February 11, 2009 E-MAIL PRINT

Bretton Woods is loaded with ego snow

by Tony Chamberlain/

Lyn Chamberlain emerges from the glades at Bretton Woods. (photo: Tony Chamberlain)

Lyn Chamberlain emerges from the glades at Bretton Woods. (photo: Tony Chamberlain)

By now, much has been made about the ongoing renovation of the Mount Washington Hotel. The new spa/pool/conference center (Presidential Wing) transforms the place into an establishment worthy of the United Nations Monetary Conference held there in 1944 with 730 delegates from 44 nations.

Interesting as it may be, history is not the draw that brings me back through Bretton Woods at least once a year. Every time back I’m aware of a nearly imperceptible expansion going on both in the resort and above on the alpine trails.

Of course, the grand plan is for a large village to expand in the valley, and for Mount Stickney to be developed with trails east of Rosebrook.

But if the last time you visited Bretton Woods was before, say, the Rosebrook Glades or the West Mountain tree runs, you’ll be surprised at how these take the snooze factor out of this mountain that once marketed itself as “No Stress Skiing.”

Not that there’s anything wrong with a little "no stress" now and then, and of course, this is an area brimming with ego snow, which has endeared itself to newer skiers and boarders, and the oldsters you just might not see there on weekends.

But the other day, as a fine sun broke out on conditions so velvety there you couldn’t hear the edges turn, there they were — folks in their senior years enjoying a wide open, crowdless ski day.

Since I like a couple of runs before I tighten up the boots, I took the first run on gently rolling Avalon off the Zephyr quad. This lets you get to the West Mountain chair or ride the Crawford Ridge (flattish) Road back to the bottom. Unless you want to inspect the seven-figure townhouses built along the ridge, head to the West Mountain chair.

There are some really interesting options — if a little short — over here. Once you decide that the weekday has left the mountain largely unpopulated, it may be time for a smoker down Waumbeck. It’s quite thrilling to accelerate down Alpine Gardens all the way to the lip of the first face on Waumbeck. The run is wide, so you can see if it’s open enough to just blast down the face, flatten into the transition before plunging down the second face. As said, as much fun as this run is, it’s so fast you find yourself at the lift shortly after you begin.

I’ve always liked some of the open glades such as Millenium Maze and Maple Woods on the west side. Plenty of decent glades also are off the Rosebrook Canyon side. And for cruisers, you can piece together longer top-to-bottom runs such as Bode’s Run to Diamond Ridge to Deception Bowl (black) or Watertank (blue).

And speaking of Bode, if you know just where to look, you can see the huge new house Bode Miller has just built on the high ridge opposite the alpine area, though Miller does not have a sponsorship association with the resort any longer.

The area could use more good restaurants, but one worth driving to is Notchland Inn, about 15 minutes east on Route 302. On weekends, the inn has two five-course seatings, and as you dine you will be visited by two spectacular Bearnese Mountain dogs that roam at will.

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