| Waterville Valley Resort | |
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Top of Highcountry Double, The Peak of Mount Tecumseh |
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| Location | Mt. Tecumseh Waterville Valley, New Hampshire United States |
| Nearest city | Plymouth |
| Vertical | 2,000 ft (610 m) |
| Top elevation | 3,840 ft (1,170 m) |
| Base elevation | 1,840 ft (560 m)[1] |
| Skiable area | 259 acres (1.05 km2) |
| Runs | 52 20% easiest 60% more difficult 20% most difficult |
| Longest run | 3 mi (4.8 km) |
| Lift system | 7 chairlifts - 2 Hi-Sp. Quads - 2 Triples - 3 Doubles 5 Surface Lifts |
| Terrain parks | yes |
| Snowfall | yes |
| Snowmaking | 100% |
| Night skiing | no |
| Web site | Waterville.com |
Waterville Valley is a ski resort in the White Mountain National Forest of New Hampshire. The resort's motto is "Altitude without the Attitude". Built on Mount Tecumseh, with a summit elevation of 4,004 feet (1,220 m) above sea level, the ski trails extend to a high point on the south ridge of the mountain at 3,840 feet (1,170 m), offering a vertical drop of 2,000 feet (610 m). The ski area has 12 lifts, including two high-speed quads. The resort is located in the town of Waterville Valley.
In addition to downhill skiing, the resort offers 46 miles (74 km) of Nordic skiing, plus golf, nationally-ranked tennis courts, a skateboard park, a year-round ice arena, hiking, biking, water sports, boating, and cultural activities that range from bluegrass festivals to Shakespeare-under-the-stars.
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Organized skiing first started on Mount Tecumseh in the 1930s with the construction of two Civilian Conservation Corps ski trails. The first of the two trails was abandoned after a decade, while the latter would later become incorporated into the Waterville Valley ski area.
A group led by Tom Corcoran opened Waterville Valley in 1966 with four new Staedeli double chairlifts and a J-Bar surface lift. Of the original chairlifts, the High Country and Lower Meadows still remain.
Over the next few decades, three Staedeli triple chairlifts would be installed, including World Cup Triple in 1985.
In 1988, a Poma high-speed detachable quad chairlift was installed, running parallel to the World Cup Triple and High Country Double chairlifts. Due to wind issues, the upper portion of this lift was later removed. As a result, the top portion of the ski area is only served by the High Country Double chairlift.
In 1997, a Doppelmayr high speed detachable quad chairlift was installed, known as "Quadzilla."
Waterville Valley was briefly owned by the American Skiing Company in the mid 1990s. Due to anti-trust issues, Waterville and Cranmore Mountain Resort were sold to Booth Creek Holdings in the fall of 1996. Members of the Sununu family in New Hampshire family and a group of area investors purchased Waterville Valley ski resort from California-based Booth Creek Ski Holdings Ltd in October, 2010; the Resort remains independent.
Waterville Valley hosts the "Black and Blue Trail Smashers" (also known as BBTS) ski club, one of the oldest in the USA, founded in 1934. The team has expanded its training to include ski racing, freestyle skiing and snowboarding, and boardercross disciplines. WVBBTS has received many prestigious awards since its insemination, including the USSA Club of the Year award in 2006. The club is the "home club" of 2010 Olympic Gold Medalist Hannah Kearney.
Waterville Valley Academy, a seasonal winter sports boarding school that specializes in training skiers and snowboarders, conducts training at Waterville. Waterville Valley Academy, also expressed as WVA, is a subsidiary of Waterville Valley BBTS ski club, using many of the club's resources and staff in its operations. [2]
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