Conditions Report
Report from Sunday, March 2, 2025
Whenever I happen to be passing by an esteemed U.S. College, I make an effort to stop by and check the place out. Names such as Harvard, Standford, Yale, and Princeton are ingrained in North American culture and I see these visits as fascinating opportunities to experience a place we often hear so much about. Dartmouth College, a private Ivy League university located in Hanover, New Hampshire, is one of these schools with a history that dates back to before the American Revolution. But this time, instead of going to poke around the historic campus, I went to ski one of America’s few university-owned and operated ski areas: Dartmouth Skiway.
Quick Facts & History
- Date Opened: 1956
- Multi-Destination Pass: Indy Pass
- Number of Trails: 28
- Skiable Acres: 104
- Vertical Drop: 986′
- Base Elevation: 700′
- Summit Elevation: 1,686′
- Average Annual Snowfall: 100″
- Number of Lifts: 4
- Night Skiing: no
- Other Activities:
- Ski Touring
There are a variety of things Dartmouth College is known for. In the ski world what jumps out the most is its track record of having one of the best Alpine Ski race programs in the nation. This is in large part thanks to the Dartmouth Skiway, the university’s own mountain that for almost 70 years its students have used as a private training ground. Since the ski area’s inception, Dartmouth College has sent more alumni to the Olympics than any other Ivy League school. This fact is proudly displayed at the entrance of their Main Lodge on the Dartmouth Skiing Wall of Fame.
- Related: The Top 10 Colleges For Ski Buffs
When I got the chance to visit Dartmouth Skiway I had no idea what to expect. I had merely glanced at a trail map and saw that the weather was great, although a little chilly.
For a bluebird Sunday, the resort was dead. Rolling in at 10 am, parking was easy, the lodge had plenty of space, and there was no line to redeem my Indy Pass. From pulling up to clicking into my skis, I was ready to hit the slopes in 15 minutes.
Lift lines did not exist even for a minute, and it makes you wonder if this resort could ever sustain itself if it weren’t for the deep pockets of the college taking charge of the operations. Regardless of profitability, the ski area is a simple place for skiers of any ability level to explore. The vast majority of people on the slopes the day I visited were people learning the sport. Some of them were Dartmouth College students, others were children, and some were like myself who had brought their girlfriend along to teach them how to ski. All of these groups of people were confined to the single green trail down the Winslow side of the ski area, with the longer green on the Holt’s Ledge side of the ski area not returning to the bottom of the chairlift.
Due to a recent freeze-thaw cycle, many of the ungroomed trails became skating rinks. Usually, I love it when resorts leave a considerable amount of trails ungroomed, but the weather at the time of visiting did not suit anything but groomers. Even without snowfall in recent days, there were plenty of untouched patches of snow through the trees and on mogul trails that would have been great to ski. The terrain looked fun, and I would be intrigued to return to the Skiway when better conditions persist.
This week, Dartmouth will be hosting the NCAA National Ski Championship Finals where it will hope to re-capture the co-ed Championship title on home soil for the first time since 2007. Throughout the day, racers could be seen off in the distance training on Holt’s Ledge while skiing down the Winslow side of the ski area.
Dartmouth Skiway is a unique place to stop by, especially if you have an Indy Pass where there is no added cost to your visit. The Skiway showcases a long, important history of New England skiing, and when conditions are prime, there is a variety of terrain to enjoy with no one else to compete against it for.
Conditions
Weather Outlook
Photos
For more information, check out Dartmouth Skiway’s website here.
