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Story by Tim Jones
Photo by Dennis Welsh/Loon Mountain

File this bit of information away for future reference: New Year's Day has to rank among the best of the "holiday" ski days. Apparently a number of people spend New Year's Eve doing something other than waxing their skis. When we arrived at 7:45 (Loon's lifts open at 8:00!), we had the place virtually to ourselves. Of course, the fact that it was five below zero may have kept some people at home, too. There was no lift line at all, even for the four-passenger enclosed gondola, which offered a very fast and pleasant ride on a chilly morning.

Some of the younger lift attendants looked as if they might have partied a bit too long the previous evening, but they all managed a big smile and a "Happy New Year!" For the first three hours or so, we had a world of untracked fresh corduroy and newly blown powder to ourselves. It wasn't until nearly noon that we began seeing significant numbers of skiers, and even then it was a quiet day. The longest lift line we encountered was on the gondola, right after lunch, and that was no more than five minutes. You could ski right on to every other lift on the mountain all day. Great!

Given the layout of Loon, with lifts clustered in several distinct areas, I suspect it's possible to find relatively uncrowded skiing even on much busier days. If you are shepherding really young children, this kind of spread-out setup can make for some difficulties in keeping track of everyone. Fortunately my guys are old enough to find their way back to a designated meeting spot (where the lunch pack is parked) when they blast out at warp speed and leave Dad trailing.

If reading what my boys have to say gives you the impression that Loon is an easy intermediate mountain, let me clarify this a little. Since they are mostly interested in black-diamond expert trails, that's what they focus on. While they concentrated on the steeps, I managed to ski most of the trails that were open that day, and I found a really pleasant mix. The green circle/easiest trails, especially Grand Junction and Lower Bear Claw, were among the nicest I've ever seen -- pleasant, rolling runs with plenty of room. The intermediate trails on this mountain are a delight, narrow enough to feel like a real ski trail, challenging enough to be fun. And the expert trails are just that -- steep. Nice mix.

The expansion Loon has in the works for the 1997-98 season should make this an area experts flock to. You can bet the boys and I will be there to check it out as soon as we can.

Thanks to a stretch of warm and rainy weather, I was suffering from depression and loss of appetite due to skiing withdrawal. The cure was a visit to Loon Mountain on New Year's Day. If you do not want to drive too far but want a challenging ski day on great snow, then Loon is your prescription.

The word that describes Loon is FUN! Most of the real steep or tough terrain wasn't open yet, and it was too early for big bumps. But, after all, a mountain is what you make it -- sort of like school, which too often hinders my skiing.

Loon has wonderful cruising trails, with lots of drops, jumps, bumps, and rolls that will make intermediate skiers look like heroes on the worst days. The snowmaking capacity at Loon is amazing. On this cold New Year's Day they were able to blow tons of powder onto the trails even as we skied. Skiing down a trail with full snowmaking in progress is an experience without equal! Loon is definitely a great place to check out, especially when you want something fairly close to home. I certainly had a blast there and can't wait to go back.

Snow may be sparse in your yard, but we found quite a different situation at Loon Mountain. They were blanketing the mountain with fresh powder. In fact, Loon boasts of the largest snow-making capacity of any mountain in N.H. and is an excellent place to take your family even in a snow drought.

Loon, like most ski areas in New Hampshire, has some long cruising trails that allow you to develop a real rhythm to your skiing. The whole mountain is like a snow park with pleasant bumps and rolls that make even easy trails fun.

While it has some steep trails to challenge experts (I particularly liked Rumrunner and Triple Trouble), Loon is geared primarily toward intermediates. We were told that they will be adding a whole new peak with its own high-speed quad. From the way they described these trails, they will be a real challenge. Loon is high on my list of the places I want to ski again!