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North Conway is a small New Hampshire town with perhaps the longest ski history of any settlement in New England. The local ski hill of Cranmore is one of the original downhill ski areas in North America, established by North Conway businessman Harvey Dow Gibson more than 70 years ago. In the late 1930s legendary Austrian skier, Hannes Schneider, one of the most significant people in the early history of winter sports, having brought skiing to Japan before gaining the name "the father of American skiing" made his first turns on the ski centre’s South Slope and began a skiing revolution.

North Conway today is a modern town with a central location and seven ski areas to choose from in the region. Besides Cranmore, which is linked to North Conway by a free bio-diesel powered shuttle bus, if you want to leave your car at your accommodation, the resorts of Attitash and Wildcat are about 20 minutes away, with Bretton Woods, Waterville Valley and Loon 40 minutes and Cannon an hour distant. As a regional hub North Conway itself has a good range of amenities but is particularly well known for its shopping, both at the quirky local independent stores and at the large factory outlet mall which has more than 50 shops.

Beginners

All five ski hills have good facilities for first timers, but really there’s no need to travel further than the closest slopes at Cranmore to make your first turns unless you have a preference for one of the other hills, which makes equal sense from a learning point of view, they’re just slightly further to get to! Cranmore has developed programs especially for adults aged 13 and over (although 13 and 14 year olds have the option of a special teen class instead). Either group or private lessons are available. A highly affordable package, equipment rentals and lift ticket deal is available and the centre recommends you arrive at least 45 minutes before lesson time in order to get kitted up in comfort.

Intermediates

Intermediates will want to explore the different ski resorts in the area. All offer a mix of what are known as classic New England trails – typically interesting runs winding down through the woodland, narrow by modern standards, with great views – and more modern wider, smoother runs. Cranmore has a choice of 39 trails, but that choice increases to 100 at nearby Attitash where long blue cruisers like Wandering Skis from the top of Chair 8 are great fun. Bretton Woods is, marginally, the largest ski center in the state with about 100 trails spread over more than 400 acres. Waterville, Loon, Cannon and Wildcat all have about half that number of runs, but larger skiable verticals – each over 2000 feet (625m). Altogether the seven areas offer more than 400 trails, and all but Attitash are included on a six-area pass.

Advanced

Each of the local ski hills has something to offer advanced skiers, it’s a matter of deciding whether to dip in to all of them or concentrate on a few. At Cranmore the Skimiester trail gets steeper the longer you stay on it (there are various easier runs to bottle out on to), or you could ski the black diamond trails Ledges and Middle. A third of the terrain at Attitash is classified advanced and the double black diamond Avenger provides quite a few challenges over its 1.6km (one mile) length, or you can head for the half dozen or so ’glades’ (thinned woodland area where you ski between the trees). At Cannon there are 20 black runs, the toughest probably the Tram Line trail.

Snowboarding

Each of the ski areas near North Conway has at least one terrain park, in the case of Attitash there are two, as well as New Hampshire's longest superpipe. Bretton Woods also has two and Wildcat three. At each centre guests will also enjoy jumps, bumps, rails, bowls, and glades to test their skills on.

Other Activities and Facilities

Larger accommodations in North Conway are likely to offer swimming pools and hot tubs amongst their amenities. North Conway itself is best known for its shopping, but other winter activities in the area include tubing at Cranmore, snowshoeing at Bretton Woods or taking a guided tour around Purity Lake and the adjacent Audubon Sanctuary. Then there is ice skating under the Tohko Dome at nearby Purity Resort in East Madison and a romantic Victorian sleigh ride, or winter horse riding through local evergreen forests, snowfields and along the Saco River. Indoors there’s a cinema and the Cut Off day spa on White Mountain Highway.

Après Ski and Dining Out

North Conway has a good selection of places to wine and dine. The Wildboar Tavern or the Muddy Moose, both on White Mountain Highway, are popular evening spots. The leading property in town is the Grand Hotel where the mountainside Tavern offers ales from local breweries.

Dining options are extensive and range from the usual American chains including an Applebees outlet to more up market options like Stonehurst Manor which boasts an extensive wine and cocktail menu and then elegant entrees.

Families

The different ski areas around North Conway are all family friendly, all with special ski classes for children aged three and over. Nursery provision for younger, non-skiing children varies. At Cranmore and Loon there is nursery cover but it may only operate at weekends and in the main holiday periods, the other five areas have full time cover.

Ski/Board Suitability Guide

Suitable for families:	[No]
Suitable for beginners:	[3]
Suitable for intermediate skiers:	[5]
Suitable for advanced skiers:	[5]
Suitable for boarders skiers:	[4]

Piste Map for North conway

Accommodation in North conway

• Merrill Farm Resort - 3 star, bed & breakfast
• North Conway Grand Hotel - 4 star, bed & breakfast
• North Conway Private Apartments - 3 star, bed & breakfast
• White Mountain Inn - 4 star, room only

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