Attitash Mountain Resort

• Vertical drop: 1,750 ft (530 m) (Attitash); 1,450 ft (440 m) (Bear Peak)
• Base elevation: 600 ft (180 m) (Attitash); 600 ft (180 m) (Bear Peak)
• Summit elevation: 2,350 ft (720 m) (Attitash); 2,050 ft (620 m) (Bear Peak)
• Trails and glades: 68; most difficult 27%; more difficult 44%; easiest 29%[6]
• Total skiable area: 311 acres (1.26 km²)
• Trail length: 23 miles (37 km)
• Tree skiing: 60 acres (240,000 m²) of terrain in different glades across Attitash and Bear Peak
• Average annual snowfall: 120 inches (3,000 mm)
• Typical season length: Early December through Early April (depending on natural snowfall and how often temperatures are low enough to allow snowmaking)
• Hours of operation: 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. weekends and holidays, EST; 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. mid-week, EST; Times may vary early season: Nov to Dec - 3:30 PM
• Uphill lift capacity: 14,385 people per hour

A view of the slopes of Attitash in summer

Attitash has two peaks, Attitash and Bear Peak, both of which offer a variety of terrain. Attitash consists of old New England-style trails. The more challenging terrain on this mountain are narrow trails with challenging fall lines. It also offers a learning center, featuring a Snowbelt, Learning Center chairlift and the Progression Quad (Formerly home to the Double Double chairlift),[10] which provides access to longer greens trails.

A few of the blacks accessed from the peak have a very high difficulty even in good conditions due to the terrain. They are Wilfred's Gawn, Upper Ptarmigan, Tim's Trauma, and Idiot's option. While Tightrope and Humphrey's Ledge can be less difficult under good conditions, they are still difficult. Arguably the hardest trail is actually Middle Ptarmigan, accessed from mid-mountain. Even when groomed, it has the mountain's steepest grade, far steeper than that of the other mid-mountain blacks Spillway or White Horse. There is one official glade located between Lower Cathedral and Lower Highway. It also has a beginners are featuring several greens and two very easy blues (Thad's Choice and Counselor's Run), as well as the resort's only surface lift.

Bear Peak was developed by the American Ski Company as a competitor, but financial issues prevented it from opening until a partnership deal was reached with Attitash, who needed their connections to get permits. It features wider trails and more glades, most of which are located directly under the Abenaki lift, with the other being located on Wandering Skis. Highlights on this peak include that trail due to its long length with a steady drop, the racing trail Illusion with its balance of flats and steeps, as well as a few blacks that are more difficult that mid-mountain Attitash, yet less difficult than the Attitash Peak. The exception is Lift Line, which is one of the most difficult trails on the resort when open at a difficulty similar to Middle Ptarmigan. Although there is a small kids area, it is much smaller compared to the Attitash kids area.

Both mountains have high-speed quads, with the Flying Bear at Bear Peak taking skiers straight to the summit 1,462 vertical feet in 8 minutes (6 with no stops), and the Flying Yankee at Attitash taking skiers halfway up the mountain 860 vertical feet in 6 minutes (4.5 minutes no stops).[11] The Summit Triple (1,659 vertical feet) takes about 16 minutes to get to the top with pauses or 11.5 minutes with no pauses.[12] Many skiers hated the lift and desired its replacement, but the Chapter 11 bankruptcy prevented this.

In the era of Peak Resorts, snowmaking and grooming were vastly improved. Despite concerns from locals, Peak was the company that managed to finally get the resort out of their long Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. While the half pipe was removed, the terrain park was arguably improved by splitting it into three separate parks and moving them all to Bear Peak, allowing the blue they originally occupied to be used for the ski school.

In the second half of the 2018/2019 season, the top half of Attitash was closed due to major problems with the Summit Triple. Despite a fairly new bull wheel (replaced just a few years earlier to prevent further breakdowns), it was found to also be in need of massive repair to the gear box, including a replacement "planetary gear".[13] The triple's replacement had long been a hot topic, but no owner had been able to get it done yet, and Peak Resorts was unwilling to attempt it despite the resort once again turning a profit. This finally changed when Vail Resorts purchased the resort in 2019.

Things started in the 2021-2022 ski season. Thanks to even further snowmaking improvements, trails were opened fast despite poor snowfall. However, when technical issues plagued the Double Double and Kachina Triple (The Summit Triple was fine that year, besides the usual complaints about the ride time), Vail was unable to operate either, meaning the other lifts now had more people to handle, including more beginners. They announced the replacement of the two doubles with a fixed-quip quad (not high speed), and repairs to the Kachina, both to be completed by the start of the 2022-23 ski season.

In January 2022, rumors were once again going around that Summit Triple would finally be replaced, as Vail had applied for the needed permits.[14] Unfortunately due to past experience, many people assumed this would fail. However, in June 2022, an official announcement from the General Manager on the Attitash Facebook Page clarified that while the project was still pending final approval from the US Forest Service, they were confident it would be approved. If so, the hated lift would finally be replaced in Summer 2023, and done in time for the 2023-2024 ski season.

Final approval for the lift was actually given that November [15] and work started. Riding the lift in the 2022/2023 season, it was noticeable that in several areas, trees were already strategically cut to give access to replace the lift towers that summer, especially on the top half. Vail also had confirmed the plans in their Quarter 1 report of Fiscal Year 2023.[16]

Attitash also has summer activities. A summer day pass includes the alpine slides, both of which run the same route starting halfway up the mountain, the mountain coaster (similar to the alpine slide, but allows for higher speeds due to being locked onto the track), a climbing wall, Euro bungee trampolines, and a giant air bag jump. There were also several Summer Events to warrant spending the day there, and smaller attractions like bean bag tossing.

Three attractions available for an additional cost are Mountain biking, horseback riding and the newest attraction, the East Coast's longest single-span zip-line.,[17] installed by previous owner Peak Resorts. Closed in 2020, 2021, and 2022 due to COVID, Attitash resumed summer operations in 2023.

They also used to have 4 water slides, but these last operated in Summer 2019, the year before the temporary closure of sumer activities to focus on winter season improvements. They were demolished in Fall 2022 because the new high speed quad being installed Summer 2023 was planned to be moved away from the road like all other lifts, using that area for the base terminal.

However, General Manager Brandon Swartz has announced that new summer attractions are being discussed for 2023. All other summer attractions are expected to return, though it is unclear whether annual events like the Blueberry Festival will also resume. [18]

• Attitash - Official site