Great Escapes: Great Escape: Attitash Resort

When you enter the Mount Washington Valley, look for a small town with just one traffic light. Here, in the tiny village of Bartlett, New Hampshire, you'll find a giant-sized summer attraction: the alpine slide at Attitash.

Riding the slide starts with a trip on the lift. It takes you up the mountain to an elevation of 1,700 feet.

That's where you pick up your sled and learn the rules of the ride.

You push forward to go, you pull back toward to you stop and slow down. There's no racing no bumping no stopping no switching the tracks.

Anticipation builds as you wait for your turn on the 8/10 of a mile slide, the longest alpine slide on the continent.

I start off slowly, but by the time I reach the first curve, there's no stopping me.

"Its pretty much up to you how fast you want to go on the alpine slide. You're in control with the center brake there. Some people definitely push the envelope, other people take it a little more timid," Alex Kaufman of Attitash Resort said.

When you take your time, you get in on some gorgeous views, but there's nothing like the rush you get from going as fast as you can. You'll feel like you're on an Olympic luge or bobsled as you scream through the twists and turns.

"It was amazing, like I can't believe they can build something like this," 10-year-old tourist Amanda Ferreira said/

Built 30 years ago, you just can't get enough of this "oldie but goodie."

"Once is never enough. It's a long line, but its worth the wait," tourist Mike Marx said.

"It's a family vacation and we bought a pass for the whole day," tourist Mark Damon said.

The pass lets you beat the heat on the waterslides, chill out at Buddy Bear's Playpool, and jump on the trampoline thing. Plus, you can test your skills on the climbing wall, relax on the scenic sky ride, hit the trail with your mountain bike, and of course, take unlimited rides on the alpine slide.

"Its $29, it's good all day, it's really great for families," Kaufman said.

Boston to Bartlett and back, 297 miles.

Attitash Resort

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