Wildcat Mountain Ski Area

Check out my adventure at Wildcat Mountain with the video and post below. Winter is a great time to plan a New Hampshire adventure and enjoy the four-season beauty of the Granite State!

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Exploring Wildcat Mountain Ski Area has been on my radar for a while and President’s Day Weekend seemed like a perfect time to check it off the bucket list!

Skiing all of New Hampshire’s resorts is one of the challenges that got me thinking about starting this blog. Similarly, kayaking as many lakes as possible is another challenge that got the gears turning for a blog promoting all New Hampshire has to offer.

Wildcat, offers some of the most breathtaking scenery of any of New Hampshire’s ski areas. At 4,062 feet, it perches you in a perfect position for some stunning views of Mount Washington and Tuckerman’s Ravine. The views eastward into Maine were stunning and offered my clearest pictures from the day.

Pinkham’s Notch

I was looking forward to the ride to Wildcat, knowing that it would take me through the White Mountains and some of New Hampshire’s most beautiful scenery. Skiing directly across from Mount Washington offered a perfect adventure for this website.

The three-hour trip took me from Keene to Concord via Route 9 and then the bulk of the drive was I93 North. I would pass through Laconia and up into the White Mountain region. As a result, it offered a scenic route that took me through Pinkham’s Notch, Mount Washington, and then south to Wildcat.

The video above the post captures the drive through Pinkham’s Notch. This is a snippet taken from the video.

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Check-in

I arrived around 9:30 am and cars were already starting to fill a lower-level parking area. It was an easy walk to the rear of the base lodge to check in my gear and get my ticket. The line seemed reasonable given the holiday weekend and the crew kept it moving pretty quickly. Consequently, a Wildcat ticket will get you into their sister mountain Attitash!

A quick buzz around the lodge helped orient things for the day. There is an upper-level dining area with a full deck, main level cafeteria, customer service/check-in, and retail area, and the lower level provides bag check-in, rental, and service area.

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Hitting the slopes

I made my way out to the lift area and decided to hit the summit via the Wildcat Express lift. Chairlifts can make or break your day depending on how quickly they keep the line moving. Luckily, I found the Wildcat Express lived up to its name.

Unfortunately, the cloud cover didn’t seem to want to completely let go during the day. Consequently, I never got a complete view of the summit of Mount Washington. The views were still incredible all day and the pictures to the East made up for it. After getting off the Wildcat Express lift, there is an observation area with information on the Appalachian Trail and views to the east. The view was breathtaking and it was the spot where I was able to get my best pictures of the day!

Upper Polecat run was a nice easy green trail for the first run of the day. New Englanders like to grumble about the winter weather, but I have always thought each season has its own beauty and last just long enough to leave you excited for the next. Being on top of a snow-covered mountain always leaves me amazed at how beautiful New Hampshire is during the winter.

Wildcat provided a nice mix of trails to explore as the day unfolded. There were groomed and natural trails to suit all abilities. I’ve been pushing myself on the moguls the last few years and found a few trails that were perfect for practicing and building confidence. I was feeling pretty good until the kids went by twice as fast!

The Snow Sports meeting area seemed to be busy all day with instructors and kids buzzing about.

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Summary

I promise to work on my GoPro skills but I was able to capture some footage in the video at the top of the post. I hope it gives you some sense of the fun and beauty available at Wildcat!

Wildcat Mountain Ski Area proved to be all I had hoped for and more! New Hampshire is beautiful all year round and winter has its own unique way of bringing that out. Add Wildcat Mountain to your list of things to do in New Hampshire!

The trip home along route 16 allowed me to gather a few more pictures of Historical Markers and the iconic Jackson Covered Bridge.

For a change of pace, check out my post on White Mountain Region Foliage and take a ride along the Kancamagus. The colors were stunning and I was able to experience Sugar Hill for the first time.

Feel free to leave comments on your favorite ski mountain or offer suggestions for future posts!