New Hampshire, Usa · Epic
Mount Sunapee
232 acres, 66 runs near Newbury. Epic Pass access, Vermont-quality skiing close to Boston.
Season 2025 - 2026
Opens
6 Dec 2025
Closes
5 Apr 2026
Days open
120
Annual snow
8ft
The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Mount Sunapee's summit reaches 2,743 feet, dropping roughly 1,509 vertical feet to a base at 1,234 feet across 66 runs spread over 232 acres near Newbury, New Hampshire. Terrain splits 46 per cent intermediate, 30 per cent beginner, 13 per cent expert and 11 per cent advanced, with average annual snowfall of roughly 99 inches. The resort carries Epic Pass affiliation. Five lifts, including three quad chairs and two triple chairs, serve the mountain alongside three surface lifts.
Mount Sunapee occupies a distinctive place among New Hampshire ski areas as a state park property operated under private lease, a structure that has shaped its development for decades. Its terrain and snowmaking quality have earned it a reputation for offering skiing that feels closer to Vermont's larger resorts despite its New Hampshire location.
Surveys for a tram on Mount Sunapee date to 1940, and in 1941 New Hampshire passed the Mount Sunapee Tramway Bill, envisioning a tram for both sightseeing and skiing. A chairlift to the present-day North Peak was built instead after the Second World War, and the 1948-49 season marks the official inauguration of the Mount Sunapee ski area, which then operated as a state-run resort alongside Cannon Mountain for the next 40 years.
On 1 July 1998, Tim and Diane Mueller, owners of Okemo Mountain Resort in Vermont, acquired the first lease ever granted by New Hampshire to operate Mount Sunapee, with the upfront lease payments funding a total upgrade of state-owned Cannon Mountain. Vail Resorts announced its acquisition of Mount Sunapee, alongside Okemo and Colorado's Crested Butte, in June 2018, purchasing the Muellers' Triple Peaks company for roughly 74 million US dollars in a deal that closed that September. Adult daily tickets run from 89 to 139 US dollars.
1,509ft
Vertical
66
Runs
232 acres
Skiable
8ft
Annual snow
Epic
Pass
The Terrain
66 runs across 232 acres skiable
Mount Sunapee spreads 66 runs across 232 acres skiable of terrain. It leans intermediate at 46%, with 20 beginner runs to find your feet and 16 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
Terrain split
66
runs
66 runs across 4 grades
Beginner20 runs · 30%
Intermediate30 runs · 46%
Advanced7 runs · 11%
Expert9 runs · 13%
Time it right
When to visit Mount Sunapee
The 2025-26 season at Mount Sunapee ran from 6 December 2025 to 5 April 2026, a roughly seventeen-week season supported by average annual snowfall of around 99 inches. Excellent snowmaking, a point of pride for the resort, supplements natural snowfall to maintain consistent, well-groomed conditions throughout the season.
Midwinter, from December through February, typically brings the most consistent conditions to Mount Sunapee's intermediate-and-beginner-weighted terrain. As an Epic Pass resort within the Vail Resorts network, Mount Sunapee draws substantial visitation from Epic Pass holders, supported by its roughly 90-minute drive from Boston, one of the more accessible major resorts for that metropolitan area.
The resort's reputation for Vermont-quality conditions within New Hampshire continues to draw visitors seeking a shorter drive without sacrificing terrain or grooming quality. School holiday periods bring substantial family visitation given the resort's varied terrain and family-friendly amenities. Weekend crowds draw heavily from the greater Boston region.
Specific event programming beyond standard operations is not confirmed in available resort information. Since Vail Resorts' 2018 acquisition, Mount Sunapee has continued operating under its distinctive state park lease structure, a model dating to the Mueller family's landmark 1998 agreement. The resort's blend of state park setting and private operation remains central to its identity each season.
Season 2025 - 2026
6 Dec 2025
Opens
5 Apr 2026
Closes
120
Days open
8 ft
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to Mount Sunapee, and where to stay
Mount Sunapee sits within Mount Sunapee State Park near Newbury, New Hampshire, with a base elevation of 1,234 feet and a summit at 2,743 feet across a roughly 1,509-foot vertical drop over 232 acres. This setting places the resort within a well-established state park roughly 90 minutes from Boston.
Newbury and the broader Lake Sunapee region offer lodging, dining and additional lake-focused recreation within a short drive of the resort. The state park setting itself provides extensive additional outdoor recreation beyond the ski area's boundaries.
Interstate 89 provides convenient access to the resort from both the Boston metropolitan area and points further north in New Hampshire and Vermont. Winter driving conditions on the interstate can include snow and ice, though the well-travelled route is regularly maintained given its role as a major regional corridor. There is no direct public transport service to the mountain.
Manchester-Boston Regional Airport, within a reasonable drive, is among the nearer airports with commercial service, making Mount Sunapee a genuinely convenient option for visitors flying into the region. This combination of accessible highway and air access supports the resort's popularity with the greater Boston market.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Mount Sunapee, powered by Stay22.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
Thredbo Is 'On the Table' as EVT Reviews Its Whole Business
Thredbo is officially 'on the table.' EVT Limited, owner of Australia's most decorated ski resort, has hired Rothschild & Co to review its entire corporate structure - and confirmed Thredbo isn't off limits, even as it books a stronger year of earnings. The resort's own valuation has nearly halved after a brutal 2026 season, and speculation is already running toward Vail Resorts, Alterra, or a New Zealand operator picking it up. Here's what EVT actually said, and who could buy it.
25 Aug 2026
Ski-E-O! Is the Ski Resort Tycoon Game We Didn't Know We Needed
I'm not a gamer. I'm a skier and snowboarder who happens to have a laptop. So when a ski resort management game called Ski-E-O! landed on Steam, I wasn't expecting to lose an afternoon to it - but here we are. Real mountain terrain, a full weather system, storms that roll in and wreck your snow base, avalanche danger, and enough depth to make RollerCoaster Tycoon feel simple by comparison. Early access lands in November. Here's what a few hours in the free demo actually looks like.
23 Aug 2026
Sugar Bowl, California, Rebuilds Its Historic Village Gondola
The rumours are true: Sugar Bowl is tearing out its Emerald gondola, in place since 1983, and replacing it with a new 8-person Doppelmayr system - nearly doubling uphill capacity to 1,800 people an hour. It's the fourth generation of a gondola line that dates back to 1953, when Sugar Bowl became the first resort on the West Coast to run one at all, and it's just one piece of a $100 million overhaul touching lodges, parking and snowmaking. Here's what's changing, and what's staying the same.
23 Aug 2026
Two Confirmed Dead as Search Continues After Swiss Alps Fire
The death toll from Thursday night's fire at Restaurant Beverin in Thusis, Switzerland, has begun to firm up. One Swiss outlet, citing Graubünden Cantonal Police, reports that two of the five people initially reported missing have now been confirmed dead, leaving three unaccounted for. The building's collapsed stairwell and structural instability have slowed recovery efforts throughout. Here's what's changed since the fire broke out, and what's still unconfirmed.
22 Aug 2026
Selwyn Snow Resort Closes Early as Rain Ends Its 2026 Season
Selwyn Snow Resort has called an early end to its 2026 season, a day after Victoria's Mount Baw Baw did the same. Rain on Thursday stripped what was left of the snowpack, and the cold nights needed to rebuild it through snowmaking never arrived. It's a rough result for a resort that only just found its footing again after being burned to the ground in the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires and a multi-year rebuild. Here's how the season fell apart, and where Selwyn's been since the fire.
22 Aug 2026
Mt Baw Baw Becomes First Australian Resort to Close for 2026
Mt Baw Baw is calling time on its 2026 season this Sunday at 5pm, becoming the first Australian resort to close for the year after warm spells and rain wore through its snowpack. Lifts stop, but the resort stays open, entry fees get waived, and there's one last Bollywood Weekend before the lights go out. Fifty-seven days after opening, here's how the season ended and what it means for the rest of Australia's struggling snowpack.
21 Aug 2026
Arosa to Replace 40-Year-Old Hörnli Lifts With New Gondola and Chair
Arosa's Hörnli sector is getting its biggest overhaul in decades. The 1986 gondola and 1994 chairlift linking toward Lenzerheide are both being replaced, with capacity up, tower count down and a new base station lower on the hill. At roughly CHF 67 million, it is the largest single investment Arosa Bergbahnen has ever made - and the target opening has already slipped a year, to December 2028. Here is what is changing, and why the timeline moved.
20 Aug 2026
Sundance Mountain Resort Is Getting a New High-Speed Quad and More Back Mountain Terrain This Winter
Sundance Mountain Resort's back mountain is finally getting a proper lift. The Electric Horseman Express opens for 2026-27, unlocking a new bowl next to Bishop's Bowl and three expert gladed chutes across roughly 105 fresh acres - on top of the Storyteller ridge run that debuted in preview form last season. It's Sundance's biggest expansion since 1985, and it turns a three-lift slog into a single six-minute ride to Bearclaw Summit.
19 Aug 2026
Trail map & terrain
Terrain split
66
runs
Beginner30%
Intermediate46%
Advanced11%
Expert13%
232 acres skiable94 hectares
Resort Stats
Elevation
Base1,234ft
Summit2,743ft
Annual snowfall
8ft
Season
2025 - 2026
6 Dec 2025 - 5 Apr 2026
Trail coverage
66 runs
232 acres (94 ha)
Mount Sunapee ski trails
Mount Sunapee offers 66 runs across a mix of difficulties. The terrain split and trail map here show how the mountain breaks down so you can plan a day that suits your group.
- • Match runs to your ability - the terrain split shows how much of Mount Sunapee is beginner, intermediate and advanced.
- • Check grooming and open-run status against the live conditions before committing to the upper mountain.
- • Early season and after fresh snow, favour the lifts serving your preferred grade to make the most of the day.
More Mount Sunapee intelligence: trail map, lift system, resort overview.