Loon Mountain

Following this past weekend's storm, some skiers and riders have already earned their first turns of the season at select New Hampshire ski areas like Gunstock and Mount Sunapee. As far as when the lifts will run, the state today released its anticipated open dates.  Attitash Mountain Resort - Nov. 24 The Balsams Wilderness Ski Area- Dec. 20 Cannon Mountain- Nov. 25 Cranmore Mountain- Nov. 26 Dartmouth Skiway- Dec. 12 Granite Gorge- Thanksgiving Rail Jam Nov. 24th, full operations Dec. 15 Great Glen Trails- Nov. 26 Gunstock Mountain...

The washed-out roads are rebuilt. Ruined snow-making equipment has been replaced. Now all skiers need is snow. Tropical Storm Irene wreaked havoc in New England on Aug. 28, particularly in Vermont, wiping out highways, destroying bridges, and flooding facilities at several ski resorts. But crews have repaired nearly all the damage done by the storm, and ski areas are all on track to open as soon as the temperature drops low enough and long enough to make artificial snow stick. Earlier this week, in a perfectly timed storm before Thanksgiving weekend, Vermont and New Hampshire got a deep, heavy blanket...

The skiing industry evolves by churning out new ideas. Here are a few that were once considered the sport’s “next big thing.’’ Sand skiing - In 1937, the New York Times reports that Cape Cod is poised to become the country’s major destination for summer sand skiing. “The sport, growing popular under the guidance of a Norwegian ski professional on the Sandy Neck dunes near Centerville, Cape Cod, is expected to prove more than a passing fad.’’ Uphill battle - A 1953 invention billed as “the answer to a need long felt in winter sports’’ is the power-driven ski, which...

Following this past weekend's storm, some skiers and riders have already earned their first turns of the season at select New Hampshire ski areas like Gunstock and Mount Sunapee. As far as when the lifts will run, the state today released its anticipated open dates.  Attitash Mountain Resort - Nov. 24 The Balsams Wilderness Ski Area- Dec. 20 Cannon Mountain- Nov. 25 Cranmore Mountain- Nov. 26 Dartmouth Skiway- Dec. 12 Granite Gorge- Thanksgiving Rail Jam Nov. 24th, full operations Dec. 15 Great Glen Trails- Nov. 26 Gunstock Mountain...

LINCOLN, N.H. - As a Plymouth State student in 1984 working part time at Loon Mountain's rental shop, Gary Chaiken heard the party line. "I remember at the company meetings, them saying, 'You'll be skiing over there [at South Peak] in a year.' I've been hearing that every year now for 20-something years," said Chaiken, who owns Village Ski and Snowboard on Main Street. South Peak at Loon Mountain opened Saturday after a two-decade-plus wait because of a laundry list of obstacles.

The washed-out roads are rebuilt. Ruined snow-making equipment has been replaced. Now all skiers need is snow. Tropical Storm Irene wreaked havoc in New England on Aug. 28, particularly in Vermont, wiping out highways, destroying bridges, and flooding facilities at several ski resorts. But crews have repaired nearly all the damage done by the storm, and ski areas are all on track to open as soon as the temperature drops low enough and long enough to make artificial snow stick. Earlier this week, in a perfectly timed storm before Thanksgiving weekend, Vermont and New...

LINCOLN, N.H. - Jagged Scar Ridge, with its snow-choked ravines, is the million-dollar view on a winter hike that doesn't require much effort. The impressive range is bounded in the east by Mount Osceola, one of New Hampshire's 4,000-plus-foot peaks, and Loon Mountain to the west. Snowshoers and hikers don't have to venture far from the winding Kancamagus Highway to see the ridge. It's about midway along the benign 1.4-mile Forest Discovery Trail, about six miles east of Lincoln.

LINCOLN, N.H. ABOUT two hours from Boston, Loon Mountain in central New Hampshire sits just off Interstate 93, a north-south highway choked with skiers and snowboard riders on Friday afternoons throughout the winter. Like many a busy snow sports destination, Loon has wrestled with how to keep every sector of its visiting populace happy on its 336 acres. At one end of its demographic are skiers 45 and older who helped foster Loon’s growth in the previous century and still drive its success by pointing their cars northward from southern New England.

Liftopia.com, the online discount lift ticket service, has more than doubled its list of ski resorts as the business enters its third full season of operation. Co-founder Evan Reece , who grew up in Topsfield, reports that his San Francisco-based company now features discounts at 88 mountains, up from about 35 last year. The tight economy is forcing more skiers and snowboarders to search for deals, so this could be the year that Liftopia.com's dynamic pricing model catches on. Resorts are willing to drop prices as long as customers agree to commit in advance.

LINCOLN, N.H. ABOUT two hours from Boston, Loon Mountain in central New Hampshire sits just off Interstate 93, a north-south highway choked with skiers and snowboard riders on Friday afternoons throughout the winter. Like many a busy snow sports destination, Loon has wrestled with how to keep every sector of its visiting populace happy on its 336 acres. At one end of its demographic are skiers 45 and older who helped foster Loon’s growth in the previous century and still drive its success by pointing their cars northward from southern New England.

The skiing industry evolves by churning out new ideas. Here are a few that were once considered the sport’s “next big thing.’’ Sand skiing - In 1937, the New York Times reports that Cape Cod is poised to become the country’s major destination for summer sand skiing. “The sport, growing popular under the guidance of a Norwegian ski professional on the Sandy Neck dunes near Centerville, Cape Cod, is expected to prove more than a passing fad.’’ Uphill battle - A 1953 invention billed as “the answer to a need long felt in winter sports’’ is the...

LINCOLN, N.H. - Jagged Scar Ridge, with its snow-choked ravines, is the million-dollar view on a winter hike that doesn't require much effort. The impressive range is bounded in the east by Mount Osceola, one of New Hampshire's 4,000-plus-foot peaks, and Loon Mountain to the west. Snowshoers and hikers don't have to venture far from the winding Kancamagus Highway to see the ridge. It's about midway along the benign 1.4-mile Forest Discovery Trail, about six miles east of Lincoln.

Liftopia.com, the online discount lift ticket service, has more than doubled its list of ski resorts as the business enters its third full season of operation. Co-founder Evan Reece , who grew up in Topsfield, reports that his San Francisco-based company now features discounts at 88 mountains, up from about 35 last year. The tight economy is forcing more skiers and snowboarders to search for deals, so this could be the year that Liftopia.com's dynamic pricing model catches on. Resorts are willing to drop prices as long as customers agree to commit in advance.

LINCOLN, N.H. - As a Plymouth State student in 1984 working part time at Loon Mountain's rental shop, Gary Chaiken heard the party line. "I remember at the company meetings, them saying, 'You'll be skiing over there [at South Peak] in a year.' I've been hearing that every year now for 20-something years," said Chaiken, who owns Village Ski and Snowboard on Main Street. South Peak at Loon Mountain opened Saturday after a two-decade-plus wait because of a laundry list of obstacles.