Wildcat Mountain & Attitash Mountain
Growing up skiing, I had always heard the rumors about East Coast mountains—their icy conditions and the challenges of skiing out here. I figured I might make one trip in my life, but I never expected to spend a significant amount of time here, let alone tour all around New England, skiing at so many different resorts. But here we are! The travel physical therapy life has brought us to the East Coast, and New Hampshire, for some skiing. Instead of a standard story about our adventures, we thought it would be fun to do something special for all of our ski trips. So, we came up with Badness East Coast Ski Reports! These reports are only written after we’ve had the chance to ski a mountain and get a full sense of what it’s like. And what better place to start in New Hampshire than the White Mountains?
This is the Badness East Coast Ski Report:
Wildcat Mountain Resort and Attitash Mountain Resort:
Mile: 60,478
Quote of the Blog: “The best place to ski in the world is where you are skiing that day.” - Warren Miller
Song of the Blog: “Jackson” - Jonny Cash & June Carter
The White Mountains are legendary in the New Hampshire ski world. The crown jewel of the range is Mount Washington. No ski resorts are actually on the mountain itself—it’s home to some of the gnarliest wind and winter conditions in the continental U.S. But around it, there are several ski hills worth checking out. Since this area is a couple of hours from Peterborough, we decided to make a weekend of it, staying overnight so we could hit both ski areas.
We booked a cool lodge in Jackson, New Hampshire—how fitting of a town name for a region with multiple ski resorts! Amity picked the lodging, and it was right up her alley. We stayed at the Christmas Tree Farm Inn—despite it being nowhere near Christmas! The verdict? Super cute. New England has absolutely perfected the classic rustic look. Driving into Jackson meant crossing one of the state’s many wooden covered bridges, and the lodge itself was exactly what you’d expect—fully decked out in Christmas décor. It set the perfect stage for a great weekend of skiing.
ATTITASH MOUNTAIN RESORT
Overall Score 6.25/10
Open Terrain 6/10
Technicality of Terrain 5/10
Lodges 7/10
Snow Conditions 4/10
Vibe & Apres Scene 8/10
Chairlifts & Access 6/10
Parking 8/10
Crowds 6/10
Attitash was the first of the two ski hills we visited, and we wanted to make sure we got a full day there since it had the most terrain open. That said, only about 60% of the mountain was accessible. Many runs were scraped down to rocks, and others were simply closed.
We started our day on the Bear Peak side of the mountain, where parking was easy, free, and close to the chairlift. Our first chair ride was a wild one. We took the Lazy Bear chair, and they had to stop it mid-ride. I’ve been on lifts that bounce when they stop, but this one had us bouncing so hard that Amity was hooting, hollering, and white-knuckling the safety bar. After that, we decided not to ride that lift again. Smart move—just one week later, a chair on that lift actually fell off with someone on it. Not exactly a confidence booster.
From there, we skied over to the main side of the mountain. Amity had made plans to ski with her co-worker, Kirsten, another traveling PT who had never been to Attitash either. It was fun to explore the mountain with another traveler and swap stories about the travel PT lifestyle—the good, the bad, and the unexpected. There’s something about connecting with people who get the constant movement and new experiences that made the day even better.
The mountain itself has a lot of potential, but the lack of natural snowfall meant we were dealing with bulletproof ice from the snow guns. It was great that they could make snow, but it made for some seriously sketchy conditions. Welcome to East Coast skiing!
We spent most of the day on the Attitash side of the resort. The runs there were long with some fun, rolling terrain. One thing we’ve noticed about East Coast skiing is that people are way more comfortable skiing close together, and the runs are much narrower than out west. It feels like dodging moving gates on an ice rink.
One of the wildest things about Attitash is that they have two chairlifts that cross over each other. I’ve seen a lot of lift designs—turning chairs, lifts that go to the same place, even ones that span between peaks—but I’ve never seen one lift cross over another. Naturally, our first thought was whether any locals had successfully dropped a beer from the upper lift to a friend on the lower one.
We skied from 8:30 AM to around 2 PM, putting in a solid day. Amity’s favorite run was Saco, a long trail with upper, middle, and lower sections. My favorite was Mythmaker—ungroomed with massive, icy “whale backs” from the snow guns. It was the wildest open run I’ve ever seen. Any western resort would have kept it closed until a groomer could push the snow around, but here, it was fair game. I loved it. At the end of the day, the clouds over Mount Washington parted just enough to give us a rare glimpse of the peak in the distance.
The lodges at Attitash are easy to access, with a few to choose from. They’re nothing special—standard mountain cafés—but they get the job done. One thing Amity is still getting used to out here is how many people bring all their gear into the lodge to get ready instead of gearing up at their cars. This makes the lodges feel packed, and Attitash was no exception.
By the end of the day, we collectively agreed we wouldn’t be coming back to Attitash. While the mountain has some cool features and the potential for good snow, its distance from home, sketchy conditions, and questionable lift setups made it an easy pass for a return trip. It feels like the resort is being neglected under Vail ownership, lacking the care and attention a local owner might give. So, thank you, “Atti-Trash,” for a day of skiing, but we’re moving on.
After skiing, we explored the area and found Ledge Brewing—a great spot! It was quiet when we arrived but started filling up while we were there. They have a taco spot inside that makes incredible tacos, and we sampled a couple (would definitely go back for more). The beer was solid, too. I had a funny interaction with the bartender that started with him telling me to “F off” and ended with him giving me great local ski advice, including tips for when we hit Stowe. Good to know jaded locals exist everywhere!
We wrapped up the night back at the Christmas Tree Farm Inn, taking full advantage of the hot tub—because what’s a ski weekend without one? Dinner was in North Conway at Muddy Moose Restaurant & Pub. Nothing special food-wise, but the classic ski town vibe made us happy. It’s good to be back around this kind of energy. Time to rest up—Wildcat Mountain is next!
WILDCAT MOUNTAIN
Overall Score 7/10
Open Terrain 5/10
Technicality of Terrain 8/10
Lodges 6/10
Snow Conditions 5/10
Vibe & Apres Scene 6/10
Chairlifts & Access 8/10
Parking 10/10
Crowds 8/10
Wildcat Mountain Resort is less of a resort and more of a pure ski hill. It sits right across the valley from Mount Washington and gets all the wind that comes with it. This wind is limiting in a lot of ways—it can take fresh or manmade snow and blow it three counties over, and it can also shut the mountain down at any moment. We were lucky not to have any extreme wind. It was definitely windy, but not the kind that cuts through your clothes like a knife.
Parking at Wildcat is a dream. No real crowds, it’s free, and it’s just a three-minute walk from your car to the slopes. We made sure to get an early start, which only made parking even better. Today, only one main chairlift to the top was running, and just 25% of the mountain’s runs were open. Even so, Amity and I made the most of the limited terrain. The best part? The runs here are long. We could take a couple of laps, hit the lodge to warm up, and repeat until we were good for the day. Nothing really fancy about their lodge. It is classic and simple. What we loved about the area was the grouping of people. They reminded us of the winter hardened people of Montana.
There were no lift lines or major crowds, but with the limited terrain, we’d occasionally get bunched up with other skiers. I would just blast past them, while Amity preferred to hang back and wait for some space before making her way down. I quickly learned that following the kids in race jackets led to the best runs on the mountain. I would have loved to see Wildcat with more snow—several of our friends grew up skiing here, and they’re fantastic skiers. You can tell this mountain breeds strong skiers, and it even has some impressive side country access that I haven’t seen at other New England resorts.
At 4,062 feet above sea level, Wildcat is the second-highest ski area in New Hampshire. On a clear day, it offers unparalleled views of Mount Washington and the legendary Tuckerman’s Ravine. Unfortunately, today wasn’t that day—clouds were ripping across the sky with the wind, so visibility was low.
Amity’s favorite run of the day was Polecat—a fun, long cruiser. My favorite was Upper Wildcat to Bobcat, a run with playful fall-away turns and great pitch to really open up the skis and fly. I can see why this place produces great ski racers.
One of the coolest things about Wildcat is its history. They have some of the oldest and wildest-looking gondolas on display. When I first pointed them out, Amity didn’t believe that anyone—let alone two people—would ever get inside them. Even after asking our friends who grew up here to confirm that they were actually used, she still couldn’t believe it. It must have been a crazy time in the ski industry for lifts like that to operate.
In the end, we liked Wildcat more than Attitash. Even with limited terrain, the runs were long, the crowds were light, and the skiing was more fun and playful. But the wind exposure is brutal, and it’s a very basic ski hill—no après scene, no real entertainment. That’s not what Wildcat is about. It’s about creating great skiers in the shadow of the gnarliest mountain on the East Coast. The only reason we won’t be coming back is that we have other places to explore, and we don’t see Wildcat getting much more snow this season. In a big snow year, though? We would have absolutely loved it. Maybe someday, we’ll be back.
Just like that, we were back in the car, heading south for another week of work. It feels amazing to have our skis back on. We love skiing together and discovering new places. There are other mountains ahead with better conditions and bigger terrain, but we’re really glad we got to experience the notorious White Mountains, ski Attitash and Wildcat, and see Mount Washington and Tuckerman’s Ravine in person—things I never thought I’d get to do!