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Duncan
from Boston
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Mar 8, 2008 |
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Overall Rating: 4.0   |
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Drove from Boston with friends for a ski day post a snow storm, which left 6 inches of fresh powder snow. Had tons of fun - was well worth the 2hr drive. At almost $60 the adult daily pass, thought it was a bit too pricey. Trails aren't that challenging - I reckon it's great for families.
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Darryl K. Lewis
from Jamaica, New York
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Mar 1, 2008 |
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| Overall Rating: 3.6 |
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SkiTown Review
Ski resort reviews can be helpful only if you know the skill level and skiing perspective of the person authoring the review. I am a middle age advanced skier with no interest in jumping off cornices or cliffs. I will often at high speeds hit a small lip in the terrain and get a little air, but that is about the extent of it. I venture in and out of moderate mogul fields in an attempt to become a better all-around skier, but I tend not to spend a majority of my ski day dealing with the bumps. The week after Presidents Day, my granddaughter and I decided to leave the big guys alone and ski the smaller mom and pop operated midsized mountains of Gunstock, New Hampshire; Shawnee Peak, Maine; and Berkshire East, Massachusetts. The average vertical drop for these three is 1,300 feet. With that said, here are my impressions of Gunstock.
Terrain: Rated 3.0:
Believe it or not, the trail map for Gunstock does not display many options for novice skiers. But rest assured, their intermediate and expert trails are a little on the mild side. The only areas that may present a real challenge for the experts are the glades. In some instances the trees were quite tight. The steepest terrain appeared to be the Tiger Steeps, which is adjacent to the Tiger Chairlift. It is a relatively steep trail, but since it was not bumped-up, with a decent amount of coverage it presents no real threat to an advanced or expert skier. A vertical drop of 1,400 feet is certainly not Mount Everest, but believe it or not, this mountain skis quite long and the length of the runs are surprising. The trails do not give you that homogenized feeling and vary with respect to length as well as twists and turns. Sometimes you will get that western feeling, while at other times you will be skiing the classic New England lines. The high speed cruiser in me really came out when skiing this mountain. What lacks in most of the trails at Gunstock are surprise dips and lips every once in a while that keep good skiers honest, as well as moguls for the bump fiends.
Service: Rated 4.0:
It was great to sit down at a lunch table and have a Gunstock employees extend themselves and freely give a stranger the lay of the land of the place and many other helpful hints. We were even given the inside scoop that in the later hours of the day you can actually get a ride in a snowcat and experience trail grooming first hand. This goes over quite well with the kids. Since we skied Gunstock on two consecutive days, the lunch crew recognized me and asked how things were going. On the mountain the previous day, I encountered a ski patroller who gave me some Gunstock history. We spoke briefly and then we took off down the mountain. The next day in the lodge, I didnt recognize him, but he recognized me, greeted me, and then struck up a conversation. The Gunstock staff appear to be very service oriented.
I had my standard bowl of chili at lunch which was served in a white porcelain bowl. It was a little tomatoey, which dilutes the supposed south western flavor, but the pieces of shredded beef were not bad (at least I hope it was shredded beef).
Crowds: Rating 4.0:
Presidents Day week is not an official school holiday in New Hampshire, but it is for nearby Massachusetts. And even with that, the crowding was not too bad. We encountered some crowding in the lodge during lunchtime and some liftlines directly after lunch. The cafeteria crowding was bearable and the Panorama Lift to the summit is super fast, efficient, and is a real liftline eater. At its heaviest, I waited no longer than 3 or 4 minutes.
Activities: Rating 4.0:
Gunstock has a very active terrain park and halfpipe. Gunstock is located near Laconia New Hampshire, in the heart of the southern lakes region of New Hampshire, where snowmobiling and ice fishing is extremely popular. Residents and vacationers are close to the huge Tangers shopping mall and New Hampshire has no sales tax. It is quite a busy little area.
Value: Rating 3.0:
For the size of the mountain, lift tickets where a little on the pricey side ($1 short of the $60 full day adult price). The cafeteria food prices were standard, but the area lodging is quite reasonable as well as the shopping.
In summary: I had a good time at Gunstock and did some great cruising. Please keep in mind that my personal focus is on the terrain and excitement of the actual skiing activity. If I had to choose my favorite of the three mountains visited based upon those aspects, it would be as follows: 1. Shawnee Peak, 2. Berkshire East., and 3.- Gunstock.
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BJW
from Massachusetts
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Feb 18, 2008 |
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| Overall Rating: 4.8 |
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Overall it was a great experience. We went on a weekend and we were concerned about the crowds. Although the parking lot was packed as well as the lodge, the mountain itself was not too bad. There was room on the trails and the lift lines moved very swiftly. I don't think we had to wait (at max) 10 minutes at the peak time.
The mountain itself is mainly for intermediate skiers but a very good amount of those trails. They have the beginner trails off to the left and right of the main trails, so the beginners have that advantage (without worrying about "getting in the way"). There are also a good amount of expert trails in the middle of the mountain.
It seems to have enough for everyone! Also, they have a seperate area for cross country, snowshoeing and also snow tubing!!!
Night skiing and tubing too!
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Joe
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Sep 12, 2007 |
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| Overall Rating: 4.0 |
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Gunstock is a great place if you want cruising terrain, but thats really it. Very few glades and the trails are all really the same thing. Although they are well groomed, the trails lack steepness and challenge. Flintlock extension and hot shot are really the only "hard" trails on the mountain. Although it was fun when I skied it, I would not want to move there. I would get extremely bored of the same types of trails, I am sure. If you like cruising, this is great, but narrow glade skiers: think again.
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John Kelly
from Dedham, Massacheutts
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Apr 21, 2007 |
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| Overall Rating: 5.0 |
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Gunstock Mountain Resort is a fantastic mountain to ski/snowboard. It has several choice of excellent trails. It has 7 lifts as listed below, Panorama High Speed Quad, Tiger Triple, Pistol Triple, Ramrod Quad, Gunshy Double, Thrill Hill Tow #1, and The Magic
Carpet. The conditions are powdery and perfect. The grooming is excellent and they groom every inch they can. The employes are always pumped up and ready for a beautiful day. The lift tickets are so cheap you will be blown away by them. The price for all those activites are unbelievable. In the winter ski or snowboard on 220 skiable acres. Tube on New Hampshire's longest tubing park. Kick on snowshoes and go up the mountain or Cross Country Ski on many groomed kilometers. You can also go Skijjoring. In the summer, you can hike, paddleboat, kyak, minigolf, use the skate park, go swimming, camp, mountain bike, horse back riding, and pick blueberries. In the summer you also have many events to choose from Soulfest, Ribfest,and Bike week. They also have three lodges, Main Lodge with cafateira and resraunt, Stockade lodge, and Panorama Pub on the top of the mountain. It has the Best View in North America. On a clear day You Can See Mount Washington Dierctly. In the Main Lodge there is a store were you can get Mountain Side outfitters. There are two rental Shops, one for skis and one for snowboarding. They are both located in the Main Lodge. The Main Lodge also has lockers. So pick an adventure from many activites at New Hampshires four season park. Gunstock, route 11A,Gilford New Hampshire. Hope to see you there!
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Ryan
from New Hampshire
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Jan 15, 2007 |
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| Overall Rating: 4.8 |
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Gunstock is a true family mountain. It is perfect for all ages. When we went up there was stuff for everyone to do. The mountain magic program was great for the people in our group who had never skied. By the end of the days they were making turns and having fun. As for the rest of the group there was plenty of terrain for us to try out. Although it isnt the hardest mountain it was plenty fun for the couple of days we spent there. The kids in our group loved the park and spent most of the day there. The employees were very helpful and were always smiling. Even the ski patrol was great. The patrol helped direct us in the right direction and even offered to take one of our group members down in a toboggan because they got a little scared at the top. We would recommend Gunstock in a heartbeat. Everyone should at least try it once.
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andy
from Massachusetts
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Mar 26, 2006 |
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| Overall Rating: 2.6 |
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Gunstock is just for cruising. The blacks are just made a bit steeper. The trails are very similar and there are no surprises. Although there is night skiing, do not bother. Very little of the mountain is open to it, only the slow lifts work at night. Instead of group lessons, get a friend or family member to teach. It is a waste of $30. Pack your own lunch, lodge is small crowded and food is a couple days old and expensive. Lift tickets and season passes are also a bit expensive. Very poor grooming with icy conditions. Recomended only to people who are casual skiers and snoowboarders with some earlier expirience, but i still would advise for those people not to go. That is who it fits best, but Gunstock doesn't fit anyone.
