- Details
- Written by: Jim Walker
- Last Updated: 26 Sep 2013
Cranmore Mountain Resort is a friendly family ski area with a long and illustrious history as a ski resort. It has well above average facilities for a ski area of its size and has spent recently on improved lifts and other infrastructure.
North Conway businessman Harvey Dow Gibson cleared the first trails on the slopes of Mount Cranmore during the summer of 1937. Two years later, Hannes Schneider, arguably the most important person in the development of downhill skiing around the world in the first half of the Twentieth century (He brought skiing to Japan as well as being known as "the father of American skiing") made his first turns on the South Slope and began a skiing revolution.
Part of Cranmore's history began in Austria, Schneider's home. An outspoken critic of the Nazis, Schneider was stripped of his influential title as head of all of Austria's ski instructors after Hitler annexed Austria in 1938.
After being placed under house arrest, Schneider fled to America and his new home of North Conway. Gibson worked hard to bring Schneider to the Mount Washington Valley and saw him as instrumental in establishing Cranmore as a world-class skiing destination.
Schneider received a hero's welcome upon arriving in North Conway. Schneider and his entire family left the train and walked under an archway of ski poles, held by 150 schoolchildren enrolled in the Eastern Slope Ski Club Junior Program. After lunch, Schneider made his first turns at his new home. Using his natural skill and vast knowledge acquired in his years of teaching in Austria, Schneider developed a ski school at Cranmore and taught his Arlberg technique to students from across the globe.
A key resort in the history of skiing in New Hampshire, with recent infrastructure improvements including a new quad chair and upgraded base buildings.
It is recommended to have a rental car on a ski holiday in New Hampshire. A range of hotels, condos and inns are found the town of North Conway.
Mountain
Cranmore today has fifty-four different trails, ranging from classic cruisers or easy glades to winding trails. It is especially popular with families and has a reputation for being sheltered when extreme winter weather occasionally hits the region - staying open when other centres are forced to close completely. Runs of note include Skimiester, a nice windy blue trail which gets steeper towards the end; at which point you have the option to switch on to easier Bandit to Lower Arlberg, or keep going on Bandit and cut over to Lower Hurricane. Tougher runs include Ledges (pretty steep), Middle (a black diamond but not terribly steep), Night skiing is available on Saturday nights as part of the weekly “Cranapalooza” family festival. In addition to skiing and snowboarding, Cranmore offers a 10-lane tubing park and boasts a Mountain Coaster, a fun ride for all the family combining the thrills of a toboggan on a fixed track
Families
Cranmore is a great choice for families. Its intimate ski area is very family-friendly, the slopeside lodging means maximum convenience and minimum hassle, the great range of fun snow toys plus the sports facilities and family friendly dining options are also all added bonuses and finally there's plenty more to see and do within a short distance of the resort. An excellent children’s centre operates from the Arlberg Lodge, offering a crèche for children from 6 months, with introductory packages for children to start skiing at ages three to five, and to snowboard at ages five to seven. Penguin Camp then offers full day ski lessons for ages four to seven and Adventure Camp provides ski or snowbaord lessons from eight to fourteen years.
Eating Out
Cranmore offers more than its fair share of dining venues for a resort of its size. Zip’s Pub shares an intimate atmosphere with the cosy Eating House, whilst the main lodge offers Legends Cafeteria, Snowmobile Deli and the Bratskellar. At the summit, the Meister Hut pays homage to ski school founding father Hannes Schneider with a rustic alpine feel. Nearby North Conway has a wide range of restaurants and pubs offering a choice of cuisine. The surrounding North Conway Valley area is a favourite for country inn dining.
Apres
Cranmore hosts its popular “Cranapalooza” family party every Saturday. The festivities begin around 2pm with clowns, jugglers and the resort’s mascot C’more the Penguin, and continue into the evening with night-skiing and fireworks. Or you can travel out to the bright lights of North Conway for its extensive range of bars and eateries such as Horsefeathers, Delaney’s and The Muddy Moose, many with live music at the weekend.
Boarding
The Darkside Terrain Park, served by two lifts, offers 17 acres of chaotic fun. Alternatively for the less experienced park user, the Other Side Park and Mini Pipe are great for those just getting started. Darkside is open for night boarding along with eleven trails and events are staged throughout the season including camps and competitions - check out the special Dark Side section on the resort's website for the latest.
