Wachusett Mountain Ski Area

We took precious time to plan and drive out to Wachusetts to ski with our 3 grandchildren. Although we need snow, the snowmaking at the mountain was really good! The magic carpet made our little skiers have a lot of fun and laughter. As my 5 year old granddaughter and I sat outside on the picnic tables just soaking up the sun and watching family’s ski, the owner kindly asked if we’d like a picture taken with my cell phone, when I suddenly couldn’t find my iPhone! So she (whom we’ve seen in their upbeat commercials) offered to use her phone to take the picture and send it to my phone, next she called her ski services office and voila; she found my phone! We love ski bums! I lost an expensive phone and I didn’t even know it was missing and the owner took the time to see that we were enjoying ourselves and then went out of her way to find my phone! She made a great day an excellent day! We love Wa-​Wachusetts and we can’t wait to ski again. Also, our 11 and 10 year old grandchildren rode the chairlift all on their own at your wonderful resort!

I haven’t been to wachusetts for years and I’m so glad I decided to go this year! I love snowboarding so I normally go to mountains in Vermont or New Hampshire where it’s a bit colder and has better conditions. To my surprise, wachusetts has had one of the best conditions so far. Especially since the winter this year was not that great. I went the first week of March and there was barely to no ice at all! And there were even some parts of the mountain where it was still powdery! They also have a really good terrain park where they switch up every now and then so you don’t go back to the same park all the time. Something cool that they have is an air bag jump so you can do tricks and land on an air bag. I’ll definitely be back next season! They really know how to maintain their mountain to keep the amazing conditions!!!

It’s been almost a decade since I last skied at Wachusett… to be honest, I outgrew this tiny hill many years ago and the pricey lift tickets weren’t worth the very long lift lines and short, easy runs. The super easy trails has remained the same– the black diamond trails could easily be blue or many even a difficult green at other ski areas. Round trip lift ride up and ski down for me is about 5 – 10 minutes… with most of that time being on the lift. If I were reviewing just my ski experience, it would probably fall between 2 and 3 stars.
However, I returned this past weekend to bring my 6 year old nieces to their first ski lesson… this is their local ski area that is minutes away from their house. I grew up in Vermont near a tiny local ski hill, so visiting Wachusett with kids just starting to learn how to ski really brought back memories for me.
I was so impressed at the organization of the kids ski school. My sister had signed the kids up online in advance… we arrived an hour early (got an upper lot parking space… score!) and the late season crowd wasn’t too crowded at all. We checked in at the ski school desk, where they gave the kids bibs that identified their level, their name, and gave us accompanying lanyards with matching numbers so we could matched up when we pick them up later. The rental equipment area fit them with ski boots and helmets… the entire check-​in area has lots of benches (some made with recycled skis!) and numbered cubbies to leave boots, along with colorful walls and large stuffed polar bears for photo ops… very kid-​friendly. We were told their skis were waiting outside for them… great idea, so they don’t have to lug them around! We dropped them off in a sitting area for level 1 beginners where parents are roped off from entering… they did have to wait awhile for the entire class to show up so note to self, we probably don’t need to show up so early and have them sit in their jackets & helmets sweating. When class starts, my sister and I observed from afar… the instructors led the approximately 12 – 15 kids to grab their skis, and onto a waiting sleigh pulled by a snowmobile that carts all the kids to a fenced-​in learning area next to the Polar Express lift and the Waffle Cabin shack. There, the enthusiastic instructors taught everyone the basics… by the time we snuck a peek over an hour later, the kids knew how to ride the magic carpet conveyor belt and start skiing down the hill one at a time, around obstacles (wood cutouts with cartoon animals on them) stick in the snow. Between my own runs, I observed repeated rounds of kids skiing down the gentle learning area slope, a break/​snack time (my nieces told me later that they were given water and Oreos), encouraging instructors giving high fives and picking multiple kids up off the snow. Wachusett seems perfect for learning… there are two learning areas with short magic carpets and longer beginner slope (on the very left, when you are facing the mountain) with… get this… a dome-​covered magic carpet. If you learn how to ski here, you will never have to learn or know what a t or j-​bar is! Such luxury! Very different from when I learned to ski many years ago… I recall having to carry my own skis for what seemed like an interminable distance, being terrified riding a very fast non-​detachable old ski lift, and being let loose down a pretty steep bunny hill while out of control and crashing into an instructor or two… no snacks and definitely no magic carpet.
The lodge is pretty typical for a local mountain ski area… overpriced cafeteria-​style food, crowded tables, cubbies lining the walls, smells like sweat/​feet/​French fries. Luckily they have a few picnic tables outside, where we were able to commendeer one and eat lunch that we had packed & brought with us (tip…always bring your own food when you go skiing… it’s the most economical and tasty option!) and enjoy the sunny blue sky day.
I’ll probably end up returning next winter, to bring the nieces to ski again, and maybe I will re-​learn to snowboard to take advantage of the luxurious dome-​covered magic carpet conveyor belt on the beginner hill.

I bought the 3 day learn to snowboard package for my son. I have never been snowboarding and was hoping we could receive some first time instructions on how to go about starting, however, customer service is SEVERELY lacking at this place. It is run by high school kids who are pulling a paycheck and free lift tickets. My son could not get one of his boots into the binding on the snowboard and the instructor repeatedly ignored him the entire time. By the end of the class his boot was still not in the binding and the instructor signed him off anyways. At the coffee shop and rentals the kids working there just stared at me until I asked them for help. I work in customer service and have never seen a place with such rude employees. Also, The food is over priced and disgusting $ 14 for a small COLD pizza and fries. These people have a monopoly in this area and have no regard for customer service.

First time in Wachusett on a sunny Saturday noon mainly because we borrowed skis from a friend living only 30 mn away and we are overall a 60 mn drive living in Cambridge, MA.
Booked supertickets online (Ski all-​day + night until 10 pm) for a decent price for 2 adults /​2 kids; ¾ of us intermediate skiers having skied in many different places including New England, Canada and Europe.
First impression: overcrowded (needed to park in lower lot and get a shuttle with all our ski and gear, not very handy…); this only got worse when we were out in the slopes. Over 50% people that have obviously never skied before, unable to veer or stop, dangerous for themselves and others. My wife who is less experienced had to stop after a couple of hours and wait until the crowds went away (4 pm). Also very few staff on the slopes/​lifts and didn’t seem to care much about what was happening around. Huge queues in the lifts at least 10 – 15′ waits for each ride.
But after 4 and night skiing was in a different world. Even though a few careless daredevils persisted they became a minority and waiting times in lifts was almost 0. However we got stuck on top of the Polar express as the only blue trails were just cut for grooming and that left us with the only choices of 2 diamond trails that were a bit too much for my 10-​year olds.
Would have appreciated some word of caution before getting up there. Blue trail opened 20 mn later.
Among the positive aspects: very affordable ski waxing and edge fixing at the store; plenty of storage/​locker space; dining/​coffee space with a lot of options including a full Starbucks; free ski and watch area; amazing restaurant upstairs (and pub for over 21 after 6 pm) with great giant nachos (1 for 4 is largely enough!) and choice of beers; friendly staff.
Will probably return especially for night skiing, definitely not for day skiing on a weekend.

First of all, I did not write a review regularly, maybe once a year. But I did have the best time while I was in the mountain, and will like to share my experiments with everyone. My colleague recommended this place for me, and it is only one hour drive from my home. I though I would like to give it a try, since I always want to learn snowboard ! The beginner package is the best deal you can find. It includes 3 lift tickets + 3 equipment rental + 3 classes. My instructors are Arron (level 1, I may spell the name wrong, sorry), Dave (level2) and Stephanie (level3), they did amazing jobs ! I even want to write a Thank You card to them ! (But I am kinda lazy, so I will show my appreciation here). The instructors are very responsible and patient. Lots progress had been made under their supervision. I will definitely recommend this place for someone wants to ski/​snowboard near Boston area. I already got my 3-​peat Card, and can not wait to come back next weekend ~

Overpriced– $ 40 for equipment rental.
I rented demos for $ 43, but watch out!
My skis were missing at the end of the day.
I was then told they should have been put in a ski and watch area, which Nobody told me about upon my purchase.
Security apparently looked for skis and could not find them.
I was then informed there is a lot of ski theft there. Again, a piece of information nobody gave me upon renting.
Luckily, I found the skis, but the staff at demo was eager to charge me $ 749… So be careful.
Blue is really a light green. Black, a blue at best.
This is a small mountain, and a pricey one.
The sales staff has no interest in customer service. Carolyn was the manager and very nice, professional though.
I am definitely not coming back. Think the «mountain» should get some customer service and pricing advice form real ski resorts and improve the experience for all.
The reason I went here and not NH or VT? Night skiing.

This is my home mountain. Well… not really a mountain. This is my home «area». I learned to ski at this area. And, truth be told, it’s not that bad of an area, considering the terrain Massachusetts has to offer. I have many great memories in and around this particular area.
If you’re used to skiing on «mountains», skiing and riding in an «Area» is going to be a little bit anti-​climactic. A little claustrophobic. It’s the difference between coffee and ersatz coffee… and we all know how it turned out for the Germans (do you enjoy obscure history references?) Make no mistake, you won’t get a break on the price despite the lack of area at this area, and some days it would be easier getting into Area 51 than Wachusett Mountain Ski Area. I’m going to stop saying «area» now.
Expensive and crowded, you will probably spend more time in the lift line than riding on most days. On holidays, FORGET IT. Seriously– forget this place even exists on holidays unless you want to die a natural death at the age of 97 in a lift line and inconvenience all of the poor souls stuck behind you in that interminable lift line with your dusty corpse. Aim for the rare days when this place gets dumped on. Interestingly enough, when it snows hard, most families and jeans-​wearing yahoos won’t show up and you can enjoy quick, peaceful runs– especially early in the morning when the only people on the hill are the old-​timer regulars, the race team and instructors having some fun before their line ups or skiing off their hangovers (I am speaking from experience here).
I will strongly suggest you try the nachos at the Black Diamond upstairs and check out the New Year’s Eve festivities. Nothing beats skiing in the New Year, watching the fireworks, then having a few beers and a wheelbarrow full of stacked nachos. I would strongly advise against buying gear at the overpriced shop or attempting to rent equipment on a weekend unless you thrive on self-​torture. The rental process is better than self flagellation, but only slightly. Try them both and compare.
If you enjoy the cattle chute experience, you will have a good time here. It’s close, has a great ski school (especially for kids), surprisingly good terrain park and a fun bar scene. If you ski/​ride to detach from the day to day stress and crush of awful, awful humanity– this is not the place for you. These are not the droids you are looking for.

I signed my child up for a ski program through her school and had to cancel six weeks before the class begun. My child’s slot was filled so the mountain lost no money through my cancellation. Nonetheless, I was informed that because I hadn’t bought the «insurance» they wouldn’t refund our fee as the «Mutual Agreement» states. Seriously? Don’t patronize Wachusett.

Scheduled an event there. Missy, the events manager, was impossible to reach, promised things that she didn’t deliver on, switched things without telling us, didn’t tell us about conflicting activities at the site, overcharged for what we got (and wanted to charge even more!) Refuses to call back despite numerous inquiries and messages after the event.
Because of the treatment, I will not ski here and will tell others to ski elsewhere.

Wachusett is by far the best ski area within an hour of Boston. I tend to go toward the end of the season — the crowds aren’t as bad. Also, if I want to sleep in, I go to Wachusett because I can leave my house at 8:00 and be there at 9:00. If you want to drive more, of course, there are better options in NH or VT. For example, Loon is twice the distance but offers much more.
I wish they would cut some more trails, but I guess they are limited due to environmental constraints. Understood…
I am an advanced skier, so some the blacks off the top are fun. When my sons were young the beginner trails were good for them.
Pros
Proximity to Boston
Some decent terrain
Grooming
Trailside Snacks at the Bullock Lodge
Cons
Crowds
Limited trails

I had never skied before in my life until yesterday, when I went to Wachusett. The reason I went there rather than another resort is that in addition to being about an hour away from Boston, they offer a beginners package, which includes a lesson with an instructor (up to level 2), a lower mountain lift ticket (rather than the whole mountain which would have been a waste of money at my level) and rental equipment.
They also have a BFF (bring a friend for fun) package which is a beginners package for one person and a regular day pass for the other who has their own equipment and doesn’t need lessons.
I felt this was a really good deal, and I took a level 1 class in which thankfully most people were adults. (Before going I was worried I would be the only one in their twenties who hadn’t skied before) in which we learned some basics like putting our skis on and taking them off, how to start and how to turn (on a shallow slope).
I then practiced a little bit in the green area and although I fell several times really enjoyed the experience.
I look forward to going to Wachusett again (for a level 2 class this time), but I might opt to go on a Weekday afternoon if possible, as I’m hoping it will be less crowded then.

I’m pretty disappointed with the customer service here. My wife bought a 3-​day package lesson, lift ticket, and rental here. They neglected to tell her she can’t use their rental equipment with her own ski boots. So every day that we’ve come to use the package, we stop at the rental shop to be told what we already know, that we can’t use their equipment. They tell us the demo center will set us up for a nominal fee and send us over there. The demo center will then refuse to honor the rental package and demand we pay a full day’s demo. Eventually we get sent back to the rental center to get set up. It’s a half hour runaround hoop jumping headache every single time. The customer service desk refuses to refund a portion of the package so we can get a demo without double paying. Our options: double pay for a demo or use their rental boots with their rental package. Really guys? It doesn’t need to be that difficult. The only saving grace is Heidi and Handy Andy over at the rental center who are eventually able to sort things out for us.
Save yourself the trouble. If you have your own boots, but need to rent skis, go somewhere else completely where you can actually get some decent customer service. The only reason to come to a local mountain like this is for the convenience and a local mountain smile, but not if it’s going to be offset with customer disservice from a desk manned by a handful of high school kids.

Came here for my very first time snowboarding. Got the BFF package which included one lift ticket, rental, lesson AND lift ticket for a friend. We got a great deal for $ 80 at a local ski shop even though we thought $ 110 on their website was still a steal. I was nervous, being that it was my first time, but the staff was very accommodating and polite. Super laid back with tons of knowledge and personality. I love that they can wear piercings and just TALK to you like they are on your level instead of overly stuffy and professional (while still maintaining professionalism and sincerity– make sense? Lol). They made me feel VERY comfortable and not one of their staff came across as a ski-​snob. My lesson was with Aaron. Highly recommended if you’d like a one-​on-​one session! He was very patient and explained everything as clearly as possible. He encouraged me throughout and remained positive enough for both of us. He made me feel like I was in a private lesson instead of a group. After it was done and he saw me on the bunny hill (which is where I stayed the rest of the day), he asked how my progress was coming and if I needed help with anything. Very genuine and caring! After I got the hang of it, I fell in love. Currently looking for snowboarding equipment… first thing I bought were padded shorts, since I was almost SURE I broke my ass a few times falling. Itching to go back and I’ve already made plans to return next weekend!

I have never been more disappointed in life. I thought skiing would be a fun sport but somehow Instructor CiCila (Cicil) ruined it for me. The beginner classes were a total waste of money and my precious weekend. I believe Cicil assumed that everybody who takes the beginner class already knows how to ski. She was cocky and impatient. Since skiing is a balance sport not all beginners (especially the ones who haven’t skated before) can get it at the first shot and the instructors should encourage rather than discourage such students.

Great Friday night activity. Good deals online for lift tickets. Lower mountain was a little crowded w beginners but died down around 730. Awesome band playing great covers. Great service at tapas bar. Snow quality was good — grooming was well maintained. Clean bathrooms. Easy parking. Only complaint is hard warmers both busted open and hot iron particles all over my fingers/​nails. I buy these every time I ski and have never had this happen. Kind of gross.

Tough to beat the convenience for a quick trip from RI. Kids have been here dozens of times and never tire of it. Some reasonably challenging terrain when there is enough natural snow. When there’s not much natural snow, like right now, the snowmaking is good enough for more than half the mountain to be open.
Regarding the prior review that said there was not good wifi in the lodge, I have been hanging in the lodge all afternoon and have had a good, stable connection with more than adequate speed for a public wifi. Maybe it’s better in some spots than others, but I found it to be great near the Starbucks.

DO NOT GO HERE… UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!
By the time you make the trek out to Wachusett from the 495 and 128 belts, you could be IN New Hampshire — seriously, check it out.
Before you head to Wachusett, check out a Wachusett trail map, then compare it to Crotched Mountain, and Mount Sunapee… At Wachusett, you get HALF the trails, for the SAME PRICE!
SUNAPEE has an awesome BRAND NEW HIGH SPEED QUAD (!!!) and is only another 45 minutes away! A+!
Crotched Mountain is also about 45 minutes away, and is SO MUCH BETTER!
Wachusett is a ‘wanna be’ ski area. Grooming is HORRIBLE. Conditions are always poor due to it always getting rain. If you like skiing on SLOP or ICE, this is the place for you.
Stay on 495, 93, or 190 and head to New Hampshire or Vermont. You will not regret it. If you go to Wachusett, you WILL regret it, and cry that you wasted a ski day.
And the best part? The lift prices are OVERPRICED for what LITTLE you get.
Trails are a joke, and lift lines are long, (due to the trails being SO SHORT).
WACHUSETT = DISAPPOINTMENT
GO NORTH — SKIP THIS HOLE.
Wachusett: Thanks for deleting my posts about your snow conditions on YouTube… they’re horrible… you should be paying people to ski at wa-​wa-​we suck. Can’t delete my post here, though, can you? Slimeballs.
Don’t bother responding to my review… I will not be returning, nor editing. You guys are a complete joke of a ski area.

I have never snowboarded in my life until this year! I would have to say that this is a great place to learn.
I took multiple lessons with Geva or Big G, which is what everyone calls him. After the first lesson, I was able to go up the lift to the mountain and come down in one piece, although some falling and bruising were involved!
He was patient and spent his time with me. He focused on teaching the basics and ensuring I have a good foundation. Now I am able to go down one of their steepest slopes after only 1 month of practice!
The snow is great here. Especially after a day of snowing, the slopes are covered with fresh powdery snow, so it doesn’t hurt falling! Sometimes it gets a little icy depending on the temperature outside.
On the weekends, certain trails get crowded because they hold skiing/​snowboarding lessons there. But there is still plenty of room to have fun!
When you get hungry, I recommend trying the delicious Belgian waffles from the cabin outside! It is amazingly delicious. Also when you want to take a break from your activities, there are plenty of resting area inside. I like to rest at the bar area. Prices of beer/​wine are reasonable!
They also have a great store at the ski resort! In fact, this is where I got my first snowboard. You get discounts on your purchases with your season pass. The prices are competitive and reasonable! So if you forgot some snowboard/​ski gears, you can just purchase them at the store without making a dent in your wallet.

Please note: we are reviewing this as first-​timers in snowboarding.
My family has never been snowboarding before so we decided to go to Wachusetts to try it out since we read from reviews that it has a large area for beginners.
It was a 1.5 hour drive from Boston on a Saturday morning for us and there was a parking lot (free) with a Wachusetts bus to take us to the actual place. It probably was a 5 minute ride.
Indeed the bunny slope area was spacious and long so we were able to practice and learn. However, it was very crowded. It has a magic carpet to go up the slope but we didn’t use it since we didn’t want to wait in line. And even though we didn’t go on the lifts, we saw how crazy long the lines were… so even if we do get better at snowboarding and decide to go on the lifts, we probably won’t come here because we’ll probably wait in line all day.