This winter Gunstock plans to open the ground under the Tiger chair to skiing. It will be called Lift Line, and it will be the largest of the "natural areas" the resort is adding: runs that, as general manager Robert Drake explained to the Laconia Daily Sun, have no snowmaking and that the resort has no way to groom.
Lift Line is the most visible new skiing at Gunstock this year. It also shows where the offseason money went. Gunstock spent most of it on the mountain's machinery: chairs, gates, pipe and grooming equipment. The new terrain is the part of the upgrade that has to wait for the weather. For someone in Gilford who skis here every week, the changes will show up in roughly this order: at the loading gate, then in how quickly the trails open, and only after a real snowfall in the woods.
Where the $4.5 million went
Gunstock is in the second year of a $9 million, two-year capital plan, and $4.5 million of it goes to the 2026–27 season. Ski New Hampshire's October 13 roundup breaks that $4.5 million down like this:
| Category | 2026–27 allocation | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Chairlifts | More than $2 million | Panorama drive, chair spacing, controls and new lift structures; Tiger haul rope; Pistol grips and gearbox rebuild |
| Snowmaking | About $1.4 million | 5,000 feet of new pipe; separate upper and lower systems |
| Equipment, facilities, maintenance | $1.1 million | A Prinoth Bison X winch cat, another contactless RFID gate at Panorama, continued widening of Derringer |
Lifts take the largest share, more than snowmaking and facilities. The new glades and natural areas get no snowmaking line of their own, which is why they depend on the sky.
The first change is at the Panorama gate
Of all the lift projects, the Panorama modernization is the one reported as finished. The lift has new shacks at the base and the summit. Gunstock rearranged the access point into two gates and is adding space between the gate and the chair you load onto. Ski NH's description of the project also lists a new drive, a chair-spacing system and a new control system. Panorama goes to the summit, so on a busy Saturday this is the lift where a smoother load matters most.
Over on the other two chairs, Tiger has a new haul rope and Pistol has a new gearbox plus engineering work. Pistol serves the terrain park side of the mountain. Drake told the Laconia Daily Sun that Pistol "will run a little faster this year, which will be a nice upgrade for the folks skiing that side of the mountain."
One project up top is already out of the way for winter. The new summit wedding platform has a convertible deck and custom benches, and crews take all of it down and store it before snowmaking begins. Gunstock built the platform so ceremonies would stop closing the Panorama lift and the Panorama Pub. This summer it hosted four weddings.
Two snowmaking systems instead of one
The snowmaking project is the part of the plan that shapes the start of the season. Gunstock is installing 5,000 feet of new pipe and splitting the mountain's upper and lower systems so both can make snow at the same time. Drake described the change as staff being able to make snow "at the top and bottom of the mountain." Lower Trigger, an intermediate run, gets expanded snowmaking too.
It matters because early-season skiing in the Lakes Region depends on short cold snaps. If the summit and base can make snow during the same cold night, crews get more snow out of each one. Ski NH's statewide roundup makes the same point about upgrades at other mountains: more efficient coverage lets crews use shorter weather windows.
Some of the work is about forecasting more than snowmaking. At the October 15 meeting of the Gunstock Area Commission, staff reported that the Mount Washington Observatory had installed a weather station at the summit. The same draft minutes credit a pump house realignment with improving the tight area above the Ramrod Chair drop-off.
The new terrain waits for natural snow
Drake's plan for this winter is "three new glades, as well as two natural areas," with Lift Line under Tiger as the biggest. In mid-October, mountain operations told the commission it was finishing the Upper Smith project and Stone Bar Glades.
None of this terrain has snowmaking, and the natural areas can't be groomed. The lift work pays off from opening day and the split snowmaking system through December, while the glades and Lift Line have to wait until storms put down a real base. For a local, that means the new terrain is worth checking after a big storm, not on the first weekend.
The 90th-season calendar
Gunstock's first trails opened in December 1936. In February 1937 the resort reopened its big ski jump, in what is now the campground. The Gunstock events calendar puts the main dates for this winter close to both of those anniversaries:
- December 4, 2026: target opening day for the 90th season
- December 18, 2026: night skiing opens
- January 1, 2027: First Tracks of 2027, followed on January 2 by Winter Prime First Tracks
- February 16–18: the Cliff Nyquist U16+ Night Race, then the Tony Buttinger U14 and U10-12 Night Races
- February 27–28, 2027: Winter Carnival and 90th Anniversary Celebration, with family activities, live music, costume contests and anniversary lift-ticket specials
Back at the base lodge, Gunstock plans to revamp the Powder Keg Pub and bring back its Mug Club. A New Hampshire artist is handmaking the 90th-anniversary mugs, and sales opened to passholders at the November 1 passholder party. The commission minutes also say a Gunstock-label draft beer will be available. Drake has also promised a 90th-anniversary mural at the base area.
Getting on the hill this winter
Faster loading won't help much if you can't get a ticket. At the October 15 commission meeting, staff reported season pass sales running 400 ahead of the year before. The season pass page says 2026–27 passes are for sale "until we sell out." In its February announcement, Gunstock said Prime passes usually sell out before opening day.
Here are the posted 2026–27 adult prices:
- Winter Prime: $1,079 for adults, $739 for seniors
- Winter Midweek: $629 for adults
- Nordic: $229 for adults
- NH College Pass: $499 since November 1, up from $419 between March and October
The 2026–27 pass terms list blackout dates for Midweek passes: December 28, 2026 through January 1, 2027, January 18, and February 15–19. On blackout dates and weekends, Midweek holders need a lift ticket, and tickets aren't guaranteed on days that sell out. Gunstock stops selling day tickets once it hits its daily capacity and says weekends, holidays and vacation weeks can sell out. The February 15–19 Midweek blackout falls on the same nights as the calendar's February 16–18 night races.
Gunstock's year also reaches past the lift line. The commission's minutes record a planned $397,371.34 payment to Belknap County, which they call a record contribution from the resort. Belknap County's October 20 minutes say discounted lift tickets, school-age programs and all-season Belknap County Days have returned.
If you're thinking about a home near Gunstock for winters on the Tiger chair and summers on Winnipesaukee, Meredith Connor can walk you through the Gilford roads and neighborhoods that make that easy. Let's Connect: Find Your Lake Life.
