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All the trails are on one mountain, which makes is very easy to get around
and skiers don't have to worry about getting on the wrong lift or trail
and spend a lot of time getting back on track.
Most of the mountain is accessible from the high speed White Peak Express Quad which starts at the base lodge.
This makes it convenient for families or groups that wants to stay together.
Most of the mountain, how ever rated on the trail map, would be considered to be intermediate.
There are also a few terrain parks as well as a Superpipe for those who want more challenges.
Beginners and Intermediates:
The easiest trail is the Valley Run at
the bottom left of the mountain and can be accessed from the Quadzilla
High Speed Quad. This
is a rather short run, and after a couple of warm up runs, it's
recommended that the White Peak Express Quad is taken and then take the
Oblivion, which is a nice groomed trail that
will lead into the Upper Valley Run
and then the Valley
Run. However, the best intermediate run is probably the Tippecanoe that leads into the Lower Tippecanoe
(Tippy) and the Lower Periphery
on the right side of the mountain. These are nice wide groomed
trails that most people will enjoy since it's steep enough that the
more advanced skiers will enjoy the speed and quick turns that can be
achieved here.
There are also some very nice intermediate trails on
the peak of the mountain. It is pretty open at the peak and a
little bit icy, but under different conditions the skiing here would
probably be
great. The view from the peak is also very nice. To get to
the peak, first take the White Peak Express Quad, and then get on the
High Country Double. This was the first time MountainYahoos
experiences a chair lift powered by a huge old diesel engine!
What this lift lacks in speed, it makes up in nostalgia and it's
well worth the experience to take this lift.
Run: Upper Valley Run looking down towards Lower Valley
with Sunny Side Triple chair on the left.
Run: Valley Run
Run: Lower Tippecanoe
Run: Periphery
Run: Oblivion
Top of Waterville Valley accessible via the diesel powered High Country
double chair lift.
Looking down from the peak.
A very unique diesel powered chair lift at Waterville Valley will take
you to the peak.
Advanced:
Although there isn't really anything at Waterville Valley that requires advanced and expert skills, there are still some runs that are great and that the expert
skier/boarder will enjoy. All the "expert" runs can be accessed
from the White Peak Express Quad, but the best black trails are on the
left side on the mountain. Both Ciao
and Gema are single black runs
that are groomed, so this is a good place to practice making quick
turns at higher speeds. Next to Gema
is True Grit, and this is
rated a double diamond, but it is not much steeper than Gema. It wasn't groomed as
well as Gema,
and although it wasn't a true mogul run, it might be the reason it had
another diamond after it. Regardless, this is also a great run
that MountainYahoos spent a lot of time on.
The best part about skiing these three trails that are next to each other is they are all
accessed from the Sunnyside Triple chair that more or less only covers
the most difficult terrain. No need to wait around for
"everybody" else to get up on the mountain! Lift lines were very
short here. There is also another good run on the other side of
the mountain: The Boneyard.
This can be accessed by taking the White Peak Express Quad and
then ski down Tippecanoe
until it runs into The Boneyard.
The Chute underneath the White Peak Express quad is also pretty nice.
Run: On the White Peak Express with The Chute below.
Run: The Boneyard
Run: True Grit with the Sunny Side Triple on the left.
Run: True Grit
Run: True Grit
Run: Bail Out (blue) towards Ciao and Gema (black runs)
Run: Looking down Gema
Run: Looking up Gema
Ciao and Gema: Two very good choices at Waterville Valley!
Run: Chao
Moguls:
There
aren't a lot of mogul runs at Waterville Valley, but what it lacks in
quantity it makes up for in quality. Lower Bobby's Run is a World
Cup standard mogul run with two built in jumps. This is where the
Vancouver 2010 woman's mogul gold medalist Hannah Kearney got her
skills, so this run should be enough for the rest of us to practice on!
Lower Bobby's Run can be
accessed from either the White Peak Express Quad or the Sunny Side
Triple.
Run: Lower Bobby's Run on the right
Trees
There aren't a lot of glades at Waterville Valley, especially at
the end of March, but the glades between
True Grit and Lower Bobby's
Run are very nice. MountainYahoos would love to come back
next season earlier in the season when the conditions are better.
Run: Glades between True Grit
and Lower Bobby's Run.
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