Staff reports 5:02 a.m.
Thursday, April 30, 2026 5:02 am
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GILFORD - As the last of the snow melts away, Gunstock Mountain Resort has begun working on improvements for the 2026/27 season, and beyond.
As part of a $9 million, two-year plan introduced in 2025, Gunstock plans to reinvest a total of $4.5 million into the mountain this offseason. Approximately $1.4 million will be devoted to snowmaking systems, just over $2 million for chairlifts, and an additional $1.1 million for various equipment and facility upgrades and maintenance.
"Our focus remains on investing in our infrastructure," said Robert Drake, President and General Manager. "It's a foundational part of creating a positive experience for our guests."
Efforts to refurbish several key components of the Panorama lift, which provides summit access to guests, began immediately following Gunstock's closing day on April 4. The high-speed detachable quad will be the recipient of a new drive, chair-spacing system, and an all-new control system. It will receive new lift structures installed at the base and summit to house the upgraded control system and lift attendants.
"A large part of this investment in the Pan won't be directly visible to guests," explained Dave Ulbrich, Director of Mountain Operations. "The real payoff we expect to see is the increased reliability of service that comes with installing a brand-new system like this."
Additional lift improvements will include a new haul rope for the Tiger chair, as well as new grips on the Pistol chair and the completion of Pistol's gearbox rebuild.
Gunstock's snowmaking system is also slated to receive major upgrades this offseason, most notably the installation of 5,000 feet of new pipe and the isolation of Gunstock's lower and upper mountain snowmaking systems. This update will eliminate system inefficiencies that have prevented simultaneous snowmaking in both regions of the mountain, expanding the resort's ability to make snow top to bottom at once. The new pipe will not only replace aging infrastructure but also be used to create a more direct snowmaking line to the summit.
Other noteworthy investments include a new Prinoth Bison X winch cat, an additional contactless RFID lift access gate at the base of the Panorama chair, and the continued widening of the Derringer trail to ensure smoother and safer traffic flow onto the Smith trail.
You can follow Gunstock's ongoing improvements this offseason on their social media pages @gunstockmtn or at gunstock.com.