I made stops at two Upper Valley New Hampshire ski areas on this sunny, penultimate day of 2018.

First up was Dartmouth Skiway. Roads were slippery on the way up, after the recent storm, but trail conditions were better than expected. Open terrain was hard, but well groomed with few ice patches. Holt’s Ledge was not yet open, but the snow guns were blazing, and it looks like it is getting close to opening. All snowmaking trails were open on Winslow, which made for 4 basic routes down. Crowds were moderate, but the wait for the quad was limited to a minute or less. It was a beautiful day with clear skies and temperatures in the teens and 20s.

Over at Whaleback conditions were similar, but active snowmaking on Lower Face and Spout made for a variable surface in places. All lifts were open, and there were two routes down from the T-bar and chair for a total of 4 basic runs open. Crowds there were light, and there was almost no natural snow left, compared to Dartmouth, which still had some.

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Above and Below: Weekend skiing & snowmaking action at Dartmouth Skiways, and a classic double chair at Whaleback.