Ragged Mountain Review

Last week, I was fortunate enough to go to and review Ragged Mountain. I wasn't really too sure what to anticipate with this mountain (especially since this mountain is south of Plymouth), but was pleasantly surprised to ski this gem of a mountain. Needless to say, I do not anticipate this being the last time going to this mountain, and I encourage anyone and everyone to give this mountain a shot (if they haven't already).

Proximity to Plymouth

Leave time- 11:28 A.M.

Arrive time- 12:03 P.M.

To get to this mountain, it takes approximately 10 minutes to travel on Interstate 93 (exit 23 on I-93), about 10 minutes to reach downtown Bristol on Route 104, and then about 15 minutes from Bristol until you reach Ragged Mountain. From I-93, Ragged is about 15 miles away. From the south, this mountain is approximately 90 minutes from Boston.

Basic Information about Ragged

Elevation of summit- 2,188 feet above sea level

Vertical- 1,250 feet

Acres of terrain- 220

85% snowmaking coverage

50 total trails, 15 green circles, 20 blue squares, and 15 black diamonds/double diamonds.

Four chairlifts (one six seater, two triples and a two person) and a moving carpet.

Ticket prices

                                                Regular prices            With frequent skier card

Adult (19+) weekend/holiday                    $71                                    $53.25

Adult weekday                                              $62                                    $31.00

Teen/College weekend/holiday                $57                                    $42.75

Teen/College weekday                               $47                                    $23.50

JR (6-12) & SR (65-79) w'end/hol.            $47                                    $35.25

JR/SR weekday                                            $37                                    $18.50

Info about frequent skier card

-The 11th day is free after the card is used 10 times.

-Has many perks throughout the season such as letting you enjoy the mountain half an hour earlier then the public who doesn't have the card.

-Tracks the amount of vertical height you have done according to what chairlifts you use.

-Allows you to buy your lift tickets online so as soon as you get to the mountain, you are able to skip the lines and head straight for the lifts!

Lift lines

One thing that is extremely unique about this mountain is that it doesn't have your typical attendants that check to see if you have a lift ticket/scan your lift ticket. Instead, there is a turnstile that has a sensor that can read a chip that you have in your card (that is really the lift ticket). The turnstile senses the chip and allows you to go through (if you do not have a card, the turnstile doesn't move, and you are unable to board the chairlift). There is an attendant near each chairlift to ensure that no one is cutting lines/not going through the turnstile. This system seems to work, as I never had to wait on a lift line.

Chair Lifts

As far as the individual chairlifts go, the six-person chairlift is awesome, and is a high-speed express. From the base to the top of Ragged Mountain takes six minutes. The Spear Mountain Triple goes to the summit of Spear Mountain, which has over a quarter of Ragged's terrain. The only downfall of this chairlift is that it takes a long time to reach the summit (a 12-minute ride), but allows snowboarders and skiers some of the best terrain in all of New Hampshire. This chairlift also might be replaced next year (more on that in the interview) The Barnyard Triple is on the bottom of the mountain and allows first time skiers and snowboarders easier terrain to practice on before they are able to hit the big mountain. The final chairlift (which is the double), allows riders to ride up about a third of the way on Ragged Mountain and is surrounded by terrain that is a step up from the Barnyard Triple.

Trail Variety

Between both mountains, it is easier for one to start on the outside and work their way towards The Ravine, as the terrain is easier on the outside of the mountain. Where The Ravine is accommodates for some of the best glades in all of New England, as there are over half a dozen different glades within this zone. Throughout the mountain, there are a lot of diamonds that one can gain a lot of speed from, squares that are nice cruisers for those who are intermediate skiers, and circles that allow beginners to become better skiers and snowboarders.

Terrain Challenge

Before I got to this mountain, I honestly anticipated a bunch of diamonds that could be circles at any given mountain, but boy was I wrong. Diamonds, such as Showboat and Birches, will give any thrill-seeker enough speed to have a blast, while circles such as Cardigan, Main Street, and Blueberry Patch will give beginners confidence (both Spear Mountain and Ragged Mountain have circles from the summit to the base lodge). Exhibition, which is located underneath the Six-pack chairlift, was my personal favorite run, as I was able to get a lot of speed (and able to see a great view looking north!).

Grooming/Snow

One thing that caught my attention was how well the grooming and snowmaking crew took care of the entire mountain. I never experienced any slushy or "sticky" snow, which allowed me to go at whatever speed I wanted to (and not have to worry about falling flat on my face!). One thing that I enjoyed a lot was that this mountain had natural "rollers" on the bottom of the majority of the trails so I was able to get that weight-less sensation while on the tops of these rollers. Despite only two feet of natural snow haven fallen on Ragged Mountain this year, the snow was AWESOME. One downfall of the incredible grooming was that there weren't any mini jumps there are off the sides of some trails at some mountains.

Weather

With some mountains, as soon as you go over a certain hill on a chairlift, a gust of wind hits you. At Ragged, this never existed (nor did any wind, for that matter). Another plus was that there wasn't a "cold pocket" that most mountains seem to endure.

Terrain Park

This park isn't renown for having terrain parks, but there is a trail (Wild Side) that extends almost two thirds of a trail on Ragged Mountain. This run had 5 kickers (that weren't next to each other, or in a row) that were four to five feet high, and had landings that weren't impossible to reach. Besides this, there were numerous rails to hit, as well as a table. There is also a gladded trail that is listed as a natural terrain park, but due to the lack of natural snow, wasn't open.

Scenery

This is a northward facing mountain (that is south of Plymouth) so it gives a different perspective of Central and Northern New Hampshire. From the summit of Ragged Mountain, one can see Lake Winnipesaukee as well as parts of the Pemigewasset River.

Service

The different employees at this mountain were all around the place and were able to answer any question that was proposed to them.  Ski patrol was constantly going around the mountain so help was always within a short amount of time if an emergency were to occur. The lift attendants were always extremely friendly, and talked to almost everyone that was going to make the journey up the mountain.

Intangibles

One thing that I saw as far as being extremely convenient was the proximity of the base lodge compared to the parking lots. The main parking lot was right at the bottom of the actual mountain, and if that lot were to fill up, the other lots weren't that far away from the base lodge.  Another thing that was neat was that the lodge had a massive barn attached to it. Inside of the barn had a cozy feeling, allowing one to feel welcome in the lodge if skiing/snowboarding wasn't their cup of tea.

Final thoughts

This mountain was a lot better then I anticipated, and it was for multiple reasons. Despite this winter being one of the worst in terms of lack of natural snow, the snowmaking team has done an unbelievable job. I encourage anyone to give this mountain a try, and I can almost guarantee you that they will not be disappointed. The only downfalls of this mountain were the slower Spear Mountain Triple chairlift, and the lack of another lodge on-mountain.