I had a rare opportunity (a 3-4 hr window while on other biz in Hanover, NH) to get to NE Slopes for 1.5 of skiing before closing - it's on the bucket list, and about 9 T-Bar rides I think gave me the flavor of it.
It was really fun, with varied terrain that "skis bigger than 340 vt. ft." Beautiful sunny late Feb. day, about 10 inches of new snow that was packed or skied out (but not entirely, as you'll see below), on top of what I think was a base of ice, groundswell ice, frozen stream(s), frozen sod/ice etc....but I never gashed a ski. If you never get there, I hope this gives you a sense of the experience.
Looking up from near the base of the T-Bar
A view up the T-Bar line (phone but no eclair in hand - Main Slope on the left, Northside on the right)
The Main Slope (open slope, skiers right of the T-Bar) is a nice hill with a big uphill swale in the middle of it. With all the evergreens and wide open terrain it feels a little like Colorado.
Powerline trail (skiers left of the left) had broken powder that still was skiing smooth along with some challenges toward its end...I took it easy, not exactly knowing what exact base was underneath this.
top of the trail - looking back up to the T-Bar unload
middle section
bottom
Skiers right is the Holland's Tunnel trail - it started narrow and tightened up some more...
A view from maybe 100 ft down below the T-Bar unload, on Waterfall/Main Slope to the base.
Sugarhouse (rated black, but not as steep as Lwr Powerline)....it seemed to have a better preserved base despite all the growth sticking up out of the snow.
I got to just about all of it, which also included The Face (last part of the hill on the skier's right). I did not get to the New Face next to that since I could only understand accessing it through some uphill X-C skiing - and I just don't do that.
Plenty of families and kids there there. I talked to the lifty/volunteer guy, and told him I had ridden this T-Bar before, not at NE Slopes but at Stratton Mtn in Jan. of '72 - when I was 9 yrs old. I may have ridden it another time on a 76-77 visit before they took it out in 1977 to make room for the Tamarack Triple, but have only the recollection of the '72 ride. He let me know that only 7 of the 9 towers came from that lift. The T-Bars themselves were beautifully painted and in great shape. The $15 was worth every penny...
