Wildcat Mountain Ski Area

Loved wild little Wildcat. First off, the drive in a snowstorm was hairy but so pretty and so scenic. The mountain has super friendly staff. We scored a great parking spot up front. The parking attendant welcomed us and gave us great tips. We checked in swiftly and found a nice window spot to store our bags and get ready. We used the Wildcat Express all day and scored first tracks on Pole Cat, a green 2.7 mile run. It was powder heaven. Oh my gosh, what a lovely run. Subsequent runs were equally as nice but there was some icy spots and some areas with limited grooming due to the horrible winter conditions. We LOVED the fast lift and the lines were never long, even during school vacation week. By 1 PM, the powder was skied off revealing some ice but alas, we had enjoyed so many runs, we were good. Oh, the views from the top were stellar. What a gorgeous mountain. This mountain was perfect for me, an intermediate in my 3^rd season but it was challenging.

Superb day. I have to give it to the staff at this mountain.
Mother Nature has been a royal Scrooge this year so far. Almost a non-​existent Winter. She left us all alone in New England while she cavorted the pleasures of some young mountains out West. And left a trail of rainy tears in the process. Ick.
But in the meantime, the people at Wildcat have been feverishly taking advantage of each opportunity for snow making. And it showed. With colder temperatures in the evening and morning, they produced a quality product.
We arrived at Wildcat to snow falling and the snow guns going full blast on Upper Pole Cat, while Upper and Lower Lynx were freshly groomed with a fairly good snowpack. For beginners, the Snowcat Triple was in operation with a segregated area for novices.
We were able to admire Wildcat’s large infrastructure although most of it was non skiable due to warm weather.
We skied a good five hours at Wildcat today. Yes, the weather could have been better but that’s not the resort’s fault. The staff was at their best, cheerful, helpful and optimistic. The guest services crowd made everyone feel at home.
When the chips are down, especially for a ski resort in adverse weather, is the optimum time that you see the real mettle of a business establishment. The entire staff performed admirably.
We will be back soon when good weather brings tons of snow.

I’ve been to about 10 different mountains in New England since I learned how to ski last winter, and this is so far my favorite.
The lift to the top is insanely fast, so you get more time on the slopes. The mountain has a lot of trails, but is pretty compact, so there’s not too much annoying traversing to get anywhere, which I like.
I just learned how to ski last year, but my skills are progressing pretty quickly, so this mountain was perfect for me. I’m an intermediate skier who is progressing into more advanced terrain, so this mountain was great for me since the trails here tend to be a bit tougher than at other places where I’ve been.
Bonus points: All of the trail names are cat themed. MEOW.

Fall Zip Line/​gondola ride
Took my boyfriend and 71 year old aunt on a zip ride and gondola to the top on a cloudy day (views were still amazing) a couple of days ago. The car ride alone up from MA was gorgeous, beautiful fall colors, mountains were a sight to behold. There was no line at the zip (maybe because it was cloudy, or the last weekend for zip lining?), all workers were polite and efficient. Zip line was non-​scary for me (I’ve done it before), thrilling for the two first-​timers. Inexpensive. Afterwards we went on a Gondola ride, which was smooth and fun, with amazing views at the top. Highly recommended for a day trip for first time zippers!

Love this mountain, trails have some of the most gorgeous views of Mount Washington! It was my first time skiing Wildcat, and I will definitely be back again. Just be sure to come when the wind isn’t too strong, apparently the lifts can get shut down pretty quickly by strong gusts!

*Review for Disc Golfing Course Only*
Avoid. The course is overgrown, wet and muddy. The bugs were intolerable. For experienced disc golfers this course was a huge disappointment. It was $ 10 a person for 2 rounds (the course is only 9 holes, so you’d go around twice…). Would not recommend.

A 7 min ride of the quad whisks you to over 4,000 feet. That’s 2100 vert on a single chair — pretty good for any resort. After taking the slow-​speed triple at Attitash the day before, the quad at Wildcat feels like a thrill ride.
I was there the day after the blizzard, and it was a bluebird day with a bit of wind, which is normal if you’ve heard anything about Wildcat. I did get cold, but if getting cold isn’t your thing you should avoid any north-​facing mountain (especially one facing Mt Washington!).
I liked the runs from the top. The views are great. I think I decided not to ski Tuckerman’s Ravine (ever) after seeing the bowl from the top of Wildcat. The only disappointment was that the rain in weeks prior had wiped out most of the base, and the 18″ of snow they got was not enough for them to open all the trails, including many black diamonds. Oh well. Not their fault!
I like Wildcat, but avoid it if the wind chills are excessively negative.

I’ve been skiing in the White Mountain area for over 20 years but Wildcat has become a new favorite. Not sure why we hadn’t skied there in the past but we checked it out a few years ago and really enjoyed it so we decided to give it a second try about a month ago. Once again we had a great time. The mountain both times wasn’t too busy (a huge plus because who likes waiting in huge lift lines?). The runs were nice and long which I really like and did I mention the gorgeous views. Wowza Mt. Washington always looks pretty but Wildcat has one of the best views of it. The lodge isn’t fancy but what ski lodges are, they have plenty of tables a small cafeteria if you want to spend a small fortune on french fries.

In the White Mountains, with views of Mt. Washington and Tuckerman’s Ravine, Wild Cat has probably some of the best scenery to take in. Wild Cat is not a wide mountain, but it makes up for it with great vertical distance.
Some facts:
Summit Elevation: 4,062 feet
Elevation Base: 1,950 feet
Vertical Drop: 2,112 feet
It doesn’t seem much if you are coming from the Rocky Mountains or the Alps, but for New England –only 3 hours drive from Boston– this is pretty good.
We skied here yesterday for the afternoon, $ 30 lift ticket after 12PM. It was about 40 °F which makes for some spring skiing. The mountain was fairly quiet since the Pats are in the playoffs and Sundays are generally quieter in the afternoon as families depart for their homes. A lot of the trails were moguled from the slushy snow being pushed around and there were a lot of trails that had poor coverage. I would blame Mother Nature— hey lady, we need some snow up here!
There are plenty of blues here– it’s a great intermediate mountain and the express quad is very fast. The Polecat run is the longest novice ski trail in New Hampshire, 2.75-mile beginner trail from the summit. If you’re taking your time, it can take a ½ hour to make round trip. I had my bindings adjusted here also and the repair shop staff were very kind and helpful.
The lodge is pretty basic with a small bar in the middle (not a separate restaurant). No fancy pants dining here.
From what I understand, the lift ticket you buy at Wildcat will also work at Attitash (about a ½ hour drive from Wildcat), which is great to have to decent mountains nearby for a long weekend.

First off, this place is beautiful and that is just the beginning. Friendly staff keep the place in great shape and you have a sense that this mountain hasn’t «sold out». Fun. The snow isn’t bad either.
The trails are great and the vert is fantastic for the East. I’m partial to going west, but Wildcat can hold it’s own. Can’t wait to go back.

During a recent stay in the White Moutains, fiancée and I did the ziprider, gondola ride to the top, and the hike to Thompson’s Falls. The ziprider was reallly fun and staff was really friendly, but I wished the zipline was a little bit longer. (it’s about a ½ mile long?) The gondola ride seemed to take forever (I don’t ski, so I have no frame of reference for such things). Unfortunately, it was overcast with fog, so we didn’t have much of a view and I wasn’t sure what the decrepit building at the top was used for… The hike to Thompson’s Falls was a nice easy hike with a rewarding view of the falls. The price of the ziprider and gondola ride for 2 people was about $ 64– so a bit steep if you have a family. Overall, an enjoyable experience.

I’ve been going here since I was six and it’s my favorite east coast mountain to ski. When the conditions are great the views and skiing is unlike anywhere in the east.

$ 9 Friday was great and the snow was wonderful! Even the waiting for the quad was acceptable. What is not is people who are in the service industry who are rude and honestly a bit condecending. I tempted not to post as it was only $ 9 today however $ 9 or $ 50 my mom taught me to be polite and if I was getting paid to be polite I should really really polite.
I asked if the fourth lift would open and I was told it was. I wish I could have taken a photo of the snow covered lift that was not moving. So I asked again if they knew when it would be open and I was promptly told by three people it was open, the board showed it open, the website said it was and so did the printout. Unforunately they must have been too busy to speak to someone to see if this lift was going to open, Turns out it did not open all day, one nice worker let me know that it was a mechanical error but did not know if it would open. This was not someone at the front desk just someone who was just being nice.
The woman I shared a table with at lunch experienced the same disrespect at the learning center when dropping off her child.
I know I know $ 9 I just being from NH felt like it should not have been that hard of a question for one of the three of them to ask someone if the lift was going to open and if not just say so.

did the Zipride & it was awesome — staff was great & made me feel at ease when I was practically peeing myself cause I was so scared.

Wildcat is one of my favorite mountains to ski in New England. This is an old-​school mountain with vintage charm. The lodge is small and quaint. The trails are all on the harder side compared to other mountains. The weather is bitterly cold and windy most days. The prices are among the most reasonable. And the view, oh the view… it cannot be beat. I give it four stars only because if you are a beginner or intermediate skier/​snowboarder, the mountain might be limited for you. Many of the best trails are extremely hard, and even the easier trails can be challenging. Like I said, old school. But still, you’ll have a great time at this mountain at any level, and it’s the most beautiful I’ve ever been to.

This is like the mountains in Japan. The scenery and the views are that of the Gods. The gondolas are OK and could use an update, but the view and the lines are better than the ultra high priced places. The lodge is nice, a lot of families and everyone seems happy. I will be back and will keep enjoying the great manicured slops.

Three big stars for the scenery and the special place in my heart Wildcat owns. I grew up skiing here and will always have fond memories of the eggshell gondolas and the unbelievable views of Mt. Washington across the valley. Although I haven’t skied here in some years, I couldn’t complete a list of my favorite areas until I included Wilcat.

«Wild thing… you make my heart sing» is what I hum to myself as I make my way down this mountain.
I have two memories from this mountain:
1. I went off a jump, and my dad followed right after me. I did a superman (by accident, duh), and landed splat on my face. My dad landed on me. Ow. It hurt. I cried. (I was like 12, ok?)
2. It was so cold and windy one visit that my siblings and I were blown up the hill. And we weren’t little children (we were average size).
I’ve been here a few times — and it’s decent. It’s not *that* big, so if you’re looking for a Sunday River experience, look elsewhere. It’s a nice change-​up from some of the other NH mountains. Definitely out of the way on some back roads. Not too crowded, which is a plus. I’d give it a try if you haven’t been!