Loon Mountain's Beginnings

One Man's Vision

Sherman Adams, former New Hampshire governor and chief of staff to President Eisenhower, saw more than just a road when the Kancamagus Highway was being constructed between Lincoln and Conway in 1960-61. Over 100 square miles of wilderness would be opened up, and Adams knew there was a good ski mountain along the route.

He was no stranger to these parts. He got to know the White Mountains as a member of the Dartmouth Outing Club during his undergraduate years, where his endurance was legendary- he once walked the 75 miles from Littleton to Hanover in one day. During summer school vacations, he signed on with the Appalachian Mountain Club trail crew and helped locate, cut, and maintain the extensive AMC trail system throughout the White Mountains.

In 1923, Adams was hired as Director of Lumber Operations for the Parker-Young Company in Lincoln. He was responsible for maintaining a steady flow of wood for the mill in Lincoln, which meant spending a lot of time outdoors. He couldn't have been happier.

In February of 1964, Adams strapped on his snowshoes and revisited some of the area on Loon Mountain, searching for the factors he felt a successful ski mountain must have. With fairly gentle inclines suitable for the intermediate skier, Loon Mountain was a well-sheltered, northeast-facing slope, with only scattered glacial boulders. Close to town and the soon-to-be-built Interstate highway, Adams believed with little reservation this was a good location, and he set out to find an expert who agreed with him.

Proving the feasibility of Adams' plan was up to Sel Hannah, former Olympic skier and fellow Dartmouth grad, who had planned over a hundred ski areas across the United States. Hannah spent a week in the woods on Loon Mountain and returned a positive verdict. It would “not be an Olympic mountain,” he told Adams. “But the kids and the mothers and fathers would love it.”

After two years of preparation, Loon opened for business on December 27, 1966, and over 30,000 skier visits were recorded by season's end.

After its initial success, two years later Loon opened the East Basin, an area Sel Hannah had originally declared “too steep to ski in,” with its own chair lift. Here even the most rugged experts could be challenged, and Loon's reputation of having something for any skier was established.

Loon virtually doubled its size during the 1980s with more novice and intermediate terrain in the West Basin, along with additional expert trails on North Peak.

In 1983 a master development plan to expand onto the adjacent peak, South Peak, was started. In 2005 Loon Mountain sold 324 acres of private land at the base of South Peak to Centex Destination Properties. CDP began to develop private homesites and condominium units. And after 24 years, Sherman Adams dream became a reality. In December 2007, Loon opened South Peak for skiing and riding. The entire expansion will take 5-10 years to complete, which includes an additional 115 acres of new terrain, new chairlifts, upgrades to existing lifts, and development of private land for real estate.

Sherman Adams died in 1986 at the age of 87, but his legacy of hard work, quality conditions, and “Skier First” service continues at Loon. Today, Loon Mountain offers New Hampshire's biggest skiing on 2,100 feet of vertical with 47 trails, 6 tree skiing areas, 6 terrain parks, superpipe and halfpipe. Services and amenities include Ski & Snowboard School; Children's Center; Adventure Center with cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating and indoor climbing wall; day and night tubing center; slopeside spa and accommodations. Loon is consistently rated as one of the most-accessible resorts in New England by readers of SKI Magazine.

Loon Mountain is operated by Boyne Resorts, the largest family-owned, four-season resort company in North America, founded by Everett Kircher in 1947. A Michigan-based corporation, Boyne Resorts owns and/or operates award-winning mountain and golf resorts and attractions throughout the United States and Canada including Cypress Mountain near Vancouver, British Columbia, official freestyle skiing and snowboard venue of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games; Big Sky Resort in Montana; Boyne Mountain; Boyne Highlands; The Inn at Bay Harbor – A Renaissance Golf Resort and Avalanche Bay Indoor Waterpark in Michigan; Brighton in Utah; Crystal Mountain and The Summit at Snoqualmie in Washington; Sugarloaf and Sunday River Resort in Maine; and Gatlinburg Sky Lift in Tennessee.

History of Lincoln and surrounding area:

The tourist business in the Loon Mountain region began in 1802, when the home of Jeremiah Stuart in Lincoln was licensed for one year as a public inn and tavern. During those days it was common for private homes to double as inns. Different homes were licensed at one time or another -- rarely more than one in town at a time --and usually for a one-year period.

No one knows why Jeremiah got the nod before anyone else, and there's no way of knowing who ran the hottest spot in town over the years. Success wasn't measured in numbers, though, because the population of Lincoln in the 90 years from 1800 – 1890 grew by only 24 people, from 41 –65.

The harsh environment had a lot to do with the slow development of the town. As late as 1856 one person wrote, “…many portions of the town seem to have been designed by Nature as a residence for creatures of habit different from those of man.”

The Native Americans of the region didn't appear overly enamored of the location, either. There are no indications of a permanent settlement in the area, and Pemigewasset --the Native American name for the river whose headwaters are in this region -- literally means “the crooked mountain pine place,” a name sounding far short of a fond memory.

Those who stuck it out during the 1800s saw some changes. Word got out that nearby Franconia Notch was blessed with numerous natural wonders, and by the 1840s the tourist industry in Franconia Notch was booming. Many tourists passed through Lincoln and North Woodstock on their way to the Notch, and local residents began augmenting their incomes by catering to these summer crowds.

In the 1890s, the paper industry and a new way of life came to town. Changing from an agriculturally-based community to a mill town increased Lincoln's population to 1,278 by 1910. Along with the new mill and logging operations, several large hotels were built and a strong combination of industry and tourism continued for many years.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, while summer tourism steadily increased, the paper industry faltered under increased operating costs and environmental pressures. Decreased employment forced some residents to leave town. A new economic base was needed. Enter Sherman Adams, and Loon Mountain.

Portions of this article originally appeared in 1987 in the "Menu Browser" -New Hampshire's White Mountains' most comprehensive restaurant guide.