February 18, 2009 E-MAIL PRINT

Under the radar: Dartmouth Skiway

by Tony Chamberlain/

The McLane Family Lodge is the hub at Dartmouth Skiway. (photo: Dartmouth Skiway)

The McLane Family Lodge is the hub at Dartmouth Skiway. (photo: Dartmouth Skiway)

This is the time of the season when we look for places to duck out of the vacation crowds, and there are a few such getaways. Saddleback in Rangeley, Maine — for the time being — qualifies, as does Vermont’s Burke Mountain and the Middlebury Snowbowl.

But speaking of high IQ slopes, the Dartmouth Skiway is one of the best dodges out of the mainstream you’re likely to find in the New Hampshire hills. Located about 20 miles north of Hanover in Lyme Center, the Skiway has a deep tradition of ski racing and training, but also low-key family skiing and riding.

Well out of the crush of popular vacation spots, the Skiway has one more indisputable advantage: It’s cheap. In this $70-plus era, the single day adult ticket is still $40 at Dartmouth, with $30 for a teenager, $25 for a senior, and a two-day weekend/vacation package for $65 per adult.

Older skiers will appreciate that Dartmouth has many throwback trails that will remind you of Olde New England, those narrow winding switchbacks from the pre-white parking lot days.

There is some pretty challenging terrain at the Skiway, but it won’t remind you of Outer Limits or White Nitro. Still, there are some fun glade runs and even terrain park tricks for boarders and twin-tip fans with their need to be airborne.

Needless to say, for an all-encompassing family vacation spot, the Skiway may be short on variety, especially for young hotshots in your entourage. But the point is getting out of the mainstream for one or two days of sliding and saving a few bucks.

The Skiway is decent vertical, just under 1,000 feet, with 31 trails, most in the blue cruise category, but with some nice beginner slopes and a few steeper, bumped-up runs. There’s one quad, a double chair and a Poma servicing the two faces of the Skiway, and all runs lead out into a valley centered by one of the most unique and gorgeous base lodges in ski country.

The McLane Family Lodge is a soaring, timber-frame building that houses all the amenities: cafeteria, ski shop and ski school.

The instruction at the Skiway is excellent, especially for newer skiers and riders who find at Dartmouth a much less intimidating environment to practice and gain confidence.

It was on those very slopes, in fact, that yours truly first ventured downhill on a snowboard, guided by an instructor who knew how to keep just enough contact in those first few runs to keep me upright, while showing me the essential movements.

Being too old a dog for a new trick, I never gave up my skis, but I still remember with gratitude how focused and empathetic that instructor was during what was a rather dark hour for me on the slopes.

One of the reasons Dartmouth Skiway is well off the beaten trail is that we don’t go there for the shopping, the nightlife or the fine dining. But speaking of which, if you want to reward yourself for saving money at the Skiway, you can indulge yourself in the classic splendor of the Hanover Inn back in the shadow of the college. It is fine dining and fine lodging — at a price.

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