New Hampshire
Dartmouth Skiway
Dartmouth Skiway sits at 1,943 feet in elevation has provided the Upper Valley area skiing since 1956. With Winslow Mountain and Holt’s Ledge each boasting its own terrain with Winslow containing really good glades. On the Holt’s Ledge side, Big Green sits at 1.25 miles long make it one of the longest green trails in New Hampshire.
King Pine
King Pine is a tremendous, small mountain located in Madison, NH. While it is not very tall, it still offers a lot of terrain spread out along the mountain. They also offer night skiing in which they are open until 6 PM. The snow is good, and King Pine has some of the best terrain for anyone learning how to ski!
Tenney
Tenney is located in Plymouth, NH and just reopened last season. Tenney has never really been a mountain that has had recent success as it was closed for multiple years at a time. But now, Tenney has rebounded and made some upgrades that place it well within the competition in the state. Now in its second season back it offers 48 trails and roughly 1,500 vertical feet for skiers!
Whaleback
Whaleback is a community mountain in the Upper Valley area. While it may seem small looking at it on the trail map the terrain can get difficult especially on the black diamonds as it is a steep mountain that almost goes up to the highway. Whaleback is great for beginners but still has enough to give you a good challenge!
Vermont
Burke
Burke may be a little more known than the other ski areas on this list but with all the ski areas in Vermont like Killington, Sugarbush, Jay Peak, and Stowe, it is easy for Burke to get overlooked. With a vertical drop just over 2,000 feet Burke offers a range in terrain from expert to a specific beginner area off the Sherburne Express.
Magic Mountain
Magic Mountain is an independent mountain located in southern Vermont that just got another chairlift upgrade with the Black Quad being put in to gain more summit access. With just 50% of snowmaking coverage Magic has plenty of natural snow trails that can be really fun with the right amount of snow!
Middlebury Snowbowl
Another ski area affiliated with a local college, Middlebury Snowbowl offers a range of terrain and night skiing. It averages over 200 inches of snowfall each year and even has a lake in the middle of the ski area! Middlebury also offers some challenging terrain off the Bailey Falls Chair.
Saskadena 6
Saskadena 6 has been home to skiing for 88 years now in South Pomfert. Much like Whaleback, Saskadena 6 has some deceptively steep drops such as its signature trail, The Face. It is also great for learning to ski and is best with a lot of natural snowfall.
Maine
Black Mountain
Black Mountain in Maine is a very underrated and is very cheap. Located in Rumford, Maine, it has 600 acres of skiable terrain, and its longest run is two miles. Its best runs are Allagash and Androscoggin.
Mount Abram
Mount Abram is usually open Thursday to Sundays and provides some really affordable skiing in Maine. Sitting at 1,150 vertical feet the main mountain offers a lot of intermediate and expert terrain. A fun fact is that all the trail names are named after characters in the TV show Rocky & Bullwinkle.
Pleasant Mountain
Pleasant Mountain, recently renamed from Shawnee Peak, is a really well-run operation in Bridgton, Maine that has battled through some adversity this year. With one of the most underrated views in the east, Pleasant Mountain offers great terrain with laps down The Main, Sunset Boulevard, and Appalachain always having great snow. For a mountain owned by Boyne, Pleasant is also incredibly cheap with weekday tickets going as low as $46.
Southern New England
Ski Sundown
Ski Sundown has 70 skiable acres and is primarily a learning mountain. While the learning area may be pretty good, there is still some challenge to the mountain with Satan’s Stairway coming right down the face of the mountain along with a few other black diamond trails.
Bousquet
Located in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Bousquet provides great skiing in Western Massachusetts that often gets overshadowed by Berkshire East, Catamount, and Jiminy Peak. Bousquet has an elevation of 1,818 and has quality runs like Main Street and Grand Slalom while also having a long far out trail like Drifter.
Otis Ridge
Otis Ridge is located in Southwestern Massachusetts and has 60 skiable acres and night skiing. It is 78 years old and has only one chairlift while also having a T Bar that also services the summit. Its main two trails, Knox and Sandy’s Slalom, provide solid runs for day and night skiing.
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