Temple Mountain
One of the oldest lift-served ski areas in the United States, open from December 1937 until 2001 and now a New Hampshire state reservation.
- Region
- New Hampshire
- Country
- USA
- Status
- closed
- Year opened
- 1937
- Year closed
- 2001
- Reason for closure
- Declining revenue and competition from larger New Hampshire areas; closed permanently 17 September 2001
History
Temple Mountain in Temple, New Hampshire opened on 26 December 1937 and ran for 63 seasons, making it one of the oldest lift-served ski areas in the country. It had a vertical drop of 600 feet. A STABIL platter lift arrived in 1958-59, T-bars followed in the mid-1960s, and the area became chairlift-served in 1984-85 with a Borvig quad. Its final season ended on 1 April 2001 and it closed permanently that September. The chairlifts were removed in 2004 and the base lodge demolished. The State of New Hampshire purchased the 352-acre property in 2007, and it is now the Temple Mountain State Reservation, used for backcountry skiing, hiking and mountain biking. Only four early trail names are documented: Earthworm Circuit, Zip, Undertaker's Paradise and Undertaker's Loop.
Lifts
| Name | Type | Manufacturer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summit Quad | Chairlift - Quad - Fixed | Borvig | In service 1984-85 to 2003-04; removed 2004 |
| Double Chair | Chairlift - Double - Fixed | Heron Poma | In service 1992-93 to 2003-04 |
| Main T-Bar | T-Bar | Alpine Lift | 1967-68 into the 2000s |
| West T-Bar | T-Bar | Doppelmayr | 1965-66 into the 2000s |
| STABIL Lift | Platter | STABIL | 1958-59 to 1966-67; 1,700 ft long |
Runs
- Earthworm Circuit
- Zip
- Undertaker's Paradise
- Undertaker's Loop
Sources and further reading
More in USA
Location
42.8450, -71.8550