Waterville Valley Trip Reports, 2022-2023 Season

NewEnglandSkier13

Spruce;c-59009 wroteRandom question, was there a couple of weeks ago…I noticed a lot of broken t-bars on the summit T. Some had broken handles and some had no rope at all. I’ve never noticed this at other areas…is this common?

It seems to be a common issue on the string & reel style T-bars. It's a constant issue at Bradford too.

newpylong

Ether they're having trouble getting parts or they're just being typical WV cheap and not bothering.

ADKskier

Okay I stand corrected, wow some of those are Hideous.

NELSAP

Waterville Valley, January 28, 2023
Runs: 21
Vertical: 22200'
Miles: 20.8

Pros:
Indy Pass ticket, no reservations required.
Got there early enough (745am) to get a spot in Lot 2
Friendly staff everywhere, from tickets to lifts
Efficient lift management to ensure chairs going up filled
Skiers volunteering to join me (I was by myself) to ensure chairs filled, which led to some good conversations
Some light snow during the day to help freshen the trails
Most of the mountain open
Tecumseh Express is one comfortable, fast lift - I think it was running in the 1100-1200'/min range, which is more than what they originally advertised (1000'min).
Northside Chair was open, I haven't ridden that in 30 years
Rode High Country T-bar for first time
Some natural snow trails/glades were open
Even with the crowds, the trails themselves, for the most part, were not jammed with skiers, and there plenty of runs with few skiers on them.

Cons:
Most expensive lunch I have had this season at any area - bacon cheeseburger, onion rings, ice tea was $30
Outdoor bag check needs to be rethought - it's a tiny shelter for thousands of skiers to use. I know, boot up at the car...but it can be quite a hike from the parking lot to the lifts.
Crowds - yes, I know it's a Saturday with fresh snow. I was expecting this. But the base area 3 main lifts, combined with a food truck and seating for that, was a sea of humanity.

I decided to hit up Waterville on my Indy Pass this Saturday, as hadn't skied there in several years. I had an enjoyable day of skiing, see the pros above. Definitely a few issues, but overall had a good time. Made a decent number of runs and vertical, even with the crowds, which I knew and expected to be there. And the Tecumseh Express is quite a lift - it had to be running close to 1200'/min, and I can imagine on weekday, one could get a ridiculous number of runs/vertical off of it in just a few hours.

Highlights including riding the Northside Double which had no lines, which I hadn't ridden in 30 years, as well as the new T-bar.

Would like to go back on a midweek day with the new upgrades on the mountain.

Tecumseh Express

Sugar Shack Glades

Northside Double

Almost first tracks down Ciao

Summit remains of old High Country double

T-bar

Natural snow on Tangent

Crowds at based/lift line

Bag check. My bag was 3-4 deep in the shelter. Took a while to find/retrieve it in the afternoon

NewEnglandSkier13

Is that really the only option for bag storage? What's their excuse for not having indoor storage like most places have?

Looks like the Indy resorts are turning into a zoo now too.

NELSAP

There is indoor bag check (for a fee). Nothing free inside. They have a sign that says to use outdoor storage, the bag check, or your car.

snowphoenix

Thanks for the report! Looks like a great day of skiing and good to see Northside getting in on the action.

NewEnglandSkier13;c-59077 wroteLooks like the Indy resorts are turning into a zoo now too.

I agree it's disappointing to see Waterville get more crowded, but to me that's not unexpected given that they have similar size and amenities to other areas on the Epic and Ikon passes. At least Waterville has a few upper-mountain lifts that you can use to avoid the crowds at the base area.

NewEnglandSkier13

snowphoenix;c-59093 wroteThanks for the report! Looks like a great day of skiing and good to see Northside getting in on the action.

NewEnglandSkier13;c-59077 wroteLooks like the Indy resorts are turning into a zoo now too.
I agree it's disappointing to see Waterville get more crowded, but to me that's not unexpected given that they have similar size and amenities to other areas on the Epic and Ikon passes. At least Waterville has a few upper-mountain lifts that you can use to avoid the crowds at the base area.

Based on the pictures, it looks like even the High Country T-Bar had a significant line!

bousquet19

Thanks for the detailed report and photos, NELSAP.

Hope to try WV for the first time ever, and on a midweek day coming up soon. Maybe the cons will be fewer, but the pros you listed might be hard to beat.

Woody

riverc0il

NewEnglandSkier13;c-59077 wroteLooks like the Indy resorts are turning into a zoo now too.

In Indy's defense, Waterville has always been a zoo. :D

I've always put Waterville on par with other big resorts. They were once part of ASC and Booth Creek. I am not sure why people are surprised it is busy on a weekend following the biggest snow storm of the season? Surely the new lift is also increasing traffic vs. normal.

Which other Indy's are turning into zoos? Cannon has their lame outdoor bag check and lift issues, but I am not familiar with any other Indy area issues? They are all independently managed, so being on the Indy is moot in regards to each area's ops.

newpylong

Agreed. The place has always been a zoo along with Sunapee and Loon. Used to not be able to drive a mile without seeing a WV sticker on a vehicle in Eastern MA.

NewEnglandSkier13

riverc0il;c-59124 wrote
NewEnglandSkier13;c-59077 wroteLooks like the Indy resorts are turning into a zoo now too.
In Indy's defense, Waterville has always been a zoo. :D

I've always put Waterville on par with other big resorts. They were once part of ASC and Booth Creek. I am not sure why people are surprised it is busy on a weekend following the biggest snow storm of the season? Surely the new lift is also increasing traffic vs. normal.

Which other Indy's are turning into zoos? Cannon has their lame outdoor bag check and lift issues, but I am not familiar with any other Indy area issues? They are all independently managed, so being on the Indy is moot in regards to each area's ops.

Some of my other family members have Indy Passes, and they've experienced significant crowding at Pat's Peak, Jay Peak, Magic, and Bolton Valley recently.

newpylong

I'm not sold that recent crowding is entirely related to being on this pass or that one. It's been a crap winter and now that it appears to be here people are getting out and enjoying it. Ragged had a rumored record weekend (it seemed it) and they aren't on any Leloo Dallas multi pass.

lotsoskiing

newpylong;c-59132 wroteI'm not sold that recent crowding is entirely related to being on this pass or that one. It's been a crap winter and now that it appears to be here people are getting out and enjoying it. Ragged had a rumored record weekend (it seemed it) and they aren't on any Leloo Dallas multi pass.

I concur. People are jonesing to ski, vibe-killing passes or not.

skelley19

I was at Jay last Friday and Saturday. Friday was amazing conditions and waits were minimal. Bonnie and Jet were more or less ski on, Flyer was a 3-5 minutes until about 2:00 when that also became ski on. Tram was about a 1 tram wait. Unfortunately the wind and crowds showed up Saturday with the Tram and Flyer on hold all day. Bonnie and Jet were each a 15-20 minute wait. Even the Metro and Taxi were over 10 minutes most of the day. Not sure that had much to do with Indy though. More the great snow and 2 key lifts on hold.

I was at Saddleback the previous Saturday and the lots were packed with cars down the access road and rows in the middle of the parking lots but waits for the Rangeley chair never exceeded 5 minutes and the Kenebago was a few chair wait if that. That detachable quad does a great job of getting people up the mountain and spreading them out.

xlr8r

Waterville did lose a lot of business as Loon, Ragged, Sunapee expanded and developed in the last 20 years. I think primarily the Indy Pass and to a lesser extent Green Peak has brought business back to Waterville in the last 3 years or so.

A.S.kier

NewEnglandSkier13;c-59130 wrote Some of my other family members have Indy Passes, and they've experienced significant crowding at Pat's Peak, Jay Peak, Magic, and Bolton Valley recently.

From my experience Indy Pass hasn't seemed to have a significant impact on crowding at any areas. Jay Peak and Magic haven't been more busy than years past and if anything Jay Peak seemed to have fewer people the past two years (maybe due to a decrease in Canadian customers). Pat's Peak and Bolton do seem to be slightly busier than before but the popularity of Bolton was increasing in the years before the Indy Pass anyway. It hasn't had a detrimental impact on the ski experience, the lodges and base areas at a few of the areas have just been a little more crowded.

joshua_segal

Noticing that you (A.S.kier) are on your 3rd posting, I want to welcome you to Snow Journal Community.

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