Mountain Review: Mount Sunapee
MOUNTAIN SCORE
CATEGORY BREAKDOWN
See our criteria4
Snow:
5
Resiliency:
2
Size:
3
Terrain Diversity:
3
Challenge:
7
Lifts:
4
Crowd Flow:
7
Facilities:
8
Navigation:
4
Mountain Aesthetic:
GOOD TO KNOW
1-Day Ticket: $105-$151
Pass Affiliation: Epic Pass
On-site Lodging: No
Après-ski: Limited
Nearest Cities: Boston (2 hrs)
Recommended Ability Level:
+ Pros
Close drive to Boston
High-speed lifts
Beautiful lake views
– Cons
Little advanced and expert terrain
No on-site lodging
Crowds on weekends
MOUNTAIN STATS
Lifts: 8
Trails: 67
Beginner: 29%
Intermediate: 47%
Advanced/Expert: 24%
Mountain Review
Looking for a decent ski resort within close proximity to Boston? Mount Sunapee might be for you. Sitting about 2 hours outside of New England’s largest city, Mount Sunapee can be a good resort for those not looking to make the slightly longer drive into the White Mountains or locals in the mid-New Hampshire area. But while its convenient location may be a draw for some, the resort suffers from several drawbacks that may not make it the best destination for those outside the region.
Mount Sunapee might be a good option for locals or others in the mid-New Hampshire area not looking to make a longer drive.
Size and Terrain Layout
With 233 acres of skiable terrain, Sunapee is a significantly smaller mountain than competitors further north in New Hampshire, although it is the largest mountain in the south-central part of the state (albeit just barely, with Gunstock only a smidge smaller). The terrain layout consists of one main summit with a decent variety of terrain, as well as a separate beginner area on South Peak. In addition to the front side that most guests will see when arriving, Sunapee boasts a sizable back side called the Sun Bowl. On the far skiers’ right of the main hill, there is also a small sub-peak that mainly functions as a race hill (despite the fact that it is officially marked as a freestyle area).
Although officially marked for freestyle, the area on the skiers’ far right mainly functions as a race hill.
Beginner Terrain
Mount Sunapee visitors will want to head to South Peak for the resort’s best beginner terrain. This learning zone and beginner hill offers an isolated area to learn and progress, and it’s accessible to and from the main mountain via a short traverse.
On the main mountain, Sunapee offers limited beginner terrain, with just one green run accessible from the North Peak Triple chair. This run starts halfway up the mountain and mostly feels like a traverse. However, there is also a relatively easy blue run, Upper Ridge, which many lower-level visitors should find manageable. This run would likely be classified as a green at other nearby mountains like Killington or Ragged.
Intermediate Terrain
Mount Sunapee’s strong suit is its intermediate terrain. Nearly half of the resort’s terrain is rated as intermediate, with a vast network of cruisers on both the front and back sides. The runs in the Sun Bowl area also feature awesome views of Lake Sunapee, making for an aesthetic that punches way above other hills in this area of the Northeast. Sunapee’s blue runs are consistently groomed, and in terms of difficulty, are relatively similar to one another and other intermediate terrain in the area.
TRAIL MAP
Advanced Terrain
Most of Mount Sunapee's advanced terrain can be found off of the North Peak Triple Lift. These runs do not offer much vertical, so they are by no means endurance runs, although they do offer relatively steep, bumped up experiences.
However, these runs vary significantly in difficulty. Runs such as Upper Blast Off, which is the only black-diamond trail directly off the top of the Sunapee Express lift, receive regular grooming and mellow out very quickly, while runs such as Upper Flying Goose and Lynx, which are served directly by the North Peak Triple, have sustained pitches and are seldom groomed. Most of the advanced runs can be seen from the lifts, so a skier or rider can see what they have in store before having to commit.
Expert Terrain
When it comes to expert terrain, Mount Sunapee has minimal options. With the sole exception of the steep, ungroomed Goosebumps trail off the North Peak Triple, Sunapee’s double-black designation is confined to gladed regions that rarely open. In terms of these glades, ropes will only be dropped on powder days or in the days after a big storm.
Terrain Parks
Like many other Vail-owned mountains, Mount Sunapee does not offer much for park rats these days. The mountain uses most of the labeled terrain park zones on the trail map for racing, although there is still one main park served by the Spruce Triple that offers a range of boxes, rails, and jumps. A handful of beginner features also exist on South Peak, but overall, park rats should look elsewhere.
While seeing some powder days, Sunapee mainly relies on snow from other resorts in New Hampshire and Vermont.
Snow
Sunapee’s snow quality is similar to other resorts in the area, which is to say the mountain gets about two-thirds of the snow of the resorts in north-central New Hampshire and southern Vermont, but quite a bit more than resorts in Massachusetts. The mountain sees some powder days but mostly relies on snowmaking operations.
Resiliency
Speaking of snowmaking, Mount Sunapee has an extensive artificial snow operation, even for the Northeast. Sunapee also has a wide grooming operation, and all blues and greens are groomed on a daily basis. These facets keep Mount Sunapee on the resilient end of East Coast ski resorts, and the resort’s core terrain tends to stay open fairly reliably, even through extreme weather events like warm spells and rain.
However, Mount Sunapee can’t escape all the natural weather issues of its south-central New Hampshire location, and much of the terrain, especially when it comes to advanced and expert trails, tends to remain closed until at least the middle of January. In addition, Mount Sunapee suffers from a fairly exposed footprint, and high winds can cause the major lifts to close, leaving much of the mountain inaccessible.
RECOMMENDED SKIS FOR MOUNT SUNAPEE
NOTE: We may receive a small affiliate commission if you click on the below links. All products listed below are unisex.
Recommended all-mountain ski
Recommended carving ski
Recommended glade ski
Recommended expert/touring ski
Navigation
With a relatively compact size and only one true peak, Mount Sunapee is fairly easy to navigate on the whole. However, navigating from the front side to the back, if not coming directly from the peak, can be a bit confusing, with only one chance to do so at the top of the North Peak Triple chair.
Lifts
Mount Sunapee generally offers a modern lift setup. Two high-speed quad chairs provide quick top-to-bottom access on both the front side and Sun Bowl back side. However, the rest of the resort’s lifts are slow, fixed-grip chairs, although they mainly function in a helper capacity or serve small terrain pods.
While ultimately a redundant lift, the biggest frustration within Sunapee’s lift network might be the North Peak Triple, which allows guests to access most of the advanced and expert terrain without having to ride the Sunapee Express all the way to the top. This lift’s long, cold ride can make lapping this terrain a nuisance.
Sunbowl Express provides an option to get to the summit without having to go back to the base.
Crowds
Thanks to its day-trippable location from Boston, Mount Sunapee usually sees significant crowds on weekends, especially at its two high-speed quad lifts. The North Peak Triple lift provides helper service to the lower, more-advanced half of the Sunapee Express, although modest waits can build up there too. Lift lines tend to be at their worst in the late mornings and early afternoons, with waits of over half an hour not out of the ordinary.
On-Mountain Facilities
For those looking to stop in for a break, Mount Sunapee offers a handful of lodges, with both the main Sunapee Lodge and further-removed Spruce Lodge within the base area complex. There is also a smaller summit lodge, although seating is extremely limited during busy times. It’s worth noting there is no direct lodge by the South Peak beginner area, so guests will have to traverse over to the Sunapee Lodge from the South Peak area. In addition, there is no lodge at the base of the Sun Bowl back side.
RECOMMENDED SNOWBOARDS FOR MOUNT SUNAPEE
NOTE: We may receive a small affiliate commission if you click on the below links. All products listed below are unisex.
Recommended intermediate board
Recommended advanced board
Recommended expert board
Recommended touring board
Mountain Aesthetic
Sunapee has a smaller mountain feel, but the resort does have some distinct characteristics to make the mountain feel more special than a typical regional hill. On a clear day, guests will find breathtaking views of Lake Sunapee below, especially from the Sun Bowl side. The mountain does not feel very built up with infrastructure, and the resort generally feels more like a family ski hill than a commercialized endeavor.
Getting There
Perhaps Mount Sunapee’s biggest draw is its proximity to Boston. With no traffic, the resort is just under two hours from downtown Boston, and just over an hour from certain suburbs. This makes it a really easy day-trip mountain for several folks in the metropolitan area.
Getting to Mount Sunapee from Boston mostly involves highway driving, but the last 20 minutes or so of the drive go through a two-lane back road before reaching the wider Mount Sunapee access road. These roads can become somewhat more difficult to drive than those serving ski resorts in the north-central New Hampshire region when storm conditions arise, but they are about on par with many resorts in Vermont.
Mount Sunapee can be a good day trip for locals or those nearby looking for a day trip.
Parking
The mountain offers free parking at the base, but on busy days this can fill up fast. There are other lots, but you would need to take a shuttle to the lift from these lots.
Lodging
Mount Sunapee is a day-trip mountain at heart, and this is especially clear in its lack of on-site lodging. A few lodges and inns sit a short drive away just after the access road, but these accommodations are limited in nature. This makes Sunapee very hard to do for a weekend getaway and more of a there-and-back experience.
Après-Ski
Given its lack of an overnight atmosphere, Mount Sunapee is not the place to go for a competitive après-ski scene. The resort does offer a restaurant and bar in the Spruce Lodge, as well as a few post-slopes options in the nearby towns, but none of these offer anything that wouldn’t be considered a family-friendly vibe.
Mount Sunapee can be a less crowded option for those looking for a day trip.
Verdict
Overall, Mount Sunapee can be a tough choice for a weekend getaway, given its limited lodging options. Its small size and terrain also don't stand out when compared to larger New Hampshire resorts, especially for advanced and expert visitors.
However, Sunapee is a solid choice for a family-friendly day trip for those in the area. While it can get crowded, the mountain offers fun for a range of ability levels and boasts some pretty solid views for its location as well.
Pricing
Mount Sunapee’s lift ticket prices aren’t cheap, reaching well over $100 during peak times. If purchased in advance, lift tickets are a little bit cheaper than those of most north-central New Hampshire mountains, but not by much. If purchased the day of, that price advantage goes completely out the window, with 1-day adult tickets topping out above $150. Those who want the best deal on access should be sure to secure an Epic Pass product before they’re off sale in early December.
