What's happening this winter at Waterville Valley Resort

Waterville Valley Ski Resort, New Hampshire just launched their new website waterville.com and released their Winter 2011-12 newsletter.

In the newsletter, Chris Sununu (right), chief executive officer of Waterville Valley Ski Resort, writes, "...For over 30 years my family has been enjoying Waterville Valley's natural beauty, big mountain skiing and the wonderful camaraderie of the resort's guests, homeowners and residents.

"As the new owners of the resort, our goal is to preserve all that is so special about Waterville Valley and to begin to invest in the entire resort to ensure the best possible winter and summer mountain vacation experience for all of our guests.

"During our first year we have focused on a few key areas of the resort that needed the greatest help in terms of upgrades.  First and foremost we have invested in our employees to help ensure a great customer experience.  Our capital campaign, the most aggressive in 20 years, has included everything from upgrading lifts and snowmaking to lodging and food services.  And most important of all, we have worked with our partners at the U.S. Forest Service to begin the permitting process for the first trail expansion on the mountain since 1980.  Our vision is to continue responsible and sustainable development of new lifts, trails, and base facilities on the mountain.  We want to make sure Waterville Valley continues to develop as the premier New England family resort of the 21st century.

"We know how much all of you care about this very special place and always appreciate your ideas and suggestions to help us improve your resort experience." ~ Chris Sununu

What's Happening at Waterville Valley?

Snowmaking & Grooming. On the mountain a new BR350W Sherpa Tower snow cat groomer with tower winch equipment will enable improved grooming on the variety of steeper trails that are so popular with Waterville Valley skiers and riders.  The addition of new snowmaking pumps will increase capacity to make snow on the 4,004-foot summit elevations and top parts of the mountain by 33%.  Four new SMI Fan Sno-Guns have been added to the arsenal and will be dedicated to the Waterville Valley terrain parks, allowing for an earlier opening of the parks with a variety of features.

High Country Lift. The High Country chairlift that brings skiers and riders to the summit has been converted from diesel to an electric power drive, not only reducing engine noise and exhaust emissions but also increasing capacity and shortening ride time with the electric drive providing a higher rope speed.

Restaurants. In the mountain base lodge an expanded Pizza Cafe is planned that will feature popular thin crust pizza, sandwiches, Pepsi products and draft Harpoon Ale, UFO and Coors Light beers.  The third floor restaurant, lounge and outside dining deck will offer new menu items as well as the continuation of the popular affordable menu items introduced last winter.

Season Ski Locker Room. The popular seasonal guest locker room area has been completely renovated, including new rest rooms and flat screen televisions.

Nordic. At the Nordic Center, a new PB100 Piston Bull cross-country snow grooming cat will improve surface conditions for both traditional and skating tracks on Waterville Valley Resort's vast network of over 70 kilometers of groomed trails in the White Mountain National Forest.  A Nordic Center season pass is included with the purchase of a full season alpine pass.

Shuttle & Trolley. Resort shuttle and trolley service will be upgraded with the addition of a new shuttle bus to the fleet that provides shuttle service throughout the resort.  A new trolley will also be added to increase capacity to move guests form the mountain parking lots to the slopes.

The North Face Store. At the Town Square in the Waterville Valley resort village a new store called "1829 Outfitters" opened on Columbus Day weekend featuring The North Face clothing, footwear and accessories, Timberland boots, Swix Nordic apparel and Oakley sunglasses and goggles.

Frequent Skier/Rider Card. A frequent skier/rider card will offer special lift ticket rates for visits to Waterville Valley Resort.

Season Passes. Waterville Valley Resort 2011/2012 season passes offering over 140 scheduled days of skiing and riding, now include two lift tickets to enjoy New Hampshire's Cannon Mountain, a companion lift ticket for a day at Waterville Valley Resort, a season pass for the Nordic Center, allowing access to the vast network of cross-country trails, and a summer season pass valid on Snows Mountain Chairlift for lift-served hiking and mountain biking.

Resort Master Development Plan. Long-term master development in cooperation with the US Forest Service has been initiated to explore the addition of more lifts, trails and day lodges to the resort.  Environmental Assessment is currently underway as part of the permit process to build a new high speed quad chairlift and new trails in the near future on Green Peak, located just to the east of the Valley Run trails.

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Waterville Valley Resort is a vacation destination offering world-class alpine & Nordic skiing and riding just a short drive from Boston via Interstate 93 (Exit 28). Completely surrounded by the 4,000-foot peaks of the White Mountain National Forest, Waterville Valley guests enjoy relaxing, family-friendly fun in one of New England's premier 4-season resort communities. In winter, you'll find an indoor athletic club with indoor & outdoor pools, a full line of exercise equipment, sauna, steam room and whirlpool tub, indoor tennis, racquetball, and squash, an indoor ice arena, sleigh rides, award-winning recreation department, cultural, educational & arts programs, guided hikes, horse drawn sleigh rides, and more. Waterville Valley is home to the renowned Waterville Valley BBTS Ski & Snowsports Club and Waterville Valley Academy, a five-month snowsports academy allowing students to further their athletic goals with a full-time training program, all while keeping a focus on their academics.

Stay connected to Waterville Valley by checking in daily with Jan's Blog at jansblog.co. Download The Resort Insider each week for a comprehensive activities and events calendar at wvnh.com/resort-insider.