Loon Mountain, New Hampshire - New England Ski Area Expansions

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Loon Mountain
Lincoln, New Hampshire

Overview

Loon: East Basin | North Peak | South Peak | Beginner Area at South Mountain

East Basin - 1968 - Open

The East Basin in 1970

After opening with novice and intermediate terrain served by a top to bottom gondola and two smaller double chairs, one thing Loon lacked was legitimate expert terrain.

In 1968 a new 3,690 foot long Hall double chairlift was installed in the East Basin area, serving 1,230 vertical feet of expert terrain, including challenging trails such as Triple Trouble and Big Dipper. The chairlift would later be upgraded with Doppelmayr and CTEC equipment and eventually made somewhat redundant with the installation of the North Peak chairlift a decade and a half later.

The East Basin area on the 2009 trail map

The East Basin Double (2007)

North Peak - 1984 - Open

North Peak on the 1985-86 trail map

Over a decade removed from the East Basin expansion, Loon continued its move to the east with the North Peak project, while also announcing plans to build hundreds of new condos.

Served by a new CTEC 4,805 foot long by 1,584 foot vertical triple chairlift, the new peak would become the highest in elevation at Loon. Though generally composed of expert pitches, a few blue square trails (such as Sunset and Lower Walking Boss) allowed intermediates a route down the complex.

In 2004, the triple chairlift would be removed (eventually purchased by Shawnee Peak, Maine) and replaced with a new Doppelmayr high speed detachable quad.

The North Peak area on the 2009 trail map

The North Peak Express Quad and Camp III Lodge (2007)

The North Peak Express Quad (2007)

The Sunset trail (2007)

South Peak - 2007 - Open

Loon Mountain 1997 trail map

The Tote Road Quad (2008)

Planning for South Peak started in 1983. Like other large New England areas, Loon faced the issue of dealing with a single, congested point of base access. Thus, building a second base area - closer to downtown Lincoln - seemed like a no-brainer.

Construction was long delayed due to environmental concerns, however in 1993 the United States Forest Service approved expansion plans. Trails were first cut in 1996 and lifts were expected soon thereafter. That same year, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit halted the expansion, citing a possible United States Forest Service violation of the National Environmental Policy Act. Various court decisions and lawsuits followed for years before Loon was finally able to proceed.

Eventually a $10 million project, South Peak finally opened for the 2007-2008 season with three trails and two lifts. The main lift, the Lincoln Express, was a new 2007 Doppelmayr-CTEC high speed detachable quad, climbing 1,475 vertical feet over the course of a run of 5,160 feet. The other lift, a 1,919 foot long new Doppelmayr-CTEC fixed grip quad, was built as a connector between the top of the Lincoln Express and the Upper Bear Claw trail on the main mountain.

Two more trails were opened the following season.

A private, 850 foot long Doppelmayr double chairlift was installed below the Lincoln Express Quad in 2010 for South Peak Resort residents. Two new trails (Jobber and Twitcher) are expected to open for the 2011-2012 season.

South Peak as seen in the 2009-2010 Loon trail map

Lincoln Express Quad construction (Oct. 2007)

The Tote Road Quad (2008)

The South Peak base area (2008)

The Cruiser trail (2008)

The new double chairlift at South Peak (2010)

Beginner Area at South Mountain - 2013 - Proposed

In 2011, the White Mountain National Forest announced the scoping of an expansion of the South Peak area at Loon Mountain.

The proposed expansion would be a 25 acre beginner area, served by a fixed grip chairlift. The Forest Service expects to make a decision on the project by November of 2012. If approved, construction would be expected to start in May of 2013.

Resources

Loon - NewEnglandSkiHistory.com

Loon Mountain Resort Official Site

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