Skiing Waterville Valley
Sunday. December 14th, 2025
Runs: 20
Distance: 23.08 miles
Elevation: 26,392 feet
Max Speed: 32.8 mph
Avg. Speed: 15.5 mph
Moving Time: 1 hour, 29 minutes, 23 seconds
Total Time: 3 hours, 59 minutes, 47 seconds
My dad and step-mom were in town this weekend, so I spent a couple of days playing tour guide! I thought we'd get breakfast before they left, but they decided to leave first thing Sunday morning, which freed up my day, so naturally I made plans with myself to go skiing! I decided I'd pay a visit to Waterville Valley since it had a decent amount of open trails and it wasn't too far away. My 5:00am alarm got me there just before 8:00am, which was slower than planned due to snow falling the entire way there! Roads were mostly fine, just slow. I did skid down the hill a bit trying to get into the parking lot, but other than that all was good! I booted up at the car and got right to work, making it to the Tecumseh Express at 8:30am! Besides the slow drive, I did have my first mid-drive nosebleed of the season - happy winter! It did seem like there was a massacre in my car...
Alpine Snow Report
UPDATED: 05:54AM, DECEMBER 14, 2025 OPEN: M-F:9AM-3:30PM/SAT-SUN:8AM-3:30PM
Current Weather: 22°F Cloudy
Good morning! With great conditions, comfortable temperatures, fairly light winds, and potential for more snow later on, it's shaping up to be a fantastic ski day. We've been able to open a wide variety of terrain, including several ungroomed trails alongside the fresh corduroy you've been craving for that first run. Lifts start spinning this morning at 8:00am!
Trails and Lifts: We are open with 40 trails on 157 acres of skiable terrain. We anticipate spinning the Tecumseh Express, Valley Run, High Country T-Bar, Lower Meadows, and the Upper and Lower Pasture Carpet.
Anticipated Lift Hours: Tecumseh Express: 8am-3:30pm. Valley Run Quad: 8am-3:30pm. High Country T-Bar: 8:05am-3:15pm. Lower Meadows: 8am-3:30pm. Lower Carpet: 8am-3:30pm. Upper Carpet: 9am-3:30pm.
Snowmaking and Mountain Operations: Snowmakers are currently firing up snow on Ciao, Gema, Rock Island, Stillness, and Lower Stillness. Thank you our Mountain Operations team for all the hard work they have done to get the mountain into great shape!
Nordic Skiing: The Nordic Center is now open! Check out the Nordic report for all the Nordic info.
Conditions and Weather: We woke up to a surprise dusting of snow this morning - a pretty great way to start the day if you ask me! There's also a chacne we'll see a bit more snowfall later today. Today's forecase calls for cloudy skies with temperatures expected to reach a high of 22 degrees at the base and 12 degrees at the summit. Western winds are expected to reach 14-20mph at the base and 15-30mph at the summit. Always be sure to refer to the Snow Report for weather updates if necessary! You can get direct alerts about lift closures and wind holds by texting "SNOW" to 603-825-7989.
Terrain Parks: The High Country Park will be OPEN today with 9 rails/boxes and 2 medium sized jumps. The Boardercross Course remains temporarily closed.
Uphill Access: The Oblivion and High Country Routes will be opening Monday, 12/15. The route up the Oblivion trail is NEW. There is a side trail on skinners left through teh trees providing a more mellow route, popping you out on Palmer's Way. This also allows Uphill hours to extend during operation hours. There will be signage to enter teh side trail when you first get onto Oblivion. Learn more about uphill accesss here. Oblivion Route: Valley Run -> Upper Valley Run -> Oblivion Side Trail (entrance on skinners left of trail). Open from 7am-3:30pm. High Coutnry Route: Main Street -> Ruthie's Run -> Tree Line. Open from 8am-3:30pm.
Dining: Grab a bite at: Identity Coffee, The Marketplace, The Freestyle Lounge, and the Schwendi Hutte. Refer to Business Hours for hours of operation.
Additional Info: To get direct alerts about lift closures and wind holds, text "SNOW" 603-825-7989.
Runs 1-5
Run 1: Tecumseh Express - Oblivion - Valley Run
[1.69 mi; 5:31; 1,690 ft; 30.8 mph max; 18.4 mph avg]
Run 2: Lower Meadows - Leroy's Loop
[0.23 mi; 1:03; 171 ft; 20.8 mph max; 13.4 mph avg]
Run 3: Lower Meadows - Stemtation
[0.20 mi; 1:13; 180 ft; 23.1 mph max; 13.7 mph avg]
Run 4: Lower Meadows - Revelation
[0.20 mi; 1:10; 170 ft; Not recorded on Garmin]
Run 5: Lower Meadows - Baseway
[0.20 mi; 1:28; 121 ft; 20.9 mph max; 8.1 mph avg]
My first few runs were just to get my legs warmed up and see how much of the mountain I could ski - the loose goal was to ski every open trail! Out of sheer laziness, I started at the Tecumseh Express instead of Lower Meadows only because it was closer. I did the classic run down Oblivion to Valley Run, which skied really well! Oblivion, while being the easiest way down, is decently narrow up top and the headwall is definitely a little daunting! I got some nice turns in on the lower half, and Valley Run was in great shape (with some snowmaking whales right at the start). The mountain was delightfully empty at this point in the day, which was welcomed!
I skied all the way down to the Lower Meadows double lift in the novice area, which had WONDERFUL corduroy. I just practiced making proper carving turns on these next few short runs - it was peacefully quiet and pretty untouched. Run #5 brought me down Baseway and back to the Tecumseh Express for some more adventerous skiing!
Runs 6-9
Run 6: Tecumseh Express - Sun Run - No Grit - Obilivion - Valley Run
[1.72 mi; 5:15; 1,686 ft; 32.1 mph max; 19.6 mph avg]
Run 7: Tecumseh Express - Upper Bobby's Run - Psyched - Utter Abandon
[1.17 mi; 3:55; 1,637 ft; 29.9 mph max; 17.9 mph avg]
Run 8: Tecumseh Express - Upper Bobby's Run - Upper Sel's Choice - Tommy's World Cup Run
[1.21 mi; 4:01; 1,680 ft; 31.9 mph max; 18.1 mph avg]
Run 9: Tecumseh Express - White Caps - Old Tecumseh
[1.26 mi; 4:41; 1,637 ft; 29.5 mph max; 16.2 mph avg]
My next batch of runs involved taking a left off of the Tecumseh Express. First, I hit Sun Run to No Grit (True Grit was closed, but poorly signed) - No Grit is really a lovely tree-lined run, and skips the headwall at Oblivion! The mountain was starting to fill up with ski school and racers, but as long as I avoided those pods, it was good! Run #7 brough me down Upper Bobby's Run to Psyched to Utter Abandon - it's definitely fun to be a the point of my skiing career where I don't really give much, or any pause to a black groomer. Snow was good and fast - it was fun!
Run #8 was similar to #8, but I turned onto Upper Sel's Choice and then Tommy's World Cup Run in the bottom half. There was a "race in progress" sign on Tommy's, but nobody to be seen. I shared the 6-pack with a woman and three ski race kids, she asked if I was with them and I loudly laughed and said "oh god no." We chatted a bit, turns out she's hiked 66 out of the New England 67, with only Kahtadin left! Run #9 was down White Caps to Old Tecumseh, which was ungroomed at the very bottom (and a little rocky), but fun!
Runs 10-12
Run 10: Tecumseh Express - Grimes Way - Periphery - The Boneyard - Lower Periphery
[1.34 mi; 4:02; 1,693 ft; 29.2 mph max; 19.9 mph avg]
Run 11: Tecumseh Express - Grimes Way - Preston's Path - Periphery - Lower Tippy - Lower Periphery
[1.34 mi; 5:02; 1,693 ft, 32.8 mph max; 16.0 mph avg]
Run 12: Tecumseh Express - Tangent - Periphery - Siegel Strett - Lower Sel's Choice
[1.40 mi; 7:07; 1,673 ft; 24.8 mph max; 11.8 mph avg]
I thought about going in for a break and a drink before my next pod of runs, but turns out the Freestyle Lounge isn't open at 10:30am... Back outside I go! Now, I was turning right off the Tecumseh Express and exploring trails on that side of things. Run #10 brought me down Grimes Way to Periphery, which was mellow and wonderful, and then to the Boneyard, which sounds much more daunting than it really is. It was groomed in the middle with natural bumps along the side - I stayed in the middle for now. Lower Periphery is basically their big spillway, so it was busy.
Next I was feeling brave and checked out Preston's Path under the Northside chair, which did NOT go well. It was narrow, natural, with LOTS of rocks and bushes. I did NOT have a good time, and I bailed when I could back onto Periphery. I ended up on Lower Tippy, another groomer, before finishing out on Lower Periphery.
Run #12 is when I really started my "practicing" laps. Tangent was a natural run with some bumps (and rocks) that was perfect for practicing (plus, the groomers were starting to get skied off). I took that to Periphery, which was getting very scrapey to Siegel Street (which had thin cover signs), eventually landing at Lower Sel's Choice, which would become my practice playground for a while. A wide, natural run full of soft bumps (and more rocks, naturally... my skies got a little natural base grind...). I did not do greatly, but I also did not do poorly, and that's progress! It was a longer bump run, too, so I had plenty of time to practice keeping my skis together, weight forward, actively pole planting, and turning with my edges (blah blah blah), oh, and linking turns! It got my heart pumping, and it was fun! I texted Patrol Sarah and Emma "okay fine bumps can be fun."
Runs 13-16
Run 13: Tecumseh Express - Tangent - Periphery - Siegel Street - Lower Sel's Choice
[1.44 mi; 7:13; 1,673 ft; 25.0 mph max; 12.0 mph avg]
Run 14: Tecumseh Express - Oblivion - Valley Run
[1.63 mi; 5:38; 1,706 ft; 27.6 mph max; 17.4 mph avg]
Run 15: Tecumseh Express - Sun Run - No Grit - Oblivion - Valley Run
[1.68 mi; 5:55; 1,670 ft; 30.6 mph max; 17.0 mph avg]
Run 16: Tecumseh Express - Tangent - Periphery - The Boneyard - Lower Periphery
[1.41 mi; 5:32; 1,670 ft; 32.3 mph max; 15.3 mph avg]
This time, I thought I was going to head up the Tecumseh Express to the Schwendi Hutte for a drink, but I was still feeling good and energized and decided to keep on keeping on! I texted Emma and Patrol Sarah asking what I should be working on, and the assignment was "upper/lower body seperation" and "bumps." Run #13 was another bumpy run - I was LOVING Tangent. Periphery was getting worse and worse every time I skied it, but Lower Sel's Choice was also getting more and more fun (and I think I was getting better at it?). I want to start getting better at the upper/lower seperation WHILE skiing bumps and making tighter turns (versus hitting two bumps and then traversing).
#14 and #15 were two re-dos, first of Oblivion to Valley Run (Oblivion was now also getting icy) and then Sun Run to No Grit and down, which was... also getting icy! Plus, Valley Run was BUSY (makes sense). Usually Sillness is open as an alternative way down that main artery, but the Green Peak side of the resort wasn't yet open. I was dodging a lot of kids in ski school and race training doing goofy (but I'm sure effective) drills.
I felt like I was starting to wrap things up around Run #16 - I hit Tangent again, slid down Periphery, and hit the bumpy side of The Boneyard. The natural snow was sooooo nice! I also shared the lift with these three teenage boys, maybe 16 years old? They were an absolute riot. I was initially upset they put the bubble down just because it felt a little too intimate, but they were ragging on each other so intensely I couldn't help but laugh with them. They also complimented my pants and goggles, which could have been a dig, but I'm taking it as genuine! One asked me "would you rather take it slow and improve your skills or send it and have a little more fun?" and before I could answer, another one said "I'd rather just be good at snowboarding" and the other said "I'd rather just not be a b****" in rapid succession - took me out!
Runs 17-20
Run 17: Tecumseh Express - High Country T-Bar - Ruthie's Run - Grimes Way - Tippacanoe - Sigel Street - Lower Sel's Choice
[1.85 mi; 8:13; 2,139 ft; 24.6 mph max; 13.5 mph avg]
Run 18: Lower Meadows - Baseway
[0.20 mi; 1:10; 120 ft; Not on Garmin]
Run 19: Tecumseh Express - Upper Bobby's Run - Psyched - Upper Sel's Choice - Lower Sel's Choice
[1.29 mi; 5:57; 1,713 ft; 29.5 mph max; 13.0 mph avg]
Run 20: Tecumseh Express - Oblivion - Valley Run
[1.62 mi; 5:14; 1,670 ft; 29.3 mph max; 18.5 mph avg]
I promised myself one tippy top to tippy bottom run, so I went back up the Tecumseh Express and then hit the High Country T-Bar. I wanted to hit Tree Line with its fun banked turns, but it was closed. Instead I skied Ruthie's Run, which paralleled the race course on the left (I did not like all the racers and race parents seeing me ski), to Grimes Way, and then I found Tippacanoe - a run I hadn't skied yet! Was this the last one I needed (it was not - I fully missed "And Tyler Too," and that's okay)? I ended Run #17 with another Lower Sel's Choice and then wiggled my way down to Lower Meadows, the true tippy bottom!
I wasn't yet done, even though my legs were starting to get wobbly, and I wanted to get a full run of Lower Sel's Choice (Siegel Street had been popping me in about 1/5 the way down. Run #18 was up Lower Meadows and down Baseway back to the Tecumseh Express, and #19 brought me back to Lower Bobby's Run, Psyched, Upper Sel's Choice, and then a full lap of Lower Sel's Choice. I was NOT skiing good at this point of the way - lots of back seat and firery thighs - fun though!
I called my two more skip the last for my next run, keeping it easy with a trip down Oblivion and back to the car!
This was such a great solo day and I'm glad I'm getting more comfy with the bumpy stuff (minus Preston's Path...)! My drive home was quick and easy, and now I am basically itching to get back out!
Map of Waterville Valley
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