A great mountain for a solid day of skiing. Staff is always so lovely here, the lifty's are always so pleasant. Love supporting an independent mountain through the Indy Pass. Solid blues and black diamonds for the intermediate skiiers and plenty of greens for beginners. Love the bubbled in 6 person lift for the windy days. All around great mountain that I love to keep coming back to every year! read more

Solid mid-sized mountain! Love the bubble lift to help with the cold. I feel bad for them that a few of the bubbles have holes so soon after they were installed. The cold and general public have done a little number on them but the staff do their best of patch the holes up. Easy to run into the third floor of the lodge during the day for warmup breaks. Thankfully there is a bathroom on that floor as well. read more

Waterville Valley is one of the first ski resorts one finds coming from the Boston area and points South towards the White Mountains. Despite its location and popularity, and the fact that lines are sometimes tedious, it is not as crowded as some of the other nearby ski resorts like Loon, Attitash and Wildcat, perhaps due to its isolated location, surrounded by 770,000 acres of protected US National Forest land. Waterville is one of the four-season gems of the White Mountains. Although a fairly large resort, it has the feel of a family resort. Waterville Valley has over 2,000 feet vertical, with a topside elevation of 4,000 feet. Its 62 trails have something for everyone. It has 14% novice 64% intermediate and 22% advanced. It has 5 glades and 6 mogul fields. The resort has 100% snowmaking coverage on its Mount Tecumseh terrain. The main parking areas are arranged in a set of 9 rows arranged in a semi circle around the ski area. All of the rows are connected by both, a circular road, and three ski trails from the main base. One of the parking areas is designated as a priority paid area that allows direct access to the Meadows chairlift. There is also a large drop off line that is quite convenient. At the lodge, the downstairs serves as the main place to don boots and store bags. There are small and huge automated lockers on the side of the changing area. Waterville Valley is one of the few resorts in New England that offers child care for children 1-3 years old. The child care facility is located at the base lodge and is available by reservation only. In addition, it is a nut free facility. We were one of the first chairs on the Tecumseh Express that day. The Tecumseh is just about new but we found it quite uncomfortable. Each lift chair is divided into six individual chairs, roughly like an amusement park ride. The chair seats tilt downward so you're cocooned into the chair. Then the bar comes down and it separates wraps around each person individually. We found it hard to hold the poles with this contraption. And if you have a bag, forget it.... Then on downloading from the chair on top, you have to push yourself out, and if you're short, you are more than a customary distance from the ground. The Tecumseh chair is a modern marvel with flawed ergonomic features. The Schwendi Hutte is a favorite restaurant stop with a great breakfast, lunch, beer and wine selections, a wonderful ambiance, a quiet and welcoming downstairs, a lively and historic upstairs, and a great staff. It emanates shades of Austrian Alpine ambiance. And the best place to warm up after braving the chilly topside T-bar. One of the best places in the White Mountains to sip hot chocolate and watch the spectacular scenery. Towards skiers' right, the terrain becomes more challenging and varied, with the Sunnyside terrain serving five amazing runs serviced by the Sunnyside triple. To the far right, the truly New England ski run Oblivion is narrow, windy, and beautiful, a true Blue run pleasure. Then there is Ciao and Gema, single Black Diamonds. And then, the double-Black Diamonds True Grit and Bobby's Run feature a vertiginous and steep descent back to the Sunnyside triple. All are amazing. Descending from the Sunnyside terrain to the main base, the wide Green Valley run and Rock Island trails led us to the Valley Run Quad. Our relative dissatisfaction with the Tecumseh Chair's ergonomics led us to spend much of our time in the Sunnyside terrain, which we found to be quite amenable. And there is way more to Waterville Valley. Just near the Valley Run Quad, the Green Peak Triple provides access to even more terrain, with some superb Blues and Black Diamonds. The Governor's Run was one our favorite blues, while Clean Shaven and Wayne Wong Way were two amazing Black Diamonds. Lunch time at Waterville Valley has many alternatives. Our favorite is T-Bars Restaurant above the rental building. It is obvious this place has a history, with pictures of members of the Kennedy family on the walls. It opens at 11 and we are normally outside the door waiting. With all its charm and terrain, Waterville Valley is also site of one of New England's best Nordic ski areas, possessing over 35 miles of groomed trails. As well, hiking in the area is a four-season attraction. Overall, we love visiting this place. It stands as a non-corporate ski resort with enviable infrastructure, superb facilities and a family environment. Waterville Valley has its own ski pass system, although it is also in the Indy Pass network and also the White Mountain Superpass. read more

Crowded. Central. Dated. Having skied near every mountain in New England, WV is the your typical intermediate, trails as wide as parking lots, high speed quad to the almost-top central NH ski resort. A perfect compromise for families seeking a safe bet close to lodging and amenities, but not nearly as decent a place as you can find elsewhere in the state for less cost and far more varied terrain. And in 2019 season, what's with the T-bar only ride to the top filled with ski school lines? Trails are wide as a parking lot and terrain desperate for something worthy of its classic New England roots like a narrow, windy woods trails with some degree of vertical or challenge beyond the 30 second drop-in of True Grit or Bobby's Run and that's not already swept clean by caravans of teens and kiddos tearing up slopes behind their ability. If you're seeking a solid stop and expecting a nothing special, pristinely run of the mill ski stop just under triple digit retail lift prices WV's got your back. Otherwise, plenty of othe options in this state and others that deliver a better bang for the ski buck. read more

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All around bad experience. From the long lines to the high cost and packed Lodge. People were having to sit on each other's laps. Definitely not worth the cost of a ticket. The conditions were nothing to brag about. read more

As Indy Pass season pass holders this year, our family tried Waterville Valley for the first time. Everyone loved it! (Skiers ages 8-73). All were in agreement that it is the best Indy Pass participating resort we have been to this season. I was unfortunately disabled on this trip by a fractured patella suffered last week - but I can attest to the good food and the convivial atmosphere in the base lodge. Extra important to me was an amenity found in too few places: restrooms on all levels! Even when I am fully fit I hate walking down stairs in my ski boots to get to the rest rooms. The skiers in the family LOVED the high speed 6 person chair lift with the hood - so quiet and great protection from the wind. Several commented about how everything seems so up to date and well cared for. Trails well groomed and marked. What else can you ask for? There's a bit of a lack of decent restaurant options in the village itself, but that is no fault of the ski resort. read more

Waterville Valley Ski Resort - Ski Resorts Near Me - Waterville Valley, New Hampshire

Just had a great ski day at Waterville Valley. You can't beat the location, which is perfect for a quick day trip from the Boston area (just under a two hour drive each way). It's not a large ski area like some others further away, but the number and variety of trails were decent enough for us intermediate skiers. With limited number of lifts, the wait could be a little long on the most popular one. read more

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Wateville Valley is an easy trip from Boston...70-80 mph on the highway, and then 12 miles on a local road. 2 turns and you're there. (about 2 hrs) The lodge is pretty nice - older but it's got charm and I feel like there' s a lot of space. (at least on a Friday) So why haven't I been here in 15 years? My only other trip as a teenager went like this: up the chair for 1 run and then desperately needed to warm up because it was sooooo coooooold. 30 minutes later, we make run 2 ....and then duck inside. Soon after our 2nd run of the day (!) the mountain closes for the day due to cold. The first and only time I have seen that! People said it was between -40 and -80. I don't really know, but I do remember thinking we were being cryogenically frozen for future generations to study. Suffice it to say, I avoided WV for all these years because of that memorable deep-freeze. Fast-forward to a storm named Vulcan: WV got about a foot of snow. Cannon got a foot more powder, but WV had a March special that involved a spinning prize wheel. The most you pay on Friday in March is half price, while some lucky winners get a free ticket , tubing or pizza. I came oh-so-close to a free day, but ended up paying half-price. I got there early, so I had breakfast. There's not Dunkin' on the local road, so this is your best bet. It wasn't bad! I liked the wheat toast that came with my full breakfast (sausage, eggs, toast). I also tried the chili at lunch (which they're probably not serving at Cannon) and that was tasty as well. It is worth mentioning that WV has one of the friendliest staffs I have ever encountered. I was called sir on more than one occasion and I was not being escorted off the premises. They were completely serious. Really, smiles all around even at the top where the dude was probably freezing his Chilean cajones off. The trails were nicely groomed, and most of the corduroy was soft, but some of it was wind-blown. The ungroomed trails were difficult due to the thick crust on top. This was a major bummer! I was looking for some fluffy stuff. But, thanks to small or non-existent lift-lines I managed to get in 18 easy groomer runs. Overall, I had a good day skiing 26,000 vertical feet! read more

Waterville Valley Ski Resort - Ski Resorts Near Me - Waterville Valley, New Hampshire

Way too expensive for late season skiing in a year with little natural snow. The runs that were open were patchy and you had to watch for dirt and rocks. I do not mind skiing on the ice, but several members of my group were not fans. The out-runs at the bottom of the hill were packed with skiers with limited abilities, so you had to watch carefully or you would be run down. About 1/3 of the runs were closed as were several chairlifts. Not a great day on the slopes. read more

This review specifically focuses on a lift ticket/ customer service / policy issue, not the quality of the mountain/dining/etc. I heard great things about Waterville but was incredibly disappointed with my experience on 12/28/19. We arrived mid morning, bought 2 day lift tickets, went to get ready, waited in line at the main lift, then were denied entry bc of a mechanical issue with the lift, which ended up being down for the next 24+ hours (aka our 2 day passes were useless). The only other lift was inundated with people and only provided access to maybe 1/4 of the total trails (mostly green). We decided to get a refund on the $300+ we had just spent, since we had not been provided the paid-for service (seemed like a reasonable request), but we were denied. Instead, the manager (I believe her name was Lisa) was rather short with us and said we could get a voucher. Unfortunately, we don't live in New England and have no plans to come back, so that does me no good. I personally can not fathom taking $300 from a customer and then not providing them the service they paid for. Even if given the option, I will not be returning. read more

Horrible costumer service I called the day of asking about night skiing told that rentals would be available and that there would be several lifts and trails open. Once arriving almost every staff member gave me a different answer. I paid way too much for rentals went down the mountain only three times as it was straight ice or huge piles of built up snow and I could hardly get down the trail. I tried to get a refund but no one was there to do so and was told by staff that my situation was not uncommon and they frequently get upset costumers with regards to night skiing. I emailed the next day and got one of the managers, Karen, who completely dismissed my situation saying it was clear on the website (which it is not) and told me she hopes I come again soon. This conversions went back and forth leading to nothing refusing to refund me when I used maybe 20 minutes of my 4 hour pass. I highly recommend not going to the Waterville for skiing as prices are outrageous and my entire experience was horrible. read more

I came on Saturday with a group that worked with the adaptive sports program. Everyone was awesome and helpful. My coach Steve was amazing. Very good at explaining to me, a beginner, how to ski and stay safe. He was very patient with me. As the day went on he encouraged me to do more and more on my own, though stayed tethered to me to ensure everyone was safe. Dean was joking around, making me feel better about how bad I was and commented on how much better I got. I am returning with that same group on 3/9 and have told the organizers that, if he happens to be working, I would like to work with Steve again. Thanks for a great day read more

Waterville Valley Ski Resort - Me with my Adaptive Sports Program coach and his daughter (who also works there) - Ski Resorts Near Me - Waterville Valley, New Hampshire

Waterville Valley has always been my favorite mountain. This year, was in fact the best year yet! The ski school program is top notch, the instructors are fabulous with the children and the staff are knowledgeable, approachable and courteous. I couldn't think of a better mountain or ski school program to teach my little one the fundamentals that I learned at Waterville more than 30 years ago! Love all the upgrades around the mountain and the new peak! Great trails! Also, the food at the mountain...specifically T Bars was spectacular. read more

This place is SMALL time with a Capital S. It's Sunday MLK weekend and their primary chair lift goes down for maintenance during their rush hour. It's down for over 45 minutes. Thousands of people have to wait in line on their 3 person chairlift. Many flooded out of there at 1:30. They wouldn't give out any refunds or partials for their debacle. SMALL TIME. The only runs that weren't icy and devoid of snow were oblivion and one other....in which everyone else was on. Crowded. Small time. read more

I saw some real negative reviews of Waterville Valley that compelled me to write. I went up Presidents' Day weekend, when crowds are usually terrible everywhere. After reading the reviews I expected the worst: long lines, bad conditions, lifts out of service. I wasn't even looking forward to the trip. What I got instead was a quality mid sized mountain with no lines, great conditions and a fully operational lift system, less than two hours away from my home. Loon is the other mountain close to home and I must say I enjoyed Waterville Valley much more. I will certainly go again and use Waterville as my preferred day trip destination. read more

Waterville Valley is a decent mountain to go skiing or snowboarding, most of the time. This mountain is a little over 2 hours drive north of Boston, on a good day. There are enough trails to keep everyone satisfied especially families and new skiers & boarders. The terrain park is very cool too! The staff at the lifts including the ticket scanners and lift crew are friendly. I've had good times at Waterville Valley many times over many years. My rating would've been a consistent 3 STARS overall. Why the 1 STAR rating? Very recently, I went skiing here during the week when there were no crowds. The conditions for the most part were just okay at best, mostly frozen granular, not much packed powder. The trails on the northern side of the mountain including Tangent and Periphery should have been CLOSED because there was no powder, just 100 PERCENT ICE frozen over entire trail providing for a very dangerous and hazardous experience, no snowmaking available on these sections. These trails were kept open and I went down and it was very difficult to maintain control over the ice, no traction opportunities on the trail. I am an experienced skier, but I slid down the trail! I went to a clinic afterwards to be checked out, still hurting but nothing broken. SHAME ON THE MOUNTAIN MAINTENANCE CREW on Thursday March 12, 2009 - I'm Yelping out this group only! The northern trails were in UNSAFE and UNACCEPTABLE ski conditions and should have been CLOSED and roped off. The conditions on the southern trails (to the left of the lifts) were lackluster, but acceptable. Hopefully, this bad situation will not happen again. read more

I promise you will be disappointed. Too dangerous right now and a waste of money. Overcrowded and ungroomed. Snow piles everywhere early in the AM. Wait till later on in the season or you could get hurt or hurt someone else. The blue trails are more like black diamonds because of how unsafe they are. Avoid unless more trails are open or they get their act together. read more

Today was dollar day, so decided to give Waterville a try. I admit that I have not been here since high school- when friends and I would come on a regular basis due to an available ski condo. So now I realize why I haven't been back. The resort is a total PITA. First it's getting there - 20 minutes off the highway down a lonely desolate road with no cell coverage. And once you get there - there is nothing besides the ski lifts and lodge. Then every thing is an uphill walk. Uphill from the parking lot. Up the equivalent of 3 flights of stairs from the ticket window to the lifts. The lodge has no views of the slopes - it's like sitting in a deserted basement. Since it was late season, ski check and bag check were both closed. The signage was poor. Could not find a list of open/closed trails. Took one little lift attempting to ski blacks, but turns out only greens were open. Took another lift and again the blacks were closed, leaving the option of double blacks. Other than that, the skiing was pretty good. Decent snow cover. Decent grooming. If it was easier to get to, I might consider coming here more often. read more

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Good things: Really easy drive from Boston. Lots of ski condos nearby that are great deals. Some really nice runs. Good apres-ski (shotski!). Bad things: Somewhat small, especially if you're not an adventurous skier. Crowded on weekends. I like Waterville a lot, but I'm just not the skier I used to be since I had some joint surgery a couple years ago, so I'm basically stuck on one third of the mountain, and that's my day. It's a nice run, don't get me wrong -- Oblivion-to-Stillness is a run I could absolutely do all day (and, well, did). It's a really good place to go for a one night trip since it's so close to Boston. read more

Waterville Valley Ski Resort - Intsagrammed top-o-the-mountain shot - Ski Resorts Near Me - Waterville Valley, New Hampshire

If you're wondering if Waterville valley is handling covid well- they are NOT. They make you buy tickets in advance, but still pick them up in person. The line is over 100 people deep and no one is socially distanced- packed in one after another. Lift lines are also crazy long. They don't appear to have limited mountain occupancy at all. They also have no parking attendants and only 1 trolley, so parking is a chaotic mess and you have to walk from the farthest lots all geared up (since you have to use your car as the lodge). This is a terrible experience so far! read more

Waterville Valley Ski Resort - Ski Resorts Near Me - Waterville Valley, New Hampshire

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Such a family friendly place. Lift tickets were less than nearby areas. Top notch professional snow sports instructors. Lift operators are kind. Prices for food and drinks were reasonable. read more

Waterville valley resort is a poorly managed and dangerous resort to ski on. I would highly recommend you chose another location as my friends and family were nearly hospitalized after falling on the slopes onto jagged rocks. The staff were nice people though. Completely understood our frustration with the resorts but said that management was the reason for all the issues they had been having. Apparently the Governors family owns the resort and doesn't really care about guest experience or humanity. Just profits. read more

The main lift broke down this weekend which basically limited cuatomers to the bunny slope. The resort would not issue a refund even after only 1 run and were very rude. The manager Lisa Keating was incredibly rude. I would never come back. read more

First, we were there on a crystal clear, if totally frigid day (think sub-zero at the summits), and the views in White Mountain National Park are spectacular. My friends and I couldn't get over it. As a ski/board location, it is small. Heavy on the blue trail options, seemed to have steep black diamonds (those are not my fancy) and just a very few greens. We were fortunate to be there on a uncrowded, so it felt as if we had the trails to ourselves. I can see how it would get crowded fast. The chairlifts are basic. 2 quads, 1 triple and 2 pairs. Really nothing fancy, but they get you to the heights, which is what is important. The natural snowfall has been insignificant this winter, but the conditions were still good. Only icy toward the end of the day. Snowmaking was going on many trails since the temp was prime. The biggest con is the lack of large trail maps at the base and summit of the chairlifts. They weren't there at all, which meant having to take gloves off in 0 degrees. Not fun. Overall, glad we tried it. But other mountains in the area have more trail options. read more

Waterville Valley Ski Resort - Peak at Waterville Valley. Movie-quality beautiful. - Ski Resorts Near Me - Waterville Valley, New Hampshire

Disclaimer: I'm a beginner skier, so I cannot attest to any of the blacks or double-blacks. (or even many of the blues) I've been to Waerville twice this season -- both times on a Saturday. The first time I rented my gear on site and the second time we went to a place right off the highway in Campton. The equipment itself was evenly matched but it was more expensive at Waterville, and the line to get the boots/skis/poles took nearly an hour. The beginner hills are great, and some of the instructors gave me tips even though I was not in a class. The lodge is not "warm lush couches and great views", but honestly I didn't go to sit in the lodge so the wooden chairs/cafeteria style tables were okay with me. There are a couple restaurants, including one halfway up Quadzilla -- good food and nice variety but it was outrageously expensive (of course). Overall it was a great place for a beginner. They had several runs that I felt comfortable with, the lines for the lift moved fast, and they even have a shuttle to bring you out to the lot your car is in. read more

Waterville Valley Ski Resort - View from Quadzilla - Ski Resorts Near Me - Waterville Valley, New Hampshire

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nice time with the family my kids enjoyed the snow boarding all day the mountain was crowed and it was easy to get around the prices are pretty much what you can expect of a Ski resort they have a food court and plenty of seats to take a break from the cold the one thing I didn't like is that they started to remove the safety netting about 15 minutes before the mountain closed kids were still skiing and snow boarding down the mountain read more

A beautiful resort for a weekend ski trip getaway. Right smack in the middle of New Hampshire wilderness, Waterville Valley offers a variety of ski slopes from Bunny to Black Diamond. I'm only a second time skier despite my age and so I enrolled in the class. It was a great package with a 2 hour class, ski equipment, and lower lift access all rolled into one. This worked wonderfully for me. My ski instructor was very kind and worked well with the flow of our class. She constantly positively reinforced our attempts at sliding down the hill without falling down. The lines for ski lift moved fast if you stayed in the single riders line. I can't attest to the condition of the higher slopes, but my experience was stellar. I'm going back again and again. Perfectly great for a short weekend away, and fewer crowds than nearby slopes. Enjoy! read more

Pro's: Usually amazing conditions; their snow making team is awesome. Great for beginners and families. Not far from Massachusetts (at least compared to other mountains) Con's: The lines are horrible; sooo crowded. Not for advanced skiiers/boarders. There isn't much variety in terms of trails. The mountain gets packed, and you'll probably spend most of your time just trying to avoid the little kids who find it necessary to bomb down the mountain even though they don't know how to turn. read more

Came up on a March weekend, the weather was in the 30's and it wasn't very busy, which was nice. It's easy to get to right off 93 with a really pretty mountain region backdrop. It's offers mostly intermediate to advanced trails. Arrival experience was annoying. Even though we got there before 9am, we still got stuck parking further away with a long walk holding lots of gear. Then you get to the base and you have to go up tons of steps! Quite exhausting to start a ski day. You could always valet park for $20 I saw. For an intermediate skier like myself, I was challenged by most of the blues. Some of those blues would be blacks anywhere else. The snow was in good shape but some trails were complete ice. That top trail on the map that goes to the summit was a sheet of ice and the double chairlift was ancient. For beginners, the area on the left is boring. It's cut off from the action of the other slopes and the lift was the slowest I had ever been on then the ride down was 5 seconds. Go on the quad lift instead and take your time going down. The T-bars restaurant was really overpriced, 4 of us had a burger lunch and drinks which totaled $120. The deck at Buckets, Bones and Brews was cool though for apres ski. Go around 3pm if you want to get a table, once 3:30 rolls around its packed and you'll be standing. On the mountain there are 2 other restaurants to ski up to though we didn't go. Ticket prices area about the same as Loon which is nearby. Loon is a bit more spread out and Waterville is more compact. if you want less people, stick to Waterville for sure. read more

Like Loon Mountain, Waterville can become a zoo on weekends. I went on a very cold weekend day, and unfortunately the cold did little to keep the crowds away. Waterville has an unusual layout - it's sort of diamond-shaped and requires everyone to start off on the same pair of lifts that feature very long lines. Once you get past that, your best bet is to situate yourself to the left side of the mountain for black diamonds or the right side for blue squares - both sides feature mid-mountain lifts with shorter lines. The snow quality was pretty solid, considering it was mostly manmade snow. Aside from the crowds, my main complaint here is the lack of trail diversity - nearly all of the blue square runs are fairly wide, steep affairs. At Sunapee, many of these would be black diamonds. Now, I can ski a black diamond just fine, but I prefer to spend a decent part of my day on cruiser runs, which Waterville is lacking in. I did find one cruiser to the left side of the mountain, and my friend remarked that it was "like skiing down Storrow Drive", with speedy skiers and riders blowing by you on both sides. I would wait for groups of teenagers to ski by, only to have hotdoggin' kids on snowboards flying down the mountain behind me and nearly crashing into me. This is one area where you're unlikely to have a beautiful, winding, scenic trail all to yourself. read more

I was really excited to go to my first big mountain but Waterville left a lot to be desired. I have only heard good things about this resort from my friends so my expectations were pretty high. However, the terrain was stripped completely bare by the end of the day with zero effort to touch up any trails. I didn't see a single snow machine in operation and a lot of fellow skiiers/snowboarders expresses similar opinions. I sent them an email about the issue on Tuesday and have yet to receive any response. I'm sufficiently unimpressed with both their conditions and customer service. This was my first and last visit to this mountain. read more

What a great day skiing! Here at Waterville Valley they have high speed quads, nice, varied terrain and so many options for après ski - base lodge area, mid mountain and the top of the mountain. Friendly employees checking lift tickets and running the lifts. Fun, classic New England skiing. read more

Uh oh. Somehow I am the first one to review Waterville Valley Ski Resort and this isn't going to be a good one.... Unfortunately my first visit to Waterville occurred this last weekend 2/2/08. The night before there was a wintry mix of rain and sleet. The website reported 2.5" of new snow... This was not the case. The snow was a very hard pack with ice not too far below the surface. I bought my lift ticket, $61, at 11:30. By 12:30-1PM they have closed half of the lifts on the mountain due to wind, so they were only running 3 lifts. It was very windy and icy at the top of the mountain. By this point that $61 was starting to sting a little bit. By 1:30 it was clear that everyone with a season pass had decided to call it a day. That left the suckers who paid $61 to deal with it. So around 2PM I went into the customer service/season pass office to discuss getting a voucher for a future visit. I made it clear to the manager there that this was my first time there and I wasn't asking for a refund or a free ticket, I was just looking for a gesture from them to show that they wanted me to come back and get my money's worth, whether it was a voucher for $20, 10 or 5 off or even a freakin cup of cocoa. The manager was unwilling to show any type of accomodation. Now for my honest review of the mountain regardless of how I got shafted. Waterville is significantly smaller feeling than Loon which is right down the road. The terrain park is actually pretty decent even though the conditions were harsh the day I was there. The pipe is pretty nice as well. All in all this is a decent mountain that seems like it's much more family oriented, but my experience was soured by bad conditions and unaccomodating service staff. read more

We had the BEST time cross-country skiing here this weekend. The trails are extensive and beautiful and very well groomed. Everyone was so friendly! Defintely stop by Burt's Yurt ... it was so warm the day we went that we passed on the cocoa and got gatorade, but they had all the options you could want in this little hut. Seriously, a great trip and only $16/person for a full day pass. Lots of places to eat in Town Square. Also very easy to get to. read more

my family bought a condo in the 60s and i spent many years there that were enjoyable,the lake in the summer is great with clean cold mountain water.the hiking trails are awsome.the ski area is woderful.a great place to go.you wont regret it. read more

So I went to Waterville Valley last weekend for the first time in about 7 years or so. As a kid I remember it seeming a lot bigger than it actually was (as is the case with many things when you're a kid). The mountain isn't huge but I will say that they make the most of what they had and considering it was only 2 hours or so from Boston I was quite happy with this choice. We got there at about 11:00 a.m. and lift tickets were only $55 or so which is definitely way cheaper than the $72 I paid at Sugarbush a couple weekends ago! They have about 8 lifts total but only 2 of them are high speed quads. One of the HSQ's goes to the top of the mountain (not quite the tippy top) and the other one goes midway up but on the left side in more of a beginners area. I will give them credit for having a very wide variety of lifts and terrains for beginners. I'm a pretty advanced skiier but I was still able to stay entertained. Also if you're a fan of the park then this is the place for you. Their terrain park is huge and they have about 3 or 4 different ones with different sized obstacles! Easily one of the best parks I've seen on the east coast. The only annoying thing was that not all the runs got a ton of sun and so only a couple of them were really really nice and they got icey towards the end of the day as the clouds came in. I think if they sped up the lifts or put another high speed quad or 2 in this place would be great because the only real drawback was that lift lines were long at times. Also the 'High country double' and the 'North side double' were both incredibly slow moving to the point where even though they easily had the best terrain running underneath them it was almost not worth it because it took so long to get up to the top. (especially the high country double, the one at the very tippy top... that thing is slower than my grandmother!) All in all though, this place is pretty good for the east coast: Close to Boston (not too far North), Cheap (by East Coast standards), Lots of different terrain for all different skill sets, Glades runs, Moguls runs, Great Terrain Park If only it wasn't so crowded it would be perfect. read more

Waterville Valley is what it is and does it perfectly. I grew up skiing here, and the combination of fond, rosy memories and consistent awesomeness is what generates my five-star rating. It's not a huge mountain, not particularly challenging, and fairly geared towards the families-with-kids crowd, but everyone at Waterville, skiiers/boarders and staff alike, are so friendly. People chat with you on the lifts, offer advice on what trails are best, and are generally smiley and helpful. Ticket prices are less than some other mountains in the area, and the difference in trail quality is pretty negligible. Great grooming and great (if sometimes shadowy) exposure keep the trails in decent shape as the day goes on. This trip was my first time out this year, but Oblivion was terrific - once I got past the 100 yards of forbidding-looking ice at the top, it was all beautiful snow and beautiful views the whole way down. Some NH mountains are perfect in only perfect conditions (Cannon...but man, when it's good...it's unbelievable), some aren't necessarily worth the money (cough, cough...Loon), and some are just a smidge too far away (Bretton Woods). Waterville is the perfect combination of convenience, consistency, and friendliness. Also, the Valley is ADORABLE. read more

Boy, anyone that complains about this mountain is only complaining about the conditions which really can not be helped. This mountain is compact. But plenty of trails makes for a variety of options. You may be skiing the same trail you just did but coming from a different direction creates a new experience. There really is something for all levels on this mountain. It is like the wicked sister of Loon and Breton Woods...more compact, but packs a punch. On busy days, stay to the upper lifts. There are only a couple, but there are still many options to choose from. Mondays are the best days to go! I skied here over 30 times this year. Great year! read more

I wonder if the best days of WVSR are behind them. Snowmaking and grooming leave a bit to be desired and they have a trigger finger for wind holds. On my most recent (and what will be my last) visit, I found the conditions sparse, icy even where groomed and the upper lifts on hold with avg wind speed of 12-13. No other resort in NH or VT had lift holds that day. The only thing keeping it above a one star is there are actually worse places. So long, WVSR. Been nice knowing you. read more

Family Friendly, Kid Friendly and Noobie Friendly. My second time visiting and it did not disappoint. Nicely maintained trails, great staff and awesome instructors. Try not to come on a weekend though, it gets crazy packed! Soo much more peace and quite during the week...and make sure you check for any deals. I was able to get practically a private lesson, rental and lift ticket for a single low price. read more