Whaleback Mountain

This is our local mountain and we visited for the first time yesterday. The snow was amazing and powder was plentiful! Nice variety of longer runs and the one lift is pretty efficient. I will say this is not the best place for snowboarders, the lift has a very steep drop off that is very tricky to navigate on a board (we’re experienced and it still kept taking us down). Potentially dangerous especially if you’re a new snowboarder. The other two options are a rope tow and T bar that looked as if they were good for beginning skiers. The lodge was basic but lift tickets are a steal in today’s inflated prices world. I’d like to come back with some skis!

Great local skiing for folks in the Upper Valley It's a small mountain and is limited by unpredictable snow conditions, but they do their best considering it's not a high elevation ski area. In short, it's not Stowe or Killington but is a fun, affordable option for the Lebanon NH area. The 5-7 pm slot for $20 is a really nice deal.

Overcrowded lodge and not friendly to outsiders or beginners. My family has skied here twice on Indy Pass and both times have left a lot to be desired. Seems like a great place for locals. I don’t think they should advertise and try to get outsiders to come to the mountain when they don’t have the resources to support them. The lodge is small and unbearably overcrowded. It’s impossible to find a place to sit and put your boots on. Or even sit to eat the food you buy in their cafeteria. The ramp off the one lift is very steep and the Greens down are fine but challenging and could be deceiving to a true beginner. The most recent day we were here it was a powder day and they were all bumped up. Again, fine for most folks, but not a true beginner trail if you’re needing one. The staff and locals aren’t friendly. Look at you like you’re the outsider that you are. Finally, every time we’re here they are having a ski race, so be prepared for some of the trails to be blocked off for that.

Whaleback is an awesome little mountain. They offer tons of learning programs for kids and have some of the best terrain out there if you catch it after some good snow! For the price, and ease of access, you can't miss.

My wife booked ski lessons for her and my daughter. We got to the mountain, and they only had one trailer open. I understand it is a nonprofit mountain, and they can't make snow. The staff was friendly. We did not get a refund, which should have happened since only one trailer was open for the day. They did give us a gift card for the amount, so I was happy about that. The parking area could be better. It was very muddy to walk in with all your stuff.

I have been going to Whaleback with my kids since we moved to the Upper Valley 8 years ago. My kids have grown up skiing on the mountain and know the ins and outs of the trails, and have a blast now that they're old enough to ski on their own. It truly is a community focused, family mountain... its a place we can go skiing for a quick couple of hours or the whole day, and always run into friends. We are not a huge skiing family so we love Whaleback because its close, affordable, and we always see a friendly face!

We took our family for the very first time skiing. We lucked out with Chenoa and Tom as ski instructors on consecutive days this past weekend. What a great place to learn the basics of the sport. By the end of the second day, my 7 year old was comfortable with the tow & T bar lifts to get up Lower Ivory trail. The lodge was spacious and good food for lunch. Highly recommend lessons. Looking forward to our next visit!

I just went on a family vacation here and absolutely loved it! I'm 23 and from Oklahoma, so I've only seen real snow like once or twice, but it was nothing like this lol. First time doing any kind of winter sport and I was a little scared at first, but everyone was SO nice here. It was a beautiful experience, and our group of beginners were going down blues by our third day. I personally had trouble finding the right boot shape, but the people in the rental shop were super kind and helpful. If you run into troubles, they were happy to help make sure your experience goes well🥰

Whaleback in 2018 has little to do with its predecessors bearing the same name. Yes, it's the same mountain, same orography, same views, same directions to get there. But although it used to be a for-profit business, it is now a snow sport mountain run by a non-profit organization, the Upper Valley Snow Sports Foundation, and its mission is to make skiing affordable and available to the community and guests - as well as turning it into a truly family environment. Whaleback, going on 60 years, is a really nice Mom & Pop mountain, one of the last remaining independent small places that used to be ubiquitous in New England. Well over 500 small ski areas have closed down, including Whaleback a few years ago. For the mountain to have garnered a new life as a non-profit with the support of local businesses and financial institutions, is a credit to the community and as well, the many volunteers who labor there. If you're looking for an upscale experience and fine dining, you should keep on driving on I-89 to these places. The experience here is uniquely New England, casual, egalitarian, no-frills, total community. And it is affordable. Half-day tickets are $30. Season passes for veterans and honor roll students are $140. Residents of Enfield NH pay $110 (less than the price of a day pass at other places). The adult unlimited pass is $400. Plus, season pass holders get three tickets each at seven other small, independent ski areas in Vermont and New Hampshire. Making this mountain into a non-profit has made it affordable indeed. Whaleback is literally next to the Interstate I-89. Really, like... if you overran the guard rails on the northbound lanes, you'd be in their parking lot. Not to worry, there is a berm in place. And exit 16 off the highway makes a U-turn and takes you right to the lodge. The one item that is confusing is the schedule which varies by day. Monday, the mountain is closed. Tuesdays and Wednesdays it is open 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Thursdays and Fridays the schedule is 1:00 PM - 8:00 PM. Saturdays it is 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM and Sunday it is 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM. Pays off to know the schedule and avoid sitting in your car.... Getting here once of the Interstate highway is but a direct line. There are three parking areas around the lodge. Once inside, the ambiance resembles something out of Leave it to Beaver or the Brady Bunch shows. Not a pejorative, but on the good side. A slide of Americana that was lost. The lodge, with a large fireplace, is beckoning. The benches with the padded faux leather seats. It's cozy, Small. New England.... The guest service desk also serves as the ski school service desk. I bought my ticket and again - old New England. No fancy printed ticket, just a wicket-ready ticket with the date in large magic marker ink. Back to the lodge area and don the boots and gloves and head on out. Whaleback has an old Poma double chair perhaps a bit younger than the ski area itself. The visible part of the chairlift line is deceiving. It does on steeply and then tapers off but still going forward for a considerable distance. Which means the easiest part of the mountain is on top. In addition, there are two J-bars that go up halfway up the mountain to provide additional groomed trails. to the base. The trail system itself radiates from the top of the chairlift and affords beautiful views to the North and Vermont's Green Mountains. The city of Hanover and the iconic buildings of Dartmouth College are visible in the horizon. Whaleback has several beginner trails that I'd qualify as excellent. On my visit, there were a few groomer ruts but none that would detract from a good run down the slopes. Upper and Lower Whitetail were easily negotiated, even in the steepest sections, by beginner skiers and boarders. The several intermediate runs were also in great shape, although several of the Northwest runs were closed, which is strange, considering the generous winter weather and natural snowfall. Trails like Jonah's Revenge and Fluke were roped off, although they seemed as two of the most pleasant intermediate runs. However, most of the Northeast facing trails were open and in good condition. Spout was indeed a pleasure even after the school groups came in. Their black diamonds are rough, ungroomed, outstanding, and would challenge intermediates and a few advanced skiers. Night skiing is also available at Whaleback on a few runs. With their afternoon to evening schedules, it's an optimum family place. About forty five minutes after I got there, four school buses offloaded students of different grades and ages, turning the calm into laughter and youthful energy. The transformation of Whaleback is noteworthy. Yes, it is small. The trail selection is limited. The cafeteria is limited in its offerings. But the place has a vibe and feeling that is both, totally family and totally New England.

Spent the weekend skiing and watching a ski race. Not much snow, not a lot of runs open, but we had fun. For a community run resort, this is not a bad spot. The best snow was on the race hill, which we could not access.

DO NOT book a wedding here! A friend of mine recently got married here, and although the view at the top was nice, she had to go through so much more stress than she should have had to for her big day. The biggest red flag is that they refused to do a contract. This meant that at multiple times, the coordinator went back on her word saying they would no longer provide what they once said they would. Even after being given time the night before to set up (until 9pm), the coordinator asked them at 7:50pm when they were going to leave. They were promised so many things, only to be told that either they never said that, or that they couldn't do it anymore. Yes, it's unbeatable that the venue would only cost $500, but is it worth the stress of not having a contract?

Whaleback has no organizational skills whatsoever. Let me tell you the story of trying to plan an event at Whaleback: Step 1: Attempt to find a phone number (kudos if you make it past this step) Step 2: Make a loose appointment with their single event-managing employee Step 3: Find this employee's office (upstairs in the back of a creaky and cold lodge) Step 4: Book the event. This part will seem mysterious because no money or information will be exchanged. Step 5: Follow up to make sure that the event is still happening. Step 6: Repeat step 5. Step 7: Have the employee totally cancel on you for very little reason. Step 8: Scramble. I was less than stoked for an event at this establishment, given that it has little ambience or heat, but I was even less stoked to find that it was impossible to work with their staff. If you're looking for a cheap venue and willing to take a large risk, consider looking for that phone number.

"I SURVIVED THE WHALEBACK LIFT!" Whaleback is apparently known for their one ski lift, but I'll get into further details about this later... This review is based on several factors: * Customer Service (4 stars): A couple of girls and I had purchased a deal from BuyWithMe for $35 which included our lessons, rentals and lift pass for the day. I had dealt with both Jocelyn and Lucie via e-mail and phone to ensure that we were able to use our passes on Martin Luther King day which was a holiday. Typically the resort is closed on Mondays but this particular Monday, they were open. Both Jocelyn and Lucie confirmed that they would take the passes and were extremely helpful in scheduling lessons for a beginner beginner and myself, where I've knew the basics of skiing and was looking for a refresher. * Ski Instruction (4 stars): Since I had been skiing previously, they had scheduled an instructor for me to do a refresher lesson and to learn new techniques. Turns out, I ended up get a 1:1 lesson with Tyler. Tyler was awesome! He taught me how to get better at turns and transition from "pizza" to "french fries". * Mountain (2.5 stars): Okay so this is where I get into the whole "I survived the Whaleback lift!" As previously mentioned, they only have one ski lift, so you can just imagine how small this mountain is. It's only got a few trails, but you can still have some fun here, especially if you're a beginner and don't care about hitting up the bigger mountains yet. And I was just that! I got to experience a smaller mtn where I can really just practice being back on skis after so many years. Despite the warnings from Tyler, my ski instructor, regarding what to expect when hitting their lift since it is very different from other mountains -- that it can be kinda freaky. Boy was I not prepared for that first launch off the ski lift! So let me prepare you for this, because even one of my friends who's been skiing since she was a kid wasn't prepared for this either! This lift drops immediately at the top of the lift, which is a big surprise. But the bigger surprise is that cement wall in front of you as you ascend down that ramp. You now need to decide to go right or left, so you better be prepared on which trail you wanna run before you get off! I was not expecting this, took off the ramp, swerved right too fast and went somersaulting into the wooden fencing off the side of the ramp, taking down with me all the poles with the "Got Milk?" ads on them. Yep... I was THAT girl! *points both thumbs back at myself* So... I hope y'all are now prepared for this oh so famous lift that this place used to make t-shirts for saying stuff like "I survived the Whaleback!" * Food (2 stars - concession) /Bar (4 stars): So here's a tip: AVOID THE CONCESSION STAND/CAFETERIA down stairs! The food is just "blehhhccck" *cringes* Instead, you're gonna wanna head upstairs to the bar. They have a legit menu and MUCH MUCH better food! Typical bar type menu, but one thing stood out.... Elk burger! My very first elk! Delicious! One of the patrols has an elk farm where these burgers come from! In conclusion - the mtn. wraps up to be about 3 stars, while their service is 4 star material. I probably won't be back here though due to travel time and size of the mtn. Although, the price is right (they have deals all the time!) I just don't find it worth my while to make the trek out this way when I can get a much larger mtn in about the same amount of drive time.

I want to give this both a better and worse review. for what it is this place is it deserves 5 stars. Its small, cheap, but has enough there. But at the same time, its not a "real resort". if you are a beginner, or intermediate this Mt will be great for you. If you are a little more advanced, you will quickly find yourself board. But the one thing that it had that is awesome, is the $15 2-4pm deal, which is awesome for getting in a few runs here or there, or for going with someone (gf/bf) that may be a lower skill level than you. This way you don't each waste damn near a hundo on lift tickets, when you don't even get to see most of the mt.

Am I an experienced skier/snowboarder? No. Have I seen more impressive skiing mountains? Yes. Did I have an awesome time at Whaleback with my friends? Absolutely. I went with a group of 8 coworkers for a weekend of skiing and snowboarding. Only 2 members of the group were experienced, the rest falling somewhere between beginner and first-timer. This was no problem, as Whaleback was perfectly suited for people of our skill levels: small mountain, one chairlift, cheap prices, bunny slope, and AWESOME staff. I REPEAT, AWESOME STAFF. We had to take care of 8 rentals, and the staff were very accommodating and were joking around with us in a way that made us feel very welcome. Then, the chairlift and magic carpet attendees were also really helpful when us first-timers had difficulty using these contraptions for the first time. The trails will probably not satisfy the avid skier looking for triple black diamonds and 9' halfpipes, but for anyone looking for a fun, relaxing day of skiing in a relaxed and comfortable environment, this place wins. And that doesn't even include the Whaleback pub! Brandt was a great and friendly bartender, and the elk burger is worth trying! Also, those couches were the comfiest things in the world after two days of falling on your rear-end. Overall, awesome mountain for what we were looking for and we all had an amazing time! P.S. Night skiing on Friday nights looked awesome when we drove by on the highway!

Despite the major smell of moth ball as you enter the lodge. The staff and people were very friendly. I am both ski and snowboarder, and on some mountains the ski people do NOT like snowboarders. And I did not feel this way about the people here. If I were basing my review on friendlyness I would give the review 5 stars. But being realistic, if you snowboard stay away from this mountain. I have been snowboarding for at least 15 years so I would say my skill level is higher then avg. And even for me turning frontside was a challenge. The snow was so packed down it was like boarding on ice. I had no leverage. I took 2 runs down this mountain and decided that I needed to pull the plug. I did not want to run the risk of injuring myself and end my season while there is plenty of ski season left. If you have been skiing for a few years this place could be fun for you. Its Small, fast and you can get alot of runs in... Last thing. The chairlift- there is only 1. Its not a big deal until you reach the top. Again it's fine if your a skier but snowboarder NO way. Its practly a vertical drop with a cement wall 30 yards out. So stopping on skis is easier then a board due to the fact both feet are not strapped in.. I probably won't return to this mountain, but I'm not bummed that I didn't at least try it.

Whaleback is back open. 25 minutes from New London. It's an awesome place to take your kids. Very friendly instructors. My two boys (7 and 9) have made great progress with the four for three lesson pack. They are excited to ski!

It's a mountain. Skiing is medicore but does the trick. One ski-lift and is affordable.

Whaleback is a one peak resort. This is a fun little mountian. It has a double chairlift as its chairlift. It focuses mostly on its terrain park. In the summer they have rail jams to keep the park going. It is right of the highway, very easy to get to, cannot miss it. Everybody here is nice and out going.

Very unprofessional. Canceled an event last minute after having agreed to host it. Definitely would not recommend hosting any sort of event there.

A challenging little hill with a great classic feel and easy access. The Face, YOOYM, Blowhole, and Belly Up are more challenging that stuff you will find at Loon, Mt. Snow, Stratton, and the other tourist traps. A cheap way to challenge yourself, work on tree skiing and moguls, and have fun. A great family place as well.

I made an account just so I could write a review for this resort. MOST UNPROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT POSSIBLE. After weeks of planning, they canceled an event 4 days before for reasons completely unrelated to my group. Save yourself sometime and don't plan an event with them. They will probably cancel anyways. A 1 STAR REVIEW IS TOO GENEROUS FOR THESE PEOPLE... WHY DOESN'T YELP HAVE 0