Wildcat Mountain Ski Area

(NOTE: This review is for the GONDOLA ride only. I would give it good rating (3.4 out of 5)).
OK… it has come to this… in my teens, 20s, and 30s and even early 40s… I hiked mountains… now I take some type of transportation or aid to get to the top! :-)
Check-​in was easy. It cost $ 40 for 2 adults and 1 child in 2015. We were truly blessed that we could bring our ailing dog on the trip for one last adventure.
The views we had were SPECTACULAR and breath taking from the moment we boarded to the summit. Definitely bring your camera! The type that makes me want to invest in a high quality camera.
The biggest issue I had with this experience was the ride itself UP… to sum it up… it was absolutely MISERABLE! The 3 of us plus doggie was placed in a 4 seater 95% enclosed gondola. It was only 70 as the summit and we rode up in full sunshine… the temp must of reached 90+ in the cabin. The ceiling was very hot. I joked with my wife that they were slowly baking us for dinner. LOL!!!
Then it gondola itself did not constantly move… it kept starting and stopping, starting and stopping. This was because the loading process was very slow and not organized. Come on people load and unload quickly. I was a SWEATY mess by the time we arrived at the summit. The poor dog was panting.
*** TIP: BRING WATER *** Unlike other SKI resorts (e.g., Cranmore, Gunstock) there is no mountain top pub to purchase beverages. That would of helped.
The views at the top were AMAZING and so clear! There are lots of places to walk around but we stayed near the summit.
*** TIP: Bring a lunch — enjoy a lunch at the top ***
RIDE DOWN was better or this would of been 2 stars… we got into a Gondola that had a vent at the top and that made all the difference. it was so much cooler… It appears that only ½ of them have that…
Would I do the gondola again? Eh, probably not.
Would I ski here? YES!!!

We went over to Wildcat for our first time ever zip lining. It was a blast. The price was right, lines were minimal and the experience was top notch. The staff made you feel very comfortable (especially being our first time) and explained the whole process.
After we finished our ride… my wife and I were eager to either go again and find another zip line. We were directed towards Attitash and given a discount card.
Will be doing this again on our next trip to the White Mountains.

Even though Wildcat is owned by the same company running Attitash, Wildcat still seems like a local and less commercialized mountain. The conditions are also way better here than Attitash and there’s not nearly as many people/​long lines. They also just installed even more snow makers so no matter what the weather throws at them they’re ready.
With a summit just over 4K feet, Wildcat is the tallest in the area and offers 49 trails through dense forest and moderately tough terrain. Plenty of blue trails mostly and not the best mountain for beginners in my opinion. Trails are well groomed, fast, and pretty wide in general. You can also find some glade /​tree skiing available, as well as a Terrain Park.
Wildcat also offers you the best views in the area of Mount Washington from its summit, and on a clear day you can easily see across to Tuckerman’s Ravine/​Bowl. The chair lifts are also the fastest in NH and will get you from the base to the summit in under 6 minutes!
There’s of course ski and snowboard rentals available, as well as half and full day passes. You’ll find a small bar/​restaurant up stairs, and large cafeteria down stairs for lunch. Prices are comparable to other resorts if not a bit cheaper. I’d highly suggest buying lift tickets online at Liftopia to save money.
Overall, just a really fun, yet challenging, mountain and I never go through a season without visiting Wildcat a few times. Absolutely worth the 6 hour drive from NYC!

Fall Zip Line/​gondola ride
Took my boyfriend and 71 year old aunt on a zip ride and gondola to the top on a cloudy day (views were still amazing) a couple of days ago. The car ride alone up from MA was gorgeous, beautiful fall colors, mountains were a sight to behold. There was no line at the zip (maybe because it was cloudy, or the last weekend for zip lining?), all workers were polite and efficient. Zip line was non-​scary for me (I’ve done it before), thrilling for the two first-​timers. Inexpensive. Afterwards we went on a Gondola ride, which was smooth and fun, with amazing views at the top. Highly recommended for a day trip for first time zippers!

I love this mountain! 6 minutes up and 9 – 14 min down (2100′ vertical drop and up to several miles down depending on the route). They should rename the Wildcat Express to the «Quad Slayer». I actually had to take a few runs up the slow lifts just to give my legs time to recover!
Lots of range of difficultly, lots of glades and near glade trails. So much to explore!
If you love moguls you will love this place. MILES of moguls, many trails. From «blue» trails to Diamonds to moguls the size of school busses you will have something to love!
Great snow this year!

3.5 hours up 93 and you’re here. Not too bad of a drive to spend a weekend up on the mountain with some good friends. The drive to Wildcat is absolutely stunning, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the giant sugar bowl that is Tuckermans Ravine.
Boy went off to the summit, while me and my best friend and her hubby enrolled in a group snowboarding lesson for the afternoon. I was a bit hesitant, as I would really prefer to be one on one with an instructor for the amount of money you end up paying, that sort of attention is vital to learning anything. I grabbed my rental board and headed up to the lessons. Leo, the wonderful Leo was to be our instructor and we had a group of 4, being myself, my two friends, and another girl who I coincidentally had numerous friends in common with from college. Leo was attentive and started from the top, in terms of board mechanics and stature. Half the class was sort of a review for me, but I quickly realized that while I liked my instructor at Cannon, that lesson was complete crap, and Wildcat was the place to be. I caught on almost immediately, my posture had improved and Leo was kind enough and didn’t have any further scheduled lessons that he dragged us all up on the chairlift to practice «falling leaf» on our various toe/​heel sides and helped me work on making the transition from one to the other. With Leo’s help, I felt like I was a natural and had really accomplished a lot in the 3 hours he helped me. I’m pretty sure the lesson would’ve ordinarily only lasted one hour, but he spent an additional two guiding us down the slopes and being encouraging. He was glad to learn that I’d be back the following morning for more practice.
The following day when we returned, we were practically turned away by the parking attendant. It was around 10:30 and the lot was already full. We already had vouchers for a full day of boarding and weren’t going to give up that easily, I think the guy’s exact words were «Don’t even bother, turn around and go home. It’s too crowded. You can get your ticket refunded in the lodge». Unacceptable. We drove around the lot a bit and eventually found a gentleman kind enough to show us where he had been parked. Spot obtained. Another guy actually gave us his lift ticket and told us it was too crowded and that we shouldn’t bother. Again, we ignored it, but said thank you for the ticket which I later gave to another guest.
The mountain was chilly but my lessons the previous day had served me well, and even though my face was falling off, boy accompanied me down the trails and we mingled with some of the younger ski instructors who were just as friendly as dear Leo and even took the time out to yell «GET A ROOM!» and giggle at us while we shook our fists at the quickly darkening sky. We even saw Leo again, he rode above us on the chairlift and wished us well, I’ll surely be sending a letter to Wildcat with grandiose compliments on my group lesson.

Great place to go and hike during the summer and the early fall. Parking is at the base of the mountain, along with a huge waterfall.
Bring along water (2 liters per person), food, warm clothes, and rain gear. The weather does change dramatically along the White Mountains and it can catch you off guard. Also, the summits of Wildcat and Wildcat D are both on the list of 4,000 footers, so it is a great place to go and bag more than one peak at once.
The views are great… you face Tuckerman’s on Mt. Washington at the summit so bring your camera!

Wildcat is, on the whole, a well planned single base/​single peak resort. It has a base to peak high speed quad that is very efficient. The trails are often winding and on the whole quite pleasant. My only issue with the trail design is the high number of intersections, the curse of resorts that pretend to be larger than they are.
The base lodge and the parking lot both seem like they should be easily overcome by crowds but have always worked out well for me.
Wildcat sits across Pinkham Notch from Mount Washington giving it awesome views of The Gulf of Slides, Tuckerman Ravine, Lion’s Head and Huntington Ravine. This is great for scenery but leaves The Cat somewhat disconnected, at 15 minutes from the limited dining and abundant lodging of Jackson and 30 minutes from North Conway.