The Southern New Hampshire area had not operated since the COVID-19 shut down.
Sunday, January 15, 2023, NewEnglandSkiIndustry.com
After sitting idle for nearly three years, Granite Gorge has resumed operations.
Reopened in 2003 on the site of the former Pinnacle ski area east of Keene, Granite Gorge perhaps peaked around 2011, when a chairlift was in operation with snowmaking and night skiing. Financial and equipment struggles resulted in operations being limited to surface lifts in recent years. Granite Gorge last operated as a surface lift ski area on March 8, 2020, as chairlift service ceased in 2018. Owner Fred Baybutt passed away unexpectedly in early August 2020, leaving the future of the ski area in doubt. Granite Gorge did not operate during the winters of 2020-21 or 2021-22.
Granite Gorge hit the auction block on June 3, with Granite Gorge Partnership acquiring the defunct area for $430,000. Following the winning bid, the local group of investors referenced a "shared desire of returning winter and summer activities to Granite Gorge in a safe and inclusive manner" and plans for "lift repair, snow making, grooming and various other facility upgrades, with the goal of returning winter and summer operations as soon as reasonably possible."
Keith Kreischer, formerly of Windham, New York and Nashoba Valley, Massachusetts, was hired as general manager. Mid-mountain terrain was reworked and other trails were reclaimed in 2022.
The area debuted yesterday with a lower mountain terrain park and multiple tubing lanes.
The double chairlift "will open once inspections are done" with at least one top-to-bottom run. Food service in the base lodge is also forthcoming.
