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| An eight-hour vacation |
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By: Pat Turner Kavanaugh Meyers knows his “core market” is the seven million people within an hour’s drive of the place, basically Springfield, Worcester and Boston, Mass., Providence, R.I. and Hartford, Ct.
But Wachusett has more than proximity going for it. Meyers pointed out, “with 1,000-foot vertical, it’s a real mountain.” Furthermore, two high-speed quads, the only ones in Massachusetts, “give a lot of vertical in a day,” he said. And the day stretches to 10 p.m. “Night skiing is half of our overall business,” Meyers noted. Hang around the base lodge at night and watch the school buses disgorge hundreds of eager skiers and riders. According to Meyers, “we do 10,000 school kids a week, every single day of the week.” That’s more than all the Vermont areas combined do in a season. You needn’t worry, though, that these enthusiastic youngsters will spoil your experience. For instance, this year Wachusett added 1200 sets of new Head rental skis to their supply. To make things quicker, the resort is one of very few in the country to use the state-of-the-art “BYS” System, which “makes adjustment of the binding much easier and more efficient,” Meyers said. Wachusett also has the largest snow school in Massachusetts, with over 200 instructors. In addition, the base lodge is huge - 38,000 square feet - which makes it “the largest single standing base lodge in New England.” There are lots of nooks and crannies, creating quieter space. It’s a very impressive building. “We’re an easy day trip for people who haven’t planned a week in advance,” Meyers said, “a spontaneous alternative when there’s snow and blue skies.” That could be a “mental health day” during the week, a late afternoon when you’ve finished at the office early or that weekend “eight-hour vacation,” Meyers boasts of. “The Crowleys,” the family which owns Wachusett, “have really focused on the look and the feel of a real mountain resort, the lifts, the grooming, the snow making.” This year Wachusett improved snowmaking efficiency with a new pipe line installed on all three summits, Conifer Connection, Smith Walton and 10th Mountain. They also added 40 new state-of-the-art snowgun to Conifer Connection
and Look Mom trails, bringing the resort’s total to over 200
guns. All of these guns are eight time more efficient than conventional
water guns, saving power and water. In addition, the company purchased two new snow cats, capable of a variety of tasks, from building and maintain terrain features to pushing tons of machine-made snow, to climbing and descending the steeps of Smith Walton. Wachusett has 100 percent snow making. Also new this year is a 35-foot walking bridge over the snowmaking pond to provide easier access for pedestrian traffic around the base area, and the Waffle Haus, an outdoor food service specializing in Belgian Waffles. (There’s a Starbuck’s inside the base lodge, as well as a restaurant, a cafeteria, lounge and snack bar.) Added this year is a new half-pipe, which allowed earlier opening with less snowmaking required. This supplements an Alpine Park and another halfpipe. Wachusett Mountain Development Team concentrates on helping kids 6 to 15 years old, who ski or ride at an intermediate or advanced level, learn skills and techniques used by the world’s best skiers and riders. There is also a Wachusett Freestyle Team through which youngsters 9 to 16 learn to ski bumps and catch big air. In December the mountain staged the East Coast Invitational Rail Jam, the second annual professional snowboard competition featuring top riders and throughout the U.S. and Canada. In February, Friday the 24th, skiers and riders can participate in the second annual “24 Hours of Wachusett.” Meyers said last year the event attracted more than 1,000 people overnight, vying for cash giveaways which totaled $5,000. Last year, participants paid $10 extra for a ticket from 10 p.m. Friday to opening time Saturday. Because that falls during a holiday week, the regular rate for Feb. 24 is $48. But you'd earn bragging rights for burning your thighs for 24 hours. A special feature of the Wachusett base lodge is five “mountain suites,” private facilities you can rent for the day or the evening, which accommodate 15 people. “It’s your living room on the slopes,” Meyers said, with big soft chairs, a dining table, a deck overlooking the slopes and a private bath. Wachusett can cater in the food you want. “You own it for the eight hours,” Meyers said, perfect for families or company groups or a bunch of snow-enthusiast friends. He compared the mountain suites to “luxury boxes in a stadium.”
Wachusett Mountain is located in a state reserve. Meyers said hiking trails there are suitable for cross-country skiing or snowshoeing, but you’d need your own equipment and possibly encounter untracked snow. For the racers in the bunch, Wachusett has one of the most popular NASTAR courses in the country. There are also various leagues for the committed. Lift tickets are reasonable. Weekdays, Monday to Friday, and all seven nights, adults, 13 to 64, pay $36 for the hours 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., or 4 to 10 p.m., while those 6 to 12 or 65+, pay $27. For shorter periods, weekdays, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., 12:30 to 4 p.m., or any evening, 6 to 10 p.m., the cost is $31 for adults and $22 for juniors or seniors. Weekends an holidays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. is $48 for adults, or $32 for juniors or seniors, while the 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. or 12:30 to 4 p.m. is $43 for adults, $27 for juniors and seniors. If you’re new to the sport or your kids are, consider tickets for the Lower Mountain, usable on the Monadnock chair and the surface lifts or a surface lift only ticket. Wachusett makes two warnings: surface lifts, including Easy Rider and Ollie’s Carpet, may close during peak periods to handle classes; and, if things get really crazy, they stop selling tickets of any kind. On the other hand, if during the first hour after you purchased your ticket you’re unhappy, you can receive a voucher for a future visit. It’s probably not worthwhile at this point in the season, but Wachusett this year added a Gold Century Card for $499, $100 less than last year, which entitles you to ski or ride any time; and a Bronze Century Card, good all nights and midweek days, starting at $199.
There are also deals at Crested Butte, Colorado; and the 14 other Mountains of Distinction ski areas in Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, New York, Michigan, Virginia, Quebec and Pennsylvania. Similarly those holding season passes at any of the Mountains of Distinction get courtesies at Wachusett. There are also Passports to Savings: for $30, save $8 on every full mountain lift ticket, $8 on rental equipment, $8 on any lesson and get a NASTAR run free; for $50, the Passport Plus gives you those same savings, plus a free lift ticket every fifth visit. All of this, of course, is set out on the Wachusett Mountain website, www.wachusett.com. You can reserve many of the things you’ll want for your snow fun on line, including seasonal and daily parking passes, guaranteeing you a spot in the Upper Lot, days only. The lower parking lot is free and served by shuttle buses Lessons are a big feature at Wachusett, with one- and two-day “learn-to-turn” packages for first timers, “return to learn packages” if you’ve skied or boarded before, available to levels 2 through 6; and “Polar Kids,” ages 4 to 13, who want to improve their skiing or snowboarding with youngsters of similar age and ability. The littlest ones, non-skiers 3 months to 4 years, can enjoy the
Polar Cubs Nursery at the mountain. (Reservations recommended.) Meyers concluded, "Wachusett has the heart and soull of big ski areas. We just come in a smaller package." |
Ninety-five
percent of the business at Wachusett is day-trips, although there
are lodges and hotels pleasant for a weekend’s jaunt. 
In
someone in the crowd wants to try snowtubing or dogsledding, Meyers
said both are offered periodically. 
If
you have a Wachusett Century Pass, you can get discounts on skiing
and lodging at Stratton, Vermont ; and at Sugarbush Resort, Vermont,
free skiing and riding to Wachusett Card holders, 12 and younger,
when an adult buys a full price ticket; plus savings for young adults,
13 to 18, and adults. 
