If you happen to like midsized mountains aimed squarely at the family market and you happen to have easy access to Interstate 93 in New Hampshire, both Gunstock Mountain Resort in Gilford, and Ragged Mountain in Danbury should show up on your winter fun radar screen.

Ragged or Gunstock? Interesting question. It’s surprising how similar the two hills are in many ways, and how different they are at the same time. Deciding which one is worth your money and your time presents an interesting dilemma. Unless you happen to live closer to one or the other, there’s no instant or easy answer.

Both Ragged and Gunstock are about the same distance off I-93, and both require some diligence to find. Can you say “backroads?” So that’s a wash. Both have large, efficient, comfortable base lodges capable of handling weekend and holiday crowds, so that, too, is a wash.

On paper, Ragged and Gunstock are both roughly the same size. Gunstock claims 1400 feet of vertical drop, and has 8 lifts and 227 acres of terrain with 90-percent snowmaking coverage. Ragged claims 1,250 of vertical, and has five lifts on 220 acres. Gunstock’s “big” lift is a high-speed detachable summit quad while Ragged has the state’s only detachable six-pack (with the chairs spaced wide apart), so the total capacity is probably similar . . .

If you’re a connoisseur of summit views, Ragged’s is solidly good, but Gunstock’s is simply spectacular with Winnepesaukee dominating the landscape below.

To me it seems that Gunstock’s runs are longer between chairlift rides. I like that, but most people would probably not notice much difference if they usually stop once or twice between summit and base.

On the other hand, Ragged has two entirely separate peaks and a lot more glades, so it feels like there are more places to explore. I like that, too. But Gunstock has enough trails that you don’t ever feel like you don’t have options.

While neither is really an “expert’s mountain,” Ragged has a clear edge for advanced skiers and riders, largely because of their glades. But those glades are, of course dependent entirely on natural snow.

I can’t say I can give either mountain a clear edge for experts when man-made snow is the only option. Both Ragged and Gunstock have a couple of steep-but-short pitches on their groomed trails, but nothing terrifying for a black-diamond skier or rider. Both mountains have absolutely stellar intermediate terrain, with beautifully groomed cruising trails. I usually ski these two hills on my Telemark gear and enjoy every inch of their intermediate trails and their short steeps. Incidentally, both mountains boast snowmaking systems that are large enough to open a variety of terrain if Mother Nature isn’t cooperating.

I’m no expert on terrain parks, but it appears Gunstock offers more venues and more variety, though Ragged has just added a newly-expanded “Wildwoods” terrain park with natural features.

For true beginners, both Gunstock and Ragged have entirely separate beginner areas where newbie skiers and riders can practice without feeling like they are about to be run over by faster folks. Gunstock has a brand-new beginner quad that travels low and slow making it an easy one to learn on. Gunstock’s “Mountain Magic” beginner program has a long history of teaching people to ski and ride and they offer some incredible beginner packages.

Overall, I’d say Gunstock has a clear edge as a learning mountain. Where Ragged lost many of its long-time instructors a few years ago, Gunstock’s programs have been growing forever. They also just added an amazing new Big Air Bag which lets people huck themselves off a jump, try whatever trick they want, and know they are going to come down on a nice, soft, cushioned landing. I’m almost tempted to try it . . .almost.

Neither Ragged nor Gunstock has any on-mountain lodging. In fact, Ragged has some new, on mountain slopeside Cardigan Cabins which are likely to be a game changer.

Gunstock, on the other hand, has all the lodging around Winnipesaukee nearby, so it has a large base of potential skiers and riders to draw from. Presumably that’s why they have night skiing on 21 trails with 5 lifts. Saturday and Wednesday nights are particularly lively at Gunstock, offering skiing or riding and tubing, all for one low price. Gunstock also has a very nice Nordic area with groomed trails for cross country skiing, snowshoeing and sleigh rides. They even offer guided evening summit snowshoe hikes.

That’s the real difference between the two mountains. Ragged feels low key and quiet, entirely focused on the skiing and riding on the hill, while Gunstock is more of an “Entertainment Center,” with more going on for Alpine skiers and riders and everyone else who shows up.

A full day adult ticket at Ragged for the 2015/16season is $69 midweek, $79 on weekends and holidays but you can always save 10% by purchasing on-line 48 hours in advance.

Gunstock has adult all day lift tickets for $70 mid-week and $80 on weekends and holidays. Night skiing from 4 to closing has a host of special deals.

So, which area is better? Which should you choose? Having skied both mountains many times, I can’t say. It really comes down to what you like. Ragged has undergone several ownership and management changes in recent years; it’s still mostly a quiet family area where people go to enjoy the snow for a day or a weekend. And enjoy it they do. Gunstock, being near a major summer resort area is much more the “entertainment venue,” with lots more going on than just Alpine skiing and riding. They’ve invested a lot of money in the last decade to make sure everyone has a good time, whether they ride the lifts or not.

Ragged or Gunstock? My advice is to mix it up and decide for yourself. If you always go to Gunstock, try Ragged for a change. Or vice versa. If you’ve always driven past both on your way to bigger, more glamerous areas up north, do yourself a favor and try one, then the other. Maybe you’ll find that you have a favorite. Me, I like ‘em both.