Pats Peak is an independent

alpine ski ''Alpine Ski'' (アルパイン・スキ一) is an alpine skiing arcade video game released by Taito in 1981. The player controls a skier on a vertically scrolling video game, vertically scrolling course who can move left, right, or increase for ...

resort in

Henniker, New Hampshire Henniker is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 census, the reported total population of the town was 6,185, although the figure, 27.9% greater than the 2010 population, has been questioned by local official ...

, in the United States. The ski area opened in 1963 and has a vertical drop of . It is roughly a 90-minute drive from

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, Massachusetts. The four Patenaude brothers bought the original plot of land for the Peak from their father, Merle Patenaude. It has been owned continuously by the Patenaude family since it opened, with three original owners selling their parts of the land to the fourth. The resort has become a popular destination for

night skiing Night skiing is the sport of skiing or snowboarding after sundown, offered at many ski areas. There are floodlights – with metal halide, LED or magnetic induction lamps – along the piste which allow for better visibility. The night ski ...

Trails and lifts

Most trails are named after winds, such as

Cyclone In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an ant ...

Hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...

, Twister and

Tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...

. The trail network is 50% novice, 21% intermediate, 12% advanced, and 17% expert. ''Ski'' magazine said it has the best slalom skiing terrain in New Hampshire (FIS Race Trail, Expert). The mountain contains two or three (depending on conditions) terrain parks and nine official glades. Pats Peak has an alpine race team in the Central Division of the NHARA racing league. The team encompasses J6, J5, J4, J3, J2, and J1 age groups. The team is mostly coached by volunteers. In the 2013-14 season, Pats Peak opened an expansion on the east side of Craney Hill. Named Cascade Basin, it includes a triple chair lift covering 370 vertical feet. In 2017, Pats Peak installed a used CTEC Triple Chairlift to replace the aging Peak Double Chairlift. The new Peak Triple was formerly the Snowdance Triple at Ascutney Mountain Resort in Vermont. Pats Peak has six chairlifts and two magic carpets. There are also three tows: J-Bar, Beginner Handle, and Park Handle.

References

External links

* {{NHski Buildings and structures in Merrimack County, New Hampshire Ski areas and resorts in New Hampshire Tourist attractions in Merrimack County, New Hampshire Henniker, New Hampshire