Bretton Woods

Bretton Woods is NH’s largest ski resort, with big snow-making, beautiful views, lots of great intermediate terrain, a lovely base lodge, excellent kids learn to ski programs, and a stunning grand old hotel – the Hotel Mount Washington next door for luxury lodging and lovely après ski.

Bretton Woods has a beautiful base to summit 8-passenger gondola – The Skyway, also dubbed the Presidential Bahn, to make the scenic ride even more special, swift, and now pedestrians can ride up for the view to meet their ski family! A high speed BEQII quad also services Bretton Woods ego-pleasing terrain and teh mountaintop Rosebrook Lodge for panoramic dining!

We love Bretton Woods because its typically the first New Hampshire ski resort to open each winter, and they like to keep spinning until closing Patriots Day in late April! Snow conditions are generally meticulously groomed, white carpet, served by swift lifts. And the White Mountain views of Mount Washington are amazing.

Bretton Woods is popular with families looking for excellent ski school, top notch grooming on well-manicured trails, a few pleasant birch tree-lined ski glades and exceptional views of Mount Washington. For earthy, au-naturelle terrain, Bretton Woods T-Bar services Mount Stickney and 30 acres of more edgy glades from challenging and steep, to low angle tree skiing on about 500′ vertical.

Bretton Woods terrain is gentle, primarily low-angle trails served by high-speed lifts, with a few steeper runs like Bode’s – named for former US Ski Team Gold Medalist and local Bode Miller. Beautiful birch glades on Mount Stickney and West Mountain bring excitement to the otherwise white carpet mellow terrain. Several terrain parks including Coo’s Caper trail will keep your free rider amused for hours. For younger skiers and riders, Bretton Woods is noted for their exceptional learning programs for kids and nursery conveniently located at the base. There is even an indoor and outdoor Climbing Wall at the base lodge.

The Resort of Bretton Woods also offers NH’s best Nordic facilities, 100 kilometers of groomed tracked trails in fields, woods over bridges – just delightful touring terrain with gorgeous views around the magnificent hotel grounds. Also, at Bretton Woods ski resort, there’s a five-mile Nordic trail.

Staying at the 1902 Hotel Mount Washington makes for a grand family ski vacation in the White Mountains. The elegant Grand Hall and Lobby are beautifully decorated with original chandeliers and Tiffany glass, as are common rooms like the Conservatory and Princess Lounge. Parents will love having a drink après ski in The Rosebrook Lounge, watching the alpenglow over 6,288′ Mount Washington, while the kids enjoy the huge outdoor heated pool or go tubing or ice skating. Book the Omni Mount Washington Hotel for your family ski vacation!

The Hotel’s Presidential Spa has every treatment imaginable in a very posh setting. There is so much to see and do, you might want to stay for a week, to enjoy wine and whiskey tasting, the historic hotel tour, dog sledding, kids snowmobiling, and the Canopy tour zipline. Kids will like the Game Room, and daily activities, plus bonfires with s’mores, or pizza and movie nights while Mom & dad dine in the formal dining room and go dancing in the prohibition-era Cave. Yes, we love the grandeur and history, and skiing, of Omni Mount Washignton Resort Hotel.

The incredible views of the Presidential Range and the highest summit on the Eastern seaboard, Mount Washington are the cake topper. Have lunch at Rosewood Lodge, Bretton Woods’ on mountain restaurant that serves up burgers, soups and super scenery. Take a break from skiing and take to the sky with Bretton Woods’ Canopy Tour – one of the longest zip lines in North America. Fat bike rentals on snow are another fun diversion. Or take a winter train ride on the Cog Railway up Mount Washington and ski down.

Our team of family ski trips editors never pass up the chance to visit Bretton Woods, one of top family ski resorts in The East.

Bretton Woods Ski Resort Stats:
Vertical Drop: 1,500’, Summit: 3,100′
Skiable Terrain: 464 acres, including 190 gladed acres
10 Lifts including an 8 passenger gondola, 63 Trails, 36 Glade Trails
92% snowmaking, night skiing on 5 trails and 2 lifts,
Bretton Woods opened 1973