The History of Gunstock
Gunstock, or the Belknap Mountain Recreation Area as it was originally known, was a product of the Great Depression. With the rampant unemployment of the 1930s, the Works Progress Administration was conceived by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to provide a source of employment for worthwhile state and local projects ranging from flood control with dams, to road construction.
With great foresight, the Belknap County Legislative Delegation sought and received support from its representatives in Congress and the Senate for an ambitious recreation project in the Belknap Mountain range that would initially include a chairlift, four rope tows, cross country trails, camping facilities, hiking trails, an impressive main lodge, and several smaller buildings. Local support for the project was almost unanimous. For every dollar put up by the county, six federal dollars were poured into the project. Belknap County’s share of the development, which took three years to complete, was a mere $70,000. The Belknap Mountain Project was designed and erected making the best uses of terrain and natural resources. A system of roadways unobtrusively opened several hundred acres of campsites and a modern comfort station. The single chairlift and rope tows serviced approximately four miles of skiable terrain, groomed and maintained to prevent erosion and to blend with the surrounding flora and fauna. The large main lodge and other buildings in the area were built with lumber cut and milled in the area and with granite quarried from Cobble Mountain, also a part of the Belknap complex. Architect Mitchell Dirsa designed the main lodge to reflect the spirit of the mountain with its rugged and traditional character. The structure today retains the enduring characteristics of a classic design. "Belknap" was the focal point for skiing in New England during its early years and was the center for many exciting competitive events on the alpine slopes, the touring trails and ski jumps.
Overview of Early New Hampshire Ski Industry
Introduction
New Hampshire played a pivotal role in the evolution of the ski industry at the national level in its fledgling years. Downhill trails were first cut, downhill skiing technique first taught and modern downhill racing first done here; the first slalom race occurred here; several tows and lifts to bring skiers uphill were introduced on the State’s slopes; the first grooming equipment was used here; and the first ski school opened here. Certainly, New Hampshire’s location within a snow belt, yet close to Boston accounts in part for its rise in prominence. Other reasons include Dartmouth College, whose students developed a passion for the sport early on; Scandinavian immigrants in Berlin who brought the sport from their home country; the proximity of the Appalachian Mountain Club, based in Boston, which fostered outdoor recreation of all kinds; and vigorous promotion during the 1930s by the State of New Hampshire through its State Development Commission.
During the 1930s, the introduction of alpine skiing was closely intertwined with President Roosevelt’s New Deal programs, which provided labor in the form of Civilian Conservation Corps crews to cut trails throughout the state. In Gilford, a unique use of federal funds, initiated by the FERA and carried out by the WPA, created a major year-round recreational center.
World War Two brought a cessation in ski development and activity. By the time the industry revived itself, it had entered a new era – one in which New Hampshire no longer had the lead. Ski areas in Vermont and Maine rivaled those in this state, as did spectacular areas in the West. Furthermore, the state reduced its overall support. Though skiing continued to be an economically significant industry, the state never regained the national prominence it enjoyed in the early years of the industry.
Introducing Skiing to New Hampshire: 1870s through 1920s
The first known ski activity occurred in the northern city of Berlin. Scandinavians arrived in the area to work on the Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railroad between Portland, Maine and Montreal in the mid-nineteenth century. As the city grew up around its lumber and paper industries, many stayed to work in the mills. By the early 1870s, some 30 families lived in the so-called Norway Village in Berlin. Bringing their skiing heritage with them, many of these immigrants made their own skis and met regularly for cross-country skiing and jumping. In 1882 they established the Nansen Ski Club, which is still active.
In 1906 an annual jumping event started in Berlin. In 1921 a 65-foot structure with a 170-foot run-out was constructed for jumping; six years later, it was enlarged. It was replaced in 1936 with an 80-meter jump that was the largest in the country. Berlin remained a center of New Hampshire ski activity through the end of this period.
Hanover also became a node for skiing, though organized activities did not occur until 1909 when an undergraduate formed the Dartmouth Outing Club, primarily to promote winter sports. Two years later the club held the first winter carnival, an annual event that continues on campus today. Dartmouth College and the Hanover area were at the forefront of skiing into the 1930s.
1930s: Downhill Arrives
Dartmouth College deserves much of the credit for the shift from cross-country to jumping to alpine, or downhill skiing, which took the Northeast by storm and became the core of an industry during the 1930s. Not only did downhill skiing offer more challenge and speed than cross-country, but it was more accessible than jumping, which required a well-built jump structure. The college introduced slalom racing to the United States in 1925, three years after the first slalom race in Switzerland; organized the first downhill race, held at Mount Moosilauke in 1927 (and where the first U.S. National Downhill Championship was held in 1933); hired German Otto Schniebs, who introduced the Arlberg (downhill style) to the United States, as its coach in 1930; installed the country’s first J-bar lift in 1935; and was a disciple of Hannes Schneider, an Austrian who developed the Arlberg style – in simple terms described as a crouching versus upright form – of skiing.
During the 1930s, the North Conway area became a major center of skiing. Benno Rybizka arrived in late 1936 to teach the Arlberg method. Like Schniebs, he was a disciple of Hannes Schneider. His school gave some 6,000 lessons that first winter. During the second half of the decade, a number of new ski areas opened, including those at Lookout (now Cranmore) Mountain and Black and Thorne mountains in Jackson. Tuckerman Ravine, first skied in 1926, attracted the more daring skiers to one of the most challenging slopes anywhere.
Jumping remained popular, even as more and more were drawn to downhill skiing. The highest ski jump in the United States was erected in Berlin between 1936 and 1938. At 171 feet (80 meters) high, with a run-out of 312 feet and a vertical drop of 225 feet, it retained that distinction for nearly 50 years. Its inaugural competition was the 1938 Olympic tryouts. By 1939, Gunstock offered three side-by-side jumping hills of varying sizes to accommodate all ages and levels of ability. When it built a fourth jump that opened a decade later, it was thought to be the only facility in the country to offer a graduated system of ski jumps.
Many skiers reached ski areas by railroad. In January 1931 the first snow train left Boston headed for Warner, New Hampshire and the slopes of Mount Kearsarge. The Boston & Maine enterprise, developed to increase ridership for the railroad, proved widely popular. Both day and weekend trains took skiers north and west toward the Berkshires on a weekly basis. On a single day in February 1934, the railroad claimed it took nearly 3000 skiers to North Woodstock, N.H. During its first three seasons of operation, more than 41,000 took the train to ski areas throughout New England. Among its offerings, the B&M assessed the weather and snow coverage at varying ski areas and based its weekend trips on where the best conditions could be found. Trains ran through the 1930s and early '40s, when the war interrupted service.
To bring skiers up the hills and mountains, a series of tows and lifts emerged in the mid-1930s. The more common alternative was for skiers to trudge up the hills on foot. Rope tows were the first generation of ski tows, first appearing in the United States in Woodstock, Vermont, during the winter of 1934. Rope tows quickly caught on and continued to be popular even after the invention of other lifts. Though uncomfortable to use and not particularly safe, they were cheap to install and had a higher capacity than fancier lifts. The tows were typically little more than a heavy rope on a guide that was propelled by a gasoline engine at the base of a hill. Prior to the establishment of Gunstock, a rope tow was built along the west slope of Gunstock Mountain by Ted Cooke in 1935; at 3,100 feet it was the longest rope tow in the country. As of early 1936, all of New England still had only 14 such tows, with three more under construction. Tows in New Hampshire were found in Brookline, Gilford, Franconia, Hanover, Jackson, Lancaster and Lisbon. When Gunstock opened in late 1936, it had one rope tow; two more were soon added.
The J-bar, which was the first overhead cable tow, came to New England shortly after it was invented in Europe in late 1934; it was first used at Dartmouth in early 1936. Both it and the T-bar which followed it offered a major improvement in comfort and ease of use over the rope tow and were relatively inexpensive. An early overhead cable tow with handles was introduced in Jackson, while Cranmore featured a one-of-a-kind lift called the snowmobile, which could carry 600 skiers an hour to its summit. In 1938 Cannon Mountain’s aerial tramway, the first in the nation and installed by American Steel and Wire, opened for business. The Uncanoosucs had an electric incline railway that carried skiers to one of its summits.
Chairlifts offered a dramatic improvement over rope, J-bar and T-bar tows. The first chairlift in the East was installed at Gunstock in early 1938, only a year after the first two in the nation were installed at Sun Valley, Idaho, in 1936. Sun Valley was developed by W. Averell Harriman, chief executive of the Union Pacific Railroad, as a means to increase rail travel out West. It was developed in an astonishing seven months, with a 220-room lodge, ski runs and two chairlifts, which were invented by Union Pacific engineer James Curran to bring the celebrities who stayed at Sun Valley up the mountain in appropriate comfort. Curran’s chairlift, which won out over others submitted by railroad engineers, was based on Dartmouth’s J-bar lift. Charley Proctor, a Dartmouth graduate and skier who was serving as an advisor to Harriman, recommended that Harriman ask the American Steel and Wire Company to build it. American Steel and Wire Company of Worcester, Massachusetts, a division of U.S. Steel, was experienced in designing and manufacturing tramways for industrial applications, primarily mining. In the mid-1930s it entered the ski industry for which it designed and built most of the early chairlifts in the United States; the basic design is little changed today. Within New Hampshire, the company manufactured the first American J-bar (at Dartmouth in 1936), and the first aerial ski tramway (at Cannon Mountain, 1938). American Steel was the primary manufacturer of chairlifts until 1951.
Ski areas offering a lift or tow were at a decided advantage; no longer did a skier need to spend an hour or more to climb the hill, and he could squeeze in many more downhill runs during the course of the day. In March 1936, the New York Times reported that all first-class areas were installing tows.
The State of New Hampshire played a primary role in developing the downhill ski industry by its promotion. Through the State Development Commission headed by Donald Tuttle, it annually published pamphlets listing trails, nearby lodging and snow train schedules. Tuttle traveled to winter sports expositions in Boston and Manhattan and set up exhibits to promote the state’s offerings for winter recreation. He said, in 1936, that he believed “that in developing winter sports we were doing something of first-rate importance for New Hampshire … something that is going to mean much to the future of our state.” His prediction was that soon, there would be posters for New Hampshire winter sports “as far west as California."
By February 1936, there were 90 ski trails in New Hampshire totaling over 200 miles. The Civilian Conservation Corps carved out many of them. However, the Corps had no presence at Gunstock. There, it was the Works Progress Administration that provided significant sums to create what became the largest year-round recreation center of its time in New Hampshire and likely New England.
Comparing New Hampshire's Ski Areas
A comprehensive discussion of extant New Hampshire ski areas that evolved during the 1930s is a research topic that has yet to be explored. Two excellent articles in Historical New Hampshire that address the development of skiing in the state, and a wide variety of articles published through the New England Ski Museum provide good data on early events and innovations that propelled New Hampshire’s ski industry into the forefront. In addition, some extant resources, such as the tramway at Cannon Mountain, are well known and have been written about widely. However, survey data that identifies and assesses the full breadth of surviving ski-related resources at the ski areas from the 1930s should be a topic for future research.
Gunstock Mountain Resort was developed during a decade of major federal funding instigated to address the effects of the Depression. While it was not the only New Hampshire ski area to benefit from Works progress Administration funds, it was the only ski area funded nearly in its entirety by federal funds – not only in New Hampshire, but likely anywhere. Other ski areas saw benefits from CCC work and the occasional shelter, building or lift erected with WPA assistance, but none owed its entire existence to federal dollars. Shortly after it opened in late 1936, Gunstock was thought to be the largest recreational project of any type in the East.
With approximately $600,000 in WPA funds and another $244,000 from the county, Gunstock was among the largest WPA projects of any kind in New Hampshire. When WPA finally pulled out in 1939, it had spent nearly three-quarters of a million dollars on the project. Concurrent federal projects in Belknap County – the airport, the Weirs Road, and the rebuilding of the County Farm barns that were lost to fire – paled in comparison. Of the hundreds of new buildings constructed with WPA monies within the entire state, only four cost more than $25,000, two of which were at Gunstock: the Comfort Station for $33,103 and Recreation Building/Main Lodge for $96,766. Not only was the latter the most expensive WPA-funded building in New Hampshire, it cost more than double the next-most expensive.
WPA Projects in New Hampshire
The goals of the Belknap County Commissioners as they developed Gunstock, included unemployment relief, economic benefits to the entire region, and recreational benefits for county residents. Certainly, the project put hundreds of men to work, yet annual reports indicate the commissioners had difficulty getting the average county citizen to understand how the development would benefit taxpayers. There is no financial data to demonstrate its impact, but the project received national attention more than once for its sheer scale. A New York Times article written in 1937 called it the most phenomenal ski area development in the state, one that overshadowed the others. In early 1938, the paper called the $400,000 already spent there a “colossal sum.” In 1940, with the initial development largely completed, regular ski reporter Frank Elkins wrote that the locals were reporting that the vast skiing development had brought “long sought prosperity” to the area.
Gunstock Mountain Resort once boasted four ski jumps. The highest, at 60 meters, was modeled after the jump at Lake Placid used in the 1932 Olympics and ranked among the top in the East. At its inauguration in 1937, the U.S. Eastern Amateur Ski Association hosted a tryout event that drew top jumpers from around the world. Some 10,000 reportedly watched from the terraced horseshoe on the landing field. For the next five winters, the USEASA held jumping championships here.
In 1938 Gunstock added a 10-meter and 20-meter jump. With completion of a 40-meter jump a decade later, the resort’s system of four graduated, adjacent hills could accommodate all ages and abilities. The complex was thought to be unique in the United States. Norwegian-born Torger Tokle immigrated to New York City in 1939 as a teen. Two years later, he became the United States national champion, the same year he set the hill record on Gunstock’s 60-meter jump before some 7,000 spectators. His 251’ jump is marked by concrete posts. Tragically, Tokle died in 1945 while serving in the U.S. Army. A year later, the jump was named for him. As the popularity of skiing and camping grew in the 1940s and early 1950s, the county complex needed a full time management team to operate the facility.
The Belknap County Legislative Delegation then passed a legislative enabling act setting up the Gunstock Area Commission, a five-person "board" appointed by the Delegation to hire a staff and set policy at the growing recreation complex. During the late 1950s and early '60s, an ambitious expansion program began that saw development of Gunstock Mountain with a summit chairlift, three T bars, and an entirely new trail complex. It was however, obvious by the early 1960s that still more expansion was needed to provide the services demanded by the skiing public, and so another summit chairlift was added in 1964. In 1970, the Commission again went to the drafting board and came up with many major projects, including the creation of the Pistol complex with a new chairlift and four trails, the installation of a modern 75-acre snowmaking system, and the addition of another base lodge, now known as the Stockade Lodge. In 1986, Gunstock launched a $10 million expansion program that revitalized its skiing operations. Included in the three-phase project was the replacement of four lifts, a high-tech, high-capacity snowmaking system, an expanded base complex, and major renovations to the trail system. The expansion effort, a commitment to product quality and skier services, and an aggressive marketing campaign brought Gunstock increased market share growth and an image of a first class operation.
For the first 52 years of its existence, Gunstock operated as a completely self-sustaining entity. Due to a combination of poor snow seasons and heavy debt service caused by the expansion of the '80s, the area has required some support from the taxpayers of Belknap County. In 1990, the Gunstock Area Commission voted to refocus the priorities of its mission to clearly reflect its intention to return Gunstock to financial independence as quickly as possible. In 2001 Gunstock Area Commissioners entered into an agreement with the County. “The Memorandum of Understanding” obligates Gunstock to $150,000 annual payment to the county plus a set percentage of revenue over 6 million dollars on a graduated scale. In the spring of 2003, the Belknap County Delegation approved the Gunstock Area Commissioners’ proposal for a high-speed detachable quad to the summit, the relocation of the summit lift to the Pistol Area, snowmaking capabilities on Pistol and Blundersmoke and the installment of night lighting on Pistol and Blundersmoke. This new $4 million expansion was completed in time and on budget for the '03-'04 winter season.
In recent years, the Gunstock Area Commission and Management have been very aggressive in developing and implementing programs that will improve Gunstock's revenue-generating capability throughout the year. While continually improving its ability to provide a quality ski experience is ongoing, Gunstock has worked to improve the "other season" activity level. An increase in the "other season" revenues has been realized through annual events, functions and outings, mountain biking, and the introduction of summer adventures such as the Ziptour, Aerial Treetop Adventure, mountain coaster and scenic chairlift rides. The combination of all these activities has resulted in Gunstock Mountain Resort becoming a four-season resort, enjoyed by thousands, who have come to rely on the resort for a superior recreation experience.
The Gunstock Mountain Preservation Historical Society is dedicated to preserving Gunstock's history. They work diligently to preserve the historic ski jumps, buildings, trails and other structures at Gunstock, and to safeguard the artifacts and historical matters dealing with the ski industry in Belknap County and at Gunstock in particular.
A visual guide to Gunstock's history is located in the entryway of the Historic Main Lodge.
