My introduction to downhill skiing as an adult came when, while working in Hanover, NH, I called in to answer a radio station trivia question, got it right, and only then asked what I’d won (I missed that part of the contest). The answer: “Two tickets to night skiing at Whaleback.”
Great…except that I didn’t know how to ski, didn’t HAVE skis, and…night skiing??? But, I was young and stupid (some might not call 30 years old young, but I’m a late bloomer), and had a friend who worked in the Dartmouth College athletic department. A quick deal was made to trade the spare ticket for use of skis/boots/poles.
Problem one solved, but what about the night part? I still don’t remember what I used for goggles, but I do remember that it was -6F that night; I was bundled up like the little brother in “A Christmas Story.” And, although I couldn’t ski, I slid my way around, drank hot cocoa while warming up, and had a ball. The rest, as they say, is history.
Fast forward nearly 20 years, and I haven’t been Skiing at Whaleback Mountain in…well, most of that time. Between my schedule and their somewhat uneven history (during some of that time, the mountain was out of business), I just haven’t gotten back. In the meantime, took over the mountain, and put a lot of effort into terrain parks and bringing young skiers along. then it closed and reopened as a community ski hill. Would those changes affect the mountain that I remember loving? Time to ski and find out.
Whaleback may have the most convenient location of any ski area in the Northeast. Literally 2 minutes off I-89 in Enfield, NH, it’s hard to miss seeing as you drive by, particularly at night when the lights are on. With 900 feet of vertical, all of it accessed by one lift, it’s not a “wussy little mountain”; there’s no runout from the slopes to the base lodge, allowing for the best use of the vertical. And, even from the interstate, it looks like a real mountain; Upper Face, the liftline, looks steep and bumpy. It is. But, is it as steep and bumpy as I remember?
And, the answer is…yes, and maybe. Arriving at the mountain late morning, it was clear from the parking lot that we would NOT be skiing that trail; there were obvious areas of rock and ledge visible. One bullet dodged, although I knew that Jawbone, another steep trail, was tucked into the woods, and the only way to find out what the condition of THAT trail was required actually skiing it.
Whaleback’s a compact ski area; it’s about 30 yards from the farthest parking spaces to the lodge. On a slightly drizzly, gray Saturday, we didn’t even have to walk that far; they clearly weren’t busy. Spaces were easy to find in the lodge, as well. Within minutes, we were on the chair.
The chair is a classic double, not that fast, allowing us to talk and look at the scenery. On a smaller mountain, that’s important: A fast chair allows too many skiers onto too few trails, ruining the skiing in a short time. Whaleback’s double has a major “funk” factor, with chairs painted by various people and organizations, adding to the fun of the ride up. A look at the trees confirms the area’s family focus—nothing hanging in the trees but lots of beads.
We decided to try the trails to the right of the chair as we got off. Jonah’s Revenge was closed, so we headed for Fluke. Looking at it from the top, it was clearly ungroomed, and with Susan still recovering from a fractured patella, that wasn’t in her repertoire. So she headed down Ivory Run (are you starting to see a pattern in the trail names?). I started down Fluke, and shortly began to regret it! Like Upper Face, there were plenty of rocky areas. I picked my way down, connected with Susan on Ivory Run, and let my burning legs recover as we headed for the lift again.
Not a great start, and we were beginning to think that it was going to be a VERY short day. Still, the trails to our left as we headed back up looked to be in better shape; time to head in THAT direction. Off the lift, sharp left, and down to Ambergris. My memory said that it was the easier of the two blues on that side of the mountain, so the likeliest to be in good shape. And, it wasn’t; it was in GREAT shape! The same wet conditions that had caused the snow to come off the steepest sections of the mountain had simply packed the runs on this side. The snow was firm, well groomed, and took an edge well. And, the trail was fun: a fairly steep run down to a left onto the short, narrow Ishmael’s Alley, then bump up onto the lower section of Spout for a fast run to the base area. Nothing to complain about on THAT run!
Back up again, and onto the Spout/Bougainvillea/Spout combo, the fastest way down that side of the mountain. Conditions were identical to Ambergris, fast and fun. Since it was so smooth, it was a great opportunity to work with Susan on “feeling” her edges. As a newbie, she’s skiing well, but not getting the full carve that she could. Open slopes and great snow conditions with a firm surface, and few skiers means an ideal situation to work on technique. I followed her with a video camera ( a great way to work on MY technique, as well; you simply MUST face straight down the hill and feel your edges to do that, since you can’t be looking at the terrain below your feet!). Being able to see herself and compare it to what she sees when she follows me helped her understand what I’ve been trying to say, and her technique improved significantly in just a few runs. Bonus!
We took another half dozen runs down those two trails, playing on the edges, doing some big, swoopy GS turns and feeling the G-forces, having a thoroughly fun time. I did decide to get stupid and go try Jawbone; yes, just like the other runs on that side, it was a rock garden, forcing me to pick my way along the treeline in hard bumps—a great way to get myself sweating and feeling my legs burn! At 3:00, we had to leave to head to another appointment. I had to drag Susan off the hill; she was headed for the liftline again. Although the conditions weren’t ideal across the mountain, Whaleback hadn’t been a disappointment. It was still the value priced, easy-to-get-to, surprisingly varied terrain resort that I remembered. It won’t be 20 years before I go back again; the next time I’m on I-89 and have a little extra time, I’ll take the 2 minute drive to the lodge!