What's New This Year at NH Ski Areas

CAPTION: Crews at Waterville Valley Resort lay the foundation for the resort's new lift. 

For high-resolution photos, visit https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCva63

Conway, NH — New Hampshire’s ski areas have been hard at work this summer, investing in infrastructure, technology, and guest experiences, according to Jessyca Keeler, president of Ski New Hampshire, the statewide association representing more than 30 alpine and cross-country resorts in New Hampshire. “From new lifts and expanded snowmaking to sustainability initiatives and upgraded lodges, these improvements highlight New Hampshire’s commitment to offering world-class skiing and riding close to home,” she said.

New Lifts

Six ski areas have added new lifts to provide faster and more efficient uphill access for their guests. Bretton Woods will debut their new Bethlehem Express Quad II (BEQII), a four-person Leitner-Poma detachable quad. Its installation also includes a redesigned base area layout to ease congestion and improve safety.

Pats Peak will introduce the Hurricane Quad, a SkyTrac fixed-grip lift with a loading conveyor and enhanced loading zone for improved efficiency and guest experience; and Waterville Valley Resort will unveil a new MND Ropeways T-Bar, expanding uphill capacity and access to terrain for training programs, athletes, and recreational skiers and riders.

In terms of surface lifts, Whaleback Mountain is adding a new surface lift serving Lower Spout, the racing trail, as well as Canyon, Scrimshaw, and new connector trails. Meanwhile, brand-new conveyor belts, or ‘magic carpets,’ will provide safe, easy uphill transport for children and beginners at Loon Mountain Resort’s Sasparilla Learning Center and for all guests of King Pine’s Tubing Park.

New Buildings & Lodge Enhancements

In addition to performing summer maintenance on all other lifts, ski area staff do maintenance work on their buildings. Cannon Mountain has invested in a wide range of lodge upgrades to improve guest comfort and aesthetics. Projects include new roofing on the Notchview and Brookside lodges, fresh paint on the Peabody, Notchview, and Brookside buildings, updated paint on the Peabody lift terminal, as well as new lighting, flooring, stair grips, and fans in the Peabody Lodge. Guests will also notice the addition of new digital signage in Peabody, further enhancing the overall experience.

King Pine has transformed its Evergreen Room into a multi-use event space featuring a custom bar, handcrafted post-and-beam ceiling, updated dance floor, and upgraded A/V systems. This follows recent improvements, including the addition of a rooftop deck, which provided expanded base lodge outdoor seating.

New Trails & Guest Experiences

Summer projects also include extensive trailwork. This summer, Great Glen Trails dedicated much effort toward widening trails, which will reduce tree debris, leaves, branches, and blowdowns on the trail and result in improved skiing conditions.

Building on that theme of enhancing the on-mountain experience, Bretton Woods is unveiling a brand-new black diamond glade on Mount Rosebrook. This never-before-skied, steeper section features tree runs and cliff elements between the Upper Swoop and Upper Express trails, giving advanced skiers and riders exciting new terrain to explore.

Adding to the lineup of fresh experiences, Cranmore Mountain Resort is introducing Arctic Light Tubing, New Hampshire’s first glow-in-the-dark nighttime tubing adventure with lights and music. This experience will be available every Friday, Saturday, and Wednesday night.

Snowmaking and Sustainability

Snowmaking is energy-intensive, but advances in technology are making it more efficient than ever. Today’s systems allow ski areas to produce more snow with less energy while using smart monitoring tools to optimize when and where snow is made—ensuring maximum coverage and the best possible conditions.

This summer, several New Hampshire resorts made major snowmaking investments. Loon Mountain Resort doubled its snowmaking capacity on North Peak, while Bretton Woods invested more than $200,000 in new pipelines and tower guns. Gunstock Mountain Resort installed 24 new HKD Impulse tower guns and Klik hydrants to boost efficiency, and additional snowmaking upgrades were made at Ragged Mountain Resort and Tenney Mountain.

Nordic areas also continue to benefit from expanded snowmaking capacity, which is especially valuable in winters when natural snowfall is limited. Jackson XC and Great Glen Trails both added new snow guns at their cross-country centers this summer.

Energy efficiency efforts extend beyond snowmaking. Waterville Valley Resort upgraded its night skiing operations with energy-efficient LED lighting, while Cranmore Mountain Resort and Loon Mountain Resort have each added the PistenBully 600 E+ to its fleet—the cleanest and quietest snow groomer in its class. With its Tier 4 engine, the E+ reduces fuel consumption, noise, and CO₂ emissions by up to 20% while allowing staff to cover more terrain, faster. Loon Mountain Resort has also added another Ford Lightning vehicle to their lineup, bringing them to five EVs in total - the most of any ski resort in the East.

Looking Ahead: Multi-Season Projects

Some improvements take more than one season to complete. Several long-term projects are underway across the state. Cannon Mountain retires its iconic tram this month, with plans in motion for a next-generation replacement.

Loon Mountain Resort will begin work this winter on New England’s first pulse gondola to connect the hotel to the base. Waterville Valley Resort's Master Development Plan illustrates the conceptual development of both the mountain and the village, creating a link between the Town and the Resort via construction of a proposed village to summit lift system, as well as increasing resort access, diversity of alpine, glade, and Nordic terrain, and additional guest services. Follow along with the Resort's development progress by visiting Waterville.com for more information about their Environmental Impact Statement and New T-Bar Installation Project.

Similarly, Dartmouth Skiway’s Master Plan has an ambitious goal of becoming the nation’s most sustainable ski area, featuring all-electric automated snowmaking, expanded glades, and a new Learning Center.

“Winter is a vital part of New Hampshire’s culture and economy,” said Keeler, “and the investments our member ski areas have made this year reflect that importance. These upgrades not only enhance the skiing and riding experience, but also strengthen the communities that depend on winter tourism.”

Ski New Hampshire is the statewide association representing 30+ alpine and cross-country resorts in New Hampshire. For more information on ski areas, trail conditions, vacation planning, and updated events at Ski New Hampshire resorts, visit SkiNH.com. For statewide travel info, go to VisitNH.gov.

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