February 25, 2009 E-MAIL PRINT

Be pampered at the Balsams

by Tony Chamberlain/

The Balsams has a respectable 1,000-foot vertical drop. (photo: The Balsams)

The Balsams has a respectable 1,000-foot vertical drop. (photo: The Balsams)

OK, it may be way too late to pamper someone for Valentine's Day, but why not just pamper someone? Why not just pamper yourself?

Grand hotels with haute cuisine were once more a part of ski life, but you can still find it in some old standbys. In country called “North of the Notches” — New Hampshire’s Dixville Notch — The Balsams Wilderness hums along in all its quiet majesty.

Of course, skiers heading up for a few days of the Balsams experience understand going in that the focus is not on the vigors of alpine skiing, but on a richly textured winter life built around what Ski Magazine has called “one of the world’s poshest ski hotels.”

We were lucky enough to be with a multi-generational family group that was celebrating its patriarch’s 80th birthday. Some of the kids had never skied, and a couple of folks were reluctant skiers at best. And, of course, there were a couple of hotshot kids around as well.

The most common comment was on how easy and stress-free everything was. Those who were nervous about getting back into skiing were delighted at the helpful attitude and ease of getting into rental gear — something that can be a crowded hour-long grind at some ski areas.

They went out the first morning with a small group lesson with an instructor who knew his No. 1 mission: Keep folks in their comfort zone. Which is easy at The Balsams, since the snow conditions are so thoroughly manicured, groomed to a velvety sheen.

There was nothing here that knocked the socks off the kids, of course, but the uncrowded trails were an invitation to go fast, which they needed little encouragement to figure out. They found some bumps and glades as well.

And Sam, our octogenerian who was skinning up the White Mountains back when Hannes Schneider was teaching in North Conway, rode up the chair and within the first four turns found his old rhythm was still there.

The alpine area has 16 trails that descend a very respectable 1,000-foot vertical drop, with lots of green and blue cruising. The glades range from open/mellow to tight/bumped up, with about a quarter of the slopes rated, relatively speaking, black diamond terrain.

For this kind of family experience our group was seeking, it was clear that we could not have found a better setting. Needless to say, the off-piste experience at the hotel, from the après ski spa to dining and entertainment — the dining room staff was in on the birthday celebration — fulfilled all the promises made about it.

We took one day out on the cross country trails, which seemed a fitting price to pay for what went on in the dining room. The trails are nicely groomed and tracked, opening up beautiful views of these northern White Mountains. Sam said he enjoyed the cross country, but he opted late in the morning to head back to the alpine trails.

Like Ghiradelli chocolate and Borella wine (both available), The Balsams is too rich and refined for regular — or even often — consumption. But even the most black and blue ski gorillas should have this experience at least once in a while.

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