A Wintry Day At Loon Mountain
Snow, it snows!
Every skier and snowboarder unloading their gear in Loon Mountain’s parking lot was happy.
Light white flakes of snow fell from the sky all day and landed on top of the good snow base that was already established by Loon’s top notch team of snow makers and more snow direct from Mother Nature. Nearly every trail was open with the exception of South Peak, but South Peak is open now. (It opened the next day.)
Mid-week the lifts open at 9 am and we were skating up to the lift corral at 9:02. Our tickets were scanned and we moved on to grab a seat on the Kancamagus-Quad, aka Kanc-Quad. I really appreciate high-speed lifts. Just think about all those poor children that didn’t get the chance to ride a long slow lift (or dial a rotary phone). Less time on the lift is more time on the snow. I can get a great morning of skiing in and feel like I skied a full day’s worth and that was just what I did.
We skied directly over to the North Peak and speedily yo-yo’d up and down the black diamond trails of North Peak and the East Basin. The snow conditions were terrific and we were able to make big easy turns on Walking Boss and Flume. Moguls are forming on the side of Lower Flume but those weren’t in our plan. Our goal was to ski as many of the more difficult trails until our friends that stick to the Blue Squares showed up.
From the North Peak summit we accessed the East Basin’s trails via Sunset and down Angel Street to Basin Street that was pure heaven. Steep and deep as anything in the East and conditions that were just getting nicer with the falling snow made the skiing excitingly fast and fun. We hit these trails several times.
The East Basin Trails are my favorite, they’re steep and narrower, old school style. Loon Mountain first opened 51 years ago in December 1966 and this part of the mountain was at first considered too steep to ski. But just two years later, in 1968, trails were opened here and serviced with its own East Basin double-chair.
Loon has changed a lot since it was first founded by Dartmouth Outing Club President-Logger- NH Governor Sherman Adams. The first high-speed detachable quad was installed in 1995—the Kancamagus Quad. Loon’s North Peak opened in 1984 and South Peak opened in 2007. You can learn more about Loon’s interesting history at NewEnglandSkiHistory.com.
From the bottom of the North Peak we made our way back over to the Governor Adams Lodge to meet our friends. We skied down the gentle and twisty Brookway Trail to the base of the gondola. On the gondola we checked our cellphone and learned our friends were waiting for us at the lift.
This meant just one more steep and fast run for us! Speakeasy, Rumrunner and the orange netted lined-race trail-Coolidge Street back to the Kanc-Quad.
For the next hour we had more relaxed fun skiing with our friends. We skied the blue square trails Lower Picked Rock and Blue Ox riding the Kanc-Quad. We even rode the gondola to the summit of Loon Peak and followed the green circle route back down to Lower Picked Rock.
Loon truly has terrain for all abilities to enjoy and terrain that all abilities can enjoy together.
At lunch time I had to call it a day so I could get to work for the other half of the day. But before I left we enjoyed cups of hot chocolate and good ski area comfort food—chicken tenders and fries in the Governor Adams Lodge.
The plow trucks were out and my drive to work was slow. Of course, at the end of the day when the lifts closed, my friends sent me messages telling me that the snow just kept getting better. They tried to make me jealous but they couldn’t do it.
I had had a great ski day!
New Year’s Eve!
If you’re in search of New Year’s Eve celebrations look no further than your local ski resort. Fireworks, food, dancing and night skiing are some of the fun activities planned to ring in the New Year. Happy New Year to You and best wishes for a FUN Year!
