Ski New Hampshire Rolls Out the White Carpet For NH Legislators

Ski New Hampshire welcomed New Hampshire legislators headed for the State House on Wednesday morning with coffee, cocoa, and snow. With the help of the Pats Peak’s snowmaking crew and HKD Snowmakers, Ski NH covered a corner of the capitol lawn in a blanket of white and shared information about snowmaking efficiency and the ski industry’s impact on the state’s economy.

With the possibility of a major snowstorm headed towards the Granite State this weekend, Ski NH sought to share some information about snowmaking technology that is so vital to supporting the ski industry in New Hampshire and throughout New England when Mother Nature isn’t so cooperative.  Special guests to the display included Governor Chris Sununu, BEA Commissioner Taylor Caswell, State Senators and Representatives as well as a number of administration staff.  A couple of school groups also visited, including students from Waterville Valley Elementary School who came to learn about the science of snow and snowmaking.

“There are a lot of new legislators in Concord this year, and we wanted to introduce Ski New Hampshire to them and share the importance of our industry to the state’s economy,” said Jessyca Keeler, Ski NH’s executive director.  “The state’s ski areas contribute hundreds of millions of dollars to the economy, particularly during the winter months, and we are a major employer of people in some of the more rural areas of the state.”  In recent years, New Hampshire ski areas have averaged 2.3 million winter visits for alpine and cross-country skiing as well as tubing. Summer operations account for approximately a half a million more visitors annually.  A large number of the state’s skiers come from out of state, and those visitors help drive up Rooms & Meals Tax revenues each year.  

Snowmaking is the ski industry’s insurance against disagreeable weather and is essential to their ability to stay open throughout the winter, welcome guests with a great product, and keep staff employed. Each year, snowmaking becomes more efficient and sustainable, offering up to a 90% reduction in energy use, thanks to the innovations of partners like HKD and others. "Founded and based in New England, we at HKD Snowmakers have made snowmaking efficiency and performance our focus since the company’s inception over 27 years ago. The resorts of New Hampshire continue to be at the forefront of using energy efficient techniques within their snowmaking operations. We’re proud to support this initiative and help maintain skiing as New Hampshire's official state sport throughout all of winter’s challenges," said Ian Jarrett, Vice President of HKD Snowmakers. “New Hampshire ski areas reinvest aggressively in their respective snowmaking plants to make them that much better,” says Kris Blomback, general manager for Pats Peak in Henniker, NH. “With the latest snowmaking technologies, ski areas can make twice the amount of snow in half the time, and at 50% less snowmaking cost”.  According to Keeler, ski areas in New Hampshire have spent approximately $20 Million on snowmaking upgrades over the last 5 years.

Ski New Hampshire is the statewide association representing 32 alpine and cross-country resorts in New Hampshire. For more information on ski areas, trail conditions, vacation planning, and updated winter events at Ski New Hampshire resorts, visit SkiNH.com. For statewide travel info, go to VisitNH.gov.