Shredding Ragged Mountain on New England's First Major Powder Day

On MLK Day, New England had its first major snowfall of January, and arguably the season. There were a couple of deterrents to get up the slopes though: the sketchy road conditions throughout the Northeast and the momentous winds that led to wind holds at most mountains around New England. Due to the risk of high winds and crappy roads, I decided to stick to one of the mountains closest to me: Ragged Mountain Resort in Danbury, New Hampshire. The mountain got ten inches of snow from the storm and was able to get its lifts spinning for the day, unlike other mountains around the region.

I got to the mountain around 10:00 am and hit the slopes about a half-hour later. The only chairlift running was originally the Barnyard Triple Chair, which services their beginner terrain and a small terrain park. The Barnyard Triple had a line, but it wasn’t too bad seeing that it was a holiday and it was the only chairlift operating at the time. There were even some fresh pow stashes to be found in the beginner area. While it rained throughout Southern New Hampshire, it stayed snow for the most part at Ragged. Around noontime, the snow stopped, and they were able to get the Summit Six Express open. About an hour later, the Spear Mountain Expres opened. In terms of lines, it was practically ski-onto the lift after the initial opening rush in the afternoon. With the sleet that came in later in the morning, it wasn’t the easiest powder snow to ski, but it was still a lot of fun. A highlight was seeing patrol open up various glades and Sweepstakes, which is a natural black diamond trail. Some photos of the terrain are below: All in all, it was a great trip to Ragged. The lack of crowds, along with the mountain operations team stepping up at getting the summit and Spear Mountain Express open, made it a quality powder day on the mountain. The mountain continues to put in work on getting more trails open, with the Wild Side/Ride terrain park and Lower Ridge being next on their priority list. You should consider checking the mountain out if you’re looking for a mellower and less crowded resort experience this winter.