Loon Magazine | Winter 2015/16

ARTISTS’ POINTS OF VIEW

HOURS OF ESCAPE LINCOLNWOODSTOCK

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WINTER 2015/16 Who is your favorite artist? * EDITOR Molly Mahar VP Marketing * Jamie Wyeth American Flag

MANAGING EDITOR Greg Kwasnik Communications Manager * Edgar Degas PRODUCTION MANAGER Kevin Bell Marketing Manager * Bill Bell (my grandfather) ART DIRECTOR Bart King Senior Graphic Designer * Edward Hopper CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Heather Burke, Greg Kwasnik CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Rob Bossi, Greg Burke, Alyssa Greenberg, Matt Hinkley, Bart King, Greg Kwasnik, Cole Martin, Jeremy Mayhew, Gus Noffke, Tim Zimmerman ILLUSTRATIONS David Steigerwald, Scott McCurdy ADVERTISING SALES Dyke Shaw TransCoast Media dyke@transcoastmedia.com Twitter: @loonmtn Instagram: @loonPOV @loonparksNH Facebook.com/loonmtn /loonparksNH Blog.LoonMtn.com PUBLISHED BY Loon Mountain Resort 60 Loon Mountain Road Lincoln, NH 03251 A Boyne Resort LoonMtn.com | 800-229-LOON 603-745-8111

ON THE COVER The smoke from Loon’s iconic woodfired steam train conjures images of Loon’s three peaks.

by Molly Mahar, age 2 Courtesy: JB Collection

Art, broadly defined, is everywhere around us. More than sketchbooks or paint on a canvas, around here, art is the welcome you feel. The snow that sparkles underfoot. The rime ice that forms on trees and lift towers.

The arc of a carved turn. The tang of a perfectly-seasoned pulled pork sandwich.

A sequence of elements in the park. And the way your beer tastes when enjoyed with friends at the end of a satisfying day.

ART ///

n. 1. the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination. 2. the various branches of creative activity, such as painting, music, literature, and dance. 3. a skill at doing a specified thing, typically one acquired through practice. syn skill, craft, cunning, technique, knack, facility, ability, know-how.

We see art in nature and also at the hand of an artist. Like beauty, it’s often defined in the eye of the beholder: what is art to one person may not be regarded as such by another. And we’ve all taken part in that timeless debate: is it art, or science?

Snowmaking is a great example. There’s knowing how to do it and understanding the science that makes it work. Nature plays a part in it, too. But it’s the passion of the snowmaker and the judgement they bring that informs the fine adjustments they make to suit the weather conditions. And it’s their years of experience that elevate it to an art form.

Mostly, though, it’s their passion. They do what they do in a way that makes it look easy and inspires admiration. So, while it’s definitely science, there’s a lot of art involved, too.

We dedicate this issue to many types of artists, defined both traditionally and broadly, who all draw their inspiration from the rugged beauty of Loon and the surrounding mountains. They are here because they want to be here, and they express their art in many different ways: through paint on a canvas; by the way they rake snow in a terrain park; how they capture the perfect action image with a camera; the way they sculpt a ski boot to fit your foot perfectly; or the way they mold a beginner into a lifelong skier.

The artists profiled in this magazine strive to do things better all the time for their own enjoyment and for the enjoyment of those around them. Like them, be sure to revel in the art–however you define it–that surrounds you. And if you ever need some inspiration, the mountains are here for you.

–Molly Mahar Editor

Illustration by Scott McCurdy

Products with a Mixed Sources label support the development of responsible forest management worldwide. The wood comes from FSC certified well-managed forests, company-controlled sources and/or post-consumer reclaimed material. Go to fscus.org for more information.

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WINTER 2015-16

Illustration: Paul & Babe by Kirsten Carruth

Contents

All About the People

FEATURES

[30]

Photo-Ready Reality Wax on, wax off. Our terrain park crew waxes poetic about the fine art of building the East Coast’s biggest and best terrain parks.

[36]

Different Strokes Meet four artists who call Loon home as well as muse, and discover what inspires them.

[44]

[7] [7] Pack Like a Pro Our Resort Hosts school us in the art– and science–of packing for a day at the mountain.

[9] Ask a Passholder Where can you find first tracks? Where’s the best place to grab lunch? Three longtime season passholders drop some inside knowledge on us.

48 Hours

[11] Queen of Clean

Follow Heather and Greg Burke as they spend a couple days discovering what Loon has to offer–on and off the slopes.

Meet Doreen Day, a super nice lady and Loon’s undisputed custodial superhero.

[30] [36] [44]

Art of Winter Athleticism 101

Eating & Drinking

[14] Snowsports

[19] Mountain Dining

Learn about this winter’s innovative lineup of ski and snowboard lessons, camps, and clinics.

Our chef de cuisine, Steve Bromley, on his favorite food & places at Loon.

[24] [22]

[22] Beneath the Surface Loon’s snowmaking manager answers our burning questions about the world’s coldest profession.

Carpet to [24] Red Magic Carpet

[20] Blue Ox Bloody

[28] #IChooseLoon: Mary Patstone

Follow fashion photographer Alyssa Greenberg as she ditches haute couture for an on-piste, learn-to-ski adventure.

Loon is more than first tracks and gondola laps for Mary Patstone, a longtime season passholder who’s devoted her career to adaptive sports.

[49] If the Boot Fits...

Need a pick-me-up after a legendary Saturday night at the Bunyan Room?

Our legendary Sunday Bloody Mary bar, Bloody Mary Mornings, is here to help.

Play, Stay...Find Your Way

The Other Seasons

Off-Screen Entertainment

[42] Event Calendar

[26] Monster Mud Run

[50] Kids’ DIY

[53] Lodging Guide

[27] Four Seasons

Your guide to a winter of fun events, innovative competitions, excellent music, and other ways to have fun in the cold.

Find where to stay to make your next visit even more special.

[56] Trail Map

Because it’s nice to know where you’re at!

Put your feet in the hands of our master bootfitters, and you just might find your sole mate. Swipe right if you’re interested.

Every July, hundreds of runners descend on Loon Mountain for the mythicallyfilthy Monster Mud Run. Enjoy.

Learn about Loon’s year-round adventures, from the Aerial Forest Adventure Park to New Hampshire’s longest scenic Gondola Skyride.

Connect-the-dots, tic-tac-toe, and more! .

[58] [58] Riddle Me This

Get the history behind the baffling riddle hanging above the fireplace in Loon’s Gondola Barn.

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Art: @Davidaisy

PACK

L IKE A PRO

How you pack your car can have a huge impact on your day at the mountain.

Through abundant firsthand experience, what follows is our Resort Hosts’ definitive guide to getting the most out of your vehicle’s cargo space - and your day at Loon. Follow their advice, and you’ll never pack the same way again.

Get Your Act Together

“It’s a terrible idea to pack your car the morning you leave for the resort,” says Resort Host Director Marcus Corey. “You end up just throwing it all in the trunk, so when you get to the resort you’re digging through all kinds of stuff – stuff that doesn’t need to be there, like your gym stuff or your work stuff. It’s better if you pack your car the day before, or at least wake up early to pack.”

Bag It and Tag It

“Smaller bags work best,” says John Simeone, also known as Octagon John.

“Separate smelly boots from your lunch. Smaller bags can be handed out to kids to carry.” John also suggests bringing along a bag to store wet gear on the ride home. “Pack an empty wet bag. Sometimes we get precipitation other than powder, and packing all that wet, smelly stuff in a separate bag that you can seal makes the ride home a little more enjoyable.”

“It’s a lot simpler if everyone has an individual gear pack so that hats, goggles, helmets, sweaters, gloves, etc. for each person are all together,” says Dave Pushee. “If you feel the need for a single giant gear bag, at least have smaller packs inside.”

Grab Your Gear

“If you’re staying at Loon for a while, consider putting your skis in the ski check overnight. It will save you (or us) a lot of work lugging them to and from the car.

And, unless you are arriving by bus, don’t bother with a ski bag – it’s just one more thing for our lost and found.” – Dave Pushee “As Crosby Stills and Nash said, teach your children well. Carrying their own skis is a good first step to taking responsibility for their equipment. I’d rather help mom with her skis. Some parents insist that their kids do it. We applaud that.”

– John Simeone “If you like to boot up in the parking lot, consider tossing a folding camp chair

or two into the car. I prefer to boot up in the lodge, but if I use the Escape Route parking, I boot up and ski back to my car at the end of the day.” – Dave Pushee

Raise the Roof

“If it’s only you and you have room for long objects, put your skis inside the car.

Otherwise, get a roof box.” Also: “The roof box key should be on the same ring as the ignition key.” – Dave Pushee “If you put your skis in your locked roof rack, remember to bring the key to the rack with you to the mountain. And if you forget the key, do not blame your spouse.” – Kathy Flannery “The people we have to cheer up are the ones who run into unexpected problems – like a frozen roof box. We’ve had that happen, where a ski box is frozen and it won’t open. They’ve got the right key and everything, but it won’t open. We do usually find a way.” – Marcus Corey

Come on Now

“No one wants to touch those monster bags. Hosts try to run and hide when those big bags come out. Hosts will grab skis and all the poles to avoid backbreaking bags.” – John Simeone “When you stop to get coffee, make sure you put your drink inside the car. I was working the Governor’s Lodge turnaround a few years ago and this lady pulled up with some questions, and her extra-large iced coffee was pressed up against her ski rack. I was able to grab it off her roof (it hadn’t spilled) and hand it to her and say, ‘Thanks for coming to Loon! Here’s an iced coffee.’” – Marcus Corey “Last year one of our hosts encountered a family who wanted to ski so badly that they continued on their trip even though the heat didn’t work in their car. All the kids in the back were in individual sleeping bags and they were all wearing their snowboard and ski gear. They’d driven for two hours with no heat. That’s how diehard they were.” – Marcus Corey.

loonmtn.com

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Highlights and more!

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MAX your season today.

LoonMtn.com/ MaxPass 8

Peter Asiaf season passholder for 10 years Loon Mountain How do you typically start your day?

Peter Asiaf I typically go into the Loon Mountain Sports Demo Shop, talk to the demo guys and kind of get a feel for what the snow is like. It’s good on a Friday or Saturday morning to go over and get a sense from the guys who might have skied during the week.

LM What part of the mountain do you hit first?

PA I like to go up the Seven Brothers Triple and scoot directly over to North Peak. We typically try to get in a bunch of runs on Flume– Angel Street, get in there and if we’re lucky enough, Triple Trouble and Big Dipper.

LM What’s so great about North Peak? Where do you go from there?

PA Those particular runs are just awesome, the natural terrain and contours of it. We’ll run

over to the Governor’s Lodge and we’ll take advantage of Upper Picked Rock and Upper Speakeasy and Blue Ox. It’s a little bit more of a terrain ride. It’s all twists and turns and gives you a little bit of a different feel of the mountain.

right off up front. The Resort Hosts are instantly there to help guide and direct you. I think the hosts are the ideal greeters, not only because they help you carry your kids’ gear and all that stuff, but because they can direct you exactly to where you want to go.

LM Where do you like to eat when lunchtime rolls around?

PA The Slopeside Deli is my favorite. In my opinion it’s got some of the most unique sandwiches and best food. I like the view because you can see the kids coming down the mountain. That’s my favorite spot.

LM You often ski with your kids. What advice would you give to parents who want to introduce their children to skiing or snowboarding?

PA The number one most important rule is to make sure your children are properly dressed and fitted correctly. If they are, you’re giving them a chance to have fun. Even if they don’t do well, they’re not cold, they’re not shivering, they’re not wet, their feet don’t hurt. They’re having fun.

LM What’s your favorite item on the menu?

PA Steak and cheese, every time.

LM Say this is my first time visiting Loon. How should I approach the mountain?

PA Use the shuttle service. It’s convenient, it eliminates the need to park, and you get dropped

ASK a PASSHOLDER

Three of Loon’s finest season passholders give you a true insider’s take on the

mountain. They’ve raised their kids here, made friends here, and plan to stay here for the long haul. Follow their advice, and maybe you will, too.

Jaclyn Strominger season passholder for 6 years Loon Mountain How often do you ski at Loon?

Jaclyn Strominger We’re up every single weekend. We’re in the Seasonal Program, and we love it. Our kids are on the Development Team, and we’ve made such an amazing group of friends here. We live for the weekends in the winter. It’s awesome.

LM Where is your favorite place to ski at Loon?

JS I totally love Ripsaw. When Ripsaw is good, it’s awesome.

LM If I want to grab lunch or a snack, where should I go?

JS The food at Pemigewasset Base Camp is good.

The omelets are awesome on Sundays, but the sandwiches they have are fantastic. Sometimes we’ll go over and eat at the Slopeside Deli.

They added a couple of sandwiches and a kale salad – everything is good in the kale salad.

LM What’s the après ski scene like? Is it doable with kids?

JS We started off going to the Paul Bunyan Room, but having kids it’s been really great for us to go to après at The Mountain Club on Loon. They have an arcade and it’s not as…I don’t want to date myself, but it’s not as young, and it’s not as loud. We can actually have a conversation.

LM Is there a place in town where you like to grab a bite to eat?

JS Our favorite spot in town has been Black Mountain Burger. A lot of times, if we’re up early enough, it will be our Friday night place to go for dinner. Saturdays, a lot of times we’re cooking in. If we’re going to go out on a Saturday night, it’s to the Gypsy Café.

LM What advice would you give to someone who’s new to Loon and wants to get to know the mountain better?

JS You should always take a lesson and talk to any of the coaches about getting your ski legs back. It’s also great to have a lesson just to get a little bit better feel for the mountain.

Vicki Watt season passholder for 9 years Loon Mountain What’s your typical plan of attack?

Vicki Watt We generally start out the morning to get first tracks on Walking Boss. We’re always there at eight o’clock in the morning because the snow is best between eight and 10. We go over to South Peak around 10 o’clock and have coffee.

LM What’s your favorite place to grab lunch?

VW I like the Octagon Lodge because it has the friendliest people and the best food and the biggest selection. I’m a vegetarian and one of the best things the mountain ever did

was start selling vegetarian chili. You’re always guaranteed to get the three-bean chili there.

LM You’ve been to a lot of events here. What’s your favorite?

VW I’d have to say the snowcat rides on Independence Weekend are the best thing.

It’s kind of interesting going up the mountain, when you think about what those guys do.

On the midnight-to-eight shift they see deer and moose and fox. And when you think they have to winch themselves up Angel Street and Flume – that’s got to be kind of a rush.

LM What makes Loon special for you?

VW It’s a wonderful resort for families. I can’t think of a better thing that we do as a family. My daughter loves it. It’s brought us all closer together, like when you’re sitting on the chairlift and having 5-minute conversations with your husband that you might not have time for during the week. It’s just really great.

loonmtn.com

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Loon LowDown

It’s

DOREEN DAY, Loon’s Custodial Manager

5p.m. in the Octagon Lodge, and Doreen Day’s custodial staff is waging a 12-round bout against an opponent they’ll never truly knock out–no matter how many times they mop

the floor with it.

It’s the end of a long Saturday and the Octagon, that venerable coliseum of LMP paninis and Buffalo chicken fingers, is somewhat of a mess. Over the last 10 hours, hordes of hungry skiers and snowboarders have fumbled

...with the intensity of an air traffic controller...

half-eaten chili bread bowls, chucked dozens of soda bottles in the trash, and spilled a small bathtub’s worth of beer onto the Bunyan Room carpet.

In that role, Doreen is responsible for keeping the resort spic and span–no

For Doreen Day and her hard-working custodial crew, it’s just another day

small feat at a mountain that hosts thousands of skiers and riders on a

at the office.

busy February weekend. Perhaps Doreen’s biggest task is cleaning and

If you’ve ever visited Loon, you’ll probably recognize Doreen. She’s the tall,

maintaining the resort’s three main base lodges.

smiling woman, usually wearing a Loon baseball cap, who always appears

During a typical Saturday lunch rush, you’ll find Doreen and colleagues

busy. In her case, those appearances are not deceiving. She and her staff of

Angela and Jim constantly busing tables, emptying trash cans, and helping

15 are charged with the herculean task of cleaning 32 locations across the

guests sort their silverware and plates from trash and recyclables. In the

mountain, from the Pemigewasset Base Camp at South Peak to the Summit

chaos of a Saturday lunch hour, Doreen works with the intensity of an air

Café at Loon Peak. On a typical weekend, Doreen’s daytime crew will start

traffic controller guiding a 747 onto a busy runway. Except in this case,

cleaning at 7 a.m. Saturday, and her night crew will finish up at 1 a.m. the

the 747 is a 12 year-old in ski boots carrying a tray filled with half-nibbled

following morning. Just a few hours later, the cycle of mopping, vacuuming,

chicken fingers, fries, and a half-full bottle of soda that’s about to tip over.

scrubbing, and sweeping will begin again.

Over the course of a typical winter, Doreen’s crew will sort and dispose

“People see us all over the place,” Doreen says, laughing. “They think I’m a

of a staggering amount of beverage bottles and other recyclables. During

worker in just one building, and then they see me somewhere else and ask,

the winter of 2014-15, Doreen and her crew recycled 175 truckloads of

‘What do you do around here? You’re everywhere!’”

cardboard and 160 cubic yards of cans and bottles. That’s a backyard

In the 15 years Doreen has worked at Loon, she actually has done

swimming pool worth of liquid refreshment, and it all has to go

everything, or close to it. At different times during her tenure at the resort,

somewhere–of which Doreen is keenly aware.

she’s worked as a horseback guide; served as engineer on the J.E. Henry

“Not everyone is cut out for this job. I can usually tell in interviews,” Doreen

Railroad; staffed the Adventure Center; conducted guest surveys for the

says, describing how she screens prospective employees. “If I ask questions

marketing department; and done stints in Loon’s security, grounds, and

like ‘How do you feel about certain situations that might happen in a

parking departments. For the last seven years, Doreen has been Loon’s

restroom’ and they wince, then I know they’re probably not cut out for the

custodial manager.

job. We take care of…stuff.”

continued, next page

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...‘What do you do around here?

You’re everywhere!’”

– Doreen Day

from page 11...

Doreen realizes that the ‘stuff’ she takes care of isn’t the kind of ‘stuff’ that lends itself to brochures or television commercials. She knows that ‘Come for the snow, stay for the clean restrooms’ isn’t the catchiest marketing slogan, and she’s ok with that. But she also knows clean restrooms are an important part of a good guest experience.

“Custodial is the department everyone knows is necessary, but they really don’t want to know what we do,” Doreen says. “It’s not pleasant sometimes, what we have to take care of, but that’s our job.” She’s ok with cleaning toilets all winter, steam-cleaning the Bunyan Room carpet every spring, and scraping gum and stickers from the undersides of tables with a sticky regularity. Her reward comes every November when the mountain reopens and she greets the regulars who know her name and appreciate what she does–even if they’re not interested in the dirty details.

“People don’t always want to know what custodial does, but they appreciate that we’re here,” Doreen says. “We do get people who say ‘thank you,’ which is nice to hear once in a while.”

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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Located in the White Mountain National Forest, Loon Mountain is serious about its role as an environmental steward. In addition to on-hill improvements such as the installation of 650 low-energy, high-efficiency snow guns, Loon has launched a number of green initiatives off the hill.

Over the last decade, the resort has recycled more than 300 gallons of waste oil and vehicle fluids annually, performed energy-efficiency building retrofits across the mountain, and launched a committed recycling program in its base lodges.

With your help, we’ll get even greener. When you’re finished with lunch at the Octagon Lodge, Governor Adams Lodge, or Pemigewasset Base Camp, take a second to separate your trash from your recyclables. It will save the planet–and give Doreen time to do more important things. loonmtn.com

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Loon LowDown

FIRST-TIMERS

FREE Skis, Boots + Bindings in partnership with

Photo: Rob Bossi

– all at your First Class!

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Loon’s premier First Class Beginner’s Weekend gives participants the skills – and the gear – to really become skiers.

E

;; QUICK START

W

This intensive weekend program not only includes lessons, and use of a private slopeside learning lounge, but also a free pair of HEAD Skis, boots, and bindings for each participant.

;; YOUR OWN EQUIPMENT New skiers will build camaraderie as they spend the weekend with their coaches, who will ensure the proper fit of their boots and gear to get them started off on the right foot – and the best part is, they get to learn from day one on their very own equipment!

“ A weekend program gives beginners a great foundation to enjoy a lifelong sport and our coaches help smooth the way.”

-Rob Bevier Ski & Snowboard School Director

FIRST CLASS WEEKENDS 2015/16

November 28–29

;; APRÈS-SKI

December 12–13

The weekend also includes morning coffee and lunch, as well as an après gathering at the end of the first day for everyone to share their learning experiences and get a taste of the exhilarating winter sports lifestyle.

January 9–10

January 30–31

March 5–6

March 19–20

;; KEEP SKIING & KEEP SAVING First Class graduates save up to $25 per day on lift tickets and are eligble for special savings on gear at Loon Mountain Sports throughout the rest of the winter season.

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Reserve your First Class!

Call 1-800-229-LOON Open to beginner skiers ages 13 and up. Limited spaces available.

Free pair of skis, boot & bindings while supplies last.

Loon LowDown

SKI & SNOWBOARD SCHOOL

Loon’s Ski & Snowboard School coaches can help skiers and riders of all ages and

Photo: Rob Bossi

abilities learn and excel on the mountain.

Learn to Ski or Snowboard

Ages 13 & up

With lessons and equipment specially designed for learning, Learn-to-Ski or Ride packages are a convenient & easy way to start skiing or snowboarding. Each package includes a novice lift ticket, equipment rentals and a group lesson. Full-day packages include a five-hour group lesson and half-day packages include a three-hour group lesson. Sign up for any Learn-to package, and you’ll instantly join the official Learner’s Club and receive your very own Learner’s Club Passport!

Complete a second lift, lesson, and rental package, and earn a Learner’s Club Card, which entitles you to free equipment rentals, and savings of up to $25 each day on Loon lift tickets for the rest of the winter season - along with other resort savings.

Not only is learning awesome, but it also saves you, big-time!

Group Lessons

Ages 13 & up

Loon offers two-and-a-half and five-and-a-half-hour group ski or snowboard lessons daily. Lessons are taught by coaches who attend Loon’s comprehensive training programs, where the mission is to develop pros and keep them updated on the latest trends, techniques, and equipment.

Private Lessons

All ages

Up to five friends or family members can join a Ski & Snowboard School coach for a customized private lesson. These lessons are available for one, two, three or six hours and include express lift access. The three-hour private lesson is the best value and most popular lesson choice. Children 6 and under will excel while skiing and snowboarding with a children’s coach in a one-hour private lesson perfect for one or two children of the same ability.

SPECIALTY CAMPS Droppin’ In: Women’s Freestyle Camp presented by Oakley This camp is an excellent opportunity for women to take their park and pipe skills to the next level. Campers work with pro coaches, hone their new skills in a private park, and even get to build their own Oakley goggles. Ages 13 and up.

Salomon Ski Test presented by Salomon This first-of-its kind camp lets guys demo next year’s Salomon skis long before their buddies. In addition to testing select 2016/17 models alongside Salomon reps and Loon’s coaches, guys will also learn the finer points of DIY tuning and boot fitting. Ages 18 & up.

Women’s Performance Camp presented by K2 Ski Alliance Intermediate and advanced skiers will love these two-day clinics featuring woman-to-woman coaching and video review. This womenonly camp proves you don’t need to ski like a guy to ski better than a guy. Ages 18 & up.

Park & Pipe Progression Camp Skiers and riders learn valuable skills to optimize their park and pipe experience. This program is for skiers and riders who can comfortably link turns on blue terrain. Come ready to experience Loon’s full progression of award-winning terrain parks. Ages 10–17.

Choose your camp!

Call 1-800-229-LOON

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Loon LowDown

SEASONAL + ADAPTIVE SPORTS

SEASONAL PROGRAMS feature curriculum-based training, mountain awareness, and etiquette to ensure consistency and well-rounded development, plus express lift access and lunch. Programs run every weekend from midDecember through March, plus vacation weeks and holidays.

Photo: Rob Bossi

» Junior Scouts (age 3) and Scouts (ages 4–5) season-long camps specialize in on-snow fun and skill instruction for first-time skiers and snowboarders through advanced levels. » Development Team (ages 6–17) is for skiers and snowboarders at early-intermediate to expert levels looking to improve their all-mountain skills in racing, park and pipe, trees, and moguls. » Competition Teams (ages 7–17) are the most intense programs, designed for athletes who compete in a season-long series of USASA and USSA events throughout New England. » Coach in Training program (ages 14–16) is geared toward individuals who would like to learn how to teach skiing and snowboarding.

Photo: Alyssa Greenberg

» VIP Groups are fully-customizable skiing or snowboarding lessons for adults which are designed by the group: dates, lessons length (three to six hours of instruction), and they can even choose their coach. » Flying ‘50s is open to anyone age 50 & up. It’s a great way to make new friends and explore the mountain with others of a similar ability. This group meets Thursday and Friday non-holiday mornings. Social (non-skiing) memberships are available when purchased in conjunction with a skiing membership.

Get in the Program.

LoonMtn.com/Seasonal

New England Disabled Sports This nationally-recognized year-round adaptive sports and recreational program offers daily lessons in skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing to individuals with physical and cognitive disabilities. Lessons include private instruction, lift ticket, and equipment rental. nedisabledsports.org | 603-745-6281 x5663

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Photo: Alyssa Greenberg

KIDS PROGRAMS

Photo: Alyssa Greenberg

Loon LowDown

Ages 3 to 6 years

Ages 7 to 12 years

P.K. Boo & Kinderbear

Discovery Camp

Loon offers both full and half-day P.K. Boo (for 3-year-olds, ski and snowboard) and KinderBear (for 4- to 6-year-olds, ski and snowboard) programs. The P.K. Boo program includes on-snow learning and fun indoor activities. Both programs are dedicated to teaching kids the basic skills in a fun environment. In addition to their lessons and lift tickets, all children are given snacks, hot cocoa, or juice.

Lunch is included with full-day and morning camps.

Kids will have a blast making new friends and exploring the mountain – all while developing their skiing and riding skills. Full-day and morning camps include lunch.

These snowboard-specific lessons are perfect for kids looking to launch into snowboarding. Using the Paul Bunyan-themed Burton Riglet Park - complete with wood carvings of owls, bears and a kid-sized wooden train - beginner riders are immersed in a creative & playful environment to enhance their first experience of sliding on snow. Kids develop balance and other vital skills as coaches tow them through the park using the Burton Riglet Reel (a retractable leash that attaches to the nose of the snowboard). The Riglet Park Experience includes: lift ticket, lesson, lunch, snacks, indoor-outdoor games, and activities.

Photo: Alyssa Greenberg

Burton Riglet Park Experience

Ages 6 weeks to 6 years Daycare Full and half-day* daycare is available at the Children’s Center, which features large playrooms with ample space for age-appropriate games and activities, plus a soundproofed sleeping room for infants.

Lunch is included for children ages one-year and older. *Half-day is available on non-holiday periods only.

Kids Rule Loon.

LoonMtn.com/Kids

loonmtn.com

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Providing for all of your real estate needs in the Loon Mountain area!

LOON MOUNTA

LOON M OUNTAIN AREA IN AREA REAL

REAL ESTATE

ESTATE GUIDE

1

GUIDE

WINTER 2013-14

LOON MOUNTAIN AREA

REAL ESTATE GUIDE

Call for your FREE GUIDE today or go to loonrealestate.com to download a copy.

Vacation Property Specialists info@loonrealestate.com 800.229.5666 x5381 | loonrealestate.com

18

Loon LowDown

Mountain Photo: Jeremy Mayhew

Dining Great generals throughout history have often remarked that an army marches on its stomach. If that’s the case, then it’s also true that the downhill warriors who visit Loon every winter ski and ride on the resort’s hot cocoa, bread bowls, and pulled pork sandwiches.

S

teve Bromley, Loon’s Director of Food and Beverage, gives the culinary marching orders around here. He sets the tone–and the menus–for all of Loon’s dining locations. A former restaurateur and innkeeper, Steve is a standup guy who’s just as happy flipping burgers during a busy lunch rush as he is designing menus or setting budgets. Here, he gives us the lowdown on some of Loon’s most delicious menu items–and cool places to eat.

POWER TO THE PARK PEOPLE

The next time you tuck into an LMP Panini at the Octagon Lodge, thank a park ranger. The hard-working guys who build Loon’s terrain parks have been known to work up an appetite on the hill, and they aren’t afraid to order off the menu. “The LMP was originally created for the park guys,” Steve says. “They came in and would always order this specialized sandwich of theirs, so I put it on the menu.”

A bold mix of breaded chicken, bacon, buffalo sauce, and cheddar cheese, the LMP (short for Loon Mountain Park) is a monument to envelope-pushing creativity–just like Loon’s award-winning progression of terrain parks.

ISLAND IN THE SKY

Perched 2,750 feet above sea level at the top of the Gondola, the Caribbeanthemed Summit Café floats like an island amid white-capped mountains. The warm island cuisine is the perfect antidote to the winter chill outside, and the views of the surrounding White Mountains are superb. When you’re up there, try the signature Reggae Roll, a wrap packed with black beans, corn, mango

chutney, onions, tricolored peppers, and sliced chicken in a tangy sauce. “That mango chutney works very well with the spiciness of the wrap,” Steve says.

“It mellows it out so you get that sweet and spicy taste.” Adults over the age of 21 shouldn’t leave without trying the rum punch, a tropical downpour of rum, grenadine, and fruit juice.

BURGER FIT FOR A GOVERNOR A classic in ski area dining–the burger– gets special treatment at the Governor Adams Lodge. The BBC Burger (barbecue sauce, bacon, and cheddar) is far and away one of the most popular lunch items at the Governor’s Lodge, which is named after the late Sherman Adams–a former New Hampshire governor, chief of staff to President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and the founder of Loon Mountain. The burger is tough to resist. “Once one person sees it–bacon and barbecue sauce and cheddar cheese–everyone says ‘I’ll have one of those,’” Steve says. It’s the kind of hearty, no-nonsense meal that Adams–who is rumored to have climbed Loon Mountain three times a day while overseeing the cutting of the resort’s trails in the late 1960s–would have appreciated.

ALL ABOUT THAT BASE CAMP Pemigewasset Base Camp, often referred to as ‘the Pemi,’ is at the base of South Peak and serves up a local vibe along with some of the best sandwiches on the mountain. Fuel up between runs with the French Toast Panini, a favorite among locals. On Sunday mornings, try the omelet bar, where a chef will make you an omelet from your choice of more than 20 ingredients. Kids will love the

colossal cinnamon buns, which may or may not give them a sugar rush. Sorry, mom and dad. “We keep a squirt bottle full of icing next to the cinnamon buns,” Steve says. “The kids frost their own. They just love that.”

SLOPESIDE DELI

If your Fitbit administers an electric shock every time you get within 25 feet of a cinnamon bun, fear not. You’ll find plenty of healthy salads, wraps, and sandwiches at Loon.

For a meal that’s good for your body–and your conscience–head on over to the Slopeside Deli, the resort’s epicenter of healthy eating. All of the deli’s offerings– chicken, beef, veggies, whole-grain breads, and cheese–are sourced from organic, local farms in New Hampshire and Vermont. Steve has made it his mission to work more and more local, organic produce into menu items across the resort.

“That’s really what we want to put into most of the dining locations,” Steve says.

“Most people expect it now–you see it everywhere–and guests are asking for it.

People are looking for healthy options.”

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CAMP III, TAKE II This rustic mid-mountain lodge at the base of North Peak was built on the site of an old logging camp, and its menu reflects that hearty heritage.

Bison burgers, housemade pulled pork, and venison stew have kept many skiers and riders happy over the years, but things are about to get even better this winter. Thanks to extensive renovations, Camp III will feature more seating, a more efficient layout, and new menu items.

One thing that won’t change is the recipe for the lodge’s best-selling pulled-pork sandwiches. But good luck trying to replicate that recipe at home.

“Mark, our Camp III manager, applies a dry rub with spices. Secret spices. I don’t even know what they are,” Steve says. “When you get in there first thing in the morning, all of Camp III smells like roast pulled pork.”

Sounds like the perfect motivation to wake up early and score first tracks.

“ (Local, organic produce) is really what we want to put into most of the dining locations. Most people expect it now...and guests are asking for it.

People are looking for healthy options.”

-Steve Bromley

loonmtn.com

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Blue Bloody If you’re like most

people with a smartphone, at some point you’ve probably taken a picture of your food and posted it to Instagram. Maybe you’ve snapped a photo of Saturday brunch and used the hashtag #FriendsWithBenedicts. That’s ok–we’re not here to judge.

If you or anyone you know visited Loon last winter, you may have

noticed a flood of Bloody Mary photos clogging your Instagram feed Sunday mornings around 10 a.m. Tagged #BlueOxBloody, they are the digital fingerprints of Bloody Mary Mornings, Loon’s build-your-own Bloody Mary bar at Babe’s Blue Ox Lounge, a much-needed pick-meup that provides a little hair of the blue ox to those bitten at the Paul Bunyan Room the night before. Stocked with shrimp, olives, celery, and all the fixings, it is a Bloody Mary bar for the ages.

FEED CLOGGERS Fill your friends’ feeds with your own #BlueOxBloody memories!

Swing by Babe’s Blue Ox Lounge for Bloody Mary Mornings, beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Sundays this winter.

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Loon LowDown

BENEATH the Surface

“It’s more of a challenge than it is a job. ” – Ken Mack, on being a snowmaker

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We recently sat down with Ken Mack, Loon’s snowmaking manager, to plumb the mysteries of his frozen art. Judging by his answers, Ken appears to be one of the coolest guys in the snowmaking business - which, if you think about it, is saying quite a lot.

How cold does it have to be to make snow?

Ken Mack: That’s an ‘It depends’ question. We go by the wet bulb, not the ambient air temperature. Wet bulb is the relationship between the ambient air temperature and the relative humidity; it’s the temperature at which water will freeze. If the ambient air temperature is 35 degrees but the wet bulb is 32, water will freeze. At 28 degrees wet bulb you can make a little bit of snow. Real production snowmaking doesn’t start until you get down to 22 degrees wet bulb. Between 22 and 28 degrees you’re making a little bit of snow, but it’s pretty inefficient. You’re using a lot of air.

You use more air when it’s warmer? Why? KM: We need more air to aspirate the water, to break it into smaller particles. When it’s colder, you can allow the water droplets to be bigger, which uses less air. That’s more efficient. Air costs money to compress and pump up the hill.

How and when do you decide to start making snow in the fall?

KM: We don’t know what we’re going to get for weather so we need to take every opportunity when it’s cold to make snow. As we keep adding KLIK hydrants [Loon has 150 semi-automated KLIK snowmaking hydrants that drastically reduce setup and shutdown time] we can do large-scale snowmaking with a smaller crew. We’re pretty aggressive. A good 12-hour window of 28 degrees wet bulb or less, we will certainly take advantage of that.

How fast can you open a trail top-tobottom in the early season?

KM: It’s complicated; it depends on the temperature. If it’s between 22 and 28 degrees, one trail could take 72 hours of continuous snowmaking. However, if the temperature was less than that – say between 10 degrees and 22 degrees wet bulb, somewhere in there, we could do that trail in 18 hours.

We’re more efficient at those temperatures, and we can add more water, use less air. We can make more snow faster.

Does it ever get too cold to make snow?

KM: When you start to get below zero, you’re – for lack of a better term – playing with fire. You can be very productive, but also small problems turn into big problems very quickly when it gets that cold. Any time you start getting into the single digits and below zero, you need to be extremely careful. Say you have a line running with 40 snow guns on it. One of the guns near the end of the line gets clogged with debris – say pine needles, something from our water source or pipelines. That gun gets clogged and there’s all of a sudden no flow at the end of that line, so you’re going to freeze that gun and you’re also going to freeze that line.

It’s like cutting off circulation to an artery. Without the flow in the pipe, it’s going to freeze. That normally wouldn’t be a problem in milder temperatures – say, above 10 degrees you have enough time to catch it and correct it and move on. But water has this amazing ability to turn to a solid very quickly when you get into the single digits and below zero.

How much water do you use to make snow?

KM: On average, 250 million gallons per year. When I say year, I don’t mean 12 months. I mean three months: November 1 to Presidents’ Week. The water comes from three sources: the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River; Boyle Brook, and our reservoir on Connector Road in Lincoln. For the Pemigewasset River and Boyle Brook, we have to allow a minimum stream flow. We monitor the USGS [United States Geological Survey] gage downstream every 15 minutes. Typically a sharp decline in the river flow is not from us. What it’s usually from is cold weather. The river starts freezing up. We’ll see a decline and switch over to our reservoir until the river recovers. And, when all the snow melts, the water returns right back into the watershed.

What does Loon’s electric bill look like?

KM: We actually buy our power off the grid – ISO New England. Whatever the current price is, we pay it. It fluctuates dramatically. We watch the rates very closely.

It’s cheaper at night, and it’s more expensive during the day. If we see the rates increasing dramatically, we’ll shut down and wait for those rates to drop, as long as we’re not sacrificing snow surface. If we just went through a rain event or a thaw, we will continue to resurface until the entire mountain is resurfaced. We’re not going to sacrifice the snow quality. However, if the entire mountain is open, it’s in good shape, and we’re making snow for spring, we’ll watch the power very closely and either reduce our horsepower to pump less water or if it’s dramatically increasing we may shut down completely.

How many snowmakers work for you?

KM: How many would I like, or what’s the reality? We used to shoot for 40 staff total, myself included, for the winter.

Honestly we’re lucky if we get 27 to 30. Unfortunately it’s not a desirable job. Nobody wants to stay up all night and hike through knee-deep snow in the cold, in the rain, in the wind, and do that four nights a week. It’s a special person that wants to challenge themselves. If you want to challenge your stamina, your will, and see how far you can push yourself, then it can be a great experience.

Hard to find good help these days?

KM: We have a lot of one-night wonders. Honestly, I don’t mind those folks. If after one night they realize it’s not for them, I would rather they just be up front and honest and say ‘Hey, this isn’t for me. Thank you very much. See you later.’ I respect those folks.

How do snowmakers stay warm?

KM: They work. When you’re actively making snow, you work. That’s how you stay warm. When I bring on a new guy I tell him what to wear and I always tell him when he’s going out on the mountain to dress “comfortably cool.” In other words, you step outside and you’re a little chilly. But once you start working you warm right up, sometimes almost too warm. A lot of the guys come off the hill at the end of a 12-hour shift and they’re soaked. They’re soaked from the inside-out. As long as you’re working and focused, you don’t get cold. loonmtn.com

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Red Carpet to

MAGIC CARPET Of the thousands of people who have learned to ski and snowboard at Loon over the years, it’s safe to say only a small percentage ever rubbed elbows with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West.

Actually, we’ve run the numbers.

There’s only one person.

Her name is Alyssa Greenberg.

(She took this photo.)

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A

high-powered fashion photographer who splits her time between Boston and New York, Alyssa has come face-to-face with pop culture luminaries most of us see only on Entertainment Tonight or gracing the covers of glossy supermarket tabloids.

Over the course of her still-young career, Alyssa has shot New York Fashion Week, done freelance work for magazines like Vogue, and photographed stars like Rhianna, Bono, and Nicky Minaj. Just last fall, she photographed Kardashian, her husband Kanye West, and the couple’s daughter, North West, at an Alexander Wang fashion show.

So how did Alyssa, who had only skied once in her life, trade four-inch-heels and designer gowns for ski boots and Gore-Tex? Alyssa, as it turns out, discovered Loon through her boyfriend, who grew up skiing the mountain with his family. After visiting the area and falling in love with New Hampshire’s fashion-backward North Country, she decided to take up skiing. It was a decision that showed her photographer’s knack for timing: thanks to a suite of new snowsports programs, learning to ski at Loon has never been easier.

Parallel Turns: So Hot Right Now With her pizza-pie fully baked and the Kissin’ Cousins Chair already checked off her bucket list, Alyssa spent her second lesson moving up from green circle to blue square terrain. Over the course of the day, Alyssa’s coach molded her into an intermediate skier who could make parallel turns from the top of the Kancamagus Express Quad–roughly halfway up the mountain.

Armed with the skills and the tools to succeed on the slopes, Alyssa had officially become a skier. And when she showed those new HEAD skis to her boyfriend, he was definitely impressed. “He’s like, ‘I can’t believe it. Your skis are nicer than mine,’” Alyssa says, laughing. With new gear and skills, it’s a safe bet Alyssa will back on the slopes of Loon this winter–when she’s not busy behind the camera, that is.

“Once I got parallel down we worked more on keeping my body straight, leaning forward and then using poles to mark my turns instead of having them fly all over the place,” Alyssa says, laughing.

See Alyssa’s behind the camera work at: AlyssaGreenbergPhotography.com Instagram @Smallgirlbiglens

Turns out, skiing wasn’t as hard as she thought–once she mastered the basics of turning, pole planting, and other simple but critical movements. “A lot of people think it’s awful when you’re a beginner skier, because you’re going to spend most of the time on your ass, on the ground and falling,” Alyssa says. “But it’s not like that at all. The coaches do a good job–they see you ski and see what you’re doing wrong, so then they can help you fix it right away.”

“I think I made huge strides.

Not to sound better than I am–I’m not perfect–but...the lessons really helped me.”

Learning to Ski: Really, Really, Ridiculously Easy For a newbie like Alyssa, learning to ski can be a daunting prospect. That’s why Loon offers a range of programs designed to make learning to ski as straightforward and accessible as possible (see sidebar).

Despite these programs, Alyssa didn’t think learning to ski would be easy. On the morning of her first lesson, Alyssa mentally steeled herself for the hassle of procuring rental gear and the knock-down, drag-out fight with gravity she assumed her lesson would be. But that’s not what happened.

–Alyssa Greenberg

It’s a Walkoff By the time Alyssa took her third lesson, she had grown into a solid intermediate who could link easy parallel turns from the 3,000-foot summit of North Peak.

“I think I made huge strides,” Alyssa said on a sunny April morning between runs with her coach. “Not to sound better than I am–I’m not perfect–but I think the lessons really helped me.”

Create Your Own Learning Adventure

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This winter, beginners who book a new First Class Beginner’s Weekend are treated to an immersive weekend-long learning program that includes their own FREE pair of HEAD skis, bindings & boots (while supplies last) and a private slopeside learning lounge.

New skiers build camaraderie as they spend the weekend with their coaches, who ensure the proper fit of their boots and gear to get them started off on the right foot. This program includes morning coffee and lunch, as well as an après gathering at the end of the first day for participants to share their experiences and get a taste of the winter sports lifestyle.

Can’t devote an entire weekend to the First Class Learning Experience? Don’t worry. Beginners who can’t commit to a whole weekend receive a Learner’s Passport when they complete a Learnto-Ski or-Ride package, which includes a novice lift ticket, lesson and equipment rentals. If they come back and complete a second package, their Passport will get them a Learner’s Club Card, entitling them to free use of rental equipment and savings of up to $25 a day on lift tickets at Loon for the rest of the winter–along with other resort savings.

Find out more on page 14.

When Alyssa checked in for that lesson, she was surprised to find her equipment–skis, boots, and poles– waiting for her. Since Loon’s goal is to streamline the learning process, Alyssa had already given her height, weight, and shoe size when registering for her lessons.

When she arrived that first day, her equipment was ready–and so was Loon’s staff. “You think it’s going to be this huge process of putting on boots and everything,” Alyssa says. “I sat down, they helped me put the boots on, and they worked perfectly. Then I was ready. It was less than 10 minutes.”

Alyssa’s lesson was just as straightforward. Once Alyssa had her gear, she walked out to meet her coach and fellow students. After making their introductions, her coach went over the basics. First, he showed the class the various parts of a ski, and how it worked. Then he had everyone walk in a circle wearing one ski–a basic exercise designed to get Alyssa and her classmates accustomed to the feel of their new gear.

“In the group you’re all adults, but you’re all in the shallow end,” Alyssa says. “No one knows what they’re doing.” Soon–with both skis on this time–the class worked its way up Sarsaparilla, Loon’s beginner slope.

“They don’t take you up and teach you from the top,” Alyssa says. “You work your way up there.”

Working their way down Sarsaparilla, the students practiced controlling their speed before gradually linking turns. By the end of the day, Alyssa and several other beginners had graduated to the Kissin’ Cousins chairlift.

For Alyssa, it was a big step up.

loonmtn.com

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SAVE 10 $

Save $10 per racer with Code: FIRSTUP

Valid for only 100 racers

SIGN UP NOW! LoonMtn.com/MonsterMudRun 26

Visit Loon this summer or fall and you’ll find endless adventure – no snow required. Take a gondola ride to the summit to enjoy cool breezes, breathtaking views, and cool glacial caves; zipline across the roaring Pemigewasset River; or test your mettle in the Aerial Forest Adventure Park.

You can also ride a bike, scale a rock wall, climb a 30-foot spider web, or find

Photo: HinkleyPhoto

yourself in the LogJam Maze.

Experience it all, easily and affordably with an all-day Super Adventure Pass.

Steve Woolfenden with instructors Geoff Krill and David Blenkhorn in a scene from Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital’s video filmed at Loon Mountain.

#iChooseLoon

Mary Patstone Greg Kwasnik

To help her amputee, stroke survivor, and other patients imagine an empowered future, Mary needed strong visuals.

She chose Loon as the setting Photos: Boston Productions

for an inspirational video.

W

hen Mary Patstone assures recent amputees, stroke survivors, and arthritis sufferers they’ll be able to resume the activities they once enjoyed, few wholeheartedly believe her. Too many are simply unable to visualize themselves swinging a golf club, pedaling a bicycle, or skiing down a mountain ever again.

“A lot of times they won’t believe you. That’s why visuals are so important in the hospital–so they can see it, so they can touch it,” says Patstone, the Network Director of Adaptive Sports and Recreation at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston. “There may be some boundaries, but they’re going to get over them. To have visuals makes a difference. A big difference.”

That need for visuals prompted Patstone to create a film about adaptive skiing last winter; it would be the latest in a series of videos the hospital had commissioned to showcase its adaptive sports programs. Highlighting sports like rowing, cycling, and ballet, the videos have become powerful tools in the recovery process, inspiring patients to strive toward an empowered future.

“To have the adaptive sports and recreation videos–and especially the skiing video–to inspire and motivate people to work harder in their therapies, they are going to get better quickly, and they’re going to see their milestones more quickly,” Patstone says.

But first, Patstone needed to find a place to film the video. Above all, she wanted to film at a mountain that would be friendly, accessible, and welcoming to adaptive skiers. In the end, Patstone, a longtime Loon season pass holder,

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Mary Patstone, in the lobby of the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital.

didn’t have to look far. Loon regularly hosts the Spaulding Adaptive Sports Ski Club, and the resort served as the club’s home base when it started offering weekend ski trips from Boston several years ago. Patstone’s home resort was the logical choice.

“I already had it in my head I wanted to go to Loon, just because I knew they would be there for me,” Patstone says. “Loon has the right mindset when it comes to accessibility and being welcoming and wanting our folks on the mountain, providing the resources. The buildings are accessible, the bathrooms are accessible, and it’s a wonderful environment.”

The decision to film at Loon was also important for Steve Woolfenden, who plays a starring role in the video. On April 15, 2013, Steve and his three-year-old son Leo were watching the Boston Marathon on Boylston Street when one of that day’s bombs exploded near where they stood. Leo suffered shrapnel wounds, and the blast severed Steve’s leg below the knee.

“There may be some boundaries, but they’re going to get over them. To have visuals makes a difference. A big difference.”

“Loon has the right mindset when it comes to accessibility and being welcoming and wanting our folks on the mountain.... The buildings are accessible, the bathrooms are accessible...it’s a wonderful environment.” - Mary Patstone to Loon, unload his mono ski, and enjoy the mountain just like any other able-bodied adult.

It was an experience that would fuel the next ten years of Patstone’s professional life. “I knew then that I would be attached to the industry for a very long time,” Patstone says.

“To this day, I can honestly say that Loon is one of the most accessible mountains on the East Coast–physically and culturally.”

For Patstone, returning to film at Loon was special. She and the production crew spent a snowy February day filming Woolfenden and other adaptive skiers carving up the slopes.

That afternoon, Woolfenden told his inspiring story of recovery on camera, the first time he had ever done so. The uplifting video from

-Mary Patstone Steve and 16 other bombing survivors had their physical therapy at Spaulding, which is where he met Patstone. “He loves Loon, and Loon was actually the last place he skied before he lost his leg,” Patstone says. “As a marathon survivor, to be able to go back and be at Loon to film this, it was cathartic and healing for him.”

Patstone knows all about catharsis and the redemptive power of sport. Her first exposure to adaptive skiing–and adaptive sports in general–came a decade ago when she visited Loon with Craig Bautz, a friend and spinal cord injury survivor. Patstone was stunned and thrilled to see her friend travel independently

Steve Woolfenden, Boston Marathon Bombing survivor, skis through slalom gates at Loon.

that day now plays on an immersive, sixscreen panorama in the lobby of the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Charlestown, Mass.

The HD display is so sharp, Patstone says, “the snowflakes pop right off the screen.”

Watching the video is like being at the mountain itself–which, of course, is Patstone’s ultimate goal for all of her patients. “When you see them finally go beyond ‘I can do this’ and find acceptance for what is a new normal for them, the healing power of that for the individual is amazing,” Patstone says. “For those of us in the industry, it’s just…it’s freedom. It’s freedom, and Loon really holds their arms open wide. They’ve changed a lot of lives.”

P: Cole Martin

[Photo -

- Ready] REALITY Greg Kwasnik

The army

of workers who created Mount Rushmore had it easy when they blasted 408

tons of granite from a South Dakota mountainside. They only had to do it once, and their colossal sculptures have never melted, not even once.

For the guys who sculpt Loon Mountain’s terrain parks, though, melting is an integral part of the artistic process. It’s an unavoidable aspect of what they do, charged as they are with creating frozen works of art that are destined to melt into the Pemigewasset River each spring.

So you really can’t blame Brian Norton, Loon’s terrain park man-

“...for the

16 hours

that they weren’t here, it was a nonstop operation.”

ager and all-around Renaissance man, for sounding a bit punchy when someone asks him what it takes to build a terrain park. “I come in much later than everyone else, and I leave before everyone else,” Norton says. “I mostly sleep underneath my desk.” He’s just kidding, of course. You’ll hardly ever find him at his desk.

You’re much more likely to find Norton on the hill, overseeing a build in one of Loon’s six terrain parks. Or welding a rail in the Shapin’ Shack. Or inspecting Loon Mountain Park to make sure that its two dozen jumps and rails look like they were cut from the pages of Snowboarder Magazine. It’s that last job that really drives Norton. According to Loon’s terrain park philosophy – call it the Tao of Norton - a park that rides to perfection should look

“We call it a ‘photo-ready’ standard, so that any day anyone can go out there and it’s the best it can be,” Norton says. In a way, Loon’s terrain parks are like Zen rock gardens – simple, elegantlylandscaped arrangements designed to imitate nature, calm the mind, and stimulate meditation. While a rock garden can help a Buddhist practitioner meditate on the meaning of life, a photoready terrain park can become a supercharged realm of reality where snowboarders transcend gravity and shred the secrets of their universe.

Just don’t make that kind of analogy to Norton’s face.

equally flawless.

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Building and maintaining Loon’s six terrain parks to Norton’s

exacting standards

isn’t easy.

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Norton, a Plymouth State University graduate who works as a carpenter in the off season, puts forward a cantankerous, get-off-mylawn vibe that hides a marshmallow center.

This is a guy, after all, who helped design and build the resort’s Burton Riglet Park, an innovative terrain park that allows kids as young as three years old learn to snowboard. He even dressed up as Paul Bunyan for its grand opening. If you pay close enough attention, you’ll start to realize that Norton’s crankiness is just an outward sign of the seriousness he has for his work. It’s the kind of seriousness that, over the last decade, has earned Loon a reputation for excellence in the terrain park world.

mowing a really nice lawn.”

The foot soldiers in that operation are park rangers like Jason Vadaboncoeur – or J.V., as he’s known to the terrain park staff and pretty much everyone else at Loon – a guy who’s spent the last seven winters sculpting snow at the resort. As the terrain park day shift supervisor, J.V. and his crew arrive at the mountain before dawn, ride the gondola with ski patrol, and spend a solid 90 minutes checking jumps, rails, and boxes before the mountain opens to the public. Once the mountain closes eight hours later, a second crew will spend another two to three hours shoveling and raking features to restore them to their immaculate, photo-ready standard. It’s a job that becomes exponentially more difficult on powder days, when a morning lap through fresh powder is followed by hours of shoveling out rails and jumps. “New snow is always bittersweet because you know you’re going to ride powder,” J.V. says, “but you also know you’re going to spend the majority of the day shoveling and cleaning out.”

To do their job, J.V. and his crew have a dizzying array of tools at their disposal. There’s the ever-useful snow spork, a rake that lays down corduroy in places a groomer can’t reach; chainsaws to cut and square off jump takeoffs; and seven shovels, each with a specific purpose: flat shovels, serrated shovels, scoop shovels, and transition shovels for quarterpipes and hits. Then there are the groomers. Once the park rangers finish their handwork in the afternoon, groomers like Erik Partlow spend all night manicuring large-scale features, weaving through a maze of jumps, takeoffs, landings,

P: Tim Zimmerman

“It’s like

Over the last decade, Loon’s terrain parks have been consistently ranked among the best in the country by Transworld Snowboarding, Freeskier Magazine, and other respected snowsports publications. Pro snowboarders and skiers from across the world regularly visit Loon to film in its parks, and in 2009, Loon was the first East Coast resort ever invited to Snowboarder Magazine’s prestigious Superpark build. Visit any terrain park in the country, and odds are that the snowboarders and skiers there have dreamed about visiting –or have at least have heard of– Loon’s legendary parks.

“When we build a park, it’s – I don’t like to say perfect, but it’s ideal,” says Norton, who is just as serious about building a micropipe for three-year-olds in the Burton Riglet Park as he is about perfecting the jump line in Loon Mountain Park. “Our parks are exactly how we want them to be, and we expect that come eight o’clock every morning.”

for the 16 hours that they weren’t here, it was a nonstop operation.”

Building and maintaining Loon’s six terrain parks to Norton’s exacting standards isn’t easy. It requires the cooperation of numerous departments across the resort, from the snowmakers who pump out vast quantities of snow for jumps to the vehicle mechanics who spend their days tuning the cats that groom the parks. “It’s taking pieces from every different department around the mountain and plugging them into one trail at a time, one park at a time,” Norton says. Building and maintaining the parks also requires the work of more than a dozen park rangers and two park-specific groomers.

They’re the ones who ultimately provide the hands-on, around-the-clock maintenance that makes the parks shine. “A lot of people take it for granted when they get here in the morning and they say, ‘Another great day here at Loon,’” Norton says. “They don’t understand that

boxes, rails, and quarterpipes. “It’s a little bit different than just grooming a regular trail,” J.V. says. “It’s more like mowing a really nice lawn. You’ve got to start in the same spot and end in the same spot. There’s a specific order that those guys go out and groom in.”

From November to January, Partlow and the rest of the park crew spend the vast majority of their time building the parks from the ground up. But from late January to mid-April, they shift their energy toward building features for events like Last Call and Street Cred, the major competitions that have put Loon on the snowboarding map. By the time the spring competition season rolls around, Norton and his crew have spent countless hours dreaming up creative, larger-than-life features to challenge the pro and semi-pro riders who will compete

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“It’s about what you can dream up.” at the resort. Swing by Norton’s office in early March, and you’ll probably find him busy at his desk, not sleeping under it.

Using Google Sketchup on his computer, Norton will spend hours translating his crew’s dreams into two-dimensional drawings. In recent years, those drawings have become the blueprints for creative features like a xylophone jib made of PVC piping for Last Call, and a wallride made of ice for Red Bull All Snow, a competition where every feature is made entirely of snow and ice. “I’ve been asked in the past, ‘What are the limitations that you can build?’” J.V. says. “It’s more about what you can dream up.”

Sometimes, though, there are limits to what the crew can build. But that doesn’t stop them from tiptoeing right up to the edge of what’s possible.

“As much as people can get really creative and throw a lot of stuff out there, eventually it gets boiled down to ‘Can we actually make it happen?’” says Jay Scambio, director of terrain park development for Boyne Resorts. He should know. Scambio started his career at Loon in 2002, when he became Loon’s first-ever terrain park manager. Today, he oversees the terrain parks at all of Boyne’s resorts, a job that has him traveling from Maine to Montana for most of the winter. When Scambio returned to Loon for Last Call this past spring, he looked on proudly as pro riders like Scotty Lago, Johnny O’Connor, and Mike Ravelson hit features his crew had built. But that sense of satisfaction was fleeting – just as it is every year. Less than a month after Last Call, the mountain had closed for the season and those pristine, photo-ready features had deflated into formless amoebas of melting snow. It was as if Mother Nature had shaken the Etch-a-Sketch, rearranged her rock garden, and forced Loon’s park crew to contemplate their world anew. Over the next six months, they would do just that - meditating on what they had built that winter, and laying out their plans for the next season.

“You get to this time of the year and it’s melting away,” Scambio says. “Let it melt. It’s fine with me. It lets you stop and think about the season, recharge your batteries, and look forward to the next one.”

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R: Scotty Lago窶ケ: Cole Martin

Different

Strokes With its abundance of high

peaks, crystal-clear streams,

and dark forests, the White Mountains have beckoned artists for centuries.

From the romantic landscape painters of the Hudson River School in the 1800’s to today’s photographers and videographers, Loon and its mountainous surroundings serve as an enduring muse to countless creatives.

Here, we meet a few contemporary artists, and learn how–and why–they’ve chosen to document the beauty of Loon and the timeless grandeur of New Hampshire’s White Mountains.

SCOTT MCCURDY For a young artist looking to make his name in the snowboarding world, there’s no better place to be than Loon Mountain. Just ask Scott McCurdy.

A graduate of Plymouth State University, Scott spent recent winters selling snowboard gear at Loon Mountain Sports, drawing, and making connections with the pro riders and snowboard industry players who ride the resort’s top-ranked terrain parks. It’s the kind of open environment that fosters the creativity and progression that have come to define the sport of snowboarding.

“When it comes down to Loon, I can’t be any more than super thankful,” Scott says. “I wouldn’t be as involved with snowboarding or other art projects if it wasn’t for my time spent at Loon and Plymouth and the people I’ve been around for the past few years. It’s a pretty important place.”

Creativity and progression have always been hallmarks of snowboarding. Born from a rebellious countercultural movement in the 1970s and ‘80s, snowboarding quickly evolved into a natural home for artists and others looking to escape the on-snow status quo and create something new. Today, that rebellious ethos manifests itself in the wild creativity that permeates everything from snowboard graphics to jackets and advertising campaigns.

“Art is a huge part of the snowboarding industry,” Scott says. “Artists get hired all over the place: graphic designers, art directors, people that design t-shirt graphics, board graphics, things like that.”

Scott’s artwork has a distinctive, irreverent style that displays a high degree of craftsmanship and creativity.

Many of his drawings are finely-detailed, textured studies of people in pencil, pen, and colored pencil.

“The past couple years I’ve been working with white colored pencil on black paper. I’ve been doing these portraits of people,” Scott says. “I like to work realistically and challenge myself in that aspect, and also come up with original work. Those are the things I’ve been focusing on the last two years.”

Scott has also worked on a number of other projects, most recently a children’s coloring book. He even created the cover of this magazine. One day, he plans to run his own design company. Wherever Scott’s art takes him–whether he’s designing snowboard graphics or writing children’s books–there’s a good chance a part of him will always be at Loon, shredding with his friends.

“Every time I go (to Loon), it’s like going home,” Scott says.

“We’ve made trips to other mountains but, by the time we got there, we’d mostly wish we were back at Loon.”

Contact: scutart.weebly.com | sdmccurdyart@gmail.com

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EMMY ASKLAR A lot of people purchase their dinnerware sets from brands like Corelle, Wedgewood, or Williams-Sonoma.

For many Loon loyals, though, Asklar is the ceramic of choice.

For years, Emmy Asklar and her husband Skid have been skiing the trails of Loon–and creating Loon-inspired pottery. Skid (a Loon legend who can be found skiing hidden stashes or keeping a seat warm in the Bunyan Room) sculpts the mugs, bowls, plates, and serving bowls, while Emmy decorates each with a particular Loon theme. Most pieces are emblazoned with a Loon trail name and accompanying image. A ‘Walking Boss’ plate, for example, is decorated with a man in a black and red checkered jacket walking through the snow; a ‘Speakeasy’ mug features a pair of martini glasses. Emmy says she draws inspiration for the designs when she’s out on the mountain.

“I’ll go out skiing, and as I’m looking I’m saying ‘Ooh that would be great on a plate, that would be great for suchand-such a trail,” Emmy said. “It helps that I know the mountain.”

That in-depth Loon knowledge is how she came up with the idea for her pottery line in the first place. Back in the early days of Loon, most of the resort’s trail signs were decorated with similar images. Hanging on the walls of Camp III is an old Walking Boss sign with a figure holding a walking stick, and a Speakeasy sign with little cocktail glasses. While Emmy appropriated some of the old images in her designs, some of her other trail graphics required a more abstract approach. Triple Trouble, for instance, is a trail whose origin is more obscure.

“I’ve heard different stories,” Emmy says. “It washed out three times while it was being built, or the fact that it has three fall lines when you ski it. But my Triple Trouble graphic–I take a little artist’s license–is the three monkeys: hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil.”

You can get your own Asklar ceramic at Loon Mountain Sports. Do so and you’ll be in good company; over the years, Emmy has sold countless pieces to people who wanted to bring a small piece of the mountain back home with them.

“A lot of second homeowners have them. Friends of mine who clean condos say they see them everywhere,” Emmy says, laughing. “I’m always afraid they’re going to break them. They say, ‘Glad to know where we can get one repaired if we have to.’”

Contact: emmyasklar@gmail.com 38

JACK RICHARDSON Jack Richardson first came to town as a teenager, before Loon even existed. He worked four summers during the 1950s as a bellhop at the Hotel Alpine in North Woodstock. “We had the time of our lives,” says Jack, who recalls a Dirty Dancing-era atmosphere where the kids from North Woodstock–a village of summer resorts and cottages–kept their distance from the Lincoln kids, who lived in a hardscrabble paper mill town.

Fast-forward a couple of decades, and Jack–then a sign painter and fireman with the Weston Fire Department in Massachusetts–returned to the White Mountains to find a changed world. The paper mill in Lincoln had closed, Loon Mountain had opened, and the Hotel Alpine would soon become the Alpine Village condos. But the mountains were the same ones he fell in love with as a teenager, and he resolved to make them his home. In short order, he took his kids skiing at Loon on the weekends, bought a condo at Alpine Village, and eventually retired there. It’s also where his career as an artist flourished.

As a sign painter, Jack was already an accomplished artist who worked in oils and enamels. While he had begun painting scenes of fire engines and houses in oil paint on his days off, he didn’t want to bring the caustic smells of oil and turpentine home with him; he’d already had enough of that at work. That problem disappeared when Jack’s wife bought him his first watercolor set.

“I love the medium because you can drop it and you can’t erase it, in spite of what people say. It just works for me,” Jack says. “If you want to speed up the drying process, you use a hairdryer.”

His first Loon painting was of Grand Junction. He’s since painted Sunset, Angel Street, and many other trails.

His painting of Angel Street is particularly lifelike, giving one the uncanny feeling of skiing down the steep slope.

Achieving that effect wasn’t easy.

“Angel Street took about five tries,” Jack says. “I wanted to get the dynamic of looking down the slope, so I did several attempts to get it right. I did one and cut it apart, moved the trees this way and angled them that way to get them so it looked like I was really looking down.”

Today, Jack is making the most of his retirement in the White Mountains. He doesn’t paint as much as he used to, but he’s tossing around a few ideas for new paintings this winter. One idea, which he dubs ‘Mission Impossible,’ would show the view of downtown Lincoln from atop South Peak. Don’t get too excited, though. He’ll get around to it eventually. Once he’s done skiing.

“I paint and I love to ski. That’s why I’ve got a lot of Loon slopes in my paintings,” Jack says. “My favorite painting so far is Sunset. It’s a nice afternoon picture. I’d say ‘Oh, I’ve got to research my picture,’ and I’d go to the mountain and ski.”

Contact: jackswatercolors@gmail.com

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KIRSTEN CARRUTH The next time you find yourself draining a beer in the Paul Bunyan Room, take a second to look up through the bottom of your glass. Through fast-disappearing suds, you’ll see a collection of bold scenes jump out at you: gruffly-bearded loggers, dark forests, and the restless steam locomotives that once powered life in the White Mountains. It’s like looking up at the ceiling of a sudsy Sistine Chapel, with artist Kirsten Carruth as its Michelangelo.

Kirsten, a graduate of Plymouth State University and longtime Loon skier, knows the Bunyan Room as a place to hang out, talk with friends, and enjoy a cold beer or two after a day on the hill. When former Bunyan Room manager Charlie Wheeler asked her to create series of paintings to give the bar a better sense of place, she jumped at the chance. Drawing inspiration from history and folklore, Kirsten dove deep into New Hampshire’s past–and the legend of Paul Bunyan–to guide the project.

“I read a lot of folklore because I love the history of New Hampshire. It’s interesting how people lived years ago and what made an area interesting to settle in and the things they had to go through,” says Kirsten, who recounts one memorable story about the Crawfords, the family who settled Crawford Notch early in the 19th Century. “When they were young, they didn’t have a pair of shoes until they were 13 years old. Holy cow! I can’t even imagine living in New Hampshire without a pair of shoes in the wintertime. That’s just how you did it.”

Kirsten’s paintings are bold, lyrical, and utterly compelling–much like the early pioneers who settled the White Mountains. The paintings convey a sense of folksy, larger-than-life whimsy, as if they inspired the legend of Paul Bunyan instead of the other way around. It takes Kirsten 40 to 50 hours to create each painting, from the first rough sketch to the finished pieces hanging from the Bunyan Room ceiling. It’s a process that allows Kirsten to lose herself in the moment–a feeling she also gets when skiing at Loon or catching up with friends in the Bunyan Room.

“It’s why people ski,” Kirsten says. “You can do it for hours and the time just flies by. It’s almost Zen-like, sitting there listening to your music and getting into that zone.

It’s a nice place to be.”

Contact: artchick.kc@gmail.com Facebook.com/kirstencarruthdesign 40

2015/16

EVENT CALENDAR November 28…Cease & Desist

February 6–7…

A cavalcade of high-powered attorneys have threatened legal action if we use a certain Thanksgiving-related pun to promote this post-Turkey Day jib buffet, so we’ll let the skiing and riding speak for themselves. As always, this contest will set the stage for another great winter in Loon’s award-winning progression of terrain parks.

December 12…Demo Day The old adage ‘Try before you buy’ is especially relevant when it comes to your winter gear. Thanks to Demo Day, you can play Goldilocks for a few hours and try out the latest 15/16 equipment from today’s top brands.

December 19–20…K2 National Demo Tour December 24–January 3…Holiday Week Celebrations Celebrate the holiday season with fun activities for the entire family. Check out the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service, kids’ movie night, and a rockin’ New Year’s Eve party in the Bunyan Room. Pay close attention, and you may even see Santa on the slopes.

January 9–10…

High Cascade To-Go Winter Camp Delivering all of the coaching, fun, and activities you love from summer snowboard camp straight to Loon.

January 10…

South Peak Skin & Ski Tired of skiing downhill? Test yourself by skinning up - and then skiing down – South Peak. Beginner and expert racers are welcome, with divisions for telemark and alpine touring skiers.

Windells On The Road When Windells goes On The Road this winter, they’re packing their things and coming to our town. Come ski, hang, and learn new tricks with their top-notch coaches right here at Loon.

February 13…Lil’ Plankers February 14…Lil’ Tweakers February 17–19…Fluorescent Nights February 18…Snowshoe & S’Mores For a completely unique family après experience, ride a chairlift to mid-mountain and take a guided snowshoe tour to our rustic Camp III lodge. Feast on delicious hors d’oeuvres, hot cocoa – and s’mores – around a fire. At the end of the evening, snowshoe down the mountain under a starry sky.

March 12…Winter Challenge to benefit New England Disabled Sports Take part in the 27th Annual Kostick Cup Race and Winter Challenge Dinner to support New England Disabled Sports, a nonprofit that helps everyone enjoy the slopes. This event has raised more than $100,000 for NEDS. March 14…Last Call with Eastern Border Watch professional and semi-pro riders from around the country ride in the East Coast’s largest and longest-running snowboard event.

March 20…

Cardboard Box Race

March 26–27…Droppin’ In:

Women’s Freestyle Camp

January 16-17…

Independence Weekend

presented by Oakley

Snowmaking set us free from the tyranny of Mother Nature, and Independence Weekend is how we celebrate. Join us as we salute our hardworking snowmakers - and New Hampshire’s most powerful snowmaking system - with snowcat rides, après-ski parties, fireworks, and a torchlight parade.

March 27…Easter Sunday

January 23–24…

Women’s Performance Camp presented by K2 Ski Alliance

February 5…Snow Golf with CASA Play nine holes of snow golf at this unique fundraiser for New Hampshire’s Court Appointed Special Advocates, volunteers who stand up for abused and neglected children in the state’s court system. This event has raised more than $100,000 since it debuted at Loon in 2000. We’ll supply the clubs; you bring the fun.

February 6…Vertical Express for Can Do Multiple Sclerosis

Get a team together and spend a fun day on the mountain at Vertical Express, a major fundraiser for Can Do MS’s life empowerment programs. From scavenger hunts to dual slalom races, there’s something for skiers and riders of all abilities at this fun event.

Enjoy a spectacular sunrise service at the summit, and then score first tracks. Later, kids will enjoy a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed egg hunt, where they’ll get their mitts on some candy-filled eggs.

April 2…‘80s Day A blizzard of big hair and neon fanny packs, ‘80s Day is when we celebrate the raddest decade of the 20th Century. When you’re done hot doggin’ for the day, moonwalk over to the Bunyan Room, where ‘80s cover band Fast Times will rock your world.

April 2…Red Bull All Snow April 9…Slushpool Party Grab your snorkel, because pond-skimming season is here. Watch as dozens of winter-weary skiers and riders try – and fail – to skim a huge pool of ice-cold water.

April 10…Street Cred Riders tackle urban street spots on snow in their quest for a cash purse.

June 25…New England Brewfest July 9…Monster Mud Run September 16–18…New Hampshire Highland Games and Festival October 1…O2X Summit Challenge October 8–9…White Mountain Oktoberfest

THERE’S MORE! LoonMtn.com/Events 42

…for a full calendar of events.

All events and dates are subject to change.

Legendary Lineup of New England’s finest funkiest bands & DJs fill the Paul Bunyan Room for 16 epic Saturdays this winter during Bunyan’s Legendary Nights. The doors kick open at 8:30pm and there is never a cover charge, thanks to Bud Light. It’s your night to become a legend.

Make it happen.

Featuring Harsh Armadillo, Green Lion Crew, DJ That Ninjah, Cole Robbie Band, 6Foot Sunday, Fast Times and more.

Full lineup at LoonMtn.com/Legendary

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P: Greg Burke

Fadden’s General Store first opened its doors in 1896.

I was born and raised in the Granite State, and grew up skiing the White Mountains, so a ski getaway to Loon offered a return to familiar and fun with a dose of intrigue now that my husband Greg and I live out of state.

Heather Burke

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Snowmobiling in Franconia Notch

y a d n Su Driving up I-93, the sight of the snowcapped Presidentials was a wonderful welcome. While everyone else was skiing Sunday morning, we decided to snowmobile in Lincoln instead. Gerri at SledVentures greeted us with a big smile, outfitting us with helmets and boots; Greg opted for a snowmobile jacket too, for our two-hour tour.

P: Greg Burke

A quick orientation from our guide Paul Fresolone, Gerri’s husband, and our group was fired up and sledding. The heated grips warmed my hands through my gloves as I squeezed the throttle and felt the 2015 SkiDoo’s quick response.

Our adventure began on groomed, well-marked trails through shimmering birch groves, along frozen streams, over snowy bridges, past The Basin, Flume, and the former Old Man on the Mountain as we sledded into Franconia Notch. I spotted skiers on Cannon Mountain’s slopes as we passed the Tram.

Paint your own pottery at Fired on the Mountain

We snowmobiled 30 miles, stopping for breathtaking photos of Lafayette and Profile Lake. Paul informed us that New Hampshire has more snowmobile trails than roads – over 7,000 miles.

1:00pm

After exploring the White Mountain National Forest on snowmobile, we were ravenous and Black Mtn. Burger Co. in Lincoln was just the spot. The Brie and Bacon burger was ridiculously good, along with a refreshing Tuckerman’s Pale Ale. Next door, Fired on the Mountain caught my eye and we popped into this paint-yourown-pottery studio to see families creating hand painted take-home treasures, dishes and signs for parents, pandas and dogs for the kids. Karen, the proprietor, said she’d ship our pieces once they were glazed and fired. What an artsy après ski activity.

3:00pm P: Greg Burke

I begged Greg to stop at Lahout’s Ski Shop where we had bought my first one-piece ski suit, three-decades ago. We chatted with Joe Lahout himself, third generation owner of the Oldest Ski Shop in America. He shared Lahout’s colorful history from 1920 to today’s six ski shops in the area. No one-piece ski suit this trip, instead I found a #LiveFreeOrDie T-shirt for our son and a stylish après ski top for me.

3:30pm

P: Woodstock Inn

The Dreaming Pig, a few doors down on Main Street, was an unexpected treasure chest of “antiques and other items of interest.” This quirky road-side stash sells every curio from beeswax candles and soaps, to antique glass and Yankee bean pots, even a chic $10 mink hat that I should have bought (shopper’s regret).

The Ladyslipper room located the Woodstock Inn

4:00pm

Arriving at The Woodstock Inn and Brewery, we were just in time for après ski and half price apps at the Station Bar, which was brimming with cheery locals.

Checking in to our charming Ladyslipper room, we were pleased with the spacious suite’s old world charm (the Inn building dates back to 1908), a fourposter king bed and sunken whirlpool tub. Greg proudly announced, “I’ll make a fire” as he flipped the switch to ignite the gas fireplace.

...was brimming with

CHEERY LOCALS

6:00pm

After freshening up, and a Facebook post using the Woodstock Inn’s free wifi, we headed to the much anticipated frozen spectacle… the Ice Castle. Walking toward the illuminated field of icy fountains and towers I was amazed at the sheer size. Entering crystal caves filled with shimmering icicles all aglow in blue, red and green hues, I felt I had been cast in an Alaskan fairytale. Children slid down ice chute slides while parents flashed their photos. Like Frosty, it’s amazing this winter wonderland will melt, but not until delighting thousands during these fantastic frozen months.

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P: Greg Burke

Enjoying a couple inches of fresh snow on Crosscut

7:00pm

Ski friends and Loon loyalists had told us Gypsy Café was the place to dine. We found this eclectic cozy café to be just as promised, with entertaining décor and a menu that is globally inspired. After tangy fresh margaritas at the friendly bar, we were seated by Claire, the Chef’s mom. Our international culinary tour kicked off with Vietnamese beef in a leaf; Greg had Red Dragon Sirloin, while I enjoyed delicious Navajo pumpkin pasta, ending with a delectable Cuban Flan. Like EPCOT, you can dine in many countries from the comforts of Gypsy, all this otherworldly cuisine is brilliantly created by Chef Dan. Call ahead, The Gypsy jams.

9:00pm

Open-mic night was happenin’ back at the Woodstock Inn, but we spared the locals our musical talent (lack of) and slipped off to our Ladyslipper suite for sweet dreams of skiing the next day.

a y d n o M

Midweek skiing at Loon is

wonderful that way.

8:00am

We awoke to sparkling fresh snow, light fluffy flakes that scattered as we walked to the Woodstock Inn’s Clement Room for breakfast. Sipping coffee, Greg selected Eggs Benedict from the vast menu with every omelet imaginable. Smoky lox and bagel for me as fuel for our big ski day at Loon.

9:00am

2:30pm

Greg and I scored first gondola at Loon – its our thing. What a great way to start your day riding up to Loon Peak in a comfy gondi cabin, on a Monday especially, with no lines except the perfect corduroy in the snow below. First run down well-pitched Angel Street was heavenly, our skis floated on the four inches of light fresh powder.

Next, North Peak delivered more first tracks on Walking Boss which was “boss.”

With 24 runs and 38,000’ vertical, a legal day, we ski to Viaggo Spa for “much-kneaded” massages. Fluffy robes and a friendly staff greet us, and my masseuse works some muscles that are tighter than the glades we skied. Greg and I meet up post-spa at The Mountain Club’s outdoor Jacuzzi, which is surrounded by snow and a view of the slopes. A nice bonus that you can enjoy the pool and hot tub with any spa treatment.

We enjoyed run after run of soft satiny snow covering perfectly groomed cord, and best of all–we had trails like Flying Fox and Speakeasy all to ourselves.

Sweet fall line runs off South Peak, Ripsaw and Jobber, felt long on the way down, while the Lincoln Express Quad was a quick ride back up with more empty chairs than occupied. Midweek skiing at Loon is wonderful that way.

4:00pm

11:45am

With 12 runs, burning thighs and rumbling tummies, we skied into the Mountain Club on Loon’s Black Diamond Pub for a slope view table-service lunch. Greg envied my Beef Short Ribs with Maple BBQ served on a warm pretzel roll–yum. His house-made Reuben disappeared before I could ask for a bite. We knew we had to make more turns for the calorie burn.

12:30pm

Riding the North Peak Express Quad with Patroller Chuck, we heard the heritage of Loon’s trail names, how Governor Sherman Adams transformed a logging camp into a ski area that opened in 1966. Ask a local about how Rolling Bear got its name.

1:00pm

Greg declares we should ski every trail at Loon, so we pop into Mike’s Way for some tree skiing, then bash the snowy bumps on Triple Trouble and Big Dipper.

A short walk from The Woodstock Inn, I find Fadden’s General Store, and step inside to smell sweet maple syrup. A classic Candy Counter (remember penny candy?), novelty gifts, lobster pots and local beer are a few of the staples sold here. Jim Fadden, 6th generation and 4th to run the 1896 mercantile store, shows me the sugar shack out back and tells a few jokes, some appropriate, some not, but all funny. Next door is Cascade Coffeehouse and Café, and Gifts from the Fields, Farms and Forest–a delightful gift shop brimming with books and handmade New Hampshire niceties. Who knew Woodstock and Lincoln had so many offbeat unique shopping spots.

7:00pm

We grab a bar stool at Woodstock Station and Brewery next to some locals, and indulged their comments about the faux fur “critter” around my neck. Bartender Ben pours tall 4,000-footer IPAs and we toast our day’s ski stats–I see a nod of respect from my fashion critics. The Last Chair Ale was out, “You will have to come back for the seasonal beer without a season,” remarks Ben. Sitting by the real crackling fireplace, cracking jokes with new ski friends, was the perfect end to the best Monday–skiing sure beats working. Better ’N Mom’s Meatloaf really was, sorry mom, the truth. Another truth, all that vertical, our Viaggo spa and delicious dinner–we weren’t stayin’ up for Entertainment at 9pm.

Tuesday 8:00am

Another delicious breakfast at Woodstock Inn before checking out, this time Peasant’s Pride homemade red flannel hash, and we were primed to ski.

8:30am

...we vowed to

SKI’EM ALL

The smiling technician at Loon Mountain Sports and Demo Center, downstairs from the Gondola, greeted us like friends, handing us our freshly-tuned skis we had brought in the previous afternoon (skis need to be massaged too).

9:00am

Another first gondola for us, I noted there was a handful more skiers on this glorious sunny Tuesday. Bluebird skies overhead and beautifully-groomed corduroy under our waxed, sharpened skis, we flew down Flume, Picked Rock, and Bear Claw. With 10 by 10, Greg announced we hadn’t hit Rampasture yet (remember, we vowed to ski ‘em all), so we bagged that beautiful trail and even skied through the empty Loon Mountain Park to eye the monstrous jumps, rails and immense 450’-long superpipe with 18’ walls...wow. I just observed, no launching for this lady.

12:00pm

Hard to leave Loon, but our 48-hour adventure was up and we had skied all but one of Loon’s 61 trails. White Mtn Bagel Co. made us delicious Lumberjack and Pemigewasset bagel sandwiches to savor on our ride home. We pledge we will have to come back, for 72 hours, to taste that seasonal brew, see the new Riverwalk Hotel in Lincoln, and to ski that elusive trail plus all my favorites again.

Heather carves morning corduroy on Upper Walking Boss.

Live Free or Die, ski Loon.

Heather Burke is... passionate about skiing, has been since age 3. She is editor of two ski resort review sites, luxuryskitrips.com and familyskitrips.com, and contributes regularly to travel sites and magazines. Heather travels the globe with her photographer husband Greg, when they aren’t skiing they reside in Kennebunkport, Maine.

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We’ve has made a serious commitment to snowmaking efficiency in recent years; this winter, the commitment to clean energy is expanding to the open road. Thanks to a new partnership with Tesla Motors, two Tesla (and one EV) charging stations have been installed onsite. If you drive a Tesla and need to fuel up, just plug into a charger in the Children’s Center parking lot, then fuel yourself up at the Governor Adams It’s easy to fall in love with the Ice Castle.

Lodge, and you’ll be good to go.

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STANDARD LENS

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If the Boot Fits...

B

uying a pair of ski boots is a lot like building the foundation of a house. Do a bad job, and you’ll soon see the entire structure (in this case, your dreams of a happy, pain-free day on the slopes) come crashing down in a crescendo of pinched toes and aching metatarsals.

Lucky for us (and you), Loon Mountain Sports has several master bootfitters on staff. Like master carpenters, these highly-skilled technicians are trained to find the best possible boot for you–and then perform any modifications necessary to give you a rock-solid biomechanical foundation.

ter will ask questions about how you like to ski and match you with an appropriate boot.

“We talk to guests about where they like to ski on the mountain, how they like to ski–if they’re a cruiser out there having fun or if they’re aggressive and really like to get after it,” Bill says. “A boot too stiff for someone who’s not an aggressive skier is going to put them in the backseat.

It’s going to make them feel like the skis and the boots are controlling what they’re doing, rather than them controlling the equipment.”

PUSH IT, PUSH IT REAL GOOD Once you’ve been matched to an ideal boot, you’ll spend 10-15 minutes buckled into them.

Here, one of Loon’s master bootfitters, Bill Afterward, the bootfitter will inspect your foot Feather, gives us some valuable insights into for hot spots. “The hot spots are red irritation the bootfitting process, and what to expect marks on the foot showing where the pressure when you get fitted for a boot at Loon Mountain points are,” Bill says. “That’s where we would Sports. Put yourself in his capable hands, and go and determine whether we heat up the he’ll help you find your boot and blow it out sole mate. with our hydraulic DEMO DAY, EVERY DAY expander tools, or BOOT FITTING: Happy with the boots you already have? just take our special AN EDUCATION Looking for new skis instead? Thanks to the grinding tools and take To become a master Loon Mountain Sports demo program, you a little bit of plastic off bootfitter, our staff atcan try before you buy. the inside.” tend Masterfit UniversiFor just $50, you can demo up to three That’s right. For ty, a two-day, industrypairs of skis over the course of an entire larger-volume feet, standard training camp day. If you ultimately decide to purchase a Bill will heat up the run by pedorthists, ski from Loon Mountain Sports, we’ll apply boot’s shell and use professionals trained that $50 (or up to $100 if you spend two a hydraulic expander in the assessment of days demo-ing) to the cost of your new to create a little more lower-limb biomechanskis. If you’re looking for that perfect ski to wiggle room. Same ics and the application take on the entire mountain, we’ll help you goes for those of you of corrective footwear. find the perfect match. with bunions that “They’re foot doctors need a little more who are also ski freaks,” “The beauty of demos is we can take skiers head space. says Bill. “They’ve taken downstairs and narrow it down to three their foot doctor educaskis that should fit their skiing preferences,” “Certain plastics will tion and tailored it says Ben Youngheim, manager of Loon allow us to go further towards skiing.”

Mountain Sports. “They can come in after a and do a better job,” couple hours on the ski and give us direct Bill says “We can LOVE HURTS feedback as to what they liked and what expand some higherTurns out, there’s no they didn’t like about the ski.” performing boots to such thing as love at just ridiculous widths first sight when it comes to accommodate to ski boots. someone with a really huge foot.”

“The most common mistake people have when FOOT BEDS: they buy a boot on their own is they buy one PUT YOUR ACHING FEET TO REST that’s too big because it’s comfortable–it feels Much like the stereo in your dad’s 2001 minivan, good in the shop,” Bill says. “The first time you “the footbeds that come with ski boots from ski in it, it may feel ok, but it’s going to start to the factory are pretty much useless,” Bill says. break in. By the third time you ski on it, your “They provide cushion between your foot and foot’s moving all around in there, and that can the plastic shell, sure, but they don’t provide the cause pain or lack of control in the ski.” support your arch so desperately needs.”

Like old-school matchmakers, Bill and his fellow That’s where custom footbeds come into play. bootfitters know a strong, lasting foot-boot For an extra fee, Loon’s bootfitters will construct relationship is about more than first impressions. “If you try on a boot and it feels good, nine a footbed to cradle your once-barking dogs like a newborn puppy. times out of 10 it’s going to be the wrong boot for you,” Bill says. “It shouldn’t be comfortable “You stand on an air bag, we turn on a vacuum or feel amazing the second you put your foot in pump with you standing on it, and it creates a it. It shouldn’t feel that way until we custom fit it mold by sucking the air out of the bag and leavspecifically for you.” ing a mold of your foot behind,” Bill says. “Then we put a heated blank footbed on that, you’ll KNOW YOUR LIMITS stand on top of the footbed, and that footbed is Another important aspect of finding the right going to conform to the shape you just left.” boot is knowing your skiing style. A good bootfit-

Don’t want to spend extra for a custom footbed?

You can still get a big boost from Superfeet and other off-the-rack inserts, Bill says. But for a truly cushy ride with a Cinderalla fit, custom footbeds are the way to go, hands (and feet) down.

A GREAT FIT, GUARANTEED If you purchase a boot from Loon Mountain Sports with the help of our bootfitters, we’ll guarantee your fit for one year. “If you come in and you have hot spots, or your feet are hurting, we will definitely do whatever it takes to make your boot work and fit for you,” Bill says.

Our fit guarantee doesn’t apply if you end up purchasing a boot without the blessing of our fastidious master bootfitters, however. “If you want a purple boot and not a white boot, and you insist on buying the purple boot and we don’t think it’s the right one for you, we’re not guaranteeing that fit,” Bill says. “You’re not looking at them when you’re skiing anyway. And if you are, you’ve got a whole other problem.”

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Kids’ DIY

Do it yourself

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The Lincoln-Woodstock, Franconia Notch Region is the BaseCamp of the White Mountains. With an abundance of lodging options, on-slope and off, you’ll find just what you are looking for to make your next stay special.

Get your FREE vacation planning kit by visiting LincolnWoodstock.com/skiloon.

SLOPESIDE RESORTS THE MOUNTAIN CLUB ON LOON RESORT & SPA 800-229-7829 | mtnclub.com The Mountain Club on Loon, your only ski in - ski out lodging on Loon Mountain will deliver an awesome family ski vacation. Awaken from a quiet, restful sleep to White Mountain views & fresh snow… just inches away. The car stays in the garage – and you can come home for lunch! After your day of adventure, kick back & relax in our casual Black Diamond Pub, a swim in our lap-size pool or a rejuvenating treatment in our Viaggio Spa. Then enjoy another good night’s sleep. The Mountain Club on Loon: Close. Simple. Complete.

RESORTS THE DAYS INN BEACON 800-258-8934 | beaconresort.com Many modern comforts to be enjoyed in this recently renovated 73 room property in the picturesque White Mountains of New Hampshire. Start your day with a filling continental breakfast (included with your room) and end it by relaxing in the indoor heated pool, hot tub or sauna. It’s conveniently located just one mile off I-93 and close to Loon, Cannon, Waterville Valley, Bretton Woods, snowmobile trails and other winter recreation. The Days Inn Beacon offers a variety of room accommodations to satisfy any visitor, including pet friendly cabins. Call for accommodations, ski packages and discounts!

INDIAN HEAD RESORT 800-343-8000 | indianheadresort.com Our 180 acres of scenic splendor is home to 98 resort units with scenic private balconies, cottages & bungalows all featuring 50” HDTV’s with over 60 HD channels. Paddle boating and fishing is available on our private Shadow Lake. Enjoy the indoor pool, heated outdoor pool and spas that are OPEN ALL YEAR! Award-winning Profile Dining Room and live entertainment in our Thunderbird Lounge are a great way to relax and unwind after a fun filled day. Indian Head Resort is the perfect home base to visit all the local attractions, ski slopes and we offer discount tickets to many. All units have refrigerators and microwaves.

MITTERSILL ALPINE RESORT 603-823-5511 | mittersillresort.com A four-season resort in scenic Franconia Notch. Slopeside of Mittersill Mountain and Cannon Mountain. Spectacular vacation enjoyment in the White Mountains. Selected hotel rooms or spacious one- and two-bedroom units with full kitchens. Indoor/outdoor swimming pools, jacuzzi, sauna, fitness room, game room and Baron’s Pub. Specially-priced ski vouchers.

WOODWARD’S RESORT

800-635-8968 | woodwardsresort.com Featuring 142 rooms ranging from standard rooms with compact refrigerators and coffee makers, two-bedroom family units to suites with hot tub, fireplace, & full kitchen. Woodward’s features an Open Hearth Steak House, pub with fireplace, two indoor and outdoor pools, sauna, jacuzzi and a lighted ice skating pond. Known for customer service and offering great ski-and-stay packages. Purchase a winter pass that includes seven lodging vouchers, free ski ticket and local gas and ski shop discounts for only $379. Seasonal rentals also available.

RIVERGREEN RESORT HOTEL & CONDOMINIUMS

888-784-7829 | rivergreenresort.com Experience the best of the Northeast in the heart of the White Mountains. Choose from hotel rooms, studios, one- or two-bedroom suites with full kitchens and Jacuzzi tubs. Enjoy the indoor pool, spa, and great room. Close to South Peak at Loon Mountain and offering a free shuttle on weekends and holidays. Central location means convenience – the possibilities for dining and entertainment are endless!

MORE >> loonmtn.com

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LODGING DIRECTORY Lincolnwoodstock.com/skiloon

VACATION RENTALS LOON RESERVATION SERVICE

800-745-5666 | loonres.com Vacation rental specialist professionally managing private condos and townhouses in the Loon Mountain area. Rentals are located throughout 12 resorts all within five miles of Loon. Limited slope-side accommodations available. Vacation rentals include full kitchens and living areas.

Most have wood or gas fireplaces, access to fitness rooms, and indoor pools.

B&BS / COUNTRY INNS WILDERNESS INN BED & BREAKFAST

888-777-7813 | thewildernessinn.com Your country house in the White Mountains; three miles from Loon with seven bedrooms & family suites, all private bath, HDTV, some with Jacuzzi & fireplace. Honeymoon cottages with fireplace & two-person Jacuzzi tub. Gourmet breakfast includes homemade muffins, cranberry-nut pancakes or brie omelets. Call to hear about great B&B & ski or zip packages.

WOODSTOCK INN, STATION & BREWERY 800-321-3985 | woodstockinnnh.com New Hampshire’s favorite getaway for food, fun, and relaxation. 40 unique guest rooms, many with whirlpools and fireplaces. The Woodstock Station was voted White Mountains’ favorite seven times by NH Magazine.”Hidden Gem” by the Phantom Gourmet.

Free Wi-Fi and use of nearby indoor/outdoor pool and health club. Ski packages. Award-winning microbrewery, lounge, and entertainment.

THE SUGAR HILL INN

800-548-4748 | sugarhillinn.com The Sugar Hill Inn is a romantic escape for skiers. No children please. Enjoy the best fine dining in the White Mountains. Rooms with fireplaces, whirlpool tubs, robes, slippers, chocolates and coffee/espresso. Convenient to Cannon, Loon and Bretton Woods.

CONDOMINIUMS THE NORDIC INN RESORT 866-734-2164 | nordic-inn.com The Nordic Inn has it all. Conveniently located only minutes from your outdoor adventure. Affordable and spacious one-, two- or threebedroom condominiums that feature gas-log fireplace, full kitchen and unlimited high-speed wi-fi. Amenities include free shuttle to Loon Mountain, family game area/fitness center, indoor heated pool with attached hot tub. Ski ticket discounts available to our guests.

THE LODGE AT LINCOLN STATION 800-654-6188 | lodgeresort.com The Lodge, a four-season resort in the beautiful White Mountains of New Hampshire, offers studios, one-bedroom, and loft suites with kitchenettes and private balconies. Amenities include: fireplace in great room, indoor pool, Jacuzzi, saunas, game rooms, CCTV, free HBO, free wireless Internet access, and free shuttle to Loon Mountain.

DISCOUNTED CONDOMINIUM RENTALS AT THE NORDIC INN 888-883-2305 | discountedcondominiumrentals.com Save $20.00 per night over front desk rates! Central to four great ski areas. Affordable and spacious one, two, or three bedroom condominiums that boast gas fireplaces, full kitchens, one full bath per bedroom, free high-speed wi-fi and free parking. Perks include free shuttle to Loon Mountain, family game area/fitness center, indoor heated pool with attached hot tub, three saunas and racquetball. Loon ski ticket discounts available.

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LODGING DIRECTORY Lincolnwoodstock.com/skiloon

CABINS MAPLE LODGE CABINS 603-745-6688 | maplelodgecabins.com Enjoy the solitude of the gorgeous two-bedroom Presidential Cabin, accommodating up to six people. Features fully-equipped kitchen, gas fireplace, queen-sized bed, two bunk beds, and queen pull-out sofa. Off the beaten path, minutes from shopping and restaurants. Five minutes from Loon Mountain.

MONTAUP CABINS 603-745-5615 | montaupcabins.com The Catucci Family welcomes you to escape the hustle and bustle of life to relax in the peacefulness of the White Mountains. Offering one-bedroom cabins that sleep two people and offering two-bedroom cabins, sleeping four to six comfortably. Conveniently located off interstate 93. Short walking distance to Main Street in North Woodstock to enjoy local dining and shopping. Free wi-fi.

HOTELS / MOTELS ECONO LODGE INN & SUITES

800-762-7275 | econolodgeloon.com Located centrally among all the attractions and spectacular views of the mountains, Econo Lodge Inn & Suites of Lincoln, New Hampshire, is the very finest resort and the ultimate choice for a vacation in the White Mountain region. On-site amenities include indoor heated pool, sauna, whirlpool, fitness room and guest laundry.

COMFORT INN & SUITES–LOON 888-589-8112 | comfortinnloon.com Check out the value! Ski or ride all day then sleep in comfort all night. Newly renovated guest rooms, complimentary hot breakfast, indoor heated pool, Jacuzzi and cardio room. Refrigerator and microwave in every room. Executive suites available with in-room fireplaces and whirl-pools. Complimentary weekend & holiday week Loon shuttle. Easy access from I-93 at Exit 32. Ask about our Stay and Ski Packages.

KANCAMAGUS LODGE

603-745-3365 | kancamaguslodge.com

Just one mile from Loon Mountain, affordable lodging with all the amenities of a large resort, full-size indoor pool, restaurant, bar, plus complimentary weekend and vacation week ski shuttle. A variety of accommodations to choose from, most with views of Loon’s South Mountain. Ask about our fabulous in-room steambath showers and Stay & Ski Packages.

RIVERBANK MOTEL & CABINS 800-633-5624 | riverbankmotel.com Friendly family accommodations with kitchenettes and some with fireplaces. Quiet riverside location just three miles from Loon. Indoor pool and fitness facility available off site. Midweek daily rates from $44 per night double occupancy. Weekend and holiday rates from $65 per night double occupancy. Three- and five-dday midweek rates & ski packages available. Seasonal rentals from $2,600 for four months.

PARKER’S MOTEL 800-766-6835 | parkersmotel.com Parker’s Motel is centrally located in the Ski New Hampshire region. Twenty-four clean, comfortable rooms that sleep up to four people. Five two- or three-bedroom units that sleep up to seven people. Scenic mountain views, free Wi-Fi, AAA approved, and indoor Jacuzzi and sauna. One-, two-, or three-day ski packages. Only six miles to Loon. Midweek rates starting at $59. Weekend rates starting at $79.

CARRIAGE MOTEL 603-745-2416 / 800-822-7666 | carriagemotel.com The Carriage Motel lies in the heart of the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and is now open year round. Located on the Pemigewasset River, the motel provides affordable accommodations conveniently located off highway 93 at exit 32 in North Woodstock. Guests can walk to nearby restaurants, souvenir shops, the post office, and deli. It is only a short drive to all White Mountain and many New Hampshire attractions. Seasonal rentals available. All rooms are non-smoking. Sorry no pets. loonmtn.com

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LOON LOWDOWN

MOUNTAIN

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MOUNTAIN STATS Base Elevation: 950 feet Summit Elevation: 3,050 feet Vertical Drop: 2,100 feet Slope Exposure: Northeast Total Number of Trails: 61 Tree-skiing Areas: 8 Snowmaking Acreage: 322 Total Miles of Trails: 28 Skiable Acres: 370 Snowmaking Trail Coverage: 99% Terrain Parks: 6, plus Superpipe Annual Snowfall (five-year average): 160 inches Uphill Lift Capacity: 15,157 skiers/hour Ability Level Breakdown: Expert 20%; Intermediate 60%; Novice 20%

LIFTS (12 Total) 1 Four-person Gondola 3 High-speed Express Quad Chairs 1 Fixed-grip Quad Chair 1 Triple Chair 3 Double Chairs 1 Handle Tow 2 Carpet Lifts

DIRECTIONS Loon is located at 60 Loon Mountain Road in Lincoln, New Hampshire 03251. Take Exit 32 off Interstate 93 and turn left, following the Kancamagus Highway/Route 112 for 2.5 miles.

DRIVING TIMES Boston, MA: 2 hours Manchester, NH: 1.5 hours Hartford, CT: 3.5 hours Montreal, Canada: 3 hours New York City, NY: 5.5 hours

OPERATION HOURS & CONTACT INFO Midweek: 9am–4pm Weekend/Holiday: 8am–4pm Half-day: 12pm–4pm Season: Mid-November to Mid-April Main Phone: 603.745.8111; 800.229.LOON Snow Phone: 603.745.8100 Website: LoonMtn.com

Twitter: @loonmtn Instagram: @loonPOV @loonparksNH Facebook.com/loonmtn Blog.LoonMtn.com

This map is for reference only. Not intended for use on the mountain.

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UTAH

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Art: @Davidaisy

IF

you’ve ever walked through the Gondola Barn here at Loon, you may

wanted to memorialize that history. He did so in many ways, from Loon’s trail

have noticed noticed a rather strange riddle carved into a wooden

names (like Picaroon, a wooden-handled logging tool) to the Gondola Barn

sign above the fireplace and wondered, ‘Huh?’ Turns out, the riddle was placed there by Loon’s founder, the late New Hampshire Gov. Sherman Adams. The riddle, which was originally posted above the

riddle, which slyly references the coal-fired steam trains that once transported timber from the surrounding mountainsides to a paper mill in downtown Lincoln.

firebox of a locomotive, harkens back to the days when the logging industry

So take a look at the illustration above and try to solve the riddle. If you can’t

dominated the town of Lincoln and the surrounding mountains. Adams, who

make heads or tails of it, don’t worry -- you can find the answer posted right

started his career as a walking boss for a local lumber company in the 1920s,

by the riddle in the Gondola Barn.

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Starting at

Loon’s only ski-in, ski-out resort.

99

$

*

Stay in one of the newly-renovated rooms, studios or suites with stunning views of the White per person, per night Mountains. Indulge in pampering treatments at New Hampshire’s only slopeside spa & wellness center, and dip into the outdoor hot tub and indoor pool. Relax in the Black Diamond Pub and Seasons Restaurant with your favorite brew and delicious locally-sourced cuisine: homemade soups, breads, entrees and desserts.

Book your getaway at 800.229.7829 or visit mtnclub.com MTNCLUB.COM | 90 Loon Mountain Road | Lincoln, NH 03251 * Rate is based on double-occupancy, on a space available basis, and some restrictions apply. Not valid in conjunction with any other offers, discounts or specials.

Photo: Dan Brown

SKI& STAY