Trailmap 1415 lg

History of Loon Mountain, NH

By gmctague
  • Alpine skiing was becoming popular

    Alpine skiing was becoming popular

  • Sherman Adams

    Sherman Adams

    Sherman Adams looked in the White Mountains to find a place to build a ski area and wanted to build where he grew up in Lincoln, NH
  • Loon Mountain opens

    Loon Mountain opens

    When Loon first opened there were 12 trails spanning 80 acres

  • 500 people showed up to Loon Mountain with their skis without being invited

  • East Bowl

    Loon Mountain expanded into the East Bowl adding 3 new trails to the mountain
  • Snow Making System

    Snow Making System

    Loon began installing the first portion of their snow making system "computer controlled automatic operation." The system cost $200,000 and covered 23 acres.

  • Colby Russle and John Wilson

    Colby Russle hired as general manager and John Wilson as ski school director.
  • Locomotive

    Locomotive

    Adams acquired a wood burning locomotive called Pufferbelly to take skiers from distant parking lots to the base lodge. Pufferbelly is a unique signature of Loon Mountain.

  • Loon Mountain's snowmaking system was expanded to 40 acres

  • Phil Gravink became general manager

    Phil Gravink became general manager

  • West Basin opens

    West Basin opens

    The West Basin section of the mountain opened which included a new chairlift and intermediate terrain.
  • Base Lodge

    Base Lodge

    Loon's base lodge was constructed at the foot of the West Basin chairlift.
  • North Peak Opens

    North Peak Opens

    The North Peak area opened which cost $1.7 million and includes a triple chairlift, snowmaking system and a lodge.

  • Sherman Adams Dies

    Founder Sherman Adams died in October

  • Loon crosses the 300,000 skier visit mark for its first time

  • Doppelmayr Gondola

    Doppelmayr Gondola

    The 2 decade old gondola was finally replaced by a new Doppelmayr model

  • South Peak Expansion

    Proposal to expand South Peak was turned down. This expansion project included 7 chairlifts and 39 trails costing $27 million

  • Phil Gravink's Departure

    Phil Gravink departed and Sherman Adam's son became president of Loon.

  • New Chairlifts

    The area's first high speed detachable quad replaced the West Basin lifts.

  • Longtime employee Rick Kelley became General Manager

  • North Peak receives a high speed detachable quad chairlift

  • Snowmaking System Improves

    Loon improves the snowmaking system with more snow guns and greater overall pumping capacity. This allowed Loon to be a state leader in early opening for the season.

  • Jay Scambio becomes general manager

  • South Peak Opens

    South Peak Opens

    Loon expands and South Peak opens including 7 trails, 2 lifts, and 70 acres of skiing.

  • Visitors Choice Award

    Loon Mountain was awarded the Visitor's Choice Award for Best Terrain Park in the Northeast.

  • Voted Most Accessible Mountain

    Loon is voted the most accessible mountain in the East and got a top 10 spot in SKI Magazine- a freeskier magazine named it #1 park in the East.

  • A new beginner area of South Peak was approved, paving the way for future expansion

  • New Chairlift Construction Postponed

    The announcement of the new chairlift construction was postponed due to COVID-19.

  • COVID-19 Closes Loon Mountain

    Loon Mountain's ski season ended early due to COVID-19 and closes indefinitely. Some part time seasonal workers were laid off a month early.
  • Golden Eagle Award for Environmental Excellence

    Golden Eagle Award for Environmental Excellence

    Loon was awarded the Golden Eagle Award for Environmental Excellence by the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA).
  • Loon Plans to Open First Modern Chairlift

    Loon Plans to Open First Modern Chairlift

    Loon plans to open the first most modern chairlift in the world fitting 8 people and bringing them to the top of the mountain in 4 1/2 minutes.