Wildcat

United States → East → New Hampshire → Pinkham Notch

Rating: 5.05.05.05.05.0 5.00
Difficulty: 5.33
Trails:
25%45%30%
Beginner rating: 3.673.673.673.673.67 3.67
Intermediate rating: 4.04.04.04.04.0 4.00
Expert rating: 4.674.674.674.674.67 4.67
Park rating: 1.01.01.01.01.0 1.00

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Latest Reviews

Reviewed by madmike on February 09, 2009

madmike is a 6 snowboarder

Rating: 55555
Difficulty: 6
Beginner rating: 44444
Intermediate rating: 44444
Expert rating: 55555
Park rating: (none given)

Not for the faint of view

Ah, the view; undeniably one of the best in New England...wait now watch for it....Wildcat was created by the CCC back in the 30's for the most part. As much as is possible they followed the fall lines when they were cutting the runs.
The original Wildcat Trail:
You gotta love the ever changing weather being generated by the rock-pile across the valley; but at the same time notice that the trail has all of a sudden gone from a sweet intermediate cruiser, and turned into a left pitched expert twister(I think that I neglected to mention the Lower pitch here, a decent head wall awaits).
It is never straight up and down:
Of course if you wish to just get it in one fell swoop, there are (almost) always the sinister(?) twins running straight up to the top (It usually takes the better part of the season to accumulate enough cover to open the section under the quad known as the Starr Line).
We're not in Kansas anymore:
Back in the day, before things known as saws were invented; somebody strapped boards on their feet to help them find food in the winter(wait? boards without saws...Do'h). Voila, back country skiing was born. BTW, the signs at the edge of the area warning of the fact that you will now be leaving the patrolled area of the resort are not to be taken lightly. Yes, there are areas such as this here; but they are not for the faint of heart or skill.
Conclusions:
Wildcat is....nuff said(if you seek amenities such as day spas,no wind chills,over groomed to perfection slopes(no loose powder anywhere), crowded conditions,cookie-cutter designed everything, I recommend somewhere else; this ain't it)

Reviewed by PJ Collins on November 09, 2008

PJ Collins is a 6 skier

Rating: 55555
Difficulty: 5
Beginner rating: 33333
Intermediate rating: 44444
Expert rating: 55555
Park rating: (none given)

The most honest mountain

Wildcat is the most honest mountain in New England. What I mean by that is that when they talk about a vertical drop of over two thousand feet they really mean it. Many areas have vertical drops of 2,000 feet or more but you really only get to ski portions of that in one run. Killington for example boasts a vertical of over 3,000 feet but in reality you ski 1,500 or less per run (the vertical rise of any individual chairlift). To ski the 3,000+ of Killington in one run you have to ski a mountain access road which is nothing but green flats the whole miserable way. At Wildcat when you stand at the peak you can see straight down the old gondola line all 2,112 vertical feet in one seemingly unending combination of bumps and steeps.
Wildcat also has the best views in New England, looking as it does into the great Tuckerman Ravine on Mount Washington. Plus the creek skiing on Elevator Shaft is a rush and Thompson Brook and Falls is one of the most extreme "runs" I've ever skied back in New England

Reviewed by LiquidFeet on July 04, 2007

LiquidFeet is a 5 skier

Rating: 55555
Difficulty: 5
Beginner rating: 44444
Intermediate rating: 44444
Expert rating: 44444
Park rating: 11111

frequent Wildcat skier

Wildcat is different, and I really love it. But how do I explain why? There is no terrain park, thus not as many boarders as elsewhere, which benefits skiers. The mountain has the longest continuous trails in New England (I think), so if you like summiting on a high speed quad (8 minutes to the top at lightning speed some days, wow!!!) then skiing a long time down, that's really nice. The mountain is situated across a deep valley (aka Pinkham Notch) from Mount Washington, which affords its skiers great views, plus that affects the weather and the mountain gets dumped often when other ski areas in the vicinity get nothing. Plus there's plenty of tree skiing, when it snows. The downside: the mountain (a four thousand-footer) gets the wind that sweeps down Mt. Washington and UP Wildcat, sometimes 45 mph and you know what that means -- ice and closed summit chairs. But wait, there's a reason so many people buy a season ticket there and refuse to ski anywhere else, and I haven't gotten to that yet.

Look around the lodge. It's old and full of character ... classic New England. Check out the trails ... they are narrow, twisty turny, bordered by alpine trees, with a to-die-for view across the notch at majestic Mt. Washington. Check out the skiers and the workers and the "mountain ambassadors" ... you'll see more old hippies here than you'd believe. It's special. It's beloved. It's classic. Check it out.

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