Crotched Mountain 2023/24 Winter Tip Sheet
Media Contact: Abigail Allen, abigail.allen@vailresorts.com
Photos for media use, please credit Crotched Mountain
This season Crotched Mountain will be celebrating 60 years on Earth. Crotched Mountain is a ski area with more heart than many mountains twice its size. Crotched skiers and riders are 100 percent passionate about every inch of the mountain’s 1,000-foot vertical drop. With more than 100 energy-efficient fan guns, Crotched proudly covers 100 percent of its trails with snowmaking, and is one of the few U.S. ski resorts that can boast the greatest per-acre snow production capability. Crotched lights 100 percent of its trails for night skiing and runs lifts well into the evening on many nights during the winter season. The night sky plays a big role with this mountain’s playful outer space theme. Trail names include Galaxy, Milky Way, Shooting Star and Comet, to name a few. Prepare for blastoff on The Rocket, a high-speed detachable four-person chairlift that is one of five lifts providing access to out-of-this-world terrain that includes four terrain parks and 80 acres of glade skiing.
New for 2023/24:
Crotched Mountain Celebrates 60 years!
60 years: On January 4, 1964, Crotched Mountain landed on Earth in Francestown, NH. Like most good stories, the history of Crotched Mountain features a number of obstacles, the most impactful of which is the 1990 closure of Crotched East and West. While the Crotched Mountain we know and love today was reopened on December 20, 2003, we choose to celebrate the full 60 years of Crotched’s history as the story of hard work and perseverance have come to define Crotched Mountain today, leading us to the next 60 years and beyond.
- Available for Interview:
- Sue Donnelly, General Manager of Crotched Mountain
Continued Investments in the Guest Experience
We continuously invest in three areas: 1) our team, 2) the guest experience, and 3) the future of the industry. The more you can ski and ride the better. Our investments in the east, across the country, and around the world are aimed at maximizing your time and experience on the mountain. Our team members are who make the Experience of a Lifetime possible. They are incredibly passionate about our sport and serving others. We cannot deliver a great guest experience without our employees.
Enterprise-wide: Over $2.2B in capital invested over past 15 years in high-return projects and technology innovation (lifts, technology, projects to improve the guest experience). This year Crotched received a Pisten Bully Park Pro 400 from our sister mountain Mount Snow which will allow our operators more efficiency and capability in the terrain parks. Major trail work has been done on Upper and Lower Pluto's, Eclipse, Galaxy, Jupiter, CM Park, Moonwalk and Re-Entry which will allow our snowmaking system to use its full range and enhance coverage Extensive maintenance has been conducted on the Rocket to ensure our workhorse detach quad continues to run as smooth as possible.
Over the past 15 years, our investments in gender diversity and leadership development have disrupted a historically male-dominated industry. We are proud of these efforts and continue to be focused on building a diverse and inclusive workplace and investing in employee experience and leadership development.
- Available for Interview:
- Sue Donnelly, General Manager of Crotched Mountain
Your Pass, now on your phone with the new My Epic app
New this season, the My Epic app with Mobile Pass and Mobile Lift Tickets is now available to download, allowing guests to use their phone as their ticket to the slopes.
Mobile Pass and Mobile Lift Tickets is a hands-free option for skiers and riders to use at all 36 of Vail Resorts’ owned and operated U.S. resorts for the 2023/24 season, with availability at Whistler Blackcomb to follow in future seasons. It allows guests to buy their pass or lift ticket online, activate it in the new My Epic app, put their phone in their pocket, and get scanned, hands free in the lift line using Bluetooth® technology designed for low energy usage to minimize the impact on a phone’s battery life. This season, to ensure a smooth transition, the company will continue to provide physical cards for passes and lift tickets to all guests. For guests choosing to use Mobile Pass this season, watch this video for some tips.
The My Epic app also offers a range of guest-favorite features, including interactive trail maps with GPS location tracking, and mountain and resort alerts, including operational information like grooming updates, terrain status, snow reports and conditions.
Youth Access Programs
Crotched Mountain and the Vail Resorts family are committed to growing the sport we love. We’re committed to welcoming newcomers, welcoming back returning skiers and riders, while removing barriers to entry and creating a more inclusive sport through the Epic for Everyone Youth Access Program. Last season, at Crotched Mountain and across our family of resorts, we hosted more than 8,000 youth who otherwise might not have had access to skiing and snowboarding. Here at Crotched, we work closely with the local community and schools to make youth access a reality through different programs including Slope Days.
Epic for Everyone – Youth Access and Growing the Sport
The future of winter sports is inclusion. Through investments and partnerships, Vail Resorts is committed to ensuring that all feel welcome, invited, and included. Our Epic for Everyone youth access programs serve thousands of youth annually who may not have had access to the sport. Our programs provide free on-snow sessions including lessons, meals, rentals, mentorship, an introduction to careers in snowsports, and more. This winter, several of our Eastern region resorts will be hosting non-profit organizations for a series of visits.
Slope Days: An After School Ski School
This year, bring your school or youth group to the slopes to learn to ski and ride or enhance your skills! Our new program is designed to welcome new kids into the sport, by giving students the experience of a lifetime in a three or five-week program. This is an all-inclusive program that includes a day-specific lift ticket, rental package, and an hour-long lesson, all at a value rate. Learn more about this program here.
Signature Events
This season, we are stoked to bring back fan favorites and introduce some new events. With lively après, birthday celebrations, terrain park events to Midnight Madness, there is an event for everyone at Crotched Mountain.
- Crotched Mountain’s 60th Anniversary party will be held on January 4th! Celebrate 60 fun-filled years on Earth all season long at Crotched Mountain with giveaways throughout the season.
- Dew After Dark and Midnight Madness is back for the 2023/24 season with five dates spread throughout the season. Skiers and riders are invited to ski from 9pm to midnight on December 30, January 20, February 3, February 10, and March 2, there will be limited edition Midnight Madness giveaways for Crotched’s 60th birthday, a DJ, fire pits and more.
- Three-part Terrain Park Series that will highlight our out of this world terrain parks on January 12, February 16, and March 1. The series will culminate with an overall champion taking home a new snowboard or skis for the grand prize.
Crotched Mountain Fast Facts
Summit Elevation: 2,066’
Vertical Drop: 1,000’
Trails: 25
Terrain Parks: 2
NCC-1701 Terrain Park - Medium
CM Terrain Park – Large
Lifts: 5 – 1 detachable quad, 1 fixed gripped quad, 1 fixed grip triple, 1 fixed grip double and 1 surface lift
Total Skiable Acres: 100 acres
Glade Acreage: 80
Lighting: 100%
Snowmaking: 100%
Avg. Season Length: December to March
Trail Classification
32% Advanced
40% Intermediate
28% Beginner
Out of this World Dining
Refuel for your next run or enjoy a full meal from Crotched Cafeteria. The Light Speed Window is the perfect pit stop to quickly fuel up and get back on the mountain. Onset Pub is where you can find après at its best. Relax after a stellar day on the mountain with good company, great food, and live music on Saturday’s.
Fun Facts
- With 100% snowmaking, Crotched is among the ski resorts in the US that can boast the largest per acre production capacities.
- Over 100 fan guns are connected by a network of large underground electrical wire and over 3,800 feet of 12" and 8" pipe.
- The Crotched Snowmaking system can pump over 6,000 gallons of water per minute to our slopes; this is 1,250 tons per hour or one truckload every minute.
- Along with these advantages, it is believed that fan gun technology provides a better more consistent snow.
- Regarding energy efficiency, we can lay claim to being among the best due to the fact we operate with 100% fan guns that no one else can claim in New England.
- Fan guns do not have to operate with expensive and inefficient diesel generators to pump high-pressure air in a network of pipes all over the mountain. Complementing the efficiency of this system in the Fall of 2015, two-thirds of our electric use is now sourced locally from renewable energy.
History
The roots of lift served skiing on Crotched Mountain date back to 1964, when the original Crotched Mountain ski area, known as Crotched East, opened on the northeastern shoulder of the mountain. The original 1964 Crotched Mountain ski trails and lifts are no longer in use. Onset made national headlines during the 1971-72 season, when it became the second ski area in the East (after Haystack) to offer a specialized handicapped learn to ski program. At the turn of the millennium Crotched West was purchased by Peak Resorts because of the glades, steeps and progressive beginner terrain. Crotched Mountain reopened as essentially a new ski area on December 20, 2003. In 2012, Crotched acquired Ascutney’s detachable quad, The Rocket, reopening the upper part of the mountain.
Getting Here
Crotched Mountain is in Southern New Hampshire located at 615 Francestown Road in Bennington, NH 03442.
How close is Crotched?
- Keene, NH | 30 minutes
- Manchester, NH | 30 minutes
- Boston, MA | 90 minutes
- NYC, NY | 4 hours
Parking
Parking at Crotched Mountain is simple and free. Both parking lots are directly next to the Base Lodge, getting you from your car to the slopes faster than the speed of light. When entering the parking lot from Route 47, guests can follow parking attendants to the left or right for parking.
Stay Connected with Crotched Mountain: Download the new My Epic app or visit crotchedmtn.com for terrain updates, snow reports, local lodging & and dining, event details, and the lowest-priced lift tickets guaranteed. Stay connected socially at facebook.com/CrotchedMountain and follow @crotched_mountain on Instagram and @CROTCHED_MTN on Twitter.