Loon Magazine | Winter 16/17

MAGAZINE

THEN&

NOW T H E

WHO’S THE WALKING

BOSS?

V I E W

SNOW Making it since 1969

F R O M

LODGING GUIDE LINCOLN & WOODSTOCK Loon Mountain Resort Lincoln, New Hampshire, USA Winter 2016/17

A

grand new experience has arrived

in New Hampshire’s White Mountains.

We believe that every vacation should be truly extraordinary. Our goal is to provide an unparalleled level of service in a spectacular mountain setting.

Experience the grand new vision of what a luxury resort should be, in one of the most accessible & beautiful vacation destinations in the East.

Experience extraordinary

RIVERWALKRESORTATLOON.COM | 22 SOUTH MOUNTAIN DRIVE, LINCOLN, NH 03251 |

6033 74557500

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FORWARD Looking at Loon Mountain through the long lens of history gives us the context to understand its beginnings, and how it evolved into this special place we love to enjoy in the White Mountains.

One of the fascinating aspects of the ski industry is how it came to be. In part, ski areas were created in response to the need for economic stimulus, seeking a different way to use land and natural resources, and the desire for more recreational opportunities. They were brought to life through the vision of colorful pioneers who had the determination, grit, and clout to create the fledgling ski areas that have grown into the mountains and resorts we enjoy today. Loon, with its own fascinating story, is a great example.

The creation of Loon Mountain transformed the western White Mountains. At the center of it all was Sherman Adams, a visionary who understood prized natural resources, which had been fueling the area’s economic engine for decades, needed to be conserved and renewed.

After years working in the timber industry and then embarking on a political career that took him to the White House, Mr. Adams returned to New Hampshire with a plan to create economic diversity in his hometown and boost recreation in the White Mountains.

Lincoln, a company town steeped in the rugged business of timber, rough-and-tumble logging camps, and paper mills, was skeptical at first. But Mr. Adams persevered, and when he opened his ski area in 1966, the lumber town began its slow transition into a ski town.

Just as it was difficult for the company town to see its future, it’s equally hard for those of us who never experienced Lincoln and Woodstock before Loon to imagine the region’s pre-skiing past. That’s why it’s so interesting and important to learn about Loon’s founding father – to get a sense of who he was, appreciate his great vision, and understand the challenges he overcame.

A lot has happened over the years, but many of Mr. Adams’ founding principles live on at the mountain today, guiding and shaping its success and growth. Those principles, and the resort they shaped, continue to have a positive impact on the surrounding communities, just as they did back when Loon was founded fifty years ago.

Researching Loon’s heritage has been fascinating, from reading the original business plan and combing through archived brochures and photos, to hearing all the stories and memories from people who shared what Loon has meant to them over the years.

Celebrating the milestone of Loon Mountain’s first fifty years gives us the perfect opportunity to look back at the beginning, take stock of what we appreciate about the mountain today, and look ahead, with anticipation, to the future.

We hope you enjoy this special issue, and invite you to visit this us winter and join the celebration.

PARTNERS

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CONTENTS [12]

[26]

EDITOR

Molly Mahar VP Marketing

MANAGING EDITOR

Greg Kwasnik Communications Manager

PRODUCTION MANAGER Kevin Bell Marketing Manager

ART DIRECTOR Bart King Graphic Designer

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Greg Kwasnik

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Greg Kwasnik, Gus Noffke, Rob Bossi, Alyssa Greenberg, Jeremy Mayhew, Rick Kaplan, Amy Friederich, Dick Smith, Dorothy Crossley, Kristian S. Reynolds

ADVERTISING SALES

Dyke Shaw TransCoast Media dyke@transcoastmedia.com

PUBLISHED BY

Loon Mountain Resort A Boyne Resort 60 Loon Mountain Road | Lincoln, NH 03251

CONNECT

LoonMtn.com | 603-745-8111 Facebook: LoonMtn | LoonParksNH Instagram: @LoonPOV | @LoonParksNH Twitter: @LoonMtn

WHO’S THE WALKING BOSS? After serving as a governor, congressman, and chief of staff to President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Sherman Adams retired to his home in New Hampshire. Then, he built Loon Mountain.

9 50 WAYS

Here are 50 ways to get the most out of your visit to Loon – winter, spring, summer or fall. All you have to do is call.

10 TIME OUT

A timeline of Loon Mountain’s history, from birth to present day.

18 ASK A PASS HOLDER

The story behind Loon’s first snowmaker – and the guy who’s running the show today.

23 SURVEY SAYS!

A real-live human being responds to the thousands of customer satisfaction surveys our guests fill out every winter.

Her name is Brenda Kneeland.

24 EVENT CALENDAR Your guide to a winter of fun events and innovative competitions.

Exclusive! Two longtime season pass holders tell all about Loon Mountain.

How does the gear of yesteryear stack up against today’s cuttingedge skis, boots, and outerwear?

Not well.

22 LOON LEXICON

Don’t know what a pickaroon is? You’re not alone. Peruse the Loon Lexicon to get the skinny behind some of Loon’s more obscure trail names.

You’ve got to get up to get down. At least that’s what our hardworking lift maintenance crew keeps telling us.

46 A LOT ON YOUR PLATE

An in-depth look at some of the most popular menu items on the mountain.

47 SKI & SNOWBOARD SCHOOL

50 TRAIL MAP

[28] 28 THE ORIGINAL COLONY

[22]

42 HIGH MAINTENANCE

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

20 GEAR: THEN VS. NOW

WORKING TOGETHER WITH

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.

SNOW GUNS

Take a peek inside the Penguin Ski Club, a home-away-from home for snow-loving families since 1968.

Loon is one of New England’s most accessible mountain destinations. Yes, you can get there from here.

53 LODGING GUIDE

Discover a great place to stay during your next visit.

31 POINTS OF VIEW

Styles may have changed over the years, but the attitude remains the same.

36 LOCAL LIBATIONS Beer & wine around town.

38 YEARBOOKS

50 years of Loon brochures, with extra helpings of big hair, outdated gear, and fondue parties.

[56] 56 KIDS’ CORNER

Learn about Flynn the Flying Fox, the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed co-founder of Loon Mountain.

58 SUMMER & FALL

Loon is more than a winter resort!

loonmtn.com

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The BMW X3

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50 WAYS

When Loon Mountain first opened in the winter of 1966, there wasn’t a whole lot to do besides ski, eat fondue, and pretend to enjoy mulled wine.

Back then, Lincoln was a sleepy hamlet anchored by a struggling paper mill with few amenities.

Fast-forward 50 years, and things look a lot different. From dogsledding tours to microbreweries, the Lincoln-Woodstock area offers plenty of fun things to do.

In honor of Loon’s 50th anniversary, we came up with 50 Ways to make the most of your visit to our corner of the White Mountains.

Photo: Woodstock Inn

5. Around the World in Eight Dishes The Gypsy Café’s menu is, appropriately enough, a well-traveled document. Swing by this cosmopolitan eatery in downtown Lincoln to enjoy meals like Enchiladas Rojas, Turkish Lamb Chops, and Argentine Fajitas. Passport not required. gypsycaferestaurant.com | 603-745-4395

2. Go South, Young Man (or Woman) Park at the base of South Peak the next time you go skiing or riding at Loon. Carve wideopen cruisers, take in jaw-dropping views of downtown Lincoln & Franconia Notch, and rack up tons of vert riding the Lincoln Express Quad.

Tote Road Quad provides easy access to the rest of the mountain.

3. If the Snowshoe Fits Don’t feel like skiing or snowboarding? We offer guided summit snowshoe tours here at Loon. Ride the gondola to the summit and explore snowy, hidden alpine trails few people ever get to see.

Make a reservation at 603-745-6281 ext. 5562.

4. He Sled, She Sled Take a mellow snowmobile tour through Franconia Notch with the high-octane guides at SledVentures. nhsledventures.com | 603-238-2571

Photo: Mountain Club on Loon

9. Pamper Thyself After a long day on the slopes, pamper yourself at New Hampshire’s only slopeside spa – the Viaggio Spa and Wellness Center at the Mountain Club on Loon. Treat yourself to a massage, facial, or healing therapy. mtnclub.com 800-229-7829

Photo: Jean’s Playhouse

1. Brew U Stop by the famous Woodstock Inn Brewery for a guided tour of their brewing and bottling facility. A highlight is the small seven-barrel brewery, where the brewmaster crafts smallbatch, experimental brews. Tours start daily at noon, and 4pm during the summer. woodstockinnnh.com/brewery | 800-321-3985

6. All Fired Up Take the kids to Fired on the Mountain, where they can paint their own plates, mugs, and clay figurines. firedonthemountain.com | 603-745-8205

7. Act Your Age Catch a play or musical at Jean’s Playhouse, a community theater run by the North Country Center for the Arts. jeans-playhouse.com | 603-745-2141

10. Waffle Me Enjoy an on-slope waffle from the Waffle Cabin at the base of South Peak.

8. Wine About It Visit Seven Birches Winery’s brand-new tasting room at the RiverWalk Resort in downtown Lincoln. Sample classics like the Windy Ridge Malbec, or try their delicious, locally-sourced apple and blueberry wines. sevenbirches.com | 603-745-7550

See other ways to enjoy your time at Loon scattered throughout the magazine.

To see them all, visit blog.loonmtn.com.

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1923

1959 Kancamagus Highway opens, connecting Lincoln to Conway.

Fresh out of Dartmouth College, Sherman Adams moves to Lincoln to work as a walking boss for the Parker Young Co.

1949 Sherman Adams becomes governor of New Hampshire.

1892 J.E. Henry moves to Lincoln and builds a logging empire, complete with downtown mill, school, store, hotel, hospital, and housing for workers.

1967 The Inn at Loon Mountain opens with 45 rooms, restaurant, lounge, and indoor pool.

1966

Construction of Loon Mountain begins in the spring.

1953 Sherman Adams becomes White House chief of staff to President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

1945 Sherman Adams elected to U.S. House of Representatives

1965 Sherman Adams, concerned about the area economy due to the declining paper industry and seeing the potential of increased tourism, forms Loon Mountain Recreation Corporation with other investors.

1966

10

1970/71 Snowmaking installed on 25 acres of terrain, including Early Run, Seven Brothers, Picaroon, Lower Bear Claw trails.

1968 The East Bowl expansion (now known as the East Basin) opens with three expert trails accessed by a double chair.

Loon Mountain opens to the public on December 27 with a dozen trails and two lifts. The resort becomes one of the first in New England to offer scenic gondola skyrides during the summer and fall.

1978 The West Basin expansion opens with 1 double chair and 2 trails.

1983 Snowboarders are allowed to ride Kissin’ Cousin chairlift after passing a basic competency test.

1980 After several years of closing and reopening, the Franconia Paper Mill in downtown Lincoln closes for good.

1972 J.E. Henry Railroad built at the base of Loon Mountain.

1984 North Peak opens with a triple chair, 46 acres of new terrain, and the Camp III lodge.

2007 Michigan-based Boyne Resorts assumes long-term operational lease of the resort from Booth Creek.

1994

First terrain park opens on Lower Northstar.

1987 Mountain Club on Loon hotel opens. Millfront Marketplace opens at site of former mill in downtown Lincoln.

1998 Booth Creek Ski Holdings, Inc. acquires Loon Mountain.

2010/11 Snowmaking capabilities revolutionized with installation of 428 Low-E HKD tower snowmaking guns.

2009 Ripsaw and Escape Route open on South Peak.

2016 RiverWalk luxury hotel opens on site of old Franconia Paper Mill.

2012/13 Burton Lil’ Stash and Riglet terrain parks open.

s –Sherman Adam

1988/89 Original Gondola replaced with a new Dopplemayr gondola.

1986 Loon’s founder, Sherman Adams, passes away on October 27.

2006 CNL Lifestyle Properties, Inc. acquires Loon Mountain; Booth Creek retains management contract.

1995 High-speed Kancamagus Express Quad replaces Hall double-double lifts in West Basin.

2009 Last remaining mill buildings demolished.

2007 South Peak opens on December 20 with two lifts and three trails: Boom Run, Cruiser, and Undercut, adding 50 acres of terrain.

2014/15 50 HKD KLIK semiautomated snowmaking hydrants installed on Upper Picked Rock and Lower Bear Claw, allowing faster snowmaking on key early-season trails.

2011/12 170 Low-E HKD tower snowmaking guns installed to further enhance snowmaking capabilities. Jobber, Upper and Lower Twitcher open on South Peak.

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Who’s the Walking Boss?

Words: Greg Kwasnik Photos: Courtesy of Adams family

ON

his very first day as a ski patroller at Loon Mountain in 1973, Jeff Martel noticed an old man bent over the floor in the Octagon Lodge. The man, who looked to be about 70 years old, was carefully picking lint out of the carpet.

Jeff didn’t know the old man had once been one of the most powerful politicians in the country. He had no clue he had twice been elected governor of New Hampshire, represented New Hampshire in Congress, and served as chief of staff to President Dwight D. Eisenhower. But perhaps more importantly, Jeff had no idea the stooped senior citizen had almost singlehandedly carved Loon Mountain from the forest—and led the region’s flagging economy out of the woods—less than a decade before.

“What’s that old guy doing over there anyway?” Jeff asked a fellow patroller who was standing nearby.

The patroller shushed him like his life­—or at least his job—depended on it.

“That old guy,” he whispered, “is Sherman Adams.”

Described as a “flinty old curmudgeon” in a 1975 issue of Skiing Magazine, Sherman Adams was a classic old Yankee—pennywise, no-nonsense, and with a wit as dry and tart as hard apple cider.

Bluntly economical in word and deed, Adams was famous for never saying ‘hello’ or ‘goodbye’ during phone calls–he would simply say “Adams here” and start talking. When Adams decided the conversation was over, the person on the other end of the line would hear a click and a dial tone; he even hung up on President Eisenhower once out of sheer force of habit.

When he left the White House in 1958 and moved back to New Hampshire, Adams took it upon himself to boost Lincoln’s struggling economy.

He built Loon Mountain from scratch in eight months, opening the ski area to the public as soon as it could boast 12 trails, two lifts, and one working toilet. In his later years, Adams would ski the mountain he built, wearing old-fashioned woolen knickers and smoking a pipe; if it started to rain, he would flip the pipe upside down and keep making turns.

Clearly, Adams was a man impatient to get things done. continued next page

Sherman Adams sits behind the Governor’s desk in the New Hampshire Statehouse. Adams served as governor of New Hampshire from 1949 to 1953.

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“I concur with a great many people that I am an external crab without grace, manners, or consideration.”

— Sherman Adams - Letter to his mother

He was always that way. While a student at Dartmouth College during World War I, Adams made epic treks through the White Mountains, hiking and snowshoeing unimaginable distances. He once set a Dartmouth Outing Club record by hiking 83 miles over rugged, mountainous terrain from Littleton to Hanover in a shade under 24 hours. Few of his classmates could keep up with him; one described the wiry, 5-foot 7-inch Adams as “one competitive cuss” who “liked to walk faster than other people and see their tongues hanging out.”

During the summer of 1920, Adams joined the Appalachian Mountain Club’s first professional trail building crew, where he channeled his endless energy into building the Kinsman Ridge Trail along the rugged western rim of the White Mountains. Little did Adams know his future lay several thousand feet below him, in the roughand-tumble paper mill town of Lincoln.

Adams would settle in Lincoln less than three years later with his wife, Rachel. He had taken a job as a “walking boss” for the Parker Young Co., managing the far-flung logging camps that dotted the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River. To the rough-hewn loggers he oversaw, the brash 140-pound Dartmouth grad with a love of poetry and deep baritone singing voice took some getting used to. In a letter he wrote to his mother at the time, Adams admitted, “I concur with a great many people that I am an external crab without grace, manners, or consideration.” One logger reportedly tossed his feisty supervisor into a snowdrift before walking off the job.

Eventually the men came to respect their unflappable boss, who over two decades on the job had his front teeth knocked out by a flying skid, went partially deaf when a maple splinter pierced the back of his ear, and had his frontal sinus fractured by a kicking horse. “I guess all of us bucked him at one time or another,” said Ed Gillman, an old woodsman. “He was smart and hard to get along with, but he would try everything, and most of us got to like him.”

Another veteran logger, Abe ‘The Cub’ Boyle, called Adams a “cocky little devil” who earned the men’s respect by plunging wholeheartedly into any task— even if it meant jumping in over his head. “On river drives, he’d be right out there with a pickaroon, keeping the logs moving.

You got to move fast, and he’d move fast. Being a little guy, he’d be right up to his belly in that cold water.”

Adams to help run his new administration in Washington, D.C. It was a stunning rise to power: in little more than a decade, Adams had gone from punching a clock in a paper mill to working in the White House.

The Abominable “No” Man Adams blew into Washington like a brisk north wind during that first winter of Eisenhower’s presidency. Applying the same management style that made rowdy lumberjacks fall into line,

to the president that members of his own Republican party, frustrated by their lack of access to Eisenhower, took to calling Adams the Abominable ‘No’ Man. Eventually, the political winds began to shift— and Washington grew weary of the headstrong Granite Stater. In 1958, news broke that Adams had accepted a vicuña coat and other gifts from a Boston industrialist under investigation for Federal Trade Commission violations. The infamous ‘Vicuña Coat Affair,’ as the scandal came to be known, led to Adams’ resignation and effectively ended his political career.

“I sleep better knowing that little fellow is in that office.”

After nearly two decades in the woods, Adams decided to trade river drives for logrolling of a political kind. In 1941, Adams was elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives.

From that moment on, Adams’ political career took off like the flying skid that once unburdened him of his front teeth. Over the next 10 years, Adams would become speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, be elected to Congress, and serve two terms as governor of New Hampshire.

In 1952, he ascended to the national stage by helping to manage Dwight D. Eisenhower’s

presidential campaign. When Eisenhower won the presidency, the World War II hero asked 14

Adams along with President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Adams served as Eisenhower’s White House chief of staff from 1953 to 1958.

Years later, Adams would tell a reporter his years in government were just one small part of a life lived mostly in his beloved north woods.

His years in the political wilderness, — Dwight D. Eisenhower Adams explained, were the exception. Adams called that period in his life “an interlude in some perfunctory partisan politics,” a time when he was “bitten by that virulent…that venomous Adams began to cull the dead wood from the bug which is politics.” When he left the White White House.

House, Adams also left electoral politics behind His job was simple but far-reaching: keep all for good. unnecessary business off the president’s desk.

Going Home He did so by managing the vast army of aides, cabinet officials, and politicians who wanted If the malarial swamp of politics claimed Adams to influence national policy. Ultimately, Adams as its victim, then the fresh White Mountain helped shape and vet that policy before it was air would restore him to health. But recovery submitted to the president. would take time. When Adams returned to Lincoln in 1958, he found a town teetering on “I sleep better knowing that little fellow is the brink of an uncertain future. The logging in that office,” Eisenhower once said of his industry, which had sustained Lincoln for the lieutenant, who quickly became known as “the better part of a century, was struggling to cope second most powerful man in Washington.”

Adams was such an effective gatekeeper continued page 16

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Photo: Dick Smith

Construction on Loon Mountain began in the spring of 1966, and the ski area opened for business just eight months later, on December 27, 1966. During those eight months, Adams reprised his role of walking boss, cruising the woods and managing every aspect of the area’s construction. But he didn’t do it alone; he dragooned his neighbor into the effort.

“He didn’t do anything for a few years after he came back,” Gilman says, laughing. “Then all of a sudden he started pestering me.”

With the help of Gilman, who owned a dump truck and front-end loader, Adams oversaw construction of a work road across the Pemigewasset River, and had boxcars worth of lumber, chairlift parts, and other supplies hauled to the mountain’s base. On opening day, the small, bare-bones operation opened with 12 trails, two lifts, and one toilet. “Actually we began because we had to, not because we were ready,” Adams harrumphed in typical curmudgeonly fashion. “Five hundred people showed up with their skis without being invited.”

Adams enjoys a day on the slopes with his wife, Rachel. She inspired him to build Loon Mountain when they returned home from Washington, DC. with new environmental regulations and an ever-dwindling supply of harvestable timber.

Adams, the prolific hiker and trail builder, had long foreseen the eventual decline of logging in New Hampshire—and the subsequent need to balance industry with recreation, tourism, and conservation in the White Mountains. He knew something had to change if the town of Lincoln were to survive—and he probably needed to get out of the house, too.

One day, his wife, Rachel, gave him the push he needed. “There must be a place to ski up there somewhere,” she said, probably gesturing to the mountains rising steeply behind the town’s ailing paper mill. “What are you going to do about it?”

But Adams, heedless of the skeptics, pushed on, drawing on his considerable political capital—and political savvy—to make Loon Mountain a reality. Along the way, he cleared resistance from the Army Corps of Engineers, which planned to build a dam between Black

In those early years, Adams was an aroundthe-clock fixture at Loon, shaping the mountain into the successful resort it would become. One longtime Loon skier, Harriet Goldberg, remembers arriving at her ski house one Friday night in the early 1970s to find her pipes frozen.

Quickly, she called the resort’s main office for help. “They said ‘We’ll send somebody right up,’ and they did: Sherman Adams and a hairdryer,” Goldberg says, laughing at the absurdity of the situation more than four decades later.

“There must be a place to ski up there somewhere.

What are you going to do about it?”

If anyone could do anything about it, Adams could. At some point in the early 1960s, Adams strapped on his snowshoes and tramped into the mountains like he did as a young man—this time in search of ski slopes instead of timber. When he eventually snowshoed up Loon Peak, Adams realized he had found the perfect location. The mountain’s consistent pitch, relatively few glacial boulders, and northern exposure all furnished the ideal ingredients for a ski resort.

When Adams reached the summit of Loon Peak, he paused and looked out at the rugged chain of mountains where he had blazed the Kinsman Ridge Trail so many summers before.

Then and there, on the summit of Loon Peak, Adams decided to blaze a new path.

Few people shared Adams’ lofty vision at first. The town’s millworkers couldn’t imagine skiers carving turns where their fathers and grandfathers had cut timber. “They all thought 16

he was crazy,” says Larry Gilman, Adams’ nextdoor neighbor. “They didn’t understand him at the time.”

Once Loon Mountain opened for business, Adams worked with the same tireless drive that had made him a successful lumberman, politician, and chief of staff. “For the first four years I punched the time clock to make sure it worked, and derived some satisfaction in punching it first,” Adams wrote in an essay for Yankee Magazine in 1971.

But such an occurence wasn’t all that unusual. True to his claim, Adams was typically the first employee to arrive at the mountain every morning, knew all the season pass holders by name, and tackled any job that needed doing—answering phones, bussing tables, even cleaning bathrooms. “He was always poking around,” says 85-yearold Bob O’Donnell, who first came to Loon in the late 1960s. “It was like his little baby.” While most men of his age and stature had retired to the nearest golf course, Adams was busy building a business that would thrive well into the 21st century. “He put so much effort into this mountain,” Goldberg says.

— Rachel Adams to her husband and Whaleback Mountains—and cleared hurdles from the U.S. Forest Service, which took two years to issue a permit for the ski area.

All the while, Adams was busy securing financing for the project and recruiting investors to purchase stock in the newly-formed Loon Mountain Recreation Corporation. He also lobbied for the newly-built Kancamagus Highway to remain open year-round, and he used his political clout to secure an exit off nearby Interstate 93, which was steadily working its way north from Concord and would soon make Loon one of the most accessible resorts in New England.

And Adams expected Loon’s employees to keep up. “He had high expectations,” says Adams’ granddaughter, Karin Martel, who spent a summer managing the restaurant at the top of the Gondola. “When we worked up here in the summer, you just never knew when he was going to show up. So you really had to behave.”

That was especially true for the hippies who abounded in the resort’s early days. Adams

would often make unannounced visits to the summit ski patrol shack, where he would grab the nearest patchouli-scented patroller and measure his hair against a wooden matchstick. “If your hair was too long, you’d punch out, go downtown, get a haircut, and then come back,” says Bill Waterhouse, one of the resort’s early patrollers. “He was something else. He was quite a guy.”

While Adams’ high expectations could be difficult to meet, they were also a measure of how deeply he cared about the mountain and the community it sustained. Susan Watson, who now works as Loon’s internet marketing manager, spent her childhood watching Adams run the resort.

“His demeanor was very dry—it could be curt, I guess you would say,” says Watson, whose mother, Louise, was Adams’ longtime personal secretary.

“But there was a softer side of him that I don’t think a lot of people saw.”

Watson remembers how, when she was a child, Adams would quiz her vocabulary skills—and how, in his later years, he would tend a sprawling vegetable garden at his home. “He would drive around in a really old Mercedes with the trunk stuffed full of zucchinis and vegetables in shopping bags,” Watson says. “He would go around to houses and just leave fresh vegetables. It was lovely.”

party for Adams in his later years. At one point during the party, Adams—who counted the poet Robert Frost among his friends—began reciting a poem to his guests. “The poem was 45 minutes long, and he recited it from one end to the other,” Kelley says, still amazed decades later. “People were riveted. He was a very talented writer and a very talented speaker.”

cover, Adams had inscribed a message. “For Sally and Bill,” he wrote, “who live in the woods as all sensible folks should.”

Adams remained committed to Loon Mountain—and the town of Lincoln—until the very end. In September of 1986, The Boston Globe ran a story about Adams, the fascinating lumberman-turned-politician who had reinvented himself—and his community—when both had seen better days. While talking to the reporter, Adams gazed through his office window at the autumn forest and the bustling ski resort he worked so hard to build. “The trees of my generation, well, the leaves are dropping off pretty fast now,” Adams said.

“For the first four years I punched the time clock to make sure it worked, and derived some satisfaction in punching it first (each day).”

Even ski patroller Bill Waterhouse got a glimpse of Adams’ softer side. After inviting the widowed Adams to dinner in the winter of 1980, Adams gave Waterhouse and his wife a copy of a book he had written about the history of the White Mountains. Inside the front

“He was a small person, but he had such a huge presence. He was just like the Old Man, made of granite,” Watson says. “You think about granite and its hard edges and its ability to endure—he did.”

Photo: Dick Smith

Rick Kelley, Loon’s current president and general manager, remembers attending a birthday

— Sherman Adams Yankee Magazine Essay,

That observation, while poetic, also proved prophetic. Adams would pass away by the time the last leaf had fallen from the trees that autumn, but his legacy—Loon Mountain—would live on. To this day, a bronze sculpture of Adams—the man who “derived some satisfaction” in punching the 1971 time clock before anyone else—still stands watch over the Governor Adams Lodge, buttressed by an enduring hunk of New Hampshire granite.

Adams stands at the summit of Loon Peak looking out at the Kinsman Ridge during a scouting hike for the ski area in the mid-1960s. The mountain opened to great excitement on December 27, 1966. loonmtn.com

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PASS HOLDER Since

Since

‘01

‘04

CH

RICK KAPLAN

Home: Medway, MA In Real Life: Works in commercial real estate

AMY FRIEDERI

orth, NH Home: Wentw r, farmer, ato uc Ed e: Lif In Real Local Food od Go of r ne and ow

NO ONE

knows Loon Mountain better than its season pass holders. Here, Rick and Amy give us an inside look at what makes Loon tick – and what keeps them coming back year after year.

LOON MOUNTAIN: How did you become a season pass holder?

RICK KAPLAN: I started in 2002 or 2001 – I’m not quite sure – when my kids were seven and five years old. We chose Loon for a number of reasons. We rented that first year, then we bought a condo, and we’ve been coming up ever since. My kids have enjoyed growing up at Loon Mountain and being part of the seasonal ski program. My kids now are 21 and 18.

What was it like to raise kids on the mountain?

RK: Raising kids here has been a great family experience. They’ve made a lot of friends, between the other kids and the instructors.

We’ve always had friends and neighbors who came up. There’s nothing like a ski weekend, both on the mountain and après ski.

What does a typical Saturday look like for you, now that you’re an empty-nester?

RK: I like to get up before my wife and I’ll go ski in the morning and find a couple other people that I know and enjoy North Peak, and then head over to South Peak.

Step three is to meet my wife at Camp III. She’s a ten-to-two skier, we like to call it. She’s a ten-to-two skier with a long lunch in between (laughs). I don’t know how you want to write that up.

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Is Camp III your go-to lunch spot?

RK: Usually I’ll meet my wife and some other friends for lunch at Camp III. Last year the menu changed and it’s fantastic. There are a lot of things to choose from. The pulled pork sandwich is unbelievable. I like Camp III because you’re not at a base lodge so it’s a different crowd. On sunny days, the outdoor seating is just the best.

Where do you go for après?

RK: Last year I really fell in love with the Saturday morning – or I should say Saturday late morning – Bloody Marys at Babe’s Blue Ox Lounge. That was my thing last year. I had my regular crew – three or four of us.

How do you take your Bloodys?

RK: Spicy.

Looking back, what’s the best day you’ve ever had at Loon?

RK: Nothing I can put in writing. Let me think for a minute…

First day last year, the first day the mountain opened, I was on the first gondola. Other than ski patrol, I was the first on the gondola last year, with a couple of strangers. I just shined for the rest of the season knowing I was the first up there.

You grew up in Ohio. How did you end up farming and skiing in NH? AMY FRIEDRICH: I moved to New Hampshire a little over 12 years ago. We bought a farm in Wentworth and started farming. I have been an educator for about 15 years in various different forms – working for public schools, private schools, doing adult living classes, things like that.

When did you start skiing here?

AF: We used to come from Ohio to New England to ski for winter vacations. When I moved to NH, the school I worked for, we took some of our kids to Loon. So that was my real introduction to it.

That was about 11 years ago. I’ve been skiing here ever since. I’ve had a pass all but two years.

How often do you ski at Loon?

AF: I’m usually at Loon at least once a week. I ski during the week, as often as I can. It’s my main ski area. You can always find good terrain. I like the variety, I like that the number of people there is generally spread out in a pretty good way – so you can usually find a lift that there’s absolutely no wait for. And they’ve always had the best snow.

How was the snow last year, given the unseasonably mild temperatures?

AF: There were a lot of days where the weather wasn’t great but the skiing was fantastic because they’d gotten the base when they could. Even when the weather wasn’t great the actual snow conditions were really good.

With the warm weather and the precipitation that was not snow – we won’t say the ‘r’ word – there were still tons of days of skiing.

You just kind of had to trust that you could get out there and go.

Some people didn’t show up for it and they missed out.

Pow or corduroy?

AF: I’d say powder days are probably my favorite, although I really like groomed slopes. I really like Walking Boss because it’s wide open and you can just tear up the entire mountain, even if there are people on it.

Best selfie spot?

AF: Make sure you take a picture from the top of the mountain – North Peak. There are always good pictures. Looking out usually you can see Mount Washington, the Presidentials. It’s just such a beautiful view.

Favorite Loon memory?

AF: My brother and I used to work at Loon, so we got to do the torchlight parade [during Independence Weekend]. We were ski instructors. That was really cool, really fun to be a part of. It was fun to see the view from the mountain, out in such a different light, to be skiing down at night.

As a former ski instructor, what’s the one piece of advice you would give to beginners?

AF: If you’re thinking about getting into skiing, Loon offers some really great packages that I’ve recommended to a lot of people. I think skiing is something that doesn’t come naturally if you’ve never done something like it, so it can be frustrating. To have someone show you how to do it is pretty key. It’s a lot of fun, but it’s not an inherent skill. If you have someone showing you what to do one time, it’s well worth the investment. It’s an investment in enjoying the sport.

What advice would you give to someone looking to make Loon their winter home?

AF: Just try to experience all the different spots and see what spot works for you. Which dining area you like the best, or if you like a social atmosphere for après ski.

There are a lot of different places you can find and make your niche, make your home. There are a lot of groups of non-blood-related families at Loon: ski families.

It’s about finding different activities to be involved with, whether it’s the Flying 50s group for older adults – or, if you have kids, being involved in the Seasonal Program and getting to know the parents of seasonal kids. There’s all kinds of different activities and ways to find your home at Loon.

SPY IS THE OFFICIAL EYEWEAR OF LOON MOUNTAIN

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squamlanding.com loonmtn.com

19

OH, GEAR! Let’s face it:

we’ve got it pretty easy

these days. Thanks to thermo-moldable boots, waterproof outerwear, and carbon-fiber everything, it’s easier than ever to shred a foot of fresh or brave a howling Nor’easter. But it wasn’t always so. When Loon Mountain opened in 1966, the skis were straight, boots were made of leather, and stretch pants were a legitimate outerwear choice. Luckily, we’ve come a long way since then. Visit Loon Mountain Sports this winter and you’ll find gear so technologically advanced (and just plain cool) that it would have blown the scratchy wool knickers off our winter sports forebears. Here’s a look at our favorite gear of the 2016/17 season, and why it’s so much better than what came before.

20

LEATHER BOOT

Nothing says ‘vintage’ like a pair of stiff leather ski boots. Forget moldable liners, injected plastic shells, and adjustable buckles; these classic kicks were one step above hiking boots - laces and all.

YOUR SKULL

Unless you skied the Downhill at the 1968 Grenoble Olympics, you probably weren’t wearing a helmet back in the day. The end result? Your head was not as protected, and probably a lot chillier, too.

SKIS

This smooth and powerful ski can rail firm corduroy like a pro – but still knows how to let loose in the pow. It’s the perfect all-mountain ski for the discerning East Coast ripper.

FISCHER RC PRO

BOOTS

Made entirely of solid maple, these 200 cm rippers were made for straight-lining narrow trails riddled with rocks, stumps, and occasional patches of snow.

NORDICA ENFORCER 93

HELMETS

WOODEN SKIS

If you like to make excuses, the RC Pro isn’t for you. Thanks to Fischer’s Vacuum Full Fit Process - which uses compressed air to mold the liner to the shape of your foot - nothing will stand between the line you want to take, and your ability to take it. The boot also features three Active Fit Zones that adapt dynamically to the unique movements and anatomy of your foot.

GIRO RANGE MIPS

It’s time to retire that clunky helmet you bought in 2006: the Giro Range MIPS is here. This groundbreaking helmet’s Articulating Hard Shell expands or contracts to fit the shape of your head at the twist of a dial, giving you a fit like no other.

With adjustable venting for climate control, magnetic buckle closure, and GoPro-compatible camera mount integration, the GIRO Range MIPS is a helmet worthy of protecting that giant brain of yours.

AVIATOR/DRIVING GOGGLES

Perfect for piloting a World War I biplane, driving an open-top Pierce Arrow Roadster, or schussing your favorite ski slope.

If the eyes are the windows to the soul, then these vintage goggles were truly windshields for the eyes.

GOGGLES

SPY BRAVO

STRETCH PANTS

SKI SWEATER

Fact: You can’t go wrong with racing stripes and Lycra. Guaranteed to make you feel like Robert Redford in the 1969 classic Downhill Racer.

FLYLOW GEAR CHEMICAL PANT

OUTERWEAR

Allowing for great freedom of movement, stretch pants dominated ski fashion during the middle of the 20th Century. Skiers clad in bold stretch pants were sure to impress with their alpine athleticism – provided they didn’t mind freezing the lower half of their bodies.

Featuring Spy’s Lock Steady™ technology – the quickest, fingerprint-free lens change system on the market—the Bravo lets you easily switch out lenses to suit any condition. The anti-fog, aspherical dual lens provides unmatched optics, and 100% UV protection will keep your eyes happy over the long haul.

Pro Tip: At least one lens in your quiver should be Spy’s Happy Lens™, which delivers superior color and contrast enhancement and relaxes your eyes, keeping your peepers primed for the long haul.

The versatile Chemical Pant handles Gondola laps and backcountry bootpacks with equal ease. While it repels water like your grandma’s Scotchgarded sofa, the Chemical Pant is also supremely breathable for when you’re working hard. Bonus: the relaxed fit and three-panel construction give you lots of space to layer up on the coldest days – and ample freedom of movement. No stretch pants necessary.

PATAGONIA NANO AIR JACKET

The superlight, stretchy Nano Air® is packed with FullRange™ insulation – an innovative material that stays warm when wet but breathes to keep you from overheating on big days. It’s the perfect mid-layer for winter, and a great standalone jacket for spring days on the hill. loonmtn.com

21

LEXICON If you’ve ever glanced at a Loon Mountain trail map and wondered what on Earth a picaroon is, then you’re in good company. Many of Loon’s original trails were named by the mountain’s founder, Sherman Adams. A lumberman by trade, Adams wanted the mountain’s slopes to honor the area’s rich logging history. He certainly accomplished that goal–and he also came up with a good share of random names, too.

Here are some of our favorites.

SEVEN BROTHERS

This fun, undulating trail – and the triple chair that services it – were named in honor of the seven Boyle brothers, loggers who helped homestead Lincoln in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Many of these Boyle brothers went on to work in the logging industry alongside Sherman Adams.

PICKED ROCK

A large glacial boulder gives this trail its name. The word ‘picked,’ meaning ‘pointed’ or ‘peaked’, was once a common term used to describe a pointy object, such as a picket fence or pointy rock. Locals pronounce picked as pikid (rhymes with wicked).

PICAROON

Located directly beneath the gondola, this trail is named after the long, metal-tipped poles lumbermen used to move logs around in water.

Observant skiers & snowboarders will notice the trail is spelled ‘Picaroon’ on the trail map and ‘Pickaroon’ on the trail sign. Go figure.

RAMPASTURE

This name has nothing to do with livestock, unless you consider lumberjacks members of the animal kingdom. In a logging camp, a ‘rampasture’ was the bunkhouse where the young, unmarried loggers slept. These rustic accommodations would often include hay in the sleeping loft.

GRAND JUNCTION

TRIPLE TROUBLE

The origins of Triple Trouble’s name are somewhat in dispute. Some say the name refers to the trail’s triple fall line, while others point to the immense difficulties encountered while building the trail. To wit: during the trail’s construction in the summer of 1968, a vehicle carrying bales of hay caught on fire halfway up the trail before crashing into a rock and exploding. Luckily, no one was injured. Later that summer, a heavy rainstorm triggered a landslide that eroded large parts of the trail.

22

As most Loon skiers and snowboarders know, Grand Junction is a large, mid-mountain boulevard where a number of trails merge.

During the region’s logging days, many logging railroads in the Lincoln Woods area merged together in a large junction where most of the logging activity took place. This area was called Grand Junction.

CROSSCUT

Cutting across the mountain from Flying Fox to the East Basin trails, Crosscut evokes the long crosscut saws loggers used to fell trees before the advent of the chainsaw. Prior to the invention of the crosscut saw in the 1850s, loggers almost exclusively used axes, which were much less efficient.

FLYING FOX

The origins of Flying Fox are unclear. Some believe Sherman Adams must have encountered a fox while the trail was under construction.

Others believe the name refers to a zipline-like device used by loggers to ferry supplies over a river or gorge. At one time, a flying fox spanned the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River, not far from Loon’s main entrance.

WALKING BOSS

First opened in the winter of 1984-85, this black-diamond run on North Peak was named in honor of Sherman Adams. Early in his logging career, Adams worked as a ‘walking boss’ for the Parker Young Co., the local lumber company. As a walking boss, Adams managed the logging camps that dotted the East Branch of the Pemigewasett River.

SAYS!

SURVEY

Contrary to popular belief, Brenda Kneeland is not a robot.

As Loon’s head of Guest Quality Assurance, it’s Brenda’s job to read

– and respond to – the thousands of customer surveys our guests fill out every winter. So if you’ve ever raved about our Ski & Snowboard School (or complained about parking) you may have received a polite, completely human-generated email from Brenda. “Some people ask me if I’m a real person, or if it’s just a computer-generated answer,” Brenda says. Brenda says. “I write back to them and say, ‘Nope, I’m a real person. Stop in and see me sometime.’”

We wanted to get to know Brenda a little better, so we took her up on her offer.

[1] LOON MAGAZINE: How many surveys do you respond to every winter?

BRENDA KNEELAND: Last winter I responded to over 2,500.

[2] So what sort of complaints do you get?

BK: If it’s icy, everybody says it’s icy. But this year almost all the comments, even when they say conditions are icy, they say they’re amazed at how much good skiing we have for the weather we’ve experienced.

[4] What do you like most about your job?

BK: Despite our best efforts, sometimes guests can still be disappointed. I like the challenge of fixing things that have gone wrong. I was responding to someone last week (I had responded to about 40 people so far that day) and I said, “It’s no fun today.

Everybody had a good time. Everybody’s happy.” I think if we pay attention to the comments it’s eventually going to improve our whole operation. We can’t be everywhere, but the guest is everywhere, and he or she sees what we might not see.

If they tell us, we have an opportunity to make it better.

“I write back to them and say, ‘Nope, I’m a real person. Stop in and see me sometime.’”

[6] Do you have time to get out and ski these days?

BK: I just cross country ski now. That’s more my speed these days.

[3] So it’s not

all complaints?

BK: Most of it’s positive. This year I’ve had an awful lot of commenters saying they grew up skiing here and now they’ve got their kids skiing here, and it’s home to them.

[5] You’ve been helping guests at Loon

since 1982. Didn’t we limit ticket sales back then?

BK: We did limit ticket sales, and that really got hectic. There were people here at night banging the doors down to buy a ticket for the next day. It was too intense, and it kind of took the fun out of it for an awful lot of people. They’d get a ticket, and then their friend would get here an hour later and couldn’t get one. But I shouldn’t bring that up (laughs).

[7] Your employee nametag says

you’re from Newton, MA. What made you move up to the mountains?

BK: I liked it better up here (laughs). But I still have to go down there to get my city fix.

SUBMIT 66% loonmtn.com

23

EVENTS 2016/17

NOVEMBER

FEBRUARY

26

MARCH 11

WINTER CHALLENGE Take part in the 28th Annual Kostick Cup Race and Winter Challenge Dinner to support New England Disabled Sports. Since its inception, this event has raised more than $100,000 for NEDS and its adaptive athletes.

CEASE AND DESIST This post-Turkey Day jib buffet is sure to whet your appetite for another great winter in Loon’s full progression of award-winning terrain parks.

DECEMBER

13 LAST CALL with Eastern Boarder

Try before you buy! Demo new models of your favorite skis & boards from today’s top brands.

Watch professional and semi-pro snowboarders from around the country ride in the East Coast’s largest and longest-running snowboard event.

HOLIDAY WEEK

19 CARDBOARD BOX DERBY

10 DEMO DAY

Celebrate the holidays with a week of fun activities for the entire family.

24 CANDLELIGHT SERVICE 26 UGLY SWEATER PARTY 27 KIDS’ KARAOKE 28 KIDS’ NIGHT OUT 31 BURTON QUALIFIERS 31 NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY

03 SNOW GOLF with CASA

Play nine holes of on-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 courts. This event has raised more than $100,000 since it debuted here in 2000.

04 VERTICAL EXPRESS for Can Do Multiple Sclerosis

JANUARY

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

14–16

PRESIDENTS’ WEEK

INDEPENDENCE WEEKEND Snowmaking is how we won our freedom from the whims 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 – one for kids too!

Escape the daily grind to enjoy some of the best skiing & riding of the winter and take part in a fun week filled with exciting events for the whole family.

18 LIL’ PLANKERS 19 LIL’ TWEAKERS 22 KIDS’ NIGHT OUT 23 SNOWSHOE & S’MORES 22–24 FLUORESCENT NIGHTS

24

WOMEN’S FREESTYLE CAMP

APRIL 01 ‘80S DAY

A blizzard of neon windbreakers, straight skis, and teased hair, ‘80s Day is our homage to the best decade of the 20th Century.

08

SLUSHPOOL PARTY Watch dozens of winter-weary skiers and riders try – and mostly fail – to skim a huge pool of cold water. It’s a true sign spring has arrived.

SUMMER & FALL JUNE 24

NEW ENGLAND BREWFEST

28–29 GOLDEN WEEKEND

It’s a birthday party, five decades in the making. Celebrate Loon’s golden anniversary with a weekend of events for all ages.

On Saturday, the Briefcase Race returns to Coolidge Street for a ‘60s-inspired race for the best time...and best outfit. After dark, arrive at the Golden Gala for an extravagant evening of dining & dancing with proceeds going to charity. It’s a night to celebrate the past, present, and future. Don’t miss out.

See opposite page.

25–26 OAKLEY DROPPIN’ IN:

JULY 8

MONSTER MUD RUN

AUGUST 6

TOUCH-A-TRUCK

SEPTEMBER 15–17

NH HIGHLAND GAMES & FESTIVAL

OCTOBER 7–8 There’s More.

LoonMtn.com/Events

WHITE MOUNTAIN OKTOBERFEST Events and dates subject to change.

We’ve come a long way since Loon Mountain opened to skiers on December 27, 1966.

Join us in celebrating the Big Five-O with special events all season long, including a special

Golden Anniversary Weekend January 28–29 Golden Anniversary Weekend A fun-filled birthday celebration featuring a commemorative gala, on-slope family scavenger hunt, and a revamped edition of the classic Briefcase Race, with racers competing in 1960’s-era business attire. January 28–29

What’s Old is New Again

The original gondola is back!

This summer we restored one of the original gondola cabins that transported skiers to the summit of Loon Mountain from 1966 to 1988.

Look for the vintage, orange cabin on display this winter.

50 Winters Video Series

A fascinating four-part video series about the people who made Loon what it is today. Watch the series at YouTube.com/LoonMountain

Find everything 50.

LoonMtn.com/50

Photo: Dorothy Crossley

loonmtn.com

25

BY GREG KWASNIK

Larry Gilman gets around with the help of a cane these days, but his mind is still as nimble as the day he built the resort’s first snowgun nearly 50 years ago.

Gilman was working on a snowcat in the resort’s maintenance garage one afternoon in the late 1960s when Sherman Adams, the resort’s founder, walked up brandishing a trade magazine with a snowgun on the cover. “He says, ‘You ever see one of them?’ and I said ‘Nope,’” the 83-year-old Gilman recalls. “He said, ‘See if you can make one.’”

Gilman thumbed through the magazine and quickly realized that snowmaking was a fairly straightforward process. “After I read the article, I thought ‘Good God, there’s nothing to it!’” says Gilman, who realized that snowmaking required just three ingredients: water, pressurized air, and freezing temperatures. The trick was finding a way to combine all three.

Adams must have known that Gilman would find a way. He had known and liked Gilman’s father, a clever and highly-respected timber cruiser who had scouted the route for the Kancamagus Highway in the 1950s.

The younger Gilman was also one of the few people in town who had the courage to speak his mind to Adams, a hard-nosed woods boss, two-term New Hampshire governor, and former chief of staff to President Dwight D. Eisenhower. “My father told me what to do to deal with Sherm, and it worked,” Gilman said. “He was a very demanding man, but if there was something you didn’t like, you had to go right back at him with it. He respected you for it, standing up for yourself.”

Adams must have been confident in Gilman’s abilities, because his challenge to Gilman came at a crucial time for the young resort. By the late 1960s, a growing number of ski resorts across the country had invested in snowmaking to guard against unreliable winter weather. It’s likely that the notoriously thrifty Adams wanted to see the technology firsthand before investing large sums of money in it. If snowmaking turned out to be the real deal, it had the potential to lengthen the ski season and vault Loon Mountain into the upper echelon of New England ski areas.

But Gilman probably wasn’t thinking about all that when he scavenged his way across town, cobbling together the parts to build what may have been the world’s first aftermarket snowgun.

From the paper mill in downtown Lincoln, he borrowed an air compressor and a huge water pump; from the fire station, he collected a bunch of old, unused fire hoses. Assembling the gun in Loon’s maintenance garage, Gilman must have looked like Dr. Frankenstein at work in his laboratory. “Everybody laughed at me – they didn’t think I could do it,” Gilman says. “I said ‘I don’t know if I can do it or not, but I’m going to try.’”

One afternoon later that winter, Gilman finally decided to bring his creation to life. As soon as Adams had gone home for the day, Gilman – with the help of a few others – placed the snowgun directly outside the boss’s office by the base of the Gondola. “It was dark before we finally got it all set up,” Gilman remembers.

“I hooked all the hoses and stuff that I needed onto it and I said ‘Ok boys, here goes.’”

26

“Everybody laughed at me – they didn’t think I could do it,” A cold rain sprayed out of the gun’s nozzle at first. But that didn’t dampen Gilman’s enthusiasm. Gilman adjusted the proportions of air and water rocketing through the gun, and eventually hit upon just the right mixture. Suddenly, he was making snow. Several hours later, a 20-foothigh mound of snow sat outside the boss’s office. “I said ‘Ok boys, that ought to last ‘til morning,’” Gilman remembers. “So we got the hoses rolled up and out of the way and went home.”

Adams arrived at work the next morning to discover that snowmaking did, indeed, work. “He saw that pile of snow, and he looked it all over, came back to the maintenance shop, walked up to me, and said ‘God damn you, you’re just like your father,’” Gilman says, still beaming with pride some five decades later. “Then he turned around and walked off.”

Gilman’s snowmaking experiment was all the proof Adams needed.

By the fall of 1970, Loon had installed snowmaking on 25 acres of the mountain, including on Seven Brothers and Lower Bear Claw.

In the years since, Loon’s snowmaking arsenal has expanded to cover 99 percent of the mountain’s trail acreage. And it all started when one man proved it could be done.

“If you’ve got the right equipment, there’s nothing to it,” Gilman says with a mischievous smile. “And we did it.”

#48

Pour Some (Maple) Sugar on Me When the maple sap flows this spring, visit Fadden’s General Store & Maple Sugarhouse in downtown North Woodstock to see how genuine New Hampshire maple syrup is made.

Visit nhmaplesyrup.com.

YOUNG

Mark Evans has a lot riding on his shoulders. As Loon’s new snowmaking system manager, he’s responsible for managing the vast infrastruc-

ture of snowguns, water pumps, air compressors (and snowmakers)

INTERVIEW BY GREG KWASNIK

that bury the mountain in snow every winter. We caught up with Mark between shifts last season and asked him what it takes to run New Hampshire’s most-powerful snowmaking system - and what it’s like to lead Loon’s newest generation of snowmakers. »» You’ve taken over the day-to-day snowmaking operations from Ken Mack, Loon’s longtime snowmaking manager. You’ve got pretty big snowmaking boots to fill.

MARK EVANS: I have so much information to learn from Ken. He’s been doing this for 16 years, and he has so much knowledge over me.

But all that knowledge he has is cool stuff, like flow rates and horsepower and general information about the system. And then you have the micro details about the nozzles – what type of nozzle does what.

And that’s really cool. I like that kind of stuff. »» You’re not new to Loon, though. What other jobs have you held at the resort?

I’ve done just about every single job you could at a resort other than groom. I’ve done odds and ends like food and beverage, I’ve instructed, worked in the rental shop, ski patrol, snowmaking, liftie, a lot of operations stuff. »» So what’s the difference between what a snowmaking system manager does, and what a regular snowmaker does?

These guys go out there and they work hard all day or night to make sure the guns are running properly and make sure the hoses are correct. They do a great job with that, and the foremen do a good job of making sure they’re on the right trails, making sure they’re doing their jobs and doing minor fixes on guns. Then you get to my level, where it’s no longer worrying about ‘Why is this gun not working?’ Instead, it’s ‘I need to add a new pump to the system and I need to plumb it and do electrical for it.’ It blows me away every time I try to think about it, because there’s so much information you need to learn to go from foreman to manager. »» That sounds complicated. Most people have trouble programming a TV remote.

I like to build things, I like to fix things. I’ve always had a knack for that.

Ken’s been a really good resource for helping me with that sort of stuff. A lot of engineering goes into this, a lot of cool stuff I would have never been able to do, had I stayed in ski patrol or done something else. Snowmaking appeals to me in that way.

THE GUYS LIKE IT WHEN WE GO DOWN THE TRAILS AND EVERYONE’S GIVING US THE THUMBS UP, HIGH FIVES, GIVING US CANDY. »» What’s it like to lead a crew of nearly 40 snowmakers?

The guys who work with us are awesome. They’re pretty well motivated to make snow. I enjoy working with them. We have an awesome system, but if you only have two guys to run it, you’re not going to be able to get the surface you’d like. »» Snowmaking seems like a tough job. What motivates your crew to keep the guns running day in and day out?

These guys like to make snow. They get pretty stoked about it. The guys like it when we go down the trails and everyone’s giving us the thumbs up, high fives, giving us candy. It’s a rewarding job, because at the end of the day you have something to show for yourself. There’s not a lot of jobs where you get that. »» What about snowmakers who work the night shift? Doesn’t it get lonely out there?

I know my first couple years it could be spooky, especially if I was doing a gun run by myself. Say you’re on Boom Run by yourself at 2am with just you, Mother Nature, and whatever she decides to throw at you. Once you get over that fact, it’s nice. My favorite was being on South Peak at night, because the town below was all lit up. It just looks really cool when it’s a clear night and you can see all of Lincoln.

loonmtn.com

27

THE

ORIGINAL

COLONY WORDS & PHOTOS

GREG KWASNIK

If the show Cheers had been set in a ski lodge, it would have looked a lot like the Penguin Ski Club.

It’s a place where everybody knows your name, and also how loudly you snore, and whether you wear a retainer to bed.

Tucked away on a side street in downtown Lincoln, the Penguin is a holdover from the fondue-and-stretch pants era of skiing, a quirky anachronism in an age of Airbnb and TripAdvisor. Founded in 1968 by a group of Massachusetts dentists, the club is a second home for nearly 30 families who spend their winter weekends skiing, dining, and, yes – sleeping side by side in a dormitory setting. The term ‘dormitory setting’ is particularly apt in this case, as the club is located in the town’s historic former high school.

Visiting the Penguin Ski Club for the first time is like stepping through a portal into the 1960s. The sprawling building, which served as the town’s high school from 1936 to 1964, hasn’t changed much since it was converted to a ski lodge in the late sixties. Many of the building’s well-worn fixtures – the floral-print wallpaper, the creaky hardwood floors, the Nixon-era couches – have been carefully maintained by the club’s members. The building feels like a museum exhibit of what a frat house would have looked like in the 1960s – if that frat house had been run by someone’s mother.

“Things haven’t changed much over the years. You come back into that building and you hear the swinging doors and the creaks as you go up the staircase – it’s all the same,” says Renee Romanowski, whose family joined the club in 1969 when she was just four years old. “The smells when you come in…it’s the sensory things that bring back the memories for me.”

28

“…it’s the sensory things that bring back the memories for me.”

Like Romanowski, many club members have been Penguins for most of their lives. What keeps them coming back are the club’s no-frills, inexpensive accommodations – and the close-knit community. Men and women sleep in separate communal bunk rooms, kids do the dishes, and everyone pitches in to keep the club operating smoothly. In a ski town flush with hotels, condos, and spacious vacation homes, the club offers an old school way of escaping to the mountains. “It’s deluxe camping,” says club member Barbara Last. “The beds are comfortable, the showers are hot, the bathrooms are clean, and the food is good. But it is a little rustic. It’s not the plush condo.” For many, the club’s vintage décor doesn’t detract from the experience; rather, it symbolizes the club’s enduring sense of community. “The relationships that we’ve made are phenomenal,” Last says. “It’s like going to see your cousins every weekend.”

On a Saturday evening last March, Last and a dozen other club members gathered in the building’s cozy basement clubhouse for their

“It’s like going to see your cousins every weekend.” weekly cocktail hour. The group sat around a lacquered wood table, eating crackers and cheese, drinking beer, and giving one another a hard time as only family can. A small group played cribbage in the back of the dimly-lit room, illuminated by a neon Bud Light sign that glowed nearby. The cocktail hour was for adults only, so everyone’s kids were scattered throughout the sprawling building – watching television, doing homework, or playing in a bouncy house set up in the surprisingly large gymnasium. For decades, the club has served as a children’s utopia – a perfect place for kids to play hide-and-seek and test their independence.

“It was a great, great place for kids,” says Frank Longo, a 40-year member who raised his kids in the club. “You dropped them off here and you didn’t see them the whole weekend. They skied all day. The better, older kids would take the little kids down,” Longo says. “There would be a big ‘S’ with about 25 kids coming down the mountain. It was a real growing experience.” Joe Romanowski, Renee’s husband, says the club taught his children how to step outside their comfort zones and be independent.

When his kids went to sleepaway camp for the first time, homesickness wasn’t a problem. “They said ‘It’s like the ski club, but nicer,’” Joe says, laughing.

On the other end of the age spectrum is Bob O’Donnell, the club’s oldest member. At 85 years old, he’s regarded as a lovable godfather among his fellow Penguins, and has been a member of the club for nearly its entire existence. While his age entitles him to free skiing at Loon (a perk

he’s happy to take advantage of) he’s really more interested in spending time with the people who make the Penguin Ski Club such a special place.

“It’s just a nice group of people, and it always has been. I’ve been very fortunate to be associated with them,” O’Donnell says.

“That’s really the incentive. Skiing – I take that along with it.”

RACHEL’S OPERA HOUSE The Penguin Ski Club has close ties to Loon Mountain’s early days. The club itself occupies the old Lincoln High School, where, in 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower gave a speech alongside his Chief of Staff Sherman Adams, the former New Hampshire governor and founder of Loon Mountain. When the new Lin-Wood Public School opened in 1964, the old high school became the Lincoln Opera House, which hosted a local drama club run by Sherman Adams’ wife, Rachel. In 1968, a group of Massachusetts dentists purchased the building from Rachel Adams and founded the Penguin Ski Club. In the years following the sale, both Sherman and Rachel Adams would visit the club for occasional dinners. Today, a picture of a penguin, painted by Rachel Adams, hangs in the club’s main living room.

loonmtn.com

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s

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.

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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 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

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

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.

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 ALLIED a little bit of a different feel of the mountain.

Peter Asiaf season passholder for 10 years

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 MEMBER they canASID direct you exactly to where you want to go.

a PASSHOLDER GALEASK MICHAUD GALE MICHAUD

MA LM Where do you like to SCITUATE, eat when lunchtime

• LINCOLN, LM You often NH ski with

Interiors

TEL 781-544-3782 their children to skiing or snowboarding?

PA The Slopeside Deli is my favorite. In my opinion PA The number one most important rule is to it’s got some of the most unique sandwiches and781-254-7938 CELL make sure your children are properly dressed best food. I like the view because you can see the kids and fitted correctly. If they are, you’re giving them coming down the mountain.

That’s my favorite spot.

WWW.GALEMICHAUDINTERIORS.COM a chance to have fun. Even if they don’t do well, LM What’s your favorite item on the menu? they’re not cold, they’re not shivering, they’re not PA Steak and cheese, every time. wet, their feet don’t hurt. They’re having fun.

LM What part of the mountain do you hit first? mountain.

They’ve raised their kids here, made friends here, and plan to stay here for 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.

the long haul. Follow their advice, and maybe you will, too.

Jaclyn Strominger

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

Loon Mountain often do you ski PA Those particular runs areHow just awesome, at Loon? the natural terrain and contours of it. We’ll run 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 Say this is my time visiting Loon. How passholder forfirst 6 years should I approach the mountain?

PA Use the shuttle service.on It’sSundays, convenient, The omelets are awesome but itthe eliminates the need toare park, and youSometimes get dropped sandwiches they have fantastic. 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.

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

LM Where is your favorite place to ski at Loon?

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.

MAX your season today.

LoonMtn.com/ MaxPass

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NG

LM What advice would you give to someone

REAL ESTATE

who’s newtake to Loon on and wants JS I totally love Ripsaw. When Three of Loon’s finest season passholders give you a true insider’s theto get to know the Ripsaw is good, it’s awesome.

mountain better?

JS You should always take a lesson and talk mountain. raised their plan to about stay here for LM If I wantThey’ve to grab lunch or a snack, where kids here, made friends here, and to any of the coaches getting your ski should I go?

The food at Pemigewasset Base their Camp is good. the JSlong haul.

Follow advice, and maybe you will, too.

GUIDE

Loon Mountain What’s your typical plan of attack?

Loon Mountain How often do you ski Vicki Watt We generally start out the at Loon? morning to get first We’re tracks up on every Walking Jaclyn Strominger Boss.

We’re alwaysWe’re there in atthe eight o’clock single weekend.

Seasonal in the morning because the snow is Program, and we love it. Our kidsbest are on between eight We go over to South EA and 10. the Development Team, and we’ve made AR IN UNTA LOON MO Peak o’clock and have coffee. such an around amazing10 group of friends here.

We live LOON MOUNTAIN

ore!

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.

ASK a PASSHOLDER LOON MOUNTAIN AREA Vicki Watt season passholder for 9 years Jaclyn Strominger season passholder for 6 years

32 mountains. 5 days each.

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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.

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1

TATEin the winter. It’s awesome.

EtheSweekends REAforL LM What’s your favorite place to grab lunch?

GUIDE

2013-14 WINTER

I likeis the Octagon Lodge because hasLoon?

LMVW Where your favorite place to skiit at friendliest peopleWhen and the best food and JS the I totally love Ripsaw. the biggest I’m a vegetarian and Ripsaw is good,selection. it’s awesome. one of the best things the mountain ever did LM If I want to grab lunch or a snack, where should I go?

JS The food at Pemigewasset Base Camp is good.

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

The omelets are awesome on Sundays, the sandwiches they have are fantastic. Sometimes LM You’ve been to a lot of events here. What’s we’ll go over and eat at the Slopeside Deli. your favorite?

They added a couple of sandwiches and a kale VW –I’d have to say the snowcat rides on salad everything is good in the kale salad.

Independence Weekend are the best thing.

It’s kind of interesting going up the mountain, LM What’s the après ski scene like? Is it doable when you think about what those guys do. with kids? midnight-to-eight shiftPaul theyBunyan see deer JSOn Wethe started off going to the Room, and moose and And when youfor think they but having kids it’sfox. been really great us to go have to winch themselves up Angel Street to après at The Mountain Club on Loon.

They andan Flume – that’s gotnot to be kind of awant rush.to have arcade and it’s as…I don’t date myself, but it’s not as young, and it’s not as loud. We can actually have a conversation.

legs back. It’s also great to have a lesson just to get a little bit better feel for the mountain.

LM What makes Loon special for you?

VWIsIt’s a wonderful for families. can’t like thinkto LM there a placeresort in town where I you of a better that we do as a family. My daughter grab a bitething to eat? loves it.

It’s brought us all closer together, like JS Our favorite spot in town has been Black when you’re sitting on the chairlift andif having 5-minute Mountain Burger.

A lot of times, we’re up conversations your that place you might not early enough, it with will be ourhusband Friday night time for during the week. just really great. tohave go for dinner.

Saturdays, a lotIt’s 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?

Call for your FREE GUIDE today Vicki Watt We generally start out the morning to get first tracks on Walking or go to loonrealestate.com Boss. We’re always there at eight o’clock in the morning to download a copy. because the snow is best between eight and 10. We go over to South Peak around 10 o’clock and have coffee.

MAX your season today.

LoonMtn.com/ MaxPass

30

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.

Vacation Property Specialists

info@loonrealestate.com 800.229.5666 x5381 | loonrealestate.com

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

March 8, 2015

December 20, 2015

ca. 1979

January 30, 2016

POINTS OF VIEW The clothing and equipment may have changed, but the spirit and the views remain the same.

March 24, 2016

January 5, 2016

April 6, 2016

January 17, 2016

March 2, 2016

ca. 1966

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ca. 1966

March 20, 2016

January 16, 2016

ca. 1980

March 27, 2016

April 2, 2016

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February 20, 2016

ca. 1978

March 16, 2016 February 20, 2016

LOC A L LIBATIONS

Breweries in the White Mountains are sprouting faster than a field of hops in the summer sun. Here at Loon, we’re especially lucky: two breweries and a winery call the Lincoln-Woodstock area home, and several other outstanding breweries are within an easy 30-minute drive. So hop on the bandwagon this winter and visit these outstanding purveyors of locally-crafted liquid refreshment. Your taste buds will thank you.

#28

Toss a Keg With an Oompah-band providing the soundtrack to a stein-hoisting contest, keg toss, and kids’ activities (including a root beer keg toss and pumpkin painting) you’ll love White Mountain Oktoberfest here at Loon Mountain. October 7–8, 2017

36

WOODSTOCK INN BREWERY North Woodstock, NH The venerable Woodstock Inn Brewery has been brewing and distributing its own beer since 1995, with award-winning brews like Pig’s Ear Brown Ale and 4,000-footer IPA a mainstay at bars from Colebrook to Concord and beyond. Be sure to take a brewery tour, where you’ll view the sevenbarrel brewery, a laboratory for small-batch, experimental brews. Afterward, be sure to enjoy a pint in the newly-expanded main bar, and grab lunch or dinner while you’re at it. Brewery tours start daily at noon.

WoodstockInnNH.com/brewery 603-745-3951

ONE LOVE BREWERY Lincoln, NH This modern gastropub and German-style lager house, which opened its doors in 2015, just started brewing its own beer on site – and the early results have us wanting more. Head brewer Michael Snyder spent part of his childhood in Germany, so he knows a thing or two about crafting world-class Weissbiers, Oktoberfests, and Kölsch-style lagers. In addition to a growing list of beers produced on site, you can order from a revolving lineup of some of the most sought-after foreign and domestic beers available – like Spencer Trappist Ale, a full-bodied, golden-hued ale brewed by Trappist monks. If that doesn’t make you believe in beer, then you’re beyond saving.

OneLoveBrewery.com 603-745-7290

SEVEN BIRCHES WINERY Lincoln, NH Visit Seven Birches Winery’s brand-new tasting room at the RiverWalk Resort in downtown Lincoln, and prepare to be amazed. You’ll sample classics like the Windy Ridge Malbec, Pinot Gris, and Sunset Red – or try their delicious fruit wines, made entirely from apples, blueberries, and pumpkins sourced from Windy Ridge Orchard in nearby North Haverhill, NH. Don’t forget to swing by their wine shop and bring a bottle or two home with you – or order a glass at La Vista Italian Cuisine, the new Italian restaurant that just opened next door.

SevenBirches.com 603-745-7550

SCHILLING BEER CO. Littleton, NH Housed in a renovated 18th-century grist mill along the banks of the Ammonoosuc River, Schilling Beer Co. serves up cozy, rough-hewn ambiance alongside its European-style brews. All of Schilling’s beer is brewed in small, seven-barrel batches, so its diverse lineup of continental ales is always changing. But don’t expect to find your standard IPA on the menu – offbeat German and Belgian ales are the name of their game. Take our advice and blast off with Poppy’s Moonship, a sour Leipziger-style Gose brewed with coriander and sea salt. And don’t forget the food: the pretzel roll served with beer cheese is spectacular.

s c h i l l i ng

SchillingBeer.com 603-444-4800

THE LAST CHAIR RESTAURANT & SUBLIME BREWING CO. Plymouth, NH The Last Chair Restaurant serves up delicious, hearty pizzas and comfort food from its woodfired oven. Try the Chicken “Pot Pie” with wood-fired tender chicken and fresh vegetables in a creamy gravy – all topped with a cornbread crust. The adjacent Sublime Brewing Company is just beginning to produce its own brews – try their signature IPA, which falls somewhere along the East Coast and West Coast IPA continuum. More excellent beers are sure to follow.

TheLastChairNH.com 603-238-9077

loonmtn.com

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YEAR BOOKS We took on the arduous task of sifting through dozens of old Loon Mountain brochures – a bottomless, musty time capsule of straight skis, big hair, and questionable fashion choices.

What follows are some classic moments from our first 50 years. Enjoy, but remember – those selfie-stick photos could come back to haunt you in 50 years – or five. Be ready.



Why are these people skiing uphill? Why not?

It was the seventies.

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

Loon Mountain: 50 Years, 50 Fonts



Fondue parties are always fun – until someone pokes an eye out.



Hey buddy, your mom called. She wants you to wear a hat. And to get out of the backseat.



Here’s the trail map from our 1983-84 brochure. In this case, yellow snow is a good thing.

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

Note the lack of helmets – and hats – in this brochure from the 1985-86 season. Thanks to the widespread adoption of helmets, our heads are more protected today – and warmer.



We can teach anyone to ski – anyone who doesn’t have a crippling clown phobia.





Promise not to do another animated brochure? Promise?

40

It took until 1988 for a one-piece ski suit to make the brochure, but it was worth the wait!



Sunbathing on Upper Picked Rock, because that totally happens all the time.



Look, a snowboarder!



OMG WHERE CAN I GET THAT HEADBAND?!?

#42

Island Lunch The next time you’re skiing or riding, ward off the winter chill by grabbing lunch at the Summit Café near the top of the gondola. Do as the locals do, and order a Reggae Roll and Rum Punch!

loonmtn.com

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HIGH MAINTENANCE

WORDS & PHOTOS

BY GREG KWASNIK

You’ve got to get up to get down.

If

you’ve ever waited in line for the gondola (you probably haven’t, so use your imagination) you’ve unknowingly scuffed your boots over the lift maintenance department headquarters.

It’s a subterranean world that houses Loon’s first aid room and a vast array of parts and tools that wouldn’t look out of place in any auto mechanic’s shop. For Tom Bentley, Loon’s lift maintenance supervisor, it’s home.

42

“I sold everything I owned. I’d just seen Easy Rider.”

Bentley is a tall, laconic guy who’s been working in ski area maintenance ever since he drove his motorcycle from Maryland to Aspen, Colorado in 1975. “I sold everything I owned. I’d just seen Easy Rider,” Bentley says, shaking his head and laughing. “Believe it or not, but it’s true.” Today, Bentley oversees a talented crew of mechanics and electricians who are responsible for the upkeep of Loon’s 11 lifts, from high-speed detachable quads to Magic Carpets. Maintaining so much machinery is a large undertaking that requires safety checks, state inspections, and year-round maintenance – plus innumerable other tasks.

And while Bentley loves nothing more than to get his hands dirty working on lifts, he spends most of his days digging himself out from a blizzard of maintenance logs, safety inspection reports, and invoices. “Recordkeeping is huge in my business,” Bentley says. “That’s primarily what I do – keep records and order parts.” But Bentley doesn’t need to get his hands dirty every day. He has a talented group of people to do that for him.

Morning on the Mountain It’s 6 a.m. on a Sunday morning in early March, and Scot Holt is riding his snowmobile up Picaroon in the predawn darkness. As his machine whines up the mountain, he stops at regular intervals to inspect the gondola’s lift line to make sure no trees or other hazards have obstructed the haul rope, the metal rope that pulls the gondola cars uphill. Whether it’s twenty below zero or pouring rain, this ‘line check’ is a daily ritual that Holt and his colleagues perform winter mornings, on each lift. “I guess I thrive on the challenge,” says Holt, a marathoner who, on several occasions, has run the punishing Loon Mountain Race, a lung-busting jaunt to the 3,050-foot summit of North Peak. “There’s always going to be somebody who wants to come skiing even when the weather’s bad, so our job has to be done. We have to get out and get the lifts running every day.”

Once Holt assesses the entire length of the gondola, he’ll check in with the lift dispatcher at the gondola summit terminal. Once the dispatcher hears from Holt, he or she will give clearance for the gondola to run and load passengers – a process that’s repeated for each lift on

loonmtn.com

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“There’s always going to be somebody who wants to come skiing when the weather’s bad, so our job has to be done.”

the mountain. The job of granting lift clearance gets much busier on stormy days, when lift mechanics keep a weather eye on the wind gauges and place lifts on wind hold when necessary.

“We’ve had days where we’re at the top of North Peak and it’s triple-digit wind gusts,” says Jonathan Gillen, a lift mechanic who’s spent his fair share of breezy days at Loon’s summit.

“We’ve lost windshields off the snowmobiles because the wind was blowing so hard. It just blew the machine apart.”

Most days, though, the winds are calm and Loon’s lift mechanics engage in the everyday business of keeping the resort’s lifts running smoothly. On any given day you’ll see lift mechanics hammering ice from lift towers, greasing drive bullwheels, or addressing the inevitable maintenance needs that arise when the resort’s 11 lifts run virtually nonstop from November to April. The work isn’t glamorous, but it is essential. “When you think about skiing you don’t think ‘Oooh, chairlifts!’ says former lift maintenance mechanic Emma Duguay. “They’re one of the main parts of the mountain that gets overlooked a lot. But you can’t ski unless you get up the hill.”

Much of that maintenance happens after the snow melts. Hike up Loon Mountain during the dog days of summer and you may see Scot Holt high up in the air, working on a lift tower.

“People are often very surprised to find out that there’s a very long list of maintenance that we do during the summer to get ready for the winter,” Holt says. “People in general don’t understand the machinery, and that it doesn’t run like clockwork consistently for five months out of the year without doing a lot of work during the summer.” Holt thrives on that kind of unseen, anonymous work. “I worked in 44

lift operations and ski patrol, but I was ready to go behind the scenes,” Holt says. “I like being anonymous – and being part of a team.”

For people who spend much of their lives high above the ground, that kind of humble, unstinting teamwork is paramount. At least that’s what lift mechanic Steve Howell says. He’s been working on lifts at Loon since 1992, working alongside guys like Scot Holt, Jonathan Gillen, and Tom Bentley. “If you’re up on the tower knocking ice off and you’ve got someone else running the lift, you’ve got the utmost confidence in the person at the other end of the radio,” Steve says. “You have a lot of confidence and camaraderie with the people you work with. They got your back.”

#23

Presidential Selfie After riding the North Peak Express Quad, take a second to grab a photo of snow-capped Mount Washington.

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N E V E R - L E A V E - T H E - M O U N T A I N

Chili bread bowls, pizza, chicken fingers.

We love the ski lodge classics as much as the next person, but that doesn’t mean we’re not open to trying new things. Here at Loon, we’re always striving to put a delicious new spin on the tried-andtrue. So the next time your stomach grumbles on a powder day, follow our lead and tuck into one of these food-forward on-mountain menu items.

French Toast

PANINI

The Caribbean-themed Summit Café at the top of the Gondola offers a cozy refuge on cold winter days. Warm up by ordering the Reggae Roll, a festive wrap bursting with black beans, corn, mango chutney, onions, tricolored peppers, and chicken in a tangy sauce. This sweet, spicy meal becomes pure tropical magic when paired with a Rum Punch, a warm infusion of rum, grenadine, and fruit juice.

To anyone who’s ever enjoyed brunch and wondered ‘Why can’t this be a sandwich?’ we have one thing to say: You’re welcome. The French Toast Panini is a delicious mix of eggs, bacon, and cheese – all topped off with a sweet drizzle of genuine New Hampshire maple syrup.

It’s like breakfast and lunch fell in love and decided to have a Panini together. And it’s beautiful.

SUMMIT CAFÉ

PEMIGEWASSET BASE CAMP

COURSES

You don’t have to be a lumberjack to enjoy the Octagon Lumberjack – but you do need a Paul Bunyan-sized appetite. Order this Octagon Lodge special and you’ll feast on a sandwich overflowing with pastrami, melted Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and mustard – all served on a delicious pretzel roll.

By our count, you only need three ingredients to boost a burger to perfection: barbeque, bacon, and cheddar. The BBC Burger is one of the most popular menu items at the Governor Adams Lodge, so you know it’s pretty special. This winter, get yourself over to the West Basin to sample that patty of perfection for yourself.

GOVERNOR ADAMS LODGE

OCTAGON LODGE

We could give you the recipe for the Base Camp Pulled Pork sandwich, but then we’d have to kill you. “Mark, our Camp III manager, applies a dry rub with spices – secret spices,” says Steve Bromley, Loon’s Director of Food and Beverage. “So secret, I don’t even know what they are.”

CAMP III

Photo: Jeremy Mayhew

OCTAGON LUMBERJACK

SKI & SNOWBOARD SCHOOL

Photo: Rob Bossi

Loon LowDown

Loon’s Ski & Snowboard School coaches can help skiers & riders of all ages and abilities learn & excel on the mountain.

Learner’s Passport

Ages 13 & up

We make learning to ski or ride as easy as it can be. That’s why we created the Learner’s Passport. Guests who sign up for a Learn-To-Ski or Snowboard Package receive a Learner’s Passport; when they come back for a second lift, lesson, and rental package, they’ll get a Learner’s Club Card, which gives them savings, discounts, and perks.

First Class Learning Experience Ages 13 & up. Ski Only Our First Class Learning Experience program gives participants the skills – and the tools – to become skiers. 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 (while supplies last).

New skiers will build camaraderie as they spend the weekend with their coaches, who will fit them with boots, skis, and binding – which they’ll use during the lessons all weekend.

The program 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.

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

Women’s Performance Camp

presented by K2

Intermediate and advanced skiers will love these two-day clinics featuring woman-to-woman coaching and video review. This women-only camp proves you don’t need to ski like a guy to ski better than a guy. Ages 18 & up.

High Cascade To Go

presented by High Cascade Snowboard Camp High Cascade Snowboard Camp is hitting the road and heading East! HCSC will be bringing their coaching, activities, and all of the fun of Summer Camp at Mount Hood to Loon. Campers will work with High Cascade’s professional coaching staff in a private park.

Coaches will guide riders through a specific path focusing on comfortable individual progression on-hill, and add in fun and exciting off-hill activities, too. Ages 9–18.

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.

Reserve yours today!

LoonMtn.com/Book

loonmtn.com

47

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.

Burton Riglet Park Experience These snowboard-specific lessons are perfect for kids looking to launch into snowboarding.

Photo: Alyssa Greenberg

Using the Paul Bunyan-themed Burton Riglet Park – complete with wood carvings of owls, bears and a kid-sized steam 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.

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 one year old and older. *Half-day is available on non-holiday periods only.

Kids Rule Loon.

LoonMtn.com/Kids 48

Loon LowDown

SEASON LONG + ADAPTIVE SPORTS

SEASONAL PROGRAMS feature curriculum-based training, safety, and etiquette to ensure consistency and well-rounded development, plus express lift access and lunch.

Programs run every weekend from mid-December through March, plus vacation weeks and holidays.

•

Junior Scouts (age 3) & Scouts (ages 4–5) season-long

•

Development Team (ages 6–17) is for skiers and

•

Competition Teams (ages 7–17) are the most intense

•

Coach-in-Training program (ages 14–16) is geared toward

•

VIP Groups are fully-customizable skiing or snowboarding

•

Flying 50s is open to anyone age 50+. It’s a great way to

Photo: Rob Bossi

camps specialize in on-snow fun and skill instruction for firsttime through advanced levels. snowboarders at early-intermediate to expert levels looking to improve their all-mountain skills in racing, park and pipe, trees, and moguls. programs, designed for athletes who compete in a season-long series of USASA and USSA events throughout New England. individuals who would like to learn how to teach skiing and snowboarding.

make new friends and explore the mountain with others of similar abilities. This group meets Thursday and Friday nonholiday mornings at the Octagon Lodge. Social (non-skiing) memberships are available when purchased in conjunction with a skiing membership.

Photo: Alyssa Greenberg

lessons for adults which are designed by the group: dates, lessons length (three to six hours of instruction), and even choice of the coach.

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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49

Loon LowDown

M O U N T A I N S T ATS

Summit Elevation 3,050 feet Base Elevation 950 feet Vertical Drop 2,100 feet Slope Exposure Northeast Total Number of Trails 61 Tree-skiing Areas 8 Total Miles of Trails 28 Skiable Acres 370 Snowmaking Trail Coverage 99% Terrain Parks 6 Annual Snowfall 160 inches (average) Ability Level Breakdown Most Difficult, Expert Only 20% More Difficult 60% Easiest 20%

NORTH PEAK

LOON PEAK SUMMIT CAFÉ

L IFTS 11 Total

1 Four-person Gondola 3 High-speed Express Quad Chairs 1 Fixed-grip Quad Chair 1 Triple Chair 3 Double Chairs 2 Carpet Lifts

HO U R S

Midweek 9am–4pm Weekend & Holiday 8am–4pm Half-day 12pm–4pm Winter Mid-November – Mid-April Summer/Fall Memorial Day – Columbus Day

CAMP III

GE T T I N G HE R E

60 Loon Mountain Road Lincoln, New Hampshire 03251 Located 3 miles from Exit 32 off Interstate 93 • • • • •

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

C O N T A CT U S

General Info 603-745-8111 | 800-229-LOON Snow Phone 603-745-8100 LoonMtn.com LIFT TICKETS Buy Early & Save only at LoonMtn.com/Tickets GOVERNOR’S PAVILION

OCTAGON LODGE ADVENTURE CENTER

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

50

GOVERNOR ADAMS LODGE

UTAH

SOUTH SOUTH PEAK PEAK

Skiers Skiers and riders and riders shouldshould be advised be advised that a that green a green circle, blue circle,square, blue square, black diamond black diamond or double or double black diamond black diamond trail attrail Loon atisLoon not is not necessarily necessarily the same the as same a similarly-rated as a similarly-rated trail attrail another at another area. The area. The systemsystem is a relative is a relative rating rating of trails ofat trails eachatresort, each resort, and does andnot does not compare compare difficulty difficulty between between resorts. resorts.

Skiers Skiers and riders and riders shouldshould begin begin with the with easiest the easiest terrainterrain and move and up move in difficulty up in difficulty as their asability their ability permits permits in order in to order understand to understand relative relative trail ratings trail ratings at Loon. at Loon.

ON-MOUNTAIN ON-MOUNTAIN EMERGENCIES, EMERGENCIES, CALLCALL 603-745-6359 603-745-6359

PEMIGEWASSET PEMIGEWASSET BASE BASE CAMP CAMP

Loon Mountain Resort is located in the heart of the White Mountain National Forest, and operates in partnership with the USDA Forest Service to create an incredible vacation experience in a spectacular outdoor setting. It’s a habitat and a heritage we’re working hard to celebrate and protect. To learn more about this region’s natural resources and beauty, visit fs.usda.gov/whitemountain PRESERVING THE ENVIRONMENT By recycling, reusing, improving our energy efficiency, and doing our part to establish a clean air zone, Loon is helping to protect the environment. To find out more about Loon’s sustainable initiatives, and to see how you can participate, visit LoonMtn.com

loonmtn.com

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Escape the hustle & bustle, and relax in the peacefulness of the White Mountains.

Offering 2-bedroom cabins, sleeping four to six comfortably.

Conveniently located off I-93 and only five minutes from Loon Mountain.

Montaup

• Two Indoor Pools

Your choice!

Standard room at the Resort, or • Lighted Skating Pond Budget room or Family Suite w/ • 6 miles to Loon & Kitchen & Jacuzzi Cannon ski areas Bathtub at the Inn • Discount Ski Tickets • Sauna & Jacuzzi

Cabins

• Ski & Stay Packages

White Mountain Escape

• 7-Night Lodging Pass w/ski ticket only $389

The Catucci family welcomes you.

36 Main Street • North Woodstock, NH 03262 603-745-5615 • montaupcabins.com

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Exit 33 off I-93 in Lincoln, NH 603•745•8141

• Breakfast & Dinner • Cozy Pub w/Fireplace

7KH *ULOOH

DW :RRGZDUGV 5HVRUW

www.WoodwardsResort.com

Vacation like a local in the spectacular Western White Mountains of New Hampshire. We know just where to get the best gear, and find the best food and drinks around town.

And, we know just the right accommodations for our guests.

Contact a local today for your FREE vacation planning kit by visiting westernwhitemtns.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 | daysinn.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 1 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 are 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 great ways 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.

INNSEASON RESORTS – POLLARD BROOK

603-745-9900 | InnSeason.com Located within walking distance of downtown Lincoln on the famous Kancamagus Highway (Rte. 112) across from Loon Mountain, Pollard Brook offers 1-, 2- & 3-bedroom suites, many with gorgeous views of Loon and the White Mountains from balconies or patios. Accommodations feature living rooms with electric fireplaces, fully-equipped kitchens, and many of our master bedrooms have whirlpool tubs. The spacious resort has both indoor and outdoor pools, Fitness Room and Game Room, tennis courts and playground. And best of all a year-round staff focused on your experience and an Adventure Concierge who plans excursions and trips for all ages and abilities.

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.

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 westernwhitemtns.com/skiloon

RESORTS (CONT’D) RIVERWALK RESORT AT LOON MOUNTAIN

603-745-7500 | riverwalkresortatloon.com Experience extraordinary at the grand new RiverWalk Resort at Loon Mountain. With all of the amenities you would expect from a 4-star resort, plus an on-site commercial winery, fine Italian cuisine, award-winning spa, and ice skating around the indoor/outdoor heated pools, your stay at RiverWalk will be exceptional. The studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom luxury suite rentals all have full kitchens, balconies with mountain views, and plenty of space to stretch out after your day on the slopes.

WOODWARD’S RESORT

800-635-8968 | woodwardsresort.com Featuring 142 rooms ranging from standard rooms with compact refrigerators and coffee makers, 2-bedroom family units to suites with hot tub, fireplace, & full kitchen. Woodward’s features an Open Hearth Steak House, pub with fireplace, 2 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.

VACATION RENTALS LOON RESERVATION SERVICE

800-745-5666 | looncondoconnection.com Vacation rental specialist professionally managing private condos and townhouses in the Lincoln-Woodstock area of New Hampshire’s White Mountains. Rentals are located throughout 12 resorts all within five miles of Loon Mountain. 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 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 or espresso. Convenient to Cannon, Loon and Bretton Woods.

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 nine 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.

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.

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LODGING DIRECTORY westernwhitemtns.com/skiloon

CONDOMINIUMS (CONT’D) 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.

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.

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.

HOTELS / MOTELS ECONOLODGE INN & SUITES 603-745-3661 | econolodgeloon.com Located centrally among the area’s attractions and recreation, EconoLodge Inn & Suites is the ultimate choice as your ‘base camp’ for all your vacation activities in the White Mountain region. On-site amenities include a deluxe continental breakfast, indoor heated pool, sauna, whirlpool, fitness room and guest laundry; some rooms available with in-room Jacuzzis. Special packages and discounts at area attractions available.

EXPRESS INN & SUITES 888-589-8112 | expressinnnh.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 whirlpools. Complimentary weekend and holiday week shuttle to Loon. 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 Mountain.

Indoor pool and fitness facility available off site. Midweek daily rates from $46 per night double occupancy. Weekend and holiday rates from $67 per night double occupancy. Three- and five-day midweek rates & ski packages available. Seasonal rentals from $2,800 for four months.

CARRIAGE MOTEL BY THE RIVER 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 I-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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W

hen Governor Sherman Adams built Loon Mountain way back in the 1960s, he didn’t do it all by himself. He had lots of help from his friend, Flynn the Flying Fox.

Flynn knew the White Mountains like the back of his paw, so he showed Mr. Adams where to find the deepest snow, the biggest mountains, and the most amazing views. By working together, Flynn and Mr. Adams built the best ski area in New Hampshire – and became best friends.

Flynn will be back at Loon this winter, so be on the lookout. When you see him, be sure to say hi!

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---

Coloring Page

When Loon’s ski trails were under construction, Flynn followed Mr. Adams all over the mountain, leaping and bounding alongside his Jeep. “That’s pretty neat!” Mr. Adams said. “Let’s call you Flynn the Flying Fox.”

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If you only visit Loon

DURING THE WINTER,

you’re missing the

BIGGER PICTURE.

Come to Loon this summer or fall, and you’ll see what we mean.

There’s a whole day of adventure awaiting you. Take a Gondola Skyride to the summit where you’ll enjoy breathtaking views, refreshing breezes, and cool Glacial Caves; Zipline across the roaring Pemigewasset River; or test yourself in the Aerial Forest Adventure Park. You can also Ride a Bike, scale a Rock Wall, climb a 30-foot Spider Web, or navigate the LogJam Maze.

And don’t forget about classic summer and fall events like the New England Brewfest, Monster Mud Run, New Hampshire Highland Games & Festival, and White Mountain Oktoberfest.

You’ll have a blast, and you can leave the skis and snowboards at home – at least until next winter.

Summer’s Here

LoonMtn.com/Summer

Starting at

149

$ Loon’s only ski-in, ski-out resort.

*

per person, per night BREAKFAST INCLUDED

Stay in one of the newly-renovated rooms, studios or suites with stunning views of the White 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