NH ski areas gear up for new season

Gunstock Mountain Resort took delivery of this and another Prinoth snow groomer, supplied by an expanded Prinoth distribution and maintenance facility in Concord. The new groomer is one of many improvements that Gunstock, and other ski areas, are making in anticipation of the upcoming season. (Courtesy photo)

New Hampshire’s ski areas are revving up for the upcoming season. Literally, in some cases.

Among the improvements at the publicly owned Gunstock Mountain Resort, which hopes to open Dec. 5, are new snow groomers from Prinoth in Concord. New groomers from the company were also delivered in recent weeks to Waterville Valley and Ragged Mountain.

Prinoth has become the go-to groomer supplier for several ski areas in New Hampshire and the Northeast, along with cross-country venues and North Country snowmobile trails.

“From a support perspective, we just really couldn’t beat that,” said Robert Drake, in his second season as general manager of the Belknap County-owned Gunstock Mountain. “Here at Gunstock, we do everything we can to support our local economy, and they’re obviously contributing to that local economy.”

With a new purchased machine and one that he is demoing from Pinroth, Drake said he is looking forward to seeing what kind of corduroy these diesel-powered groomers will lay down on the Gunstock terrain.

“Here in New England, grooming is critical,” said Drake. “If we don’t have good grooming, our guests certainly feel that.”

Mark Palmateer, regional manager for Prinoth, said its tiller, which operates at the rear of the groomer and grinds, flattens and creates the distinctive pattern on the snow, makes a slightly different quality corduroy than its competitors.

“It’s generally softer, a little bit more forgiving,” he said.

For some discerning skiers, according to Drake, it may come down to a matter of taste.

“There are people who swear by the Prinoth surface, and there are others who swear by the Pistenbully surface,” said Drake, citing another of the snow grooming machine companies. “It’s really just a matter of taste. Some people like to ski Head skis, some people like to ski Atomics.”

Prinoth, which had been located in Gilmanton, opened its new expanded regional distribution center in Concord in June 2023. It sells and services the machines manufactured and assembled in Quebec and Italy.

The larger facility gives them room to service up to 10 machines (compared to three before), and the location gives them ready access to Interstate 93 and Interstate 89 — New Hampshire’s snow country.

“Moving to Concord made sense, logistically close to the highways, easily accessible from both Vermont and northern New Hampshire and Maine,” said Palmateer. “For trying to take care of skiers and snowmobile clubs, it’s a very good location.”

Waterville Valley, Ragged Mountain and Gunstock have all taken deliveries of new groomers in the past couple of weeks, adding to the Prinoth customers that already include McIntyre, Attitiash, King Pine, Pats Peak, Cannon, Sunapee, and the state of New Hampshire.

According to Ski New Hampshire, the trade group that represents the local winter industry, six ski areas have added new lifts to provide faster and more efficient uphill access — Bretton Woods, Pats Peak, Waterville have added chairlifts, while Whaleback is adding a new surface lift, and “magic carpets” for King Pine and Loon.

The iconic tram at Cannon was taken out of service in October for the upcoming ski season and beyond as the state proceeds with a replacement project.

Snowmaking, an integral component to a ski area’s operation here, has also been enhanced at Loon, Bretton Woods, Gunstock, Ragged, Tenney Mountain, Jackson XC, and Great Glen Trails.

“Winter is a vital part of New Hampshire’s culture and economy,” said Jessyca Keeler, president of Ski New Hampshire, which represents the interests of more than 30 alpine and cross-country resorts in the Granite State, “and the investments our member ski areas have made this year reflect that importance. These upgrades not only enhance the skiing and riding experience, but also strengthen the communities that depend on winter tourism.”

Ragged Mountain has been sold to a group of local investors, each with ties to the Danbury resort.

The new owners, who call themselves SF Mountain Co. LLC, plan to first concentrate on employee retention and getting the mountain ready for the upcoming season. They’ll honor all previous pass arrangements and look toward future improvements, including how to make the mountain more of a year-round destination.

Ragged had been run by the same management group that operates Jay Peak in Vermont – Pacific Group Resorts.

The upcoming season is not without its challenges.

Whaleback Mountain in Enfield continues to struggle with its need for a new chair lift. Its main chair — its only lift access to the summit — shut down last season with gearbox issues and owners are trying to assemble the funds for its repair.

They plan to open this season using its T-bar, magic carpet, and rope tow, plus a recently announced new surface lift that will service the race hill and other trails. But without access to the summit significant revenue loss is anticipated and they’ve made a fundraising appeal to the public.

In the fall, Black Mountain in Jackson hailed the completion of new ownership in a joint venture of The Indy Pass and Entabeni Systems. Their goal is to convert the ski area into a community co-op, making it the oldest ski area in New Hampshire the first co-op-owned ski area in the United States.

New and wider trails along with improved snowmaking are among the new features skiers and riders can expect at Black when it opens, which has not been announced just yet but what mountain owners say they hope will be its earliest opening yet.

Meanwhile, the mountain is in a tussle with town of Jackson officials over liquor sales. A disagreement over the sale of alcohol at its mid-station Alpine Cabin escalated with the town revoking the liquor license for the property, which includes both the cabin and the base lodge. The ski area has sued in federal court, claiming the action was both “malicious, and unconstitutional.”

Ski NH will hold its winter kick off event on Dec. 8 at the McIntyre Ski Area in Manchester, with presentations expected from Keeler, and representatives from the N.H. Division of Travel & Tourism and the Mount Washington Observatory.

Past season projections put the economic value of the winter season here at $1.6 billion, spent by some three million people.