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Crotched Mountain
Francestown, New Hampshire
| Overview |
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Crotched Mountain: Interconnect | Upper Mountain
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| Interconnect - 1980 - Abandoned |
The interconnect on the 1988 Crotched trail map
At the end of the 1970s, Tom Corcoran of Waterville Valley became involved with the ownership of Crotched Mountain and next door Bobcat (formerly Onset). Circa 1980, the two adjacent areas were connected by "criss-cross trails," Meadowlark descending from Onset/Bobcat and Percy's Pass descending from Crotched. With the merger, Onset/Bobcat became known as Crotched West and the original Crotched became known as Crotched East. As a result of the merger, the newly combined area was advertised as Southern New Hampshire's largest ski area.
A few years later, the connecting trails were lit for night skiing.
Crotched would cease operations after the 1989-90 season due to mounting debt related to a real estate development. When Peak Resorts rebuilt the area for the 2003-2004 season, only Crotched West (Onset/Bobcat) survived. Crotched East, as well as the two connecting trails, remain closed.
The Meadowlark trail from Crotched West (2007)
Percy's Pass from Crotched East (2007)
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| Upper Mountain - 2012 - Announced |
The proposed upper mountain trails as seen on the 2009 Crotched trail map |
Shortly after Crotched Mountain closed late 1980s, the summit quad on the west side was removed and sold to Jiminy Peak. Two double chairlifts and one T-Bar remained on site.
When Peak Resorts took over the property in the early 2000s, only the smaller of the two double chairlifts was re-used. The old upper mountain T-Bar would later be removed.
The longer of the two quads, a 1989 Riblet from Ski Cherokee, Virginia, was installed adjacent to the former summit quad. Perhaps due to lift size and wind issues, the new quad terminated below the west summit. Though still a higher area than the original Onset Bubble Chair, the new top terminal location resulted in cutting off access to a few upper mountain trails.
Starting in 2005, the upper mountain trails were displayed on the Crotched Mountain trail map, as efforts started to cut down the two-decade old tree growth. In February of 2012, Crotched Mountain announced it would be installing Ascutney's former North Peak Express Quad for the 2012-2013 season, opening 25 acres of upper mountain terrain.
The upper mountain area on the 1988 Crotched trail map
Looking down from the former quad summit terminal at the current quad summit terminal (2007)
The top terminal of the old Summit T-Bar (2007)
One of the recleared summit trails (2007)
Looking up the Summit T-Bar lift line (2007)
The now-removed bottom terminal of the Summit T-Bar (2004)
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| Resources |
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Crotched Mountain - NewEnglandSkiHistory.com
Crotched Mountain Ski & Ride - official site
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| Feedback |
Do you have any additional information about Crotched Mountain?
Last updated: February 3, 2012
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