Gunstock's 90th Winter Starts Before the First Chair Loads

"A large part of this investment in the Pan won't be directly visible to guests," Dave Ulbrich, Gunstock's Director of Mountain Operations, said in the resort's April 29, 2026 announcement. "The real payoff we expect to see is the increased reliability of service that comes with installing a brand-new system like this."

Ulbrich was talking about the Panorama chair, but the same goes for most of the offseason. Gunstock put $4.5 million into the mountain this year, and most of it went into parts that don't show: drives, control systems, haul ropes and pipe. The goal is a mountain that opens on time and keeps running. The catch for anyone in Gilford with a pass decision to make is timing. The price goes up on November 1, and the target opening day is December 4. You have to commit before the upgrades get their first real test.

Where the $4.5 Million Went

This offseason was the second half of a $9 million, two-year plan that started in 2025. Gunstock budgeted about $1.4 million for snowmaking, just over $2 million for chairlifts, and $1.1 million for equipment, facilities and maintenance. The Gunstock Area Commission approved the $4.5 million capital budget unanimously at its March 26, 2026 meeting.

Work on the Panorama chair started right after closing day on April 4. The high-speed quad that takes skiers to the summit got a new drive, a new chair-spacing system, an all-new control system, and new lift shacks at the base and summit. Two other lifts got work you won't notice either. Tiger has a new haul rope, and Pistol has new grips and a finished gearbox rebuild.

The snowmaking project matters most for December. The plan calls for 5,000 feet of new pipe and for separating the upper-mountain and lower-mountain snowmaking systems. The old setup couldn't make snow in both areas at once, and the new pipe is meant to run a more direct line to the summit. In late September, the Laconia Daily Sun reported that the pipe was still going in and that staff "will be able" to make snow at the top and bottom of the mountain this winter. Making snow at both ends at once sets how fast the mountain can open top to bottom after opening day.

The rest of the list is crowd management. A second contactless RFID gate now stands at the Panorama base. Crews kept widening Derringer where it feeds onto Smith, which the resort says is meant to make traffic there smoother and safer. A new Prinoth Bison X winch cat will handle the grooming.

The Changes You Can Actually Ski

A few changes will show up on the snow, and they came out in Delaney Nickerson's September 25 report for the Laconia Daily Sun, republished by Business NH Magazine. President and General Manager Robert Drake said the Pistol chair, which serves the terrain park, "will run a little faster this year." Lower Trigger, an intermediate run, is getting more snowmaking.

The trail map is getting new terrain too. "We're adding three new glades, as well as two natural areas," Drake told the Daily Sun. He described a natural area as a run without snowmaking that crews can't groom. The biggest of them is Lift Line, under the Tiger chair. Ungroomed runs without snowmaking open when natural snow allows. So this new terrain depends on the weather, while the snowmaking work is meant to make the groomed runs less dependent on it.

You Pay Before Anything Gets Tested

For most passes, the season pass page lists two prices, one through October 31 and one from November 1. This post goes up nine days before the cutoff.

Age categories are based on how old you are on December 1, 2026. A Golden pass for skiers 70 and up is $79, and a Buckaroo pass for children 5 and under is $59. The N.H. College Pass covers Gunstock, Cannon, Cranmore and Waterville Valley.

Gunstock calls December 4 its target opening day, not a promise. So the lower price runs out more than a month before skiers load the rebuilt Panorama on a winter morning or see how quickly the separated snowmaking systems cover the mountain.

The $49 Ticket Lets You Wait and See

Belknap County residents have a way around that deadline. In winter, Gunstock sells county residents a $49 full-day lift ticket for any age. It's good Sunday through Friday, and you can buy one even on days the resort sells out. The rules are strict. You buy it at the Ticket Office on the day you ski, every time, and show a New Hampshire driver's license or non-driver ID with a Belknap County address. Gunstock takes a photo for your guest record. Tax bills and utility bills don't count as proof.

Dividing pass prices by $49 gives the break-even points.

• The adult Winter Prime pass costs the same as about 18 resident tickets through October 31, and about 22 from November 1.
• The adult Midweek pass costs the same as about 11 resident tickets before the cutoff, and about 13 after.

The resident ticket isn't valid on Saturdays or during holiday blackout periods. Right now, the blackout dates on the resident page are last winter's: December 26 through January 3, January 17 through 19, and February 14 through 22. This winter's blackout dates haven't been posted, so the holiday weeks on either side of New Year's are the open question for anyone weighing the two.

Five Dates Between Now and Opening Day

The 90th season starts before the lifts open for skiing, on a schedule built around the Historic Main Lodge and the Panorama chair.

The November 1 party is where the anniversary celebrations begin. You need a 2026/27 pass to get in, and the event listing promises food, live music, a cash bar and games. The Laconia Daily Sun described it as barbecue-themed. Drake also said the Powder Keg Pub mug club is coming back, with commemorative 90th-anniversary mugs handmade by a New Hampshire artist. Passholders get first chance to buy them at the party.

The Gunstock Ski Club gear sale is open to shoppers Friday from 3 to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. If you're selling gear, plan around these rules:

1. Drop-off is Friday, November 6. The resort lists 3 to 7 p.m., and the club's own instructions say 3 to 7:30 p.m. Arriving early covers both.
2. Tag every item and write the tag numbers on the consignment form. Wash and bag soft goods.
3. The club won't take straight skis or helmets. It accepts only flat-soled ski boots, older bindings have to be on its approved list, and it can turn away anything in poor condition.
4. There's no consignment fee. The club keeps 25% of each sale.
5. Pick up unsold items Saturday, November 7, from 3 to 6 p.m.

Sellers can check a box on the form to donate their proceeds to the club. The club says sale income goes into its operating budget and pays for expenses its dues and training fees don't cover.

One more summit change comes before snowmaking starts. The new wedding venue near Flintlock has a deck and benches built to come apart, and crews will take them down every fall. Drake told the Daily Sun the venue was put there so weddings no longer close the Panorama chair and the Pub.

How Gunstock Counts to Ninety

The resort's own history page says the mountain started as the Belknap Mountain Recreation Area, a county project that grew out of Depression-era WPA jobs programs. The same page says the Civilian Conservation Corps cut trails elsewhere in New Hampshire but had no presence at Gunstock. Its 60-meter ski jump was modeled on Lake Placid's 1932 Olympic jump and opened in 1937. By 1939 the area had three jumps side by side.

Drake gave the Daily Sun the two dates the resort uses to count its seasons. The first trails opened in December 1936, and the big jump in the campground reopened in February 1937. Ninety years later, the resort is marking the anniversary with a mural in the base area. Drake hasn't given a date for it.

How far a house is from Gunstock's base area changes what a winter in Gilford is like, whether you ski midweek on the resident ticket or keep a pass for weekends. If you're weighing a year-round home on this side of town, Cisneros Realty Group can walk you through how the mountain fits into the decision. Schedule a call.