Location

Decided to take a last minute trip up to NH and crash at my family’s place in Waterville for the weekend with a few close friends… it was a blast! I’ve been going to Waterville for more than 10 years – it’s a great town and fun mountain if you don’t have the time or want to drive up to Vermont or Maine.

The conditions this past weekend were better than I expected. They had about 40 trails and 6 lifts open – wasn’t too crowded either. They have 2 high speed quads that help shuffle along lift lines and separates beginner trails from the more advanced ones. Hop on the White Peak Express Quad, mellow out to: Pretty Lights, Who Loves Me, and take a few runs down White-Caps all the way down to the base or duck out and hit Old Tecumseh for a cruiser. After that jump back on the quad and try out Ciao, Gema, and True Grit if you are out there to hit some blacks. You can catch some bumps on True Grit and mellow out on Valley Run where you can find the Burton Progression Park. This isn’t the main park on the mountain, so if you are looking for a top-to-bottom park run turn up your ipod, my choice: The Qemist, Dem Nah Like Me, and make your way over to Psyched, located just above Exhibition (take the White Peak Express Quad to Upper Bobby’s Run and you’ll be pleasantly surprised).

When you are ready to break for a few, you’re in luck, Waterville has a few lodge’s scattered across the mountain as well as two bars, T-Bar’s and Buckets. I dipped into Buckets with one of my girls while we let our men crank out a few late afternoon runs and ordered up a bucket of wings (hence the name) and a few beers. Both spots promote a different beer on a weekly basis. This past weekend was Harpoon IPA but I stuck to a classic Coors Light to show respect for my man’s hometown.

One of the best things about Waterville is the small town vibe and proximity to mountain, lodging, town-center, and athletic club. Everything is just about a 5-10 minute ride when you are in the Valley. While you visit make sure you check out the town center – some great spots for food including Diamonds Edge Restaurant & Bar, Waterville Pizza, and Legends 1291. We ended up grabbing a decently priced dinner at Diamonds Edge and spent the rest of the night crushing classic arcade games (Galaga, Pacman, Buck Hunter, Fooseball, Pool, etc) and enjoyed some music and dancing at Legends. All in all, this is a great place to take a weekend trip with a group of your buddies when you are looking to get out of the city for a winter escape!

Check out the Waterville Guidebook write up on LifeUnderSun - Hit me up directly if you want some suggestions or want to get a group together and go before the seasons over.