The Shawmut Grill - Swain

I'm going there tomorrow with my fellow boy scouts. I have never skied before and I'm excited but also a little nervous because of the ski lifts. read more I'm going there tomorrow with my fellow boy scouts. I have never skied before and I'm excited but also a little nervous because of the ski lifts.

Mixed feels. The mountain is bigger and more diverse than I originally thought. I had always thought of swain as a mild mountain with not many challenging trail... read more Mixed feels. The mountain is bigger and more diverse than I originally thought. I had always thought of swain as a mild mountain with not many challenging trails. They run some deals throughout the week so they're more affordable than other mountains in the area. However don't accidentally go during school break like I did and quite a few others... All their deals are not running during school holidays... Wish this was more prominent on their website. The woman at the ticket counter was not pleasant and the line to buy tickets was painfully long and slow moving. I was also disappointed with their learn to ski area. I was with a friend who was learning and there wasn't much of a gradual area to learn on. I would definitely recommend taking beginners somewhere else.

Great small ski resort. We went 2/18/23 and it was pure ice (due to weather- not the resorts fault) so we didn't get to see much of it. I spent a decent amount... read more Great small ski resort. We went 2/18/23 and it was pure ice (due to weather- not the resorts fault) so we didn't get to see much of it. I spent a decent amount of time sitting at The Shawmut Grille on the patio in the sun as I've already broken bones skiing on ice so wasn't trying to do that again. The bartender was wonderful, there was a great selection of beers-heavy on the sours, and the food was good! Prices were similar to regular (off ski resort) restaurants which I thought was great! Very nice open patio with fireplaces and Adirondack chairs where you can enjoy the view of the mountain. I'm looking forward to returning if and when we get any snow!

We had a fantastic ski lesson with Sam which was great for my wife who has never skied. Sam was super helpful and patient. I learn some new techniques to improv... read more We had a fantastic ski lesson with Sam which was great for my wife who has never skied. Sam was super helpful and patient. I learn some new techniques to improve my skiing. For a beginner a lot of the runs can be a bit overwhelming, but I enjoyed getting back on the mountain as an intermediate skier. The blues off of Quad 2 and the green off Quad 3 were fun. You'll need a little more experience than first time skier to enjoy those steeper runs. There aren't any super easy beginner only sections, so I would advise you go super early at 9am on a Sunday (1 hour before lesson) at 10am. There's less people early, and more equipment to rent. I think the best run for beginners is on Quad 2, going halfway up. One of the long greens along the top right was way to slow, maybe from the super cold temperatures (10-15°F). We had to really work on pushing ourselves on the slow green. It was a workout. Note: We missed that green the first time and ended up on blues. At that point my wife wasn't with us, but that would have been a little too much for her ability. I'd go back, but I might need to take my wife to another resort to work on basics with a little less steep greens.

Absolutely love this place ! It's not like the other local place. Swain has the whole ski town feel. Bar in town as well as at the resort itself ! Good food, tw... read more Absolutely love this place ! It's not like the other local place. Swain has the whole ski town feel. Bar in town as well as at the resort itself ! Good food, twilight skiing, tons of variation with good staff. The locals need to back off though before otherwise people are going to really attack them for damaging the swain experience