skiing at loon mountain during christmas break

Does anyone know how crowded it is during christmas break at loon mountain? How long are the lines to get on the ski lift?

Any tips for avoiding the lines?

skiing at loon mountain during christmas break

haven%26#39;t skiied at Loon in several years. There%26#39;s a reason. It%26#39;s often crowded; I mean ridiculously crowded. They sold more tickets than the lifts could reasonably accomodate. I haven%26#39;t skiied that much BEFORE January in all my years. That%26#39;s because there%26#39;s usually not a whole lot of snow before then, and thus not a lot of terrain. Combine that with a Christmas vacation week, and, well, I hope it works out for you....

skiing at loon mountain during christmas break

Steve,

We are Threedom pass season ticket holders (Loon, Waterville and Cranmore). It will be busy during Christmas break, but last year they added a high speed quad on the North Side which has helped alot with the lines. Get there early, ideally before the lifts open, otherwise you may have to park some distance away. When it starts to get busy (around 9-10 am), head up to the North Side. There are very good advanced slopes and trails up there. The Gondola is the one lift that gets the longest line and therefore has the longest wait. The Kancamagus quad also gets busy, but the line moves better than the Gondola. I don%26#39;t think I have ever waited more than 15 minutes at the Kancamangus quad, but never timed it. Hope this helps!!

Thanks Powie and Dianeg.

Would either of you recommend a different mountain

to avoid some crowds during that week?

Steve,

Where will you be staying. There are several ski areas to go to. Cannon Mountain and Bretton Woods are very good alternatives to Loon. Also try renting equipment out side the mountain and you might save some money if you need it. Many of the hotels and resorts offer tickets to help alleviate lines and also some offer shuttle service to different mountains. Lines will be long at Loon no matter if they have snow or not, its just a fact of life with loon.

Yeah, do you already have some lodging reservation at Loon or in Lincoln/Woodstock? Sorry I can%26#39;t offer up much in the way of suggestion. I skiied during a weekend a couple days AFTER Christmas two years ago at Sunday River in Bethel, ME. As I mentioned before, Sunday River and Killington are probably the two ski areas that will have the most terrain and best conditions around Christmas time. You could use some logic and figure to go to a smaller ski area, but the logic also says that the smaller ski area is sure to have less open terrain that early in the season, and thus whatever terrain is open is bound to be crowded. The good thing about the larger ski areas (SundayRiver/Killington/Okemo/MtSnow/Stratton) is that they all have the requisite uphill capacity and different areas of the mountain to ski. I love Sunday River because it has a ton of quads and the western peaks (Oz/Aurora/Jordan) usually are the least crowded.

Are you vacationing with a family or are you a single guy going with friends? If you are just going with friends, then the singles lines are always a good method for mitigating the long lift lines.

Any mountain worth going to will be busy that week. The most important thing is to arrive at Loon early, Ideally before the lifts open. That way you can get a decent parking place. Don%26#39;t be too intimidated by the thought of the crowds. The high speed quads make even long lines bearable and the line moves pretty quick. When Loon gets real busy, just avoid the Gondola and head to the Quads. I would try loon for a day, if its really that bad head up to Wildcat.