Bartlett, New Hampshire — It was a stellar season at Attitash Mountain Resort. Despite low snowfall until later in the season, they opened the Mountaineer Express, the much-anticipated replacement for the Summit Triple. With things going well, along with its prime location in the tourist-filled Mt. Washington Valley, you would think it would be primed to open its summer attractions for the first time since 2021. However, fans of Attitash’s summer attractions, like the alpine slides, will need to wait another year.
To keep that momentum going next season, Attitash announced last week that it would keep its summer attractions closed for this offseason to work on its winter infrastructure. In addition, they’ll be decommissioning the mountain coaster and ziplines, which have been out of service for a while now. This will be the third summer in a row that Attitash won’t have summer operations. Before that, the 2020 and 2021 offseasons saw Attitash open with a few activities, like chairlift rides and the alpine slide. Other attractions, though, like the mountain coaster, zipline, waterslides (which have since been removed), and others, did not operate.
However, Attitash did commit to bringing back summer attractions, although they have yet to confirm what that will look like. In addition, their popular Oktoberfest celebration will be returning on October 12th.
However, instead of laying low, they’ll focus on various projects for next ski season. This will include painting their detachable chairlift terminals in a fresh coat of Attitash blue, adding new carpeting to the lodges, and repairing the snowmaking on the Tightrope trail. The most important improvement is that with the removal of the Mountain Coaster, they will be able to reopen the Hunky Dory trail, which has been closed since the onset of the Mountain Coaster.
I expected to see some pitchforks in the comments section, but guests are pretty happy with the moves. A few guests were frustrated that this closure would hurt local businesses around the mountain, but most people liked the moves that will make the ski resort better next winter. First off, they like the return of Hunky Dory, as it gives beginners a new route on the Attitash side. Secondly, they view the Mountain Coaster as an eyesore, as it hasn’t operated in years.
I visited Attitash during the final weekend of this season, and it’s improved rapidly since Vail Resorts took over. The new Mountaineer Express and Progression Quad chairlifts have improved the mountain immensely. I may not be a fan of what Vail Resorts has done regarding Attitash’s summer operations over the past few years. However, they’ve been far and away the best operator this ski resort has seen in decades, and because of that, Attitash’s future is bright.
Image/Video Credits: Attitash Mountain Resort
