We visited Gunstock Mountain Resort in Gilford, NH Saturdy -- March 10 (home of Soulfest 2007 this summer). Wow! This place is great and easily one of my new favorite places to ski.
When we arrived at 8AM EST it was about 19 degrees but by mid day it was well in the 40s.
Gunstock is an moderate but easy drive from Northern Mass/Southern NH. It took us only about 1 1/2 hours from the Nashua area with a majority of this being highway driving.
This price of a lift ticket is about $56 per adult with teens and juniors being somewhat less. I had won two adult Primetime tickets from RealConditions.com which provides the most up to date ski conditions in the country!
When we arrived at 8AM EST it was about 19 degrees but by mid day it was well in the 40s.
Gunstock is an moderate but easy drive from Northern Mass/Southern NH. It took us only about 1 1/2 hours from the Nashua area with a majority of this being highway driving.
This price of a lift ticket is about $56 per adult with teens and juniors being somewhat less. I had won two adult Primetime tickets from RealConditions.com which provides the most up to date ski conditions in the country!
Lifts
After getting our tickets and head to the Panorama High Speed Quad which is in the front of the base. This lift is REALLY easy to get on, moves quickly once it is past the base station and at the top the chair actually stops for a few seconds to allow you to prepare to get off. This may be confusing to some skiiers. I actually rely on the chair to sort of push my fat butt of the chair ;->
We also rode on the Tiger Triple lift. I believe this lift needs to be replaced. It was very wobbly and bouncy and moved very slow. We only rode this once. The Pistol Triple Chair is much better and provides an entertaining view of the freestyle terrain park. It's very interesting to watch the young ones do all types of jumps.
This resort is very popular (especially on weekends) and the lift lines at times were very long. This resort could look into replacing the Tiger Triple with another high speed quad chair in the same location.
One of the big disappointments and a logistical problem was that the immediate trail Derringer was closed for racing the entire time that we were there. This trail is a cross over trail from Flintlock trail which brings you back to the high speed quad. This closure yesterday forced us intermediate skiiers to ski down "Stonebear", which I would consider to be more black diamond than "Blue" intermediate trail since it is very steep and much more challenging than Flintlock. Not only that but it positions you back at the Tiger Triple chair vs. the Panorama High Speed Quad which I prefer.
Trails
Gunstock has some of the longest and most scenic trails that I have been on in a very long time. Trails probably twice as long as Cranmore's average run. On our first run, we headed down Gunsmoke, Gunpowder and Shotgun. Well packed powder and well groomed. Great scenery. I was amazed. Even with it being crowded at the base ... this is a big place you aren't going to have big crowds on the trails.
On our second run we decided to head down the otherside of the mountain down Flintlock. Wow! Was I even more impressed with the scenery. There was a perfect view of Lake Winnipesauke in its entirety and the surrounding towns.
Other activities in the area:
The Tilton Outlets are close by for those families who have members that do not ski. There was lots of snow-mobile trails as well as icefishing in the area as well.
Overall:
This is NOT a mountain for beginner skiiers (although they do have a beginner section but I could see spending $56 to ski there). This is more for the intermediate skiier.
With "Big Mountain" skiing in a fairly close location, spectacular views, wondefully groomed trails in a family atmosphere I'm definately going to be planning a trip to Gunstock in 2008.
If you camp at Gunstock this summer, I would highly recommend taking a hike to the summit on a clear day (if this is allowed) for an absolutely gorgeous view of the Lakes Region and NH Mountains.
This resort is very popular (especially on weekends) and the lift lines at times were very long. This resort could look into replacing the Tiger Triple with another high speed quad chair in the same location.
One of the big disappointments and a logistical problem was that the immediate trail Derringer was closed for racing the entire time that we were there. This trail is a cross over trail from Flintlock trail which brings you back to the high speed quad. This closure yesterday forced us intermediate skiiers to ski down "Stonebear", which I would consider to be more black diamond than "Blue" intermediate trail since it is very steep and much more challenging than Flintlock. Not only that but it positions you back at the Tiger Triple chair vs. the Panorama High Speed Quad which I prefer.
Trails
Gunstock has some of the longest and most scenic trails that I have been on in a very long time. Trails probably twice as long as Cranmore's average run. On our first run, we headed down Gunsmoke, Gunpowder and Shotgun. Well packed powder and well groomed. Great scenery. I was amazed. Even with it being crowded at the base ... this is a big place you aren't going to have big crowds on the trails.
On our second run we decided to head down the otherside of the mountain down Flintlock. Wow! Was I even more impressed with the scenery. There was a perfect view of Lake Winnipesauke in its entirety and the surrounding towns.
Other activities in the area:
The Tilton Outlets are close by for those families who have members that do not ski. There was lots of snow-mobile trails as well as icefishing in the area as well.
Overall:
This is NOT a mountain for beginner skiiers (although they do have a beginner section but I could see spending $56 to ski there). This is more for the intermediate skiier.
With "Big Mountain" skiing in a fairly close location, spectacular views, wondefully groomed trails in a family atmosphere I'm definately going to be planning a trip to Gunstock in 2008.
If you camp at Gunstock this summer, I would highly recommend taking a hike to the summit on a clear day (if this is allowed) for an absolutely gorgeous view of the Lakes Region and NH Mountains.
Pictures are here.
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