Nashoba Valley Ski Area

Nashoba Valley Ski Area is a small ski area in Westford, Massachusetts, located at 79 Powers Road. It borders on Littleton, Massachusetts. Operating each winter since its opening in 1964, it has 17 trails, including a variety of terrain. There is also a terrain park that is one of the best in Massachusetts. The area also features a tubing park with 16 runs served by two Poma handle tows and a Sun-Kid Conveyor; this is on the same property, but has a separate entrance on Route 119 in Littleton, Massachusetts.

Nashoba Ski Resort
Nashoba Valley Ski Area
LocationWestford, Massachusetts, US
Nearest major cityBoston, Massachusetts, US
Coordinates42°32′31.11″N 71°26′38.77″W
Vertical240 ft [1]
Top elevation422 ft
Base elevation194 ft
Runs17
Lift system10 lifts: 4 chairlifts, 5 surface
Terrain parks2
WebsiteNashoba Valley Ski Area

History

Nashoba Valley Ski Area opened for its first season in 1964. There were rope tows servicing four slopes. That season was dependent on Mother Nature for snow cover and due to a wet, warm winter, the season only lasted 14 days. The base lodge had a gravel floor and was heated by a pot-bellied stove, and staff had to pack the snow on the slopes with shovels due to a lack of grooming machines.

In the 70s Nashoba started to expand with the purchase of the T-Bar lift in 1972, a double chair in 1977, and a triple in 1978 (The Wardance Triple). Then in the 1986 the "Chief" Triple was added, followed by the "Sundance" triple in 1994. Today Nashoba Valley operates with four chairlifts, two conveyors, and three rope tows for an uphill capacity of 11,600 per hour.

Nashoba Valley was also one of the first areas in the country to allow snowboarding. During the 80s it hosted some of the largest events to date, with names like Jeff Brushie, Jason Ford, and a very young Todd Richards competing.

Nashoba Valley, while being a full-service ski area offering lessons, rentals, skiing, and snowboarding is also host to numerous other activities. Nashoba Valley's snowtubing Park, which opened in 2001, is New England's largest snowtubing facility with two lifts, over 600 snowtubes and up to 16 lanes. The Outlook Restaurant, the on-site restaurant and lounge, offers fine dining and catering year-round. Witch's Woods, New England's Premier Halloween Screampark and Haunted Hayride, operates in October with four attractions plus stage shows, the Jack-O-Lantern Jamboree and more. During the summer months, Nashoba offers a children's day camp, adult summer volleyball league, and a private swim club.

Lifts

The area is served by 4 chairlifts, 4 conveyor lifts, and 3 rope tows. Currently the top is only accessible by the chairlifts, but used to be served by a rope tow powered by an old school bus and a T-Bar. All intermediate and advanced terrain is accessible from any chairlift.

The beginner area, which has the easiest trails goes only about a quarter of the way up the hill, it is served by 3 rope tows and four Sun-Kid conveyor belt lifts. The longest trail is 1400 feet.[2]

Chairlifts

Chief Triple is a Borvig triple chair.

Wardance Triple is a CTEC triple chair, this was built to replace the original rope tow to the top, although the two co-existed for a number of years. Note that the rope-tow was a much faster way to get to the top.

Snowdance Double is a Savio double chair.

Sundance Triple is a CTEC triple chair.

Surface Lifts

Papoose is a Sun-Kid conveyor belt lift which replaces a Gasoline powered rope tow of the same name, which ran about 6 feet to the east of the present lift.

Totem is a Sun-Kid conveyor belt lift located adjacent to Papoose.

Pow Wow is a rope tow, built out of an old dump truck, the rope runs between the double tires, and over old car wheel rims mounted on old telephone poles. The lift was originally powered by the truck's diesel engine, but was later converted to run on an electric motor. This lift has two ropes that run parallel over both truck wheels, and is considered as two separate lifts, however both ropes are powered by the same motor, so they start and stop at the same times.

Peace Pipe is a rope tow built in a similar fashion to the Pow Wow tow, except that it has only one rope.

Lil'Hawk is a Sun-Kid conveyor belt lift, which was originally built at the base of the lift line for the "Tomahawk T-Bar", but was later moved to a location between the bottom terminals of the Snowdance Double and the Sundance Triple.

Tahu is a Sun-Kid conveyor belt lift,this conveyor was brand new for the 2014-2015 season, operating between the beginner area and Nashoba Slope.

Trails

Black Diamonds: Lobo, Warrior, Chief, Bull Run, Wardance Blue Squares: Tomahawk, Big Bow, Dog Leg, Nashoba Slope, Nashoba Glades, Sundance (Usually freestyle terrain), Indian Run, Nashoba Trail Green Circles:(accessible only by tow rope or magic carpet) Papoose, Pow-Wow, Peacepipe, Tahu

Tubing Park

The tubing park is located at a separate entrance at 179 Great Rd, Littleton, MA 01460. The tubing park has 18 lanes serviced by a conveyor and 2 rope tows. The tubing park also has its own lodge and restaurant.

Restaurants

The Outlook at Nashoba

The Outlook Restaurant and Lounge is a ski lounged located at Nashoba Valley Ski Area. It is open seven days a week in the fall, winter and summer. It features floor to ceiling windows overlooking the slopes and a roaring fire in the winter months. During the evenings, there are live bands for bar hours. The restaurant also hosts private functions. There are many events surrounding holidays, such as the New Years Celebration in which fireworks are set off of the ski hill, and a Mother's Day Brunch. The restaurant closes for the spring season and reopens in the summer, along with the Sunset Tiki Bar and Grill, serving as an overflow when it is overcapacity and an indoor option for inopportune weather.

The Sunset Tiki Bar and Grill

The Sunset Tiki Bar and Grill is another family-friendly restaurant attached to the Nashoba Valley Ski area. It opens in late may for the duration of the summer. The restaurant sits on a deck alongside a pond and sand beach area. There is a lifeguard on duty for children to swim and there are tables in the sand to enjoy food and drinks. A beach stage sits on the deck for evening entertainment of local bands' live music. There is a main bar that is always open, as well as a satellite bar for the busier nights. Towards the end of the season, the restaurant hosts events such as Lobster Fest and the Pig N' Pepper Festival.

Hours

The restaurant opens at 5 PM for dinner. During the day, private functions are held under the tents and semi-private functions are held during the evening while the restaurant is open. After 9 PM, it is 21+ and the bar is open until 1 AM. Dinner is served until 10 PM Monday-Wednesday and until 11 PM Thursday-Saturday. The restaurant is not open on Sundays, besides the exception of occasional private functions.

Theme Nights

During weeknights, there are weekly themes. There are special discounts on the menu items pertaining to the theme.

Monday: Family Night

Tuesday: Ragin' Cajun and Karaoke

Wednesday: Mexican Fiesta

Thursday: Lobsterfest

See also

References

  1. Nashoba Valley Ski Reports, Snow Conditions and Weather - SnoCountry Mountain Reports
  2. "Trail Maps & Stats". www.skinashoba.com. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
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