Forest Service Launches Review of Proposed Waterville Valley Expansion
If approved, the expansion would include a gondola, hundreds of acres of new terrain, and two new lodges.
Monday, May 19, 2025, NewEnglandSkiIndustry.com
Waterville Valley is proceeding with the lengthy permitting process to launch the largest expansion in the history of the resort. The White Mountain National Forest has opened a public comment period on the proposal.
Waterville Valley opened the first phase of its Green Peak expansion in 2017, initially served by a refurbished fixed grip triple chairlift. The proposal before the Forest Service calls for a gondola or chondola to be constructed on the east side of the peak, serving all existing Green Peak terrain plus six new novice and intermediate trails and two hundred acres of glades. A 30,000 square foot summit lodge would be constructed on Green Peak, while a 20,000 square base lodge would also serve as a mid-station for a gondola connection to Town Square in Waterville Valley. The new base of Green Peak would also offer limited parking.
The expansion would bring 32 acres of snowmaking terrain to the area and add more than 200 feet to the area's advertised 2,020 foot vertical drop. Residents and guests of Waterville Valley would be able to ride the gondola from Town Square to the summit of Green Peak in about 10 to 15 minutes, reducing the use of vehicles and shuttle buses.
In order to adjust the Special Use Permit for the 333 acre Green Peak ski expansion, Waterville Valley Resort is proposing to convert 387 acres of designated ski expansion land on Snow's Mountain to General Forest Management and Semi-Primitive Non-Motorized Recreation. The resort is also looking to designate 377 acres adjacent to Green Peak for future ski expansion.
According to Waterville Valley Resort, "In order for the Resort to remain competitive in the ski and mountain resort industry, the Resort believes it is essential to respond to growing guest expectations, including quality of on-mountain amenities, convenient ski area access, and varied ski terrain appropriate for all ability levels, which cannot be accomplished with the Resort's existing amenities and infrastructure."
While the long permitting process is on-going, work continues on existing infrastructure. The World Cup T-Bar was recently removed in conjunction with the installation of a new T-Bar on Lower White Caps. New snowmaking lines are also being prepared for installation.
