Friends Of Cranmore Rec Inc To Auction Iconic Skimobile Chairs

The Friends of Conway Rec. Inc is auctioning off two Cranmore Skimobiles.  All money raised will benefit the Friends of Conway Rec Inc. Summer Scholarship & Teen Center fund.

Cranmore founder Harvey Gibson consulted with his friend and fellow magnate Averill Harriman, who had just opened the definitive ski resort in Sun Valley, and was advised by him to build his resort around the best possible uphill tramway available. Having just introduced the chairlift to the world in Sun Valley, Harriman perhaps envisioned his invention installed on Cranmore, but Gibson hired a local mechanic, George Morton, who proceeded to invent a new ski lift. Morton had been a partner in building one of the earliest overhead cable lifts in Jackson in the winter of 1936, a lift form that was a great improvement over the rope tow.

Morton’s lift featured 60 cars that ascended a wooden trestle, pulled by a cable under the track. Gibson named the new lift the "Skimobile", and the ski world was introduced to a new form of uphill transportation. Here, construction of the wooden trestle proceeds in 1938.

The first Skimobile trestle ascended Cranmore to the halfway point, and its popularity in its first season, as well as Hannes Schneider’s insistence, led to the construction in the summer of 1939 of an upper trestle that reached the summit of the mountain.

At the transition point between the upper and lower trestles of the Skimobile, passengers had to change cars. This elaborate platform and pair of buildings was located where the two trestles met. This was the only Skimobile ever built with two trestles, although a similar lift, called a trestle car, was built at the Homestead Resort in Virginia.

The Friends of Conway Rec Inc. is a 501C3. All members are volunteers. Each year the Friends of Conway Rec Inc. awards scholarships to between 25% - 40% of the children who attend the Conway Rec Summer Camp. In addition, the Friends of Conway Rec Inc. awards scholarships to members of the Chip Kennett Teen Center for both registration fees and field trip fees. The board of directors for the Friends of Conway Rec Inc. appreciates your support.

The auction will take place virtually from February 21st through March 21st.  Bids can be sent via email to lynore@conwayrec.com and must include the following: first and last name of bidding party, mailing address, phone number, and bid amount.

Auction Details:

• Bidding will start at $2,000 and must be made in $100 increments.  Please specify red or green skimobile with your bid.
• Bidding will close at 11:59pm on Monday, March 21st.  Any bids received after that will not be accepted.
• Bidding updates will be sent every Monday via e-mail to the address the bid was sent from.  The current high bid will be posted on the Friends of Conway Rec Facebook page, Instagram account, and Twitter feed.  High bids will also be posted online at www.conwayrec.com every time there is a new high bid.  
• Bids will not be accepted over the phone.
• Winning bidder will be notified on March 22nd.  Full payment must be made by March 28th.  
• Winning bidder is responsible for picking up and transporting their skimobile from Conway, NH.  
• Skimobiles will be sold as is. 

Questions?  If you have questions, please email lynore@conwayrec.com.