Opening Day of the 2023/2024 ski and ride season is here. It feels like Christmas comes early every year when the lifts start running again. There is so much planning and work that goes into each winter - starting on closing day in April and through the summer and fall - and this year was an especially busy one here at Gunstock.
This winter, guests will notice the first of our upgrades upon arrival; the newly paved parking lot has striping to define parking spaces, nighttime lighting and ten EV charging stations for friends arriving by electric car.
Guests in search of a beverage, a snack or a meal may be surprised when they walk into the Stockade Lodge in the base area, or the Panorama Pub at the summit. Inside the Stockade, the quick-serve cafeteria-style option has been reimagined and remodeled. Barrel Bar & Grille is a full-service dining experience with a 20-seat U-shaped bar and a new kitchen for serving an exciting new menu. Open every day and conveniently located between the Panorama and Ramrod lifts, skiers and riders will love the easy, ski-in, ski-out access. At the summit, an expanded Panorama Pub will offer a greater menu variety with additional seating and the same great views of Lake Winnipesaukee winter enthusiasts enjoy every time they visit.
Another big improvement made this summer focuses on the arrival process. Guests who are visiting for the first time can collect lift-access RFID cards at new ticket kiosks located near the Ticket Office. From there it’s a short walk up the stairs to the rentals buildings. Enter building number one for boots, then the new building number two (identical, and running parallel, to building number one) for skis, poles and snowboards. Exit onto the snow in the snowsports lesson meeting area.
Some improvements made this summer may not be noticed by skiers and riders, but they are as important as those guest-facing upgrades. Forty new energy-efficient HKD tower guns have been added to Gunstock’s snowmaking arsenal. All of the windows in the public areas of the Historic Lodge were replaced over the summer and a new mobile maintenance building (still under construction) will be outfitted with snowcat lifts so mechanics can work more easily and efficiently when they service the fleet of grooming machines.
It always makes us happy when we hit our target opening date – and this year’s opening day has been a stellar one! We’ve had good temperatures for making snow and even Mother Nature smiled on us in the early days of December – turning the mountain into the winter wonderland we’ve been waiting for.