It’s going to be another quiet summer at Attitash Mountain Resort.
General manager Brandon Swartz announced this week that the Vail-owned property in Bartlett, N.H. will, once again, not be offering public attractions or activities this summer. Attitash is choosing instead to focus on infrastructure improvements that will, hopefully, make next winter a smoother experience.
“We have listened to your feedback, and we know that you’re all really here for amazing skiing and riding experience,” Swartz wrote via social media. “Which is why this summer, we’re going to focus our efforts on pre-emptively maintaining our mountain infrastructure to minimize any disruptions or impacts during the winter season.”
This probably should have been expected. Last summer, Mount Washington Valley mainstays Attitash and Wildcat Mountain, both Vail-owned properties, had stripped down their summer offerings to only scenic chairlift rides at Wildcat in Pinkham Notch. That left Attitash’s mountain coaster, zip tour, alpine slide, and water slides all laying dormant, a status they will maintain in 2022. Mountain biking will not be offered at the Bartlett property, nor will it be at Wildcat. Zip line rides are also off the menu this year at Wildcat, where scenic gondola rides are scheduled to begin June 26.
In lieu of offering its popular slate of attractions, Swartz, who began his role as GM on Feb. 7, wrote that the resort would focus on lift creation and maintenance, building a more consistent communication strategy, re-evaluating snowmaking plans, and building strong relationships and partnerships with community stakeholders.
Lift issues and maintenance seemed to be a daily issue this past season at Attitash, leading to long lines and headaches. Up the road at Wildcat, there seemed to be no escaping the long lift line debacle. The Pinkham Notch ski area even made its own headlines when a chair detached from a lift in January, injuring a snowboarder.
Attitash’s plan for the summer reads either as an earnest attempt to fix the problem, or a convenient excuse in order to bow out of the summer scene for a second-straight year. But understanding how fed up Valley residents are with Vail, the resort conglomerate seems to be willing to make necessary adjustments.
“I have experienced firsthand the amazing level of dedication and passion that everyone has for this resort,” Swartz wrote. “I very much look forward to settling down and raising my family here in the Mount Washington Valley.”
Eric Wilbur can be reached at eric.wilbur@skijournal.com.
