Skiers take on the trails at Stowe Mountain Resort in Vermont.
Photo Credit : Mark Fleming
Step back, for a moment, from the cozy lodges with burning logs in the hearth and hot chocolate and muffins waiting in the cafeteria. Step back from the snappy condos lining the roads that encircle the mountain or the slope-side hotel with the heated pool and lure of the Swiss-style base village with the twinkling lights as darkness falls. Step back from all the niceties that have drawn skiers and snowboarders for the past decade, and remember what really got you on the slopes in the first place – the trails.
More than anywhere, New England’s alpine trails bear a singular stamp – narrow, wooded, lovely in fresh snow, always challenging, following the contour of a mountain. Let the West tout the mammoth bowls and slopes wide enough for cruise ships to be launched; the best loved New England alpine trails can be as cranky and idiosyncratic as the people who made them. And as cherished.
Whether you are a novice (greens), good but wish you could be better (blues), or an expert (blacks and double blacks), the universal adage in ski country is, simply, if you can ski New England’s trails, you can ski anywhere. These alpine trails will become part of your personal mountain map, places to return to time and again.
We asked the best skiers and riders we know to tell us their favorite alpine trails. We wanted scenery, challenge, exhilaration, and trails that take hold of your imagination and stay with you for as long as you can buckle ski boots or slip into bindings. What could be better?
Skiers take on the trails at Stowe Mountain Resort in Vermont. Photo Credit : Mark Fleming
Best Alpine Trails in New England
Favorite Green Trails
Trail: Beck Brook
Mountain/Resort: Mount Sunapee
Why We Love It: Flooded by afternoon sun; a gentle trail.
Trail: Birdland
Mountain/Resort: Mad River Glen
Why We Love It: The Birdland novice area lets everyone experience a snowy culture that is a throwback to skiing’s early days.
Trail: Dream Weaver
Mountain/Resort: Okemo
Why We Love It: Nice, undulating terrain. The kind of cruiser where it’s easy to start singing.
Trail: Log Jam
Mountain/Resort: Smugglers’ Notch
Why We Love It: Meanders back and forth. A playful beginner’s terrain garden adds spice without embarrassment.
Trail: Mountain Road
Mountain/Resort: Okemo
Why We Love It: Four-plus miles of trail await.
Trail: Polecat
Mountain/Resort: Wildcat
Why We Love It: Twists around the mountain, offering stunning views of Tuckerman Ravine.
Trail: Range View
Mountain/Resort: Bretton Woods
Why We Love It: This is one of the most popular alpine trails, with the graceful Mount Washington Hotel in sight as you ski under the Zephyr lift.
Trail: Timberline
Mountain/Resort: Sugarloaf
Why We Love It: Allows beginners an above-the-tree line experience while edging the resort’s western perimeter.
Trail: Toll Road
Mountain/Resort: Stowe
Why We Love It: A lovely four-mile descent that weaves gently through the woods.
Trail: Valley Run
Mountain/Resort: Waterville Valley
Why We Love It: Has its own lift. Long and wide; ideal for working on long turns.
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Favorite Blue Trails
Trail: Tuckered Out
Mountain/Resort: Okemo
Why We Love It: At 7,200 feet, it’s one of Okemo’s longest runs from top to bottom on the Jackson Gore peak.
Trail: Flintlock
Mountain/Resort: Gunstock
Why We Love It: The view – the sensation of skiing into the heart of Lake Winnipesaukee – is the big payoff for one of Gunstock’s most popular trails.
Trail: Gary B.’s Northwest Passage
Mountain/Resort: Smugglers’ Notch
Why We Love It: Ski it in the afternoon when the sunlight bounces among the birches.
Trail: Kokomo
Mountain/Resort: Jay Peak
Why We Love It: Jay’s glades are considered some of the best in the country. This one gets you in the woods without have to be a super expert.
Trail: Lynx
Mountain/Resort: Wildcat
Why We Love It: Just pure fun. It plays with you, dropping, then rolling, then dropping again.
Trail: Penobscot
Mountain/Resort: Big Squaw
Why We Love It: The legendary ski trail designer Set Hanna once said, “Of all the 1,000 ski trails … I have designed the Penobscot Trail … is by far the most scenic.”
Trail: Perry Merrill
Mountain/Resort: Stowe
Why We Love It: Historic wide-open cruiser.
Trail: Rocket
Mountain/Resort: Cannon
Why We Love It: Plunges toward Echo Lake with great views. Steep and fast, but doable for intermediates.
Trail: Sapphire
Mountain/Resort: Okemo
Why We Love It: Knolls for air; long and wide.
Trail: Wingding
Mountain/Resort: Mount Sunapee
Why We Love It: The best views on the mountain; often the best snow of the day.
Favorite Black Trails
Trail: East Bowl
Mountain/Resort: Burke
Why We Love It: The longest trail on any skier’s list of top three “undiscovered” mountains.
Trail: Airglow
Mountain/Resort: Sunday River
Why We Love It: Away from the crowds. Steep; usually groomed and long.
Trail: Castlerock Run
Mountain/Resort: Sugarbush
Why We Love It: Not for the timid, especially when the trail is ungroomed.
Trail: Chute
Mountain/Resort: Mad River Glen
Why We Love It: Steep, narrow moguls right under the famous single chairlift.
Trail: Doc Dempsey’s Glades
Mountain/Resort: Smugglers’ Notch
Why We Love It: You stand on the lip and peer over the drop. Your heart surges.
Trail: Face Chutes
Mountain/Resort: Jay Peak
Why We Love It: Western-like chutes under tram; nerve-rattling, small cliff drops.
Trail: Narrow Gauge
Mountain/Resort: Sugarloaf
Why We Love It: The only trail in the East that the International Ski Federation approved for all four World Cup alpine disciplines.
Trail: Paradise
Mountain/Resort: Mad River Glen
Why We Love It: Rocky, tight entrance; classic Eastern glade.
Trail: Starr
Mountain/Resort: Stowe
Why We Love It: An Eastern badge of distinction to have done Stowe’s Front Four.
Trail: Superstar
Mountain/Resort: Killington
Why We Love It: Experts know snow here lingers into May.
Trail: DJ’s Tramline
Mountain/Resort: Cannon
Why We Love It: Huge Boulders and a steep, narrow, long run will test every ounce of ability. You’ll meet up with former Tenth Mountain Division guys on alpine trails like this.
Favorite Double-Black Trails
Trail: Black Hole
Mountain/Resort: Smugglers’ Notch
Why We Love It: Smugglers’ calls this one a triple black. Super steep with trees.
Trail: Flying Monkey
Mountain/Resort: Sunday River
Why We Love It: Feels like you’re in Taos running through the trees.
Trail: Goat
Mountain/Resort: Stowe
Why We Love It: The most challenging of Stowe’s famous Front Four. Historic, classic trail; double fall line; steep and bumpy.
Trail: Lower Bobby’s Run
Mountain/Resort: Waterville Valley
Why We Love It: Named after Bobby Kennedy. Wide-open with steep bumps.
Trail: Madonna Upper Liftline
Mountain/Resort: Smugglers’ Notch
Why We Love It: Double fall line; stumps, cliffs, bumps, trees. All-natural snow.
Trail: Muleskinner
Mountain/Resort: Saddleback
Why We Love It: A narrow, natural trail that corkscrews down the far edge of the mountain.
Trail: Outer Limits
Moutain/Resort: Killington
Why We Love It: One of the best mogul runs in the East. Long, continuous drop; huge moguls.
Trail: Ripcord
Mountain/Resort: Mount Snow
Why We Love It: On a mountain known for intermediates, a true expert 37-degree heart-stopper.
Trail: Snowfields
Mountain/Resort: Sugarloaf
Why We Love It: Only lift-serviced above-tree line skiing in the East. After a heavy snow, you feel as if you’re in a Warren Miller movie.
Trail: Sunrise Glade
Mountain/Resort: Mount Sunapee
Why We Love It: A thrilling ride through the trees.
What are your favorite alpine trails to ski in New England?
This article originally appeared in the 2005 January/February print edition of Yankee and has been updated.
