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Butternut Basin, March 4

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mapnut
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Jul 31, 2002
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Location:New York City

Posted: Mar 05, 2012 - 2:25 PM GMT

Edited: Mar 05, 2012 - 2:50 PM GMT

Weather: partly sunny, upper 30s
Conditions: soft loose granular, patches of ice
Crowds; Moderate; 3 to 5 minute line on the summit quad

I know, It's Ski Butternut, hasn't been Butternut Basin for years. But I choose to overlook the marketing department's mistakes. My first visit ever, as I had thought Butternut was a bit out of the way. But I discovered a cross-country route that's just over two hours for me, leaving only Catamount closer among the 1,000-foot areas.

I had always heard good things about Butternut - attractive, well-run family area - except that it's too easy. Well, it's really easy. Almost the entire mountain is the same pitch, 25 per cent or less. The trails all look different, due to different alignments and widths, but ski about the same. Lucifer's Leap and Whip off the summit are nice runs but laughable single diamonds. Downspout off the Overbrook triple chair has legitimate pitch but only for the top third; I'd call it an Okemo single diamond. It's shown on the trail map as moguled but I guess they don't have enough base to do that lately. All trails had similar conditions yesterday, pleasant enough loose granular with patches of ice increasingly showing up throughout the day, but no bare spots. It doesn't appear that the base is too deep. They did get 10 inches Friday before the rain; it looked like they groomed Saturday but not Sunday.

I skied most every run twice and my favorite, Whip to Nut Hatch, 3 times. Downspout and Freewheeler off the triple chair are probably the most interesting runs but were a bit crowded. The four runs served by the summit quad were pleasantly uncrowded. The Upper Base Lodge was sunny, spacious and also pleasantly uncrowded, probably because it's an uphill walk unless you're in the triple chair vicinity. Food prices surprisingly reasonable.

I used to wonder why the main mountain had relatively few and relatively narrow runs. It's because the mountain has boulders and gullies all over the place! Must have been a lot of work to clear the original runs. The mountain doesn't have any potential for steeper terrrain or glades.

Probably 30 years have passed since Butternut was considered an industry model. But it's popular due to its cheap season passes, its proximity to Boston, and its definite family vibe.

bousquet19
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Posted: Mar 05, 2012 - 2:48 PM GMT

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... (snip)
Probably 30 years have passed since Butternut was considered an industry model. But it's popular due to its cheap season passes, its proximity to Boston, and its definite family vibe.

Well said, mapnut.

I skied Butternut Basin

back in January, after not having been there since the late 1960s. To your favorite run (Whip to Nuthatch) I'd add Freewheeler, which is the outermost run to skier's left. A great cruiser with only one junction and nice views of South Berkshire.

Despite having been somewhat eclipsed by more modernized ski areas, I agree that Butternut continues to be a well-run, aesthetically appealing, well-maintained family place. Nothing is shoddy or in severe need of repair. They were 100% open during Christmas Week 2011 -- a commendable accomplishment under this season's circumstances. The lifts are slow and the steeps aren't hairy, but I really enjoy the layout's design and variety. Gimme those narrow stretches and zigzags along with the boulevards. Butternut has resisted the temptation to widen all the runs for snowmaking so they all look and ski the same.

Good tip about choosing the Upper Lodge to avoid weekend crowds. To newcomers, I'd also add a suggestion to pay close attention to where you parked on weekends. The parking is well organized but all the different rows and orientations left me wandering for a while.

Woody
(PS I hope Butternut will tell visitors more about butternut trees ... maybe via a small interpretive display about the property's natural features. The species is disappearing over much, if not all, of its range.)

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"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

abubob
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Location:Bristol, NH

Posted: Mar 05, 2012 - 3:08 PM GMT

I haven't skied at Butternut since moving to NH so it been nearly seven years. I used to get the pass there because it was so cheap but only got there enough to break even. One season they never asked to see my pass! I felt like I'd thrown away the money. I could have just skied on for free.

That upper lodge is cool but it can get very crowed. So many people would kick the snow off their boots inside that the carpet was perpetually wet. By the end of the season it smelled moldy.

mapnut
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Posted: Mar 12, 2012 - 12:39 PM GMT

I skied Butternut again on Saturday with my daughter. It was a logical choice since she prefers easy trails and her boyfriend was driving out from Boston to join us. Conditions, crowds and weather were much the same as last week, a bit warmer. It made for a lovely day, with a big picnic spread in the Upper Lodge one of the highlights. Here are some pictures. In the liftline view, note the mountain laurels, some of which are decorated with Mardi Gras beads. Butternut being a family place, a bra tree would not be appropriate!

It appeared that all the natural snow in the woods had melted since last weekend; there was just a dusting of new snow on shady parts of the upper mountain from Friday night. With the mild forecast for this week, they'll do well to make it to next weekend.
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