By Linda Magoon, community journalist, Granite State News Collaborative
After a slow start to the season, Pine Hill Ski Club in New London is now open with miles of ski trails, groomed for classic cross-country skiing.
Pine Hill Ski Club Board President, Susie Lowe-Stockwell, said the slow start because of a lack of snow has shifted over the last month. “We’ve had a good stretch of being open,” Lowe-Stockwell said. “The groomers have been out. Conditions have been hard packed and fast.”
Pine Hill Ski Club was founded in 2005 by John Schlosser. John and Nancy Schlosser had established NORSK cross country ski area, based at the Lake Sunapee Country Club, in 1976, which hosted the annual Governor’s Cup. In 2017, Schlosser stepped down from his sole responsibility of managing the ski area and established the club as a non-profit. Leadership of Pine Hill Ski Club transitioned to Board Chair Lowe-Stockwell in 2019.
Pine Hill is run by volunteers and funded entirely from day use and seasonal ski passes. A day pass costs $15 for adults, $5 for ages 11-17, and kids under 10 are free. Lowe-Stockwell said the club provides skis and poles for those who don’t have them free of charge but encourages donations.
“Initially, a lot of skis were given to us by the new owners of the former Village Sports. When the skis age, for example when they delaminate, they have to be replaced,” Lowe-Stockwell said. The ski club receives donations of cross-country ski equipment from the Nordic Skater in Newbury and also welcomes ski equipment donations from the public, Lowe-Stockwell said, but prefers skis with modern NNN bindings.
Jaime Gillon and his wife, Sarah Hebert, from Hillsboro, were at Pine Hill for the first time in early February. “We were looking for some place more local,” Gillon said, adding that he and his wife frequently visit the Nordic trails at Waterville Valley and Gunstock Mountain in Gilford. “This is the closest place to us that grooms.”
The terrain at Pine Hill, located on private and public property in the towns of New London, Sutton, and Wilmot, are well-marked with maps, signs, and Moosecots– hand-made wooden moose located at the entrance and throughout the ski area with names like “Moosechievous,” “PessiMoose,” and “Moosequito.” Created and maintained by Jim and Cathy Robjent, there are around 35 of these “moose” standing watch over the trails. Some trails allow dogs, and snowshoers are allowed on specified trails.
Seasonal ski passes at Pine Hill are available for $99 prior to Jan. 1 and $130 after this date. Those who purchase passes become members of the club and funds are used to pay for trail signage, grooming equipment, and insurance– “the largest expense of all,” Lowe-Stockwell said, adding that on average, the club has about 200 members.
Pine Hill Ski Club is open from 9 am to 5 pm during February and March.
This article was produced as part of The Community Journalism Project and is being shared with partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information on the project visit www.collaborativenh.org/community-journalism-project