By Tim Peck
Backcountry skiing in The East features unique and often adventure-y terrain and fickle snow conditions. Just like we like it.
Tuckerman Ravine, on New Hampshire’s Mount Washington, has long been the epicenter of backcountry skiing in the East. Consider the descent of the iconic alpine bowl a rite of passage for Northeast-based backcountry skiers. But while Tucks steals the spotlight, backcountry skiing is exploding across the Northeast. Thank the diverse terrain found throughout the region—ranging from above-treeline summits to forested hills to small local stashes.
With so much ski touring available, figuring out where to start can be challenging. Keep reading for some of the best ski tours in the Northeast.
Shop our best deals on skis, clothing, and more
New Hampshire
Mount Moosilauke
At Mount Moosilauke, you get above-treeline skiing and a chance to summit of one of New Hampshire’s 4,000-footers (a designation given to the state’s 48 mountains over 4,000 feet tall). It was the birthplace of downhill ski racing in the U.S. Moosilauke’s most popular tour follows the Carriage Road Trail, a 5.2-mile route gaining 3,000 feet of elevation on its way to the top. Originally used to bring horses and carriages to the mountain’s above-treeline summit, the gradual nature of the Carriage Road’s terrain keeps the skiing from getting too rowdy. However, it delivers the full New England experience with varying terrain including the wind-scoured summit, Krumholz-created chutes, and powder-packed birch glades down low.
Granite Backcountry Alliance (GBA)
For those who prefer to zoom through the pines and birches rather than chase high mountain summits, New Hampshire continues to create new gladed terrain, thanks in part to the Granite Backcountry Alliance (GBA). Located just minutes outside of North Conway—which edged out places like Steamboat and Breck as the country’s Number 1 ski town in 2018 according to USA Today—you’ll find Maple Villa, an example of the GBA’s handiwork.
Never leaving the protection of the trees during its 1,700 feet of total elevation gain, the Maple Villa route is designed to be lapped. Multiple maintained lines descend to roughly the trip’s halfway point. Like most tree skiing in the Northeast, how the lines ski is wildly snow-dependent. When it’s deep, slicing between the trees feels effortless. But the corridors get puckeringly narrow when it gets skied off or icy.
Learn more about the Granite Backcountry Alliance here.
Maine
Saddleback Mountain
It may sound strange, but some of Maine’s best backcountry can be found on the slopes of Saddleback Mountain, the state’s third-largest ski resort. Located just outside of Rangeley, Maine, Saddleback ceased operations in the 2014/2015 season after more than 50 years. But for folks willing to earn their turns and wait for natural snow, Saddleback lives on. The resort’s trails are still in great shape due to the recency of the closure, and the mountain rarely draws a crowd. Because it’s off the beaten path, it can feel like your own private mountain. With 440 acres of skiing and 2,000 feet of elevation, fresh pow can be found days after a storm—and since Saddleback was once a resort, there are all levels of terrain from the steep (and hopefully deep) glades on the upper mountain to blue square cruisers on the lower mountain.
Massachusetts
Mount Greylock
Massachusetts doesn’t exactly spring to mind when people think of ski terrain, but surprisingly it’s home to one of the most classic ski descents in the country: the Thunderbolt Ski Trail on Mount Greylock.
Since its construction by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1934, the Thunderbolt has been wowing skiers willing to earn their turns. It descends roughly 2,000 feet in just over 1.5 miles (in Massachusetts!) Wide enough to carve, and with its steepest pitch coming in at 35 degrees, the Thunderbolt offers plenty of opportunities for wanna-be ski racers to open it up and see just how fast they are. Good luck beating the 2:08 course record, though—it’s stood since 1948! Sadly, the hardest thing about the Thunderbolt is waiting for it to receive enough snow—some seasons it just might not happen. Such is the sometimes-fickle life of Northeastern skiers.
Want to learn more about the Thunderbolt? Check out this great video detailing the trail’s rich history.
Vermont
Mount Mansfield
Located near the backside of Stowe is one of the Northeast’s must-do backcountry runs: the Teardrop. Another classic ski run built by the CCC in the 1930s that still serves skiers throughout the Northeast, the Teardrop recalls other trails from that era. It wraps sharp turns and steep drops seamlessly into a natural landscape. In the shadow of Mount Mansfield’s classic ridgeline, the Teardrop descends 2,000 feet in just under 2 miles. Dip into the woods and sample the area’s perfectly spaced pines and birches before regaining the trail.
Brandon Gap
Following in the trail-building footsteps of the CCC, backcountry skiers today push for new zones of quintessential lines through open trees. The exemplar of these zones is Brandon Gap. The result of a partnership between the Rochester/Randolph Area Sports Trail Alliance (RASTA) and the United States Forest Service, Brandon Gap contains four distinct zones—Bear Brook Bowl, No-Name, Sunrise, and Goshen Mountain—that deliver roughly 20,000 vertical feet of skiing through thoughtfully thinned Vermont forest. With easy-to-find trailheads, well-marked skin tracks, and readily available maps, the skiing at Brandon Gap is a huge departure from the secretive nature historically associated with the region’s best stashes.
Watch this cool video about the backcountry ski scene in Vermont.
New York
The High Peaks
Because of the “Forever Wild” clause passed to protect the Adirondack wilds, the CCC couldn’t cut downhill ski trails in the High Peaks as it did in New England states. Fortunately, the area is rich in “slides”—rocky chutes where soil, vegetation, and trees have been stripped away by groundwater running under the soil—which have become the defining characteristic of skiing in the High Peaks.
As if backcountry skiing in the East wasn’t challenging enough, many of the slides are accessed via long approaches, have the occasional rappel (like on the uber-classic Trap Dike), or feature large swaths of ice. Bennies Root Canal, or Bennies Brook Slide, on Lower Wolfjaw Mountain attracts newer slide skiers thanks to its just-over-1,000-foot descent, more moderate terrain (which, at its steepest, hits roughly 25 degrees), and its relatively short approach of 3-ish miles.
Lyon Mountain
Another one-time ski hill, Lyon Mountain enjoys a second life as a popular backcountry destination. While the planned ski resort never got off the ground—it only lasted three years—3,830-foot Lyon Mountain in the northeastern corner of the Adirondacks has become a favored alternative to the region’s renowned slides, as it offers easy access, mixed terrain, and trees. It also delivers a pleasant reprieve from the long approaches and avalanche-prone terrain found in the High Peaks. Today, remnants from the ski area are still visible but do little to detract from the perfectly spaced birch glades. Most skiers rarely venture far from the terrain accessed via a well-used hiking trail. Befriend a local to get clued in on the secret stashes spread around the mountain.
See more alpine touring insight in our Ultimate Guide to Backcountry Skiing
