Cranmore Resort Ski Area

We centered our trip around this and unfortunately I left a little disappointed. Our family purchased 6 tubing and mountain adventure park tickets. I also reserved and paid in advance for a spot at the daycare for my youngest son. Sadly he came down with a horrible stomach virus during our vacation and he was unable to attend the daycare. I had to stay behind with him. They would only offer a voucher for the daycare which is frustrating because we could no use it and most likely will never be able to. My family spent a lot of money that day and could of used the credit for other things if that had been an option.
They all enjoyed tubing but the extra price for the mountain adventure park is not something they thought was worth it.

So far I have waited an hour and a half for one pair of boots. Go to get in line and they did not size the ski right. Awesome. Maybe at some point I will be able to ski today.

Our first snowboard sesh of 2016. Cranmore staff made snow with a bit of the real deal on top. Conditions were very good. Some areas were a bit icy but overall, a great first day. Lift lines were moving, with only two, 20 minute waits. Black trails weren’t open so we had some nice runs on the blues. Many of the trails are pretty narrow but some nice open runs to be found. My boyfriend had some great runs in the glades. Free basket check, fire pits and S’Mores are nice touches. EASY close parking to be found at 10 AM. Small intimate mountain, perfect for a first day of the season. Experts will likely get bored here. more skiers than boarders.

As 2015 ends with some snow finally arriving but too late to ski today I needed an outlet for my energy. The Cranmore Fitness Center is a good deal ($ 12.00 for a day pass) and a solid gym rat’s gym. Here is my take:
Staff: Pleasant and welcoming A+
Locker Rooms: circa 1970’s which is fine with me. A for me… F if you are an LA Fitness member (I am typing this with a sneer)
Equipment: Well maintained A–
Weights/​Medicine Balls A–
Mats and Stretching: Here is the only thing lacking. The gym is a converted tennis court. There is no real good area for sit ups and stretching. B
Parking: A
Bring a towel or pay $ 5 for a small towel.
Overall for the money this is a good deal.

Went to the goullog haunted house during Columbus Day weekend. When we bought the tickets $ 32 each i initially thought it was a bit pricey. However it was FANTASTIC — BEST haunted house ever!!!
We will be back

What a ripoff! They sell their online tickets $ 5 to $ 10 cheaper than onsite. We claimed that the difference was not that much but it ended up being $ 40 for a family of four.
Rides are boring! You spend most of your time in line. Glad we didn’t do the arial adventure since it was pretty lame from what we saw. Other places in New England offer more exciting arial/​zipline tours. Check out ArborTrek which is one that comes to mind.
Food prices are insane! They hold you captive and charge extremely high prices. Haddock nuggets over $ 10 and a cheese burger for $ 9-​$ 10. A meal for three people was over $ 40. Food quality was fast food restaurant or worse.

My boyfriend and I came here for a valentines weekend getaway, we got two day passes for the mountain, we arrived bright and early on Saturday and spent the entire day! He is a beginner skier, it was his second time on skis! This mountain truly is a Great place for those who are just learning, they easy trails vary in size which make it easier for a person to progress comfortably.
I loved the fire pits outside to warm up to!
The adventure parks were a complete surprise we didn’t know about and had a blast!
Every single saff member we asked a question to was super knowledgable and overlay accommodating and friendly ! It was an overall great experience and can’t wait to go back !
— the one somewhat negative, was there was no ski watch and they do not rent the locks, only purchase. So be prepared to ether have a ski lock or walk back to you’re car if you were nervous to skit leave them outside, like i was !

I love this place. The only thing I wish it was bigger. The grooming is amazing, especially for an early season trip.

Cranmore is a great family mountain. The trails are wider and easier than nearby Attitash. The distance between lifts is far, do just beware that you may spend a lot of time traversing if you start at one side of the base and wish to get to the other. Also, we went on a day when local school kids were brought there literally by the bus load. While it didn’t much effect lift lines, the lodges/​restaurants were not staffed to handle all the kids. Further, the children were not well supervised and were constantly cutting it line. It made an otherwise great day a bit frustrating. Next time, we will try and avoid overlapping with local «snow day.»

I truly enjoy Skiing Cranmore. This was my 2^nd visit here, this time it was just as wonderful as the first time.
Pros: the price is great for Active Duty Military, which is GREATLY appreciated! The trails are well kept and easy to get down. The Blue trails keep you guessing at every turn. The crowds are lighter than other resorts, which makes it feel like you have the entire mountain to yourself. The parking is close, no need for shuttles! The lodge at the peak of the mountain is relatively calm, making it a great retreat to grab a drink and some munchies.
Cons: rental equipment cost. We had our own boots, just needed skis and poles. A full (ski, boot, pole) package is $ 38. If you want to just rent skis and poles, it’s $ 38. No savings there, which is rather confusing. The skis were OK, nothing to drool over. One of the chairs shut down mid-​day, so everyone crammed onto the quad. But like I said, it wasn’t that busy, therefore it wasn’t that bad.
I will return to Cranmore several more times while I’m in the area. It’s very family and beginner friendly!!!

It gets super cold up here! No cold beats the time on the slopes though! Decent snow, varied trails, and also adventure rides! It’s a good sized mountain to start learning how to snowboard or ski, the trails aren’t too challenging, some ungroomed trails for the adventurous, and also parks to do tricks.
New Years day deal $ 46 a pop all day and then I opted in for unlimited adventure ride $ 23(w/ lift ticket) and $ 28 without. The adventure rides included a toboggan, swing, and zipline. I went crazy and rode the toboggan 6 times, the zipline twice, and the swing once, all in an hour.

I absolutely loved it! My boyfriend brought me here for the first time and we took a skiing lesson. There was a deal online for $ 30 you would get the rental, a chair lift ticket, and the lesson! Everyone that worked here was extremely nice! I had the best first experience there, thank you!

*This is only a review the SUMMER activities.*
After reading reviews the hubby & I decided to hit up Cranmore for some fun summer activities. We got there and paid $ 60 for 6 single-​ride passes, being told that was the best deal by the cashier.
I dont know about the people who reviewed these activities before me but — are they serious??? We were literally the only people there over 10 years old (besides the parents who were watching their kids and the workers). These «summer activities» are CLEARLY meant for children. We still participated in the rides (I mean we paid $ 60 for the tickets) but I’m sure we looked like idiots. We both barely fit in «The Soaring Eagle» and the tube slide was equally as ridiculous. The only thing that seemed age appropriate was the «Scenic Chairlift» to the top of Cranmore but there is nothing once you’re up there and it was certainly not worth $ 60.
Talk about disappointing.
We will not go back there in the summer again until we have kids (maybe).

A few weeks ago, my boyfriend and I came to Cranmore Mountain to go on their summer rides. We used the pass that allows you in at a discount during the last 2 hours of the day. It was a cloudy day, and they were very clear on that if there was thunder or lightning, the park would close (but they would offer us passes for another day). Extremely helpful!
I would like to say that the staff was incredibly welcoming and thoughtful. Every ride attendant was kind and friendly, helping unruly families find their way and get on the rides with ease. One staff member in particular, Kris, was just all around helpful!
The rides were fun, especially the mountain coaster, and it was a great way to spend a summer evening. I also liked the big tube slide. It was all great!

Solid mountain… little, good artificial snow.
It is a little confusing with the signs and maps… I was never really sure if I ended up on the trail I wanted to end up on.
I was there on a non-​busy day, so it was awesome the snow was great. There were a surprising number of flat ares on intermediate and advanced trails … so this mountain isn’t very snowboarder friendly. (unless snowboarder is proficient in cross country snowboarding … youtube it).
I had a blast, it was like a mini wachusett. I’d go again we got 2 lift tickets for $ 75 so it was worth the money!

Considering I have an ugly purplish bruise under my left big toenail that’s going to take roughly a year to go away (according to the medical advice on the interwebz), I still had a thoroughly enjoyable time learning how to snowboard here two weekends ago.
Cranmore is bit of a megaplex with quite literally anything you could possibly need in a skiing/​snowboarding resort: a large variety of slopes, short and long, beginner and difficult; a pub that serves respectable food and drink; a ski shop for purchasing equipment and odds-​and-​ends; lessons; and the typical rental station. It’s such a sprawling affair that they have the snowmobile equivalent of hayrides to shuttle you from one end of the park to the other, too.
Our two lessons with John were informative enough, and by the end of the second day, I could at least identify the errors I was making on my stance and/​or balance. Not that it better enabled me to remain upright while skidding down the slopes, but I felt that I got enough out of the instruction that it was worth the cost for our discounted GET (Guaranteed Easy Turns) courses. Plus, the residual discounts from attending the classes are generous for future rentals/​lift passes.
And it turns out we went on arguably the slowest weekend of the year and were fortunate enough to never have to wait in a queue for ski lifts. The trails themselves were pretty light on traffic, which was a good thing for me, given I spent roughly an equivalent amount of time on my ass as I did trying to board without slamming into some pitiable unwary skier sharing my track of powder.
Speaking of powder, I learned from one of the lift operators that the reason the green slope we tried was so icy and hard-​packed was because a number of other trails had been closed due to strong winds, so an unusually heavy number of snow sports enthusiasts had compacted the manufactured snow into the equivalent of water-​based concrete. My head definitely got well-​acquainted with the slick stuff; good thing the helmet rental was included with the rest of the gear!
I could see how this charming getaway could be a regular haunt for many. If I didn’t have to deal with the unreliable service, I’d probably be more inclined to come back. As it was, we interacted with some super efficient and friendly folks, while other employees clearly felt they had better places to be. Maybe they just need to work out their frustrations with some crisp wintry air and a heart-​thumping trip down the mountain…

I really enjoyed this ski resort.
I went to Cranmore during the free learn to ski and ride week in NH. The ski lesson was great and even better was you get to hit the lower mountain slopes for the rest of the day.
The staff was friendly, for the most part, although we ran in to one unhelpful cashier. There are plenty of beginner slopes, which is great for a beginner skier who likes a longer run then the bunny hill. It is right down the road from North Conway so it is very convenient to shops, restaurants and plenty of lodging options for apres ski.
The lodge seemed to be rather clean and there is a large fireplace in the picnic area. I didn’t try any of the food so I am not quite sure how good or expensive it was, but I tend to bring my own snacks and lunch to refuel.
All in all, this place is pretty cool. Convenient, good trails, and a nice lodge. I will defintiely be back to practice my turns again.

I am solely writing this review based on their Summer Adventure Park. It is pretty disappointing and expensive. I get that you can’t turn a ski area into an amusement park in the summer but you also don’t have to charge $ 40 for it. If they charged $ 20 I would have given it four stars. The place is entertaining enough if the weather isn’t the most ideal for swimming or any other North Conway activity but, I don’t believe it is worth the price. The mountain coaster was my favorite ride there.

Nice mountain, cheaper than some of the other big mountains in the area. Lots of blue and black slopes — good place to keep the intermediate-​advance skier occupied. Greens for the novice/​kids as well.
Love the new fast chair lift, it goes up super fast and saves you lots of time.
We didn’t do tubing this time but I have done it there in the past and have enjoyed it. I like the alternative to skiing in case you want a variety of winter activities.
Staff is nice.
Thank you for having veggie burgers and salads on the menu in the lodge. Always nice to have vegetarian options, hopefully more can be added like soup and chili. Surprised the bar couldn’t make me hot toddy though! This is after all winter in New England.
I only wish you would have a NH college student ID discounted pass.

My thoughts on Cranmore:
1) This was a perfect place to begin learning how to ski. Lift tickets, rentals, and even lessons are «relatively» inexpensive, the instructors are very nice and helpful (especially Rick, ask for him!), and the «green» slopes are manageable.
2) My friends who are good skiers thought Cranmore was too «easy.» I don’t know why I keep quoting like that. I’ll stop.
3) The pub has a good atmosphere. They even had live music during the day.
4) This is a very family-​oriented place. So try not to swear too much.
5) They play music on the slopes. Lots of cheesy 90s music, but that’s fine with me. It’s kind of fun to hear Mr. Jones while you’re trying to alternate between french fries and pizza wedges.
6) Everything is close together (lifts, rentals, cafeteria, pub, etc.), which limits the amount of time you have to walk around uncomfortably like a guy in Shawshank.
7) And Cranmore has an interesting history. From Wikipedia: «Cranmore probably would have faded into obscurity if it weren’t for Hitler and the German annexation of Austria, where Hannes Schneider had created his ski school. Schneider was an outspoken critic of the Nazis and they stripped him of his title in 1938… Harvey Dow Gibson arranged for Schneider’s release to the U. S… Schneider and Gibson then worked to build Cranmore into a premier ski resort destination.»