Ragged Mountain Resort — Attraction in Danbury

COVID: Single Skiers Beware

First of all let me start by saying that Ragged is a very nice mountain to ski at. In comparison with Mount Sunapee, Ragged is let's say half a star nicer. It has about 10 trails less than Sunapee but Ragged's trails are more spacious and they get better separation between the different difficulty levels. I do prefer the main huge parking lot at Sunapee compared to the smaller parking lots at Ragged which by the way still have plenty of space but feel a bit messier to drive across. Now, let me explain you why I am taking a star out of my initial 4 stars rating. Last Sunday was my first time at Ragged. Before I purchased my ticket, I researched their entire website to find out the answer to only one question: Can single riders (skiers or snowboarders) ride Ragged's lifts by themselves? No answer to be found under their 'Covid19 Info' section, nothing under the 'Mountain Blog' , nothing under 'Mountain Safety', nor under 'Mountain Info'. So, I went ahead and purchased my ticket because I assumed single riders could ride by themselves. After all, their 'Winter Expectations Video' was very clear about their push to use face masks. However when I got there, their lift signs were very unclear and confusing about single riders. If you look at the picture I am posting, you can see how opened to interpretation their sign is. It shows a row with two single riders on the same chair with an empty space in between them and below, a single rider by him or herself in the middle of the chair. Now, 'singles' are painted black and 'same family or household' are orange and 'same party or carload' are blue. The way I read it is that 'single' (black) riders are NOT from the 'same family or household' (orange) nor are they from the 'same party or carload' (blue). The problem is that this confusing sign leaves room to the interpretation of their guests (lift riders) who are about to board their chair and therefore, you are at the mercy or mood of the guest who is behind you in line to decide if he or she wants to jump on your chair or not. Granted, I was not forced to ride with other people. However, if somebody jumps next to you over the waiting line, you have to either ask them to wait or ask the lift operator to stop the lift if that other guest jumped ahead to join you once when you are already waiting on the 'Wait Here' line next to the operator who is about to help you sit on your chair. You get the picture how inconvenient that is and how rude the other guest/s might think you are. Ski resorts are not mandated to request their guests a negative COVID test before they let them in their premises. I am a NH resident, but at least half the cars at Ragged have out of state plates (mainly from Massachusetts, state with almost 8 times more COVID cases than New Hampshire). If you are sitting next to a stranger who is NOT from your 'same family or household' nor from your 'same party or carload', you are simply taking a chance of getting COVID. Dozens of times a day, you travel 4 to 6 minutes on a chair sitting just a few feet apart next to this random stranger guest from any state or country in the world who may or may not carry the disease with them. It gets worse if you get to sit next to a sneezing skier and you have no idea why he or she's sneezing. Is it just an allergy? You really have no way of knowing. What are you supposed to do if they remove their masks mid ride? Ask them to get their masks back on their faces? Good luck with that. In conclusion, I wish Ragged had a straight up answer on their website about this to quickly learn if their single riders can ride their lifts by themselves or not. Again, right now if you are a single rider you are just at the mercy or goodwill of the other guests behind you and how 'they' interpret their very confusing 'Loading Procedure' sign. Specially overexcited kids. And yes, according to the CDC, kids can...

My first ever skiing experience at Ragged Mountain Ski Resort was a whirlwind of excitement and mishaps. From spilling my water bottle all over the floor of the lodge to tumbling down the bunny slope, it was a day full of adventures. Despite the initial challenges, I eventually got the hang of it and started skiing the green trails consistently well. However, one particular fall was memorable – it was really bad, and I ended up barreling down the mountain at high speed after losing control, leaving me breathless and exhilarated. However, some of my more experienced ski buddies sure did get a kick out of it. As I passed one of my friends down the slope, all he heard was a whizzing noise and all he saw was a blur go past him. Not realizing it was me at first, he assumed it was a professional skier until he approached me after my wipeout and burst out laughing. Another friend was gasping for air, laughing hysterically about the incident on the ride back home. Though I am fortunate to have escaped without injury, all of us will look back on that moment for a good laugh for many years to come. Overall, it was an unforgettable day filled with chills, thrills, and spills, and I can't wait to hit the...

BEWARE: this mountain does not make good when the lift isn’t working. We bought tickets online morning of. When we arrived, only the smallest lift serving the beginner area was running despite the website advertising 17 trails open. When we inquired we were told the only thing they could do was a voucher only good for this season (not helpful given we travelled to the area and did not plan to come back this season). All we got were shoulder shrugs. So, we wasted a day driving out so that the women in the office could argue with us about how we shouldn’t have been able to buy tickets day of (totally irrelevant to the problem). The website lied and no one seemed to care in the slightest. The attitude and demeanor gave a strong impression that this is their standard practice. Do nothing to help inform people a head of time, no signs or info posted, just take people’s money and then give them the runaround despite the situation being a clearly cut issue with their lift. With so many other options in this area why give your money to people with so little regard for you and your time? We will not be returning...