Winter has settled into the Northeast with sunny brisk days and cold dark nights that make for great snowmaking and crunchy groomed corduroy. At Gunstock Mountain Resort, a four season resort outside of Guilford, NH, it’s just what the skiers and riders like about winter in New Hampshire. Even when Mother Nature is stingy with snow she’s sure to drop the temps so Gunstock snowmakers can cover over 90% of the terrain.
And that terrain, 227 acres of glades and 55 trails, makes for classic New England skiing. Windy and long – a mile and half at the longest – the trails are meted out in a nice mix for all abilities.
At Gunstock, with 1400 feet of vertical and 8 lifts, the first thing that I like to do is take in the sprawling views of Lake Winnipesaukee from the top before getting a kick out of skiing in Gunstock’s Blundersmoke terrain park.
Gunstock
Not that I’m jibbin’ and jumpin’ but it’s a wide and safe park – you don’t have that feeling of one feature or jump on top of another. There’s plenty of room for kids to ski out safely and watch a buddy without worrying about getting landed on.
A special treat in the park to really get your adrenalin pumping – safely I might add – is with Gunstock’s BigAirBAG. It is a ‘fall cushion’ used in the world of professional stunts. By placing the Big Air BAG behind a ski jump it offers the perfect and most safe opportunity to practice all kind of freestyle jumps!
Gunstock is close enough to Boston that you can drive up and back in the same day. A lot of non-skiers or riders come up for New Hampshire’s longest tubing park and for some fun après-ski, both on the mountain and at many of the inns and hotels that line the lake.
I think quite a few skiers and riders came for fun only to discover that Gunstock has an excellent Ski and Riding School program. So why not try it, or try the 50km of Cross Country and snowshoe trails.
At Gunstock, the fun doesn’t stop at sundown – they just throw the switch and you have 5 lifts serving 21 trails under the lights. A lot of cool things go on during night skiing. For example, every Thursday is Ski or Ride With a Pro night – one or more gunstock instructors will take a run with you and your buddies and offer pointers and tips to improve your game.
Gunstock resides in the middle of New Hampshire and on several occasions I’ve mapped out a Ski Northern New Hampshire tour where I’ve spent four or five days skiing Bretton Woods, Wildcat, Attitash, Waterville Valley or Cranmore before heading down to Gunstock. On another trip I might do the Ski Southern New Hampshire loop and ski Granite Gorge, Crotched, Pat’s Peak or McIntyre then – head up to Gunstock.
Anyway I do it, all roads lead to Gunstock – see you there.
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