Can't Judge a Mountain on Conditions

Visited Shawnee Peak on Saturday. Unfortunately, a rain/ice storm had blanketed the slopes the evening before. I am forced to try to be as objective as possible about a nice day of skiing I can only imagine.

First off, Shawnee Peak is in Maine not New Hampshire. That's ok. Since it is about a 20 minute drive from Conway, I am going to grant it honorary NH status along with the section of the Saco River you drive along to get there (which I enjoy canoeing every summer).

According to their website, Shawnee is working with a 1300' vertical drop. Pretty decent by Northeast standards. Comparable to nearby Cranmore. Tickets were purchased on their website using a coupon code (gs2008) slashing the price to a very affordable 42 dollars. Additionally, pre purchased tickets aren't locked in to a specific date, so if you get too hungover to ski Saturday, you can make it up Sunday or even later in the season.

Shawnee's summit is serviced by two lifts that ascend from two separate bases. Neither are high speed, but they move pretty well. The view from these lifts and from the summit are truly incredible. Mount Washington and the other Presidentials are visible to the West while to the east you can almost see to the Atlantic. Saturday's ski conditions were subpar, but visibility couldn't have been better.












A friendly ski patrolman took a very nice picture of Mary and myself with Washington in background.
The mountain's terrain was tough to evaluate, but there seems to be good amount of variety. One summit lift traverses a glades section that would be very fun after a snowfall. Steep sections are common. Many trails are half moguls and half groomed which I believe is a nice feature. I definitely will be taking in another day at Shawnee and I might even hike it this summer to get another chance to drink in those vistas.