New England Lost Ski Areas Project lists 172 ski areas that used to operate in New Hampshire, most of them tiny one-hill operations featuring tow-ropes. Many of these ski areas of old were killed off by the high costs for insurance and snowmaking. Here’s the NELSAP list of areas that existed in central New Hampshire:
Adams Farm: N. Charlestown
Arlberg Inn: Gilford
Aukee Ski Area: Canterbury
Bent Family Tow: Etna
Brickyard Mountain: Weirs Beach
Candy Mountain: Wakefield
Cardigan Pastures: Alexandria
Catamount Mountain Slopes: Pittsfield
Claremont Country Club: Claremont
Contoocook Ski Tow: Contoocook
Copple Crown: New Durham
Dexter’s Ski Lodge: Sunapee
Four Seasons Lodge: Sunapee
Fox Chase Inn: Bradford
Freedom Tow: Freedom
Frontenac: Plymouth
Gilford Outing Club Tow: Gilford
Gilman Slope Tow: Alton/Alton Bay
Glidden’s Tow: Ashland
Hanover Country Club: Hanover
Heidelburg Tow: New London
Highlands: Northfield
Holderness: Plymouth
Huckin’s Hill: Plymouth
Johnson Farm: Claremont
Keene’s/Lord’s Hill: Etna
Kimball Union Academy Slope/French’s Ledges: Meriden
King’s Grant Inn: Laconia
King Ridge: New London
Locke Lake Colony: Barnstead
Mailbox Hill: Bristol
Mayhew Turnpike: Bristol
Mount Moosilauke: Warren
Mount Gunstock Ski Hoist: Gilford
Mount Pero Trails: Plymouth
Mount Rowe / Alpine Ridge: Gilford
Moose Mountain: Brookfield
Moose Mountain Slopes: Etna
Mount Whittier: West Ossipee
New Hampton School: New Hampton
Newport Beginner Slope: Newport
Northeast Slopes / New London Slopes: New London
Whale’s Hump: N. Grantham
Northwood Ski Tow: Northwood
Oak Hill: Hanover
Orford Slopes: Orford
Ossipee Mountain: Moultonborough
Ossipee Ski Slopes/ Mountainview Slopes: Ossipee
Page Hill Slope: Tamworth
Pasquaney Inn: Bridgewater
Pinnacle: Canaan
Potato Patch: Meriden
Russell’s Pond: Concord
Sanbornton Tow: Sanbornton
Shaker Village: Enfield
Steele Hill Resort: Sanbornton
Shugah Valley Tow: Claremont
Snow Pond/Kibby Slopes: East Concord
Suissevale: Moultonborough
Sunapee Ski Tows: Sunapee Village
Sunny Slopes: Andover
Sunset Hill: Meriden
Tilton School: Tilton
Twin Town Inn: Tilton
Walpole: Walpole
Warner: Warner
Wendy’s/Frontenac / Lynx Creek: Plymouth
White Birch: Weare
Whittier Ski Slope: West Ossipee
Woody Glen: Salisbury
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I can remember growing up in Hopkinton in the early 60’s, about every town had their own ski area. The last place I skied was King Ridge in 1968, never took it back up. Too bad skiing has become so dependent on snow making, the cause of so many “town” areas closing.
How did you miss Twin Tows in Milford just off Route 101?. Thanks
king ridge was/is located in sutton, not new london. the entrance road starts in new london, but the top of the hill and most (all?) of the trails sit in sutton.
Ged Hight had a ski (rope) tow off Duck Pond Rd in Weare. Chet Colburn had a rope ski tow off Reservoir Dr, at what is now Lakeshore Village Resort. In the late 50’s, and 60’s.
It would have been nice to have a little write up with each area. I remember skiing in the 60’s – 70’s at over a dozen of the areas on this list. And…with wooden skis until I could afford my first set of fiberglass boards in 1975.
I learned to ski at “Twin Tows” in Mliford on Route 101.