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Loon Mountain Ski Resort

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Coordinates: 44°2′10″N 71°37′18″W / 44.03611°N 71.62167°W / 44.03611; -71.62167
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Loon Mountain Ski Resort
LocationLincoln / Livermore, New Hampshire, U.S.
Nearest major cityLincoln, New Hampshire
Coordinates44°2′10″N 71°37′18″W / 44.03611°N 71.62167°W / 44.03611; -71.62167
StatusOperating
OwnerBoyne Resorts
Vertical2,190 feet (670 m)
Top elevation3,050 feet (930 m)
Base elevation860 feet (260 m)
Skiable area403 acres
Trails73
19% Beginner
53% Intermediate
28% Expert
Longest runBear Claw 2.5 miles
Lift system13 total:
1 Gondola
1 High Speed 8
3 High Speed Quads
2 Quads
1 Triple
3 Doubles
2 Magic Carpets
Lift capacity17,152 skiers/hour
Terrain parksYes, 6
Snowfall163 inches (4.1 m)
SnowmakingYes, 86.3%

Loon Mountain Ski Resort is a ski resort in Lincoln, Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. It is located on Loon Mountain and sits within the White Mountain National Forest. Its vertical drop of 2,190 feet (670 m) is the eighth largest in New England.

History

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The history of Loon Mountain Ski Resort can be traced back to former governor and New Hampshire native Sherman Adams. Adams spent much of his time growing up in the town of Lincoln, New Hampshire, and attended nearby Dartmouth College. After departing from his position of Chief of Staff in Eisenhower's cabinet, Adams proclaimed he went off "to operate a ski lodge" in 1958.[1] Following his departure from Washington D.C, he founded Loon Mountain Corporation, which later contributed to the construction of Loon Mountain in the fall of 1965.

Loon Mountain officially opened in December 1966 with 12 trails over 80 acres. The terrain was served by a 4-passenger gondola and two Hall double chairlifts. A hotel was built the following year, and third double chairlift serving new advanced terrain was built in 1968.

More expansions followed over the next two decades. West Basin debuted in 1978, featuring a new base area, a dedicated beginner area, and another double chairlift. In 1985, the North Peak area was completed, featuring a CTEC triple and another lodge, and increasing Loon's vertical to 2,100 feet.[2]

From the late 1980s to the early 90s, Loon began pursuing an expansion to the west. While the United States Forest Service approved the plan in 1993, the expansion was halted after two lawsuits were filed by the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit based on potential environmental impacts. These were not settled until 2001. A scaled-down proposal was approved and finally completed in 2007 as the South Peak complex. It now features a high-speed quad and 7 trails.[3][4]

Today, Loon Mountain has a total 73 trails and 13 chairlifts, with most of the original lifts being been replaced. In 2021, Loon became the first resort in New England to install an 8-seat chairlift.[5] It replaced the Kancamagus high-speed quad, which was refurbished and reused to replace the aging 7 Brothers Triple in 2022, increasing capacity out of the often-overcrowded Octagon base.[6]

In November 2022, Loon Mountain ownership announced the construction of a South Peak beginners' area that will add over 30 skiable acres to the resort, thus surpassing Bretton Woods and becoming the largest ski mountain in New Hampshire. It was further indicated that this is the first step in a massive western expansion of the mountain that could nearly double its size and skiable area.[7] In other areas of the mountain, the master plan also calls for increased snowmaking capacity and another expansion to the mountain's North Peak ski area.[8]

In April 2024, South Peak Resort announced New England's first pulse gondola to connect the Riverwalk Hotel to the Timbertown learning complex. This 8 person Doppelmayr pulse gondola will have 4 groups of 3 cabins. The pulse gondola will travel 1,300 feet across the Pemigewasset River. Construction on this lift will start in 2025.[9]

Ownership History

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Loon Mountain was acquired by Booth Creek Ski Holdings in 1997.[10] Booth Creek sold Loon Mountain to CNL Lifestyle in 2006, but continued to operate the resort.[11] On September 19, 2007, Boyne Resorts, a Michigan-based resort company, announced it had acquired the lease to operate Loon from Booth Creek.[12] It also increased the number of snow guns by 170 to a total of 600, at a total cost of $1.4 million.[13] Loon Mountain was among several resorts sold by CNL to Och-Ziff Capital Management in 2016.[14] Boyne purchased the ski area in March 2018 and has been operating it since.[15]

Terrain and Lifts

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Terrain

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Loon has 3 distinct peaks, and the following describes all terrain on the mountain from left to right:[16]

  • North Peak: Located on the far left of Loon, North Peak is a modest open area with long intermediate trails, all serviced by the North Peak Express high-speed quad. Some notable trails of the summit are Walking Boss, Flume, Sunset, and Haulback. At the base of North Peak Express is the green trail Brookway (which goes down to Loon base) and the East Basin double, which can bring you to the summit of Loon.
  • Loon Peak: Right in the heart of Loon, serviced by the White Mountain Express Gondola is Loon Peak. Skiing off of the summit, the area features classic New England trails such as Exodus, Flying Fox, Bear Claw, Speakeasy, and Angel Street to name a few. The Gondola also provides access to North Peak, East Basin, Kanc8, and the Tote Road Connector.
  • South Peak: South Peak is Loon's most recent expansion, initially started in 1996 and finally finished in 2007 after various setbacks.[17] South Peak is home to intermediate and advanced trails, and is easily accessible by taking the Tote Road Connector. Riders can take runs on Boom Run, Cruiser, Jobber, Twitcher, and the mountain's only double-black diamond trail, Ripsaw. Serviced by the Lincoln Express and the Timbertown Quad, the complex can be seen from the nearby town of Lincoln, while driving on Route 112.
  • Loon Mountain Parks: Running parallel to the White Mountain Gondola on both sides are the Loon Mountain terrain parks. Serviced by the Seven Brothers Express, Kancamagus 8, and the White Mountain Gondola, Loon is well-known for having 6 unique parks for every ability level. It was rated by Snowboard Magazine for being one of the best terrain parks in North America.[18] The main park called Loon Mountain Park is off of skiers left on Grand Junction and features more than a dozen rails, jumps, and boxes each year. It also has a large halfpipe near the base of the gondola. Despite claiming to have 6 parks, in reality they have three main parks. Loon Mountain Park, Springboard and Little Sister are the main three as of 2024. Little Sister has two portions on either side of the trail, which Loon calls two "separate" parks.

Lifts

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Loon has 11 chairlifts, with 2 Magic Carpets.[19]

Name Type Builder Built Vertical
(feet)		 Length
(feet)		 Notes
White Mountain Express Gondola 4 Doppelmayr 1988 1,738 6,970 Open in the summer for scenic operations. Cabins replaced in 2018.[20]
Kancamagus 8 High Speed 8 2021 1,065 3,992 First 8-passenger chairlift on the east coast. Has clear bubbles, heated seats, and Doppelmayr Direct Drive. Used for mountain biking operations in the summer.
Lincoln Express High Speed Quad 2007 1,475 5,160 Main lift out of South Peak basin. Can be seen from route 93.
North Peak Express 2004 1,563 4,820 Highest lift on the mountain, and has a small ski lodge next to the bottom terminal.
Seven Brothers Express 2022 740 3,302 This lift was refurbished and relocated from the West Basin complex, where it operated as the Kancamagus Express.
Tote Road Connector Quad 2007 95 1,919 Connects Loon Peak to South Peak summit, loads and unloads at either terminal.
Timbertown 2023 486 2,687 Facilitates a new learning area, with mostly beginner and intermediate trails. It is the closest lift to the nearby town of Lincoln.
Rivers Edge Double 2010 128 633 Services homes below the Pemigewasset Base Camp lodge. Operated privately and not open to the public.
Kissin’ Cousin 1986 605 3,043 Reused top terminal from the Seven Brothers Double and was shortened in 1995.
East Basin Hall 1968 1,230 3,690 Provides an alternative route to Loon Mountain summit, starting from the base of the North Peak Express. Retrofitted with a Doppelmayr drive terminal in 1982 and CTEC chairs in 1986.
Little Sister 1966 232 1,090 Oldest lift on the mountain, installed when Loon first opened in 1966. It was retrofitted with CTEC chairs, and is only used for snow tubing.

Mountain Biking

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Loon Mountain's downhill mountain biking complex debuted in 2019 with three trails.[21] Since opening, the network has grown to 16 trails, with 19 miles of rideable paths. The Kancamagus 8 chairlift services the entire bike park, and has 34 chairs modified with Doppelmayr’s Bike Clip carriers to carry bikes uphill.[22]

[edit]
  • Kanc8 loading area, January 2022.
    Kanc8 loading area, January 2022.
  • Loon Mountain view from the top of the North Peak quad, 2007.
    Loon Mountain view from the top of the North Peak quad, 2007.
  • View from one of the beginner slopes, called "Sarsaparilla".
    View from one of the beginner slopes, called "Sarsaparilla".
  • J.E Henry Railroad with steam-powered locomotive on narrow-gauge railway
    J.E Henry Railroad with steam-powered locomotive on narrow-gauge railway


References

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  1. ^ "Ernest Partridge's Blogs Archive". September 30, 2004. Archived from the original on December 1, 2005.
    "SHERMAN "THE ICEBERG" ADAMS – TYPED LETTER SIGNED 10/08/1956 – DOCUMENT 26624".
  2. ^ "Loon Mountain Resort History". New England Ski History. 21 December 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  3. ^ Basch, Marty (20 December 2007). "After years on the trail, Loon has arrived". Boston.com. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  4. ^ "South Peak - Loon Mountain Resort". New England Ski History. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  5. ^ "Kancamagus 8 Chairlift". loonmtn.com. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  6. ^ "Seven Brothers Express Quad". loonmtn.com. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  7. ^ "South Peak Expansion".
  8. ^ "Flight Path 2030".
  9. ^ "Loon Mountain Announces Pulse Gondola". 19 April 2024.
  10. ^ "Booth Creek Ski Holdings, Inc. - NewEnglandSkiHistory.com". Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  11. ^ Julie Dunn, The Denver Post (2006-12-08). "Execs buy out Booth Creek Ski". The Denver Post. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  12. ^ "Boyne Resorts". Archived from the original on 2011-05-13. Retrieved 2011-06-08.
  13. ^ "Loon Mountain Adds Four New Ski Trails, New Snowmaking". First Tracks!! Online Ski Magazine. October 11, 2011.
  14. ^ "No big changes expected with new owners at Crested Butte Mountain Resort". The Denver Post. 2016-11-08. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  15. ^ "Michigan-Based Boyne Resorts Buys Six Ski Areas". POWDER Magazine. 2018-05-10. Retrieved 2023-02-14.
  16. ^ "Map" (PDF). skimap.org. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  17. ^ "South Peak - Loon Mountain Resort - New England Ski Area Expansions".
  18. ^ "Loon Mountain NH (US) Ski Resort Guide".
  19. ^ "Loon Mountain, NH". 31 October 2015.
  20. ^ "Hours of Operation".
  21. ^ "Downhill Mountain Biking". 5 June 2019.
  22. ^ "Bike Laps Just Got 50% Faster". 25 May 2022.
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44°2′10″N 71°37′18″W / 44.03611°N 71.62167°W / 44.03611; -71.62167

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