North Woodstock, NH (Vocus) February 28, 2008 –
Ski New Hampshire (http://www.SkiNH.com) resorts are in the midst of another classic New England ski season. The season had a spectacular start with record breaking snowfalls in December, then a brief January thaw, and now plentiful snowfalls have returned. With a deep snowpack and two months of skiing and riding left in the Granite State, you may be looking for some fresh story ideas.
Below are a variety of fresh and unique stories that may peak your interest. If you want to pursue any of these, please contact Ski New Hampshire to facilitate getting you the details and/or contacts necessary to complete your work.
Wildcat Mountain, Pinkham Notch – This winter marks the 5th Annual 100k Day at Wildcat. The challenge is to ski 100,000 vertical feet within a period of nine and a half hours. The event is a fundraiser for the Make-a-Wish Foundation of New Hampshire and is limited to the first 40 participants to register. Participants have the entire Lynx Trail to themselves and the assistance of volunteers from Make-A-Wish. In addition to being physically challenging, it’s a special story of people coming together for a great cause. This year’s event is being held on March 3 and would make a great story even after its completion.
Skiing and snowboarding usually provide the exhilaration at NH ski areas. Wildcat has added another thrilling activity with the East Coast's longest 4-season ZipRider zip line cable ride. Guests soar for a half mile over tree tops, ski trails and a river on a zip-line cable at 45 miles per hour.
Black Mountain, Jackson – Black Mountain helped to celebrate Valentine’s Day with its second annual Speed Dating Day on Saturday, February 9th. Women were invited to ski for free from 12:30-4. Lift rides were shared to meet available singles. There was also an apre ski party held in the Lostbo Pub with prizes for the best pickup line. Prizes included an overnight stay at the Snowflake Inn in Jackson complete with roses and chocolate.
Cranmore Mountain Resort, North Conway – Cranmore is one of the most historic ski areas in North America and it is celebrating its 70th Anniversary this winter. Among special events is the Find the Skimobile Contest. The Skimobile was a one-of-a-kind chairlift that was eventually dismantled in 1988. Now these historic cars are scattered around New England. The contest invites participants to utilize their GPS units to locate 6 specific cars. The contest wraps up March 1st with special anniversary events continuing the rest of the winter.
Waterville Valley, Waterville Valley – New this winter, Waterville Valley has begun producing daily videos for its website. Many of these videos include free tips to help improve guests’ skiing and snowboarding skills. They also provide a timely source for information and the latest conditions directly from the slopes. The videos have already received a loyal following from guests and are produced by Jeremy Gasowski, who is on staff at the ski area.
Jackson XC, Jackson – Jackson XC is actively involved in combating childhood obesity. The staff works closely with local grammar schools to incorporate cross country skiing into their physical education classes. They also offer an after-school ski program every Thursday with approximately 50 children and parent volunteers out on the trails for 2 hours per session.
Every ski resort has its interesting regular guests. Among those at Jackson XC is Edvard Ekbergh. Included on Edvard’s XC skiing resume is his status as a member of the Swedish National Cross Country Ski Team from 1947-1953.
Crotched Mountain, Bennington – Ski area employees are often unique individuals who have a great story behind them. Crotched Mountain has its own fascinating example: Johnny Rocket. At age 88, he’s on the snow everyday making turns as a snowsports instructor for the area.
Tenney Mountain, Plymouth – Hammerhead sleds are a new addition at Tenney. These aluminum sleds are high-end sleds with steering and suspension. They are allowed to be used on a few of Tenney's slopes.
Tenney is also home to a new "Base Camp" that focuses on four seasons of outdoor activities at the ski area. Among the winter offerings are backcountry touring, snowshoeing, winter mountaineering and more. In the summer guests will enjoy rock climbing, hiking, kayaking and more.
Great Glen Trails, Pinkham Notch – While many places in New England offer dog sled rides, Great Glen Trails offers dog sled rides at night. After a day on their trails or the slopes of a local mountain guests can try something different one evening.
Great Glen Trails has a loyal local following including the largest weekly Nordic citizens’ race series in the Unites States, Nordic Meisters. One of the volunteers behind Nordic Meisters is 75 year-old Nancy Nelson.
Loon Mountain, Lincoln - Loon Mountain is the first ski resort in the eastern United States to partner with the Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) to make SkiGreen Tags available to skiers and snowboarders. Tags are sold for $2 each, and can be purchased at the same time a lift ticket is purchased. Each SkiGreen Tag represents 100-kilowatt hours of wind energy and offsets 140 pounds of global warming pollution, or approximately the equivalent of driving 150 miles in a vehicle that gets 21 MPG.
Attitash, Bartlett – Attitash is honoring United States military personnel on March 8. All U.S. active duty, National Guard and reserve soldiers, and retired U.S. military/veterans can receive a free lift ticket with a valid military ID or DD form 214. A flag parade, pictorial display, and national anthem are among events scheduled. Guests who wear an American flag pin and bring three items to be sent to soldiers stationed in Irag and Afghanistan (from a qualifying list) will receive $10 off their lift ticket.
Ski NH is the statewide association representing 38 alpine and cross country resorts and more than 200 lodging properties in New Hampshire. For more information on ski areas, lodging packages, lift ticket deals, and updated winter events at Ski NH mountain resorts, call Ski NH at (800) 88-SKI-NH (800-887-5464) or visit the Ski NH website at http://www.SkiNH.com. For statewide media relations assistance, visit the New Hampshire Division of Travel and Tourism’s media room at http://www.visitnh.gov under Travel Industry.
Contact Information:
Karl Stone: 800-887-5464 x202
Alice Pearce: 800-887-5464 x203
Email: media(at)SkiNH.com
Download Release: http://www.SkiNH.com
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