Wildcat Mountain
225 acres, 48 runs in Pinkham Notch. Epic Pass access, spectacular Mount Washington views.
Season 2025 - 2026
Opens
6 Dec 2025
Closes
5 Apr 2026
Days open
120
Annual snow
9ft
The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Wildcat Mountain's summit reaches 4,059 feet, dropping 2,112 vertical feet to a base at 1,949 feet across 48 runs spread over 225 acres in Pinkham Notch, New Hampshire. Terrain splits 46 per cent intermediate, 33 per cent advanced and 21 per cent beginner, with no expert-rated runs, and average annual snowfall of roughly 103 inches. The resort carries Epic Pass affiliation. Five lifts, including one quad chair and three double chairs, serve the mountain alongside one surface lift.
Wildcat Mountain is renowned for offering some of the most spectacular views in the Northeast, with the summit looking directly across Pinkham Notch to Mount Washington, the highest peak in the northeastern United States. This dramatic outlook, combined with the resort's considerable 2,112-foot vertical drop, gives Wildcat a genuinely scenic and challenging character among White Mountains resorts.
The resort's founders, George Macomber, Brooks Dodge, Malcolm McLane and William 'Mack' Beal Jr, first envisioned Wildcat while sitting on Lunch Rocks in nearby Tuckerman Ravine during the 1950s, looking across Route 16 at a trail originally cut by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933. Macomber and Dodge had each raced on two US Olympic teams, McLane brought legal expertise, and Beal contributed experience in forestry, development and banking, a genuinely well-rounded founding team that opened Wildcat Mountain Ski Area in 1957.
On 25 January 1958, Wildcat became the first ski area in North America to install a gondola lift, a landmark achievement in American lift technology. In 2019, Wildcat and its sister resort Attitash were purchased by Vail Resorts, bringing both mountains into the Epic Pass network. Adult daily tickets run from 89 to 139 US dollars.
2,113ft
Vertical
48
Runs
225 acres
Skiable
9ft
Annual snow
Epic
Pass
The Terrain
48 runs across 225 acres skiable
Wildcat Mountain spreads 48 runs across 225 acres skiable of terrain. It leans intermediate at 46%, with 10 beginner runs to find your feet and 16 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
Terrain split
48
runs
48 runs across 4 grades
Beginner10 runs · 21%
Intermediate22 runs · 46%
Advanced16 runs · 33%
Expert0 runs · 0%
Time it right
When to visit Wildcat Mountain
The 2025-26 season at Wildcat Mountain ran from 6 December 2025 to 5 April 2026, a roughly seventeen-week season supported by average annual snowfall of around 103 inches. Wildcat markets itself as offering one of the longest ski seasons in New Hampshire, aided by its considerable elevation and reliable natural snow.
Midwinter, from December through February, typically brings the most consistent conditions to Wildcat's intermediate-and-advanced-weighted terrain, with spectacular views across Pinkham Notch to Mount Washington throughout. As an Epic Pass resort within the Vail Resorts network, Wildcat draws substantial visitation from Epic Pass holders alongside visitors specifically seeking its dramatic mountain scenery.
The resort's genuinely challenging terrain profile, with no beginner-only easy option beyond its 21 per cent beginner share, tends to draw a more experienced skier base relative to some White Mountains competitors. School holiday periods bring some family visitation, though the mountain's character skews toward intermediate and advanced skiers seeking Mount Washington views. Weekend crowds draw heavily from the greater Boston and southern New England region.
Specific event programming beyond standard operations is not confirmed in available resort information. Since Vail Resorts' 2019 acquisition alongside sister resort Attitash, Wildcat has continued operating as part of the Epic Pass network, building on nearly seven decades of history dating to its 1957 founding. The mountain's dramatic Pinkham Notch setting remains central to its seasonal appeal.
Season 2025 - 2026
6 Dec 2025
Opens
5 Apr 2026
Closes
120
Days open
9 ft
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to Wildcat Mountain, and where to stay
Wildcat Mountain sits in Pinkham Notch, New Hampshire, directly across from Mount Washington, with a base elevation of 1,949 feet and a summit at 4,059 feet across a 2,112-foot vertical drop over 225 acres. This dramatic setting gives Wildcat some of the most spectacular mountain views in the Northeast.
Jackson and North Conway, both within a reasonable drive, offer the nearest substantial lodging, dining and services, with the broader Mount Washington Valley region surrounding the resort. Pinkham Notch itself, part of the White Mountain National Forest, offers extensive additional hiking and outdoor recreation immediately adjacent to the ski area.
New Hampshire State Route 16 runs directly past the resort through Pinkham Notch, providing straightforward access from both the north and south. Winter driving conditions through the notch can include snow and ice, particularly given the area's elevation and exposure, though the well-travelled route is regularly maintained. There is no direct public transport service to the mountain.
Specific nearest commercial airport details are not confirmed in available resort information, though Wildcat's White Mountains location keeps it within a reasonable drive of the greater Boston metropolitan area's major airports for visitors travelling from further afield.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Wildcat Mountain, powered by Stay22.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
Mount Buller Becomes Latest Australian Resort to Call Time Early on 2026
Mount Buller closes out its 2026 season this Sunday, joining Falls Creek, Hotham and Charlotte Pass in a cluster of closures landing almost simultaneously and roughly a month ahead of schedule. The culprit is stark: Spencers Creek's benchmark snow depth hit 31.2cm on 3 September, just 18% of the 73-year average and an all-time low for this point in the season. Six of Victoria and NSW's best-known resorts will have shut their lifts early within a span of about two and a half weeks.
4 Sept 2026
Tremblant to Add New Timber Summit Ski Sector for 2027/28 Season
Tremblant has confirmed a major expansion of its Quebec ski area, with a new Timber Summit sector adding 62 acres of terrain, eight trails and a high-speed quad chairlift for winter 2027/28. It's part of a CAD 42.5 million investment that also includes a new beginner learning zone at Versant Soleil opening this coming season. The project has grown considerably since it was first announced back in 2020, when it carried a far smaller budget and an opening date that never eventuated.
2 Sept 2026
Mount Hotham to Close for the 2026 Season on Sunday, September 6
We knew when the Bird Bath Pond Skim showed up on Hotham's Instagram that the season was on its way out. It's been a rough one - I only managed two days on snow all year, at Falls Creek - and now Baw Baw, Selwyn and Hotham have all called it, possibly the worst Australian season I've seen in a decade. Hotham's last day of lift operations is Sunday, 6 September, with a Retro Day, Father's Day après and closing sales before the lifts stop turning for good.
1 Sept 2026
Thredbo to Replace Ageing Gunbarrel Quad With New Six-Seat Chairlift for 2028
Thredbo Alpine Resort has confirmed plans to replace its 37-year-old Gunbarrel quad chairlift with a new six-seat Doppelmayr D-Line, targeting winter 2028. The AUD 35 million project will keep travel time roughly the same but lift capacity from 2,800 to 3,000 skiers per hour. It's part of a broader investment push that also includes doubled snowmaking capacity at Friday Flat for 2027, with the ageing Kosciuszko Express now flagged as the resort's next major lift replacement after Gunbarrel.
31 Aug 2026
Aerial Tram Collides With Crane at Alpe d'Huez: 23 Injured
An aerial tram carrying around fifty passengers struck the boom of a construction crane on the route to Pic Blanc at Alpe d'Huez on Wednesday morning, injuring 23 people, three seriously. The cabin tipped on impact before the operator reversed it to right the car. Most of the injured were treated on site, with five taken to hospital in Grenoble, including a pregnant woman assessed as a precaution.
28 Aug 2026
Why Glaciers Are Collapsing - And What Happens When They Do
A deadly flood on the Nepal-China border, a decade-old tragedy on Italy's Marmolada, and an unstable glacier right now above a village near Zermatt - three very different mountain ranges, the same underlying story. Warming ice is destabilising terrain that was considered settled for generations, and the results range from catastrophic floods to slow-motion monitoring situations that could go either way.
27 Aug 2026
Pitztal Glacier Set to Reopen for the 2026/27 Ski Season on 26 September
Tyrol's highest ski area is gearing up to open a full month ahead of most of the Alps. The Pitztal Glacier is scheduled to start its 2026/27 season on Saturday 26 September, running through to 2 May 2027, with the lower-altitude Rifflsee area following in December. High-altitude terrain up to 3,440 metres gives the glacier a head start on snow, though as always, the actual opening extent will depend on how September's weather plays out. Early online ski pass bookings can save up to 30%.
26 Aug 2026
Unstable Glacier Above Randa Puts Zermatt-Area Village on Alert
A hanging glacier above the Swiss village of Randa, just south of Zermatt, has been shedding large chunks of ice for weeks, with authorities warning more break-offs are likely. A danger zone has been closed off since June, though officials say the village's 479 residents aren't at risk. It's a familiar pattern for this glacier - it's done this before, in 1819, 1972 and 1973 - but a reminder of how closely Alpine authorities now watch terrain once considered stable.
26 Aug 2026
Wildcat Mountain Webcams
3 live angles across the mountain. Tap any camera to go full-screen.
About Wildcat Mountain's live webcams
Check live conditions across Wildcat Mountain with 3 real-time webcams showing snow, weather, and lift operations, updated every 10 minutes. Check high-elevation cams for powder visibility and base-area cams for crowd levels before you head up.
Camera guide
- Wildcat Snowstake3,294ft
- Track precise snowfall accumulation through this essential Wildcat Mountain webcam focused on the official snow stake at 1004 meters elevation. This Wildcat live snow cam provides real-time snow depth measurements and fresh powder updates throughout the day, positioned in the heart of challenging expert terrain. Perfect for powder hunters planning their approach to New Hampshire's steepest vertical drop, this Wildcat webcam delivers accurate snow data needed to time your visit for optimal skiing conditions on these legendary Mount Washington Valley slopes facing the Presidential Range.
- Wildcat Base Area1,946ft
- Monitor the pulse of Mount Washington Valley skiing through this strategic Wildcat Mountain webcam at the main base area at 593 meters elevation. This Wildcat live cam provides real-time views of gondola operations, guest arrivals, and current snow conditions where your vertical adventure begins. Essential for assessing crowd levels and weather before tackling New Hampshire's most challenging terrain, this Wildcat web cam helps expert skiers plan their visit to this iconic Pinkham Notch resort, offering instant visibility into base area activity with stunning Mount Washington views.
- Base Lodge1,946ft
- Experience the welcoming atmosphere at Wildcat's main hub through this essential Wildcat Mountain webcam at the Base Lodge at 593 meters elevation. This Wildcat Mountain live cam captures lodge operations, skier preparation, and the dramatic mountain backdrop that defines this legendary resort. Perfect for checking amenities and current conditions, this live snow cam helps visitors plan their day at New Hampshire's most dramatic ski destination, showcasing the proximity to Mount Washington and the unique character that has made Wildcat an expert skier's paradise since 1958.
Wildcat Mountain snow cams FAQ
How often do Wildcat Mountain snow cams update?
All Wildcat Mountain snow cams and webcams update every 10 minutes with fresh images showing current mountain conditions. This frequent update schedule ensures you have access to near real-time conditions for planning your ski day at Wildcat Mountain.
Which Wildcat Mountain webcam shows the best powder conditions?
The high-elevation Wildcat Snowstake webcam at 1,004m provides the clearest view of powder conditions and snowfall. These Wildcat Mountain webcams capture fresh snow accumulation and visibility better than base area cameras.
Can I see Wildcat Mountain lift queues on the webcams?
Yes. Multiple Wildcat Mountain snow cams specifically show lift queue areas and chairlift operations, helping you time your arrival and avoid peak queue periods.
When is the best time to check Wildcat Mountain snow cams?
Check Wildcat Mountain webcams early morning (7-8am) for overnight snowfall assessment, and mid-afternoon for current crowd levels and weather. The live cams are most useful after storm events to assess fresh powder.
How can I check current conditions before buying Wildcat Mountain lift tickets?
Use our Wildcat Mountain webcams alongside the live snow report to assess conditions before purchasing lift tickets. The webcams show real-time visibility, snow quality, and operational status.
Do Wildcat Mountain webcams work on mobile devices?
Yes. All Wildcat Mountain snow cams and webcams are optimized for mobile viewing, so you can check live conditions from anywhere using your phone or tablet.
More Wildcat Mountain intelligence: snow report, lift tickets, trail map, resort overview.