Waterville Valley Resort Ski – Site of Freestyle World Cup

PHOTO: The World Cup returned to Waterville Valley Resort on January 24th & 25th for the Toyota Waterville Freestyle Cup. The event is held on Lower Bobby’s Run and the arena is accessible by the Valley Run Quad or a hike from the main lodge. Waterville Valley is recognized as the birthplace of Freestyle, the first to offer freestyle instruction and the first to host a freestyle competition the “National Championships of Exhibition Skiing” way back in 1971. [Photo of Lower Bobby’s Run courtesy of Waterville Valley]

by Amy Patenaude
Outdoor/Ski Writer

Hooray! A very White Christmas arrived for all winter sports enthusiasts. Snow blanketed New Hampshire anywhere between a dusting to 8 inches just in time. Cold temperatures were welcome by the ski areas and Nordic centers so they could continue to make lots of snow and open more trails every day.
The day before the snowstorm I met Bria at noon at Waterville Valley and it was 12 degrees at the base. Thankfully It had warmed up from the minus nine I had woken up to that morning. The clouds were high above the mountains and dark looking like perhaps it would snow.
We bundled up to keep warm. I am still trying to get used to the cold weather. Bria wore a puffy underneath her ski jacket and I wore a down vest under mine for added insulation. Neck gaiters and a band to cover my ears under my helmet worked well to keep me comfortable.

The joke is that there is no bad weather, just unsuitable clothing! We were dressed right so we enjoyed the splendid winter day.
Waterville Valley’s Tecumseh Express six person high-speed bubble chairlift is especially nice on a chilly day. When we pulled the bubble down it really blocked the wind and the chair’s seats were very comfortable too.
When we glided off the lift we could see that the High Country T-bar was running and that the Schwendi Hutte was open. The view to the south we saw the sun’s beautiful bright orange glow but the nearby 4,000 footer peaks stood out starkly in the cold darker conditions. Tecumseh, Osceola and Tripyramids summits looked so close and near.

We took a ride up the T-bar to the top of High Country and enjoyed the grand mountain views before we jumped into the boardercross course. It is cool that the course is open for all who dare experience the thrill of riding the high banked corners and the fun rolling wave terrain. Bria really liked going high up the berm and zooming around the turns.
The youngsters were wrapping up their GS training too and we watched the coaches remove the race gates as we rode the lift up a second time. From there we skied all the way to the base, that’s 2,000 feet of vertical! We skied past the terrain park on Lower Periphery; those jumps and rails are too much for us but a dozen or so were happy to play in the park.

A lot of people were out skiing and snowboarding but the liftline never got longer than a minute or two and the trails never felt crowded. Youngsters were race training up on High Country. Parents with their children were on the gentler Valley Run. Bria and I really enjoyed skiing Upper Bobby’s Run; the trail’s steep terrain and loose snow made for fun fast turning.
We were impressed how good the snow conditions were and how they held up the whole day. Over half the mountain’s terrain was open. We could see and hear the snow guns blasting away on soon to be open trails. One snow gun sounded like a Tuba when ice had formed on the gun’s head. Later we saw men hitting the ice off with a hand tool.

Waterville Valley is the birthplace of Freestyle Skiing when in 1970 it hosted the first ariels, moguls and ballet competitions. The World Cup returns for the second year in a row with the 2025 Toyota Waterville Freestyle Cup. The event will be held on Lower Bobby’s Run–January 24th & 25th. The best skiers from all over the world will compete in the duel mogul competition–racing down the bumps and flying off jumps. This is an exciting sport to watch.
Spectator tickets are available now on-line at Waterville.com/2025-world-cup or you can just google Waterville Freestyle World Cup and it will pop right up.
Friday qualifying rounds are held for Saturday’s competition. Friday night is a chance to meet athletes for autographs, enjoy live music and watch the Bib Draw followed by fireworks at 7:30pm. Saturday’s World Cup preliminary rounds start at 10:30 am and the final round of 16 is scheduled to be held at 2 pm.
On-Snow Volunteers positions are still being filled, ski/snowboarder ability must be intermediate to expert, sign-up on-line if you’re interested in helping out.
Happy New Year and Have Fun.