest trip around 2004. It was great to have him back in the mix. A few card games broke out, snowboard DVDs were played and everyone just had a blast. Last call was probably around 1:30am – we had some riding to do the next day!

Saturday brought a picture perfect day. And Attitash did not disappoint. The groomers were awesome in the morning enabling us to blaze some fast top to bottom runs. As the crowds grew, the mountain held up and our group started to divide into groups of riders of similar ability and speed. This phenomenon is typical with us, but we all have a nose for the bar at the end of the day! You can read more about our experience at Attitash here, but it can easily be said that it was a great day with great friends.

Saturday night was more of the same. The Red Parka Pub was so good on Friday night, we headed back again. This time we had a little trouble getting seated and there was a few problems with the food, but the overall experience was the same. And the host made good on any problems with had with items we ordered. Back at the cabin, the mood was the same as Friday night although a bit more subdued due to everyone being tired from a good day riding.

Overall, this trip couldn’t have gone better – good food, good booze, good riding, good times. That’s all we ask for at the WICed Fest. Here’s some pictures we took – enjoy!

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775 Route 302
Bartlett, NH 03812
Website: www.attitash.com
Twitter: @AttitashResort
Facebook: Attitash Resort
P: 800.233.SNOW (toll free)
P: 603.374.2600
P: 877.677.7669 (snow phone)

General Mountain Information

Location

Attitash Mountain Resort is a two peak resort (Attitash Peak and Bear Peak) located in the White Mountains National Forest area of New Hampshire. It is roughly 36 miles from Interstate 93 (Exit 40 in Littleton, NH to be exact). The drive from the New York area took roughly six and a half hours each way. Folks from Boston and southeastern Massachusetts reported that their drive was roughly three to five hours.

Trails and Snowmaking

Attitash Mountain Resort is located on 307 skiable acres. The summit of Attitash sits at an elevation of 2,350 feet with 1,750 feet of vertical drop. Likewise, Bear Peak sits at an elevation of 1,450 feet with 1,450 feet of vertical drop. The resort averages 155 inches of snow annually. In addition, the mountain accommodates snowmaking on 98% of its trail system.

Lift Systems

Attitash Mountain Resort claims 10 lifts – 3 quad lifts (2 of which are high speed), 3 triples, 3 doubles and 1 surface lift. Out of the 10 lifts, 6 of them service the Attitash Peak. The Summit Triple is the most used lift as it services the summit. The Top Notch Double also puts skiers and riders near the top, however not all the way there. The Flying Yankee is a quad lift that services mid-mountain while the East Double and West Double both serve double duty as the parking-lapping lifts and access to the beginner’s area. The Learning Center Triple and Snowbelt, as one might expect, service the Learning Area on Attitash Peak. The summit of Bear Peak is serviced by the Flying Bear Quad. Abenaki Quad provides service to the upper third of Bear Peak while the Kachina Triple services mid-mountain on Bear Peak where some glade runs can be found.

Terrain Parks

According to their website, Attitash Mountain Resort has two terrain parks. The Attitash Terrain Park (located on Thad’s Choice on Attitash Peak) is the main park and houses the bigger jumps and rails. The Bear Peak Terrain Park (located at the bottom of Avenger on Bear Peak) is said to be a beginner terrain park with smaller features. Our group did not explore this terrain park as the Attitash Terrain Park served up more than enough fun for our needs.

Overall Review

General Overview

A group of WICed Festers visited Attitash Mountain Resort for one day in late January of 2012. The majority of us purchased our lift tickets in advanced from Liftopia.com for a reduced rate. Those of us who bought ahead saved anywhere from 10 – 25% off the window rate of $70/person that some people paid. Despite the rain that we all battled on the way up to New Hampshire the night before, the mountain was in excellent condition. First runs of the day found excellent groomers top to bottom with no ice showing through. These were definitely not the conditions we were expecting given the weather we arrive in the night before. And, despite being a Saturday in the prime of ski season, the most we waited in line for the lifts was maybe five minutes. Most of the time we were able to get right on the lifts without waiting.  

As the day wore on, the conditions did harden up a little bit, however major ice problems only occurred on the very last run (which was taken around 3:45pm). The free snow was mounding up a little bit in the middle of the trails, but that was to be expected over the course of the day. Overall, I would say that the mountain held up very well, especially when you consider the lackluster winter that the New England region has experienced this year.

A small group of us took a break at about 2:00pm to enjoy some adult beverages on the outdoor deck of Ptarmigan’s Pub. This pub is a great location as the outdoor deck looks out over the base areas of Flying Yankee and Summit Triple. It’s the main ‘dumping ground’ for Attitash Peak skiers and riders.  The deck provides a great perch for group members and parents to keep an eye on the folks that came with them while not having to stand in the snow and wait around. As we drank Pig’s Ear Brown Ale and talked about the day of riding, a few of us decided to hit up the lifts for last chair. Definitely a good idea because we were able to see the incredible sunset shown to the left. After the day was over, we headed back to our cabin. Since the lodging property we used was not owned by Attitash Mountain Resort, it will not be part of this review. However, I do recommend contacting the Dumb Luck Lodge and the people over at Blue Moose Vacations! The place was great for a group of 12 and would work equally well for family getaways.  

Trails and Lifts

The terrain at Attitash Mountain Resort was middle of the road. There was nothing super difficult about this mountain nor was it overly simplistic.  There was definitely some challenging terrain to be had, for instance there were a few steep trails that – especially at the end of the day – had all of us all concentrating very hard as we maneuvered down them. Overall, the terrain was somewhat challenging, but not difficult. Trails were marked appropriately and there was nothing that an educated skier or rider would be surprised about in terms of trail markings versus their difficulty. Unfortunately, the lack of snowfall in the New England this year meant that the glades were not open, so the group was not able to explore that area.

The lift system at Burke would be rated medium to high-medium. A lack of crowds definitely helped, but the mountain would be capable of moving many people, even on a crowded day. What was a little disappointing was that, despite it being the most travelled lift, the Summit Triple did not seem to be a relatively fast lift. The lift to the summit of Bear Peak (Flying Bear), on the other hand, did move relatively quick. The major downers in the lift system were the East Double and West Double. A large reason why we didn’t lap the park more was because these lifts were agonizingly slow. The park would probably get more use if these lifts were upgraded in the future. All in all, we were pleased with the lift system and moving around the mountain was not a problem.

Terrain Park

The terrain park on Attitash (we didn’t visit the one on Bear) was challenging for even experienced riders. There was a good mix of jumps, rails and terrain features. The flow of the features was also quite good. The one complaint some of the goofy riders had was that there was only a left-handed hip which favored the riders with a regular stance. Other than that one complaint, the terrain park was well thought out and provided enough challenge for all of the riding abilities in our group.

Recommendations

Pros

1. Minimal lift lines
2. Challenging terrain
3. Quality grooming
4. Welcoming people
5. Family friendly

Cons

1. Slow summit lift at Attitash
2. Lack of natural snowfall
3. Only one terrain park available
4. Food costs were in-line with industry standards (way overboard)

Overall, Attitash Mountain Resort is a great mountain to visit. As with any mountain, there are pros and cons to your visit. Attitash was never high on our list of annual trip locations due to its size, but we thoroughly enjoyed a one day trip here and, given the accommodations we stayed at, would definitely consider a return trip for one or two days. It’s definitely feasible that Attitash Mountain Resort could be an absolute blast on a powder day. This mountain also has many of us who have families thinking about coming back with our spouses and children. The warm, inviting atmosphere we found at Attitash is a perfect place to introduce kids to skiing and snowboarding. As a side note, this area of New Hampshire (right near Crawford Notch) is absolutely beautiful and the day at Attitash was worth it just for the ride through the Notch.

Have any questions or feel like we missed something in our review?  Leave us a note in the comments section!

Watch this video on YouTube.

Here’s the details:

• Arrival Date: Friday, January 27, 2012
• Ski/Ride: Saturday, January 28, 2012
• Depart: Sunday, January 29, 2012

I’ve locked up this cabin - an email ASAP if you’re in!  Basically, I’m going to fill the trip on a first come first serve basis and once the beds are full, the trip is full.  If you’re the next person after the beds are full, I’ll let you know.  If you don’t mind crashing on the floor (or with a buddy), we’ll add you too.

Hurry up and book your spot now!

Burke Mountain Ski Area

223 Sherburne Lodge Road
East Burke, VT 05832
Website: www.skiburke.com
Website: www.shredburke.com
Twitter: @skiburke
P: 802.626.7300
P: 888.BURKEVT (toll free)
P: 866.496.1699 (snow phone)

General Mountain Information

Location

Burke Mountain is located in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom (NEK) about fifteen minutes off of Interstate 91 (7 miles from exit 24 to be exact). The drive from the New York area took roughly six and a half hours due to the fact that the NEK had a snowstorm the night before and the roads were only partially plowed. The drive home took six hours exactly. Folks from Boston and southeastern Massachusetts reported that their drive was roughly four hours.

Trails and Snowmaking

Burke Mountain is located on 250 skiable acreas. The summit sits at an elevation of 3,267 feet with 2,011 feet of vertical drop. The resort average 217 inches of snow annually. In addition, the mountain accommodates snowmaking on 80% of its trail system.

Lift Systems

Burke Mountain claims four lifts, however only two are quad lifts that the majority of visitors will use. The other two consist of a J-bar surface lift on the learning hill and the other is the POMA lift on the ski racing trail. The Sherburne Express High-Speed Quad services the lower portion of the mountain and is perfect for lapping the terrain park (more on that later). The Willoughby Quad is a fixed grip quad chairlift that accesses the summit of the mountain.

**Editor’s Note: Since the writing of this article, Burke Mountain has added a high speed quad – the MidBurke Express – that services their summit.  This is a HUGE plus!

Terrain Parks

According to their website, Burke Ski Resort has three terrain parks: Open Slope which houses their big air contest and rail jam; Dashney Mile which is located on the lower mountain and contains intermediate level terrain with a variety of hits, jumps, rails, and terrain features; and Carter Country which is located on the J-bar hill and includes smaller beginner features.

Overall Review

General Overview

A group of WICed Festers visited Burke for three and a half days in early February of 2011. A small group of us arrived midday day on Sunday and were treated to $20 lift tickets from noon to close. A pleasant surprise indeed. The conditions were stellar, no doubt due to the fact that Burke had received over 24 inches of snow in the last 72 hours. For the remainder of the afternoon, we rode most of the mountain and found plenty of powder stashes. The lifts were essentially empty and the people we did run into were very pleasant.

After the day was over, we were able to check into our condo. Since the lodging property we used was not owned by Burke Ski Area, it will not be part of this review. However, I do recommend contacting Liz over at Burke Slopeside Lodging. She did a terrific job of helping us find a lodging and lift ticket package that met the requirements of our group.

The next three days were spent riding the entire mountain. Over the course of these three days, we found the mountain to be both challenging and well-groomed. The trails were always in immaculate shape, no doubt due to the fact that the conditions were perfect for the last week or so. Even late in the day, none of us worried about catching an edge on a boilerplate ice patch. That’s not to say that we haven’t experienced that at Burke previously – this is the East Coast after all. However, on this trip, the conditions were stellar and even after a long day we could still lay down hard toeside turns with the expectation that you would not have a blow out.

Trails and Lifts

The terrain was, for the most part, challenging. The trails marked blue would definitely be considered blacks at other resorts. They had some nice steepness to them and their were also some great cutbacks cut through the mountain that allowed for some beautiful, scenic trail riding. The blacks were generally left ungroomed and, while fun, tended to be mogul fields. Not exactly the kind of thing you looked for on a snowboard. The glades were also very fun and fairly abundant, however you had to get on them early as they get skied out fairly quickly during the morning. The main problem we found was that the mountain is fairly small. We were able to explore the entire mountain during the first full day of riding and that left very little in terms of exploration for the next few days.

The lift system at Burke would be rated medium to poor. While the Sherburne Express is a high-speed quad, it only services the lower portion of the mountain. This lift is great for lapping the Dashney Mile Park and for parents who are teaching their children to ski or snowboard. The average skier or snowboarder, however, will find this lift only useful if you are trying to get to the Willoughby Quad. The Willoughby Quad is a fixed grip quad chairlift that accesses the summit of Burke. It is a fairly slow ride to the top that takes about 15 minutes or so. This lift makes it undersirable to access the summit on a windy, cold day. Overall, this lift is the largest drawback to Burke. (Editor’s Note: See mention about the new MidBurke Express above.).

Terrain Park

While Burke claims to have three terrain parks on their website, our group only experienced one – The Dashney Mile. That being said, the terrain part was quite challenging for even experienced riders. There was a good mix of jumps, rails and terrain features. The flow of the features was also quite good with the only complaint being that some of the jumps were placed too close to some of the rails in such a way that you were not able to hit the rail and still maintain speed into the jump. Other than that one complaint, the terrain park was well thought out and provided enough challenge for all of the riding abilities in our group.

Recommendations

Pros

1. Minimal lift lines
2. Steep terrain
3. Quality grooming
4. Large amount of natural snowfall
5. Friendly people

Cons

1. Slow summit lift (see MidBurke Express)
2. Smaller mountain (minimal trail variety)
3. Only one terrain park available
4. Lodging cannot be booked through resort
5. No recreation center (pools/hot tub) available on-site

Overall, Burke is a great mountain to visit. As with any mountain, there are pros and cons to your visit. While we probably won’t visit again in the near future (the size is detrimental to an annual return trip), Burke is on the short list of ‘must visit’ resorts on the East Coast. The annual snowfall, challenging terrain, terrific grooming and lack of crowds are all great reasons to visit this quaint little mountain.

NOTE: One of the chief complaints of this review was the smaller size of Burke. It is important to point out that Burke is working towards expansion in the future.

The WICed Fest crew was able to demo a Blak Sheep Gnarly State Park Stik (GSPS) during a 2011 trip to Burke Mountain in Vermont. According to Blak Sheep, these boards are “designed to meet the demands of todays jumps and rails…these boards are capable of anything the Ice Coast can throw at them. A perfect ‘Daily Driver’ for freestyle and general ripping.” What we found was a board that actually lived up to the hype. Now, in an effort of full disclosure, Doug Smith (one of the co-owners of Blak Sheep) is a friend of the WICed Fest and frequently attends our annual snowboard trips. That fact notwithstanding, here’s what we thought about this relatively new company’s latest offering.

Board Specifications

Length: 159 Wide
Camber Option: Micrognarockamber
Bindings: Burton Mission
Stance: varied by rider
Angles: varied by rider
Boots: Vans Encore Boa (size 10 & 10.5)
Test Riders’ Weights: 215lbs & 250lbs

Test Riders & Conditions

The GSPS 159W was ridden by two different riders over the course of three days. The first rider was a 215lb advanced rider who rides goofy. His riding style can be described as aggressive with large elements of park riding. The second rider was a 250lbs advanced rider who has a regular stance. His riding style can be described as more all-mountain with little to no park riding.

The board was ridden during a trip to Burke where conditions were excellent with fresh powder and groomed corduroy trails during the entire test period.

General Impressions

Doug had been hyping up his boards over the last year or so to us. For the most part, we brushed it off as a buddy being proud of his creation. Having seen the first prototypes that came out of Blak Sheep, we really didn’t believe these boards would live up to the hype. But, when Doug showed up with the GSPS 159W at Burke, we thought we might be wrong. Our initial skepticism was proven incorrect once we got the board out onto the snow.

This board did everything we wanted it to. It was fast, responsive and had great pop. Stability was never an issue – neither of us felt any vibration or chatter when charging the mountain. The real real feature on this board that stuck out was the pop on this board. It was great, especially considering the size of the board and the size of the riders. Any feature – jumps, rollers or even edge to edge – were noticeable and a great find. Another feature that we really enjoyed was the ability to really turn this board on blazing down the trail. The Micrognarockamber really locked the board into the mountain and made everyone feel confident that they wouldn’t blow an edge even at high speed. For those of you wondering, Blak Sheep describes Micrognarockamber as:

A pinch of curved (not notched) reverse-camber between your feet, with a very subtle amount of camber from the bindings out. This board rides flat, but when you want to press or butter, the tips come up no problem, when you need to ollie you can still ollie with the pinch of camber and the added pop of bamboo and our custom epoxy. The board still carves hard, and holds a line, because Micrognarockamber is very subtle, and will not upset your edge hold anywhere. The flex properties of a rockered board, the edge hold and ollie power of a cambered board, do we need to say anymore? Everyone else has been overthinking the process.

Bottom Line

This board gives the 6-foot plus, 200-lb plus rider a great option for a shorter, park-style board that performs terrificly everywhere on the mountain. It’s also nice to see a small American company produce a high quality product. And all this from a first year company? Looks like there’s good things in store down the road! Give Doug and Dave a call and get yourself hooked up!

Blak Sheep Contact Information

Website: BlakSheepSnowboards.com
MySpace: Blak Sheep MySpace
Facebook: Blak Sheep Facebook

Shoot us an email – info@wicedfest.com – for email and phone contact information for Blak Sheep!

If you have any additional pictures from this trip, send them to us here and we’ll make sure they are added to the gallery.

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If you have any additional pictures from this trip, send them to us here and we’ll make sure they are added to the gallery.

[Show as slideshow]

If you have any additional pictures from this trip, send them to us here and we’ll make sure they are added to the gallery.

[Show as slideshow]