Lost Ski Areas: Mount Whittier, 1946 - 1985 : West Ossippee, NH

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Lost Ski Areas: Mount Whittier, 1946 - 1985 : West Ossippee, NH

Рет қаралды 11,197

Күн бұрын

Filmed and edited by Avery Zucco.
Filmed on iPhone13 Pro and edited in Adobe Premiere Elements.
Quick ski area stats:
Operated : 1946 - 1985 (first as Mittelbirge Ski Slopes)
Snowmaking : ~30% of terrain
Slopes and trails : ~9 slopes and trails
Topo : summit 1700ft. vertical drop ~1300ft.
Lifts : 5 - 3 t-bars installed from the late 1950s to mid 1960s, 1 rope tow and 1 Mueller 4-person gondola (1963)

Пікірлер: 52

@arcanondrum6543 18 күн бұрын

It's actually nice to see Nature take over again.

@111day1 2 ай бұрын

I worked there in 1974-75 grooming and running the lifts. Interestingly, the state wouldn’t allow skiers to utilize the gondola because it crossed NH RTE 16/25. We still ran it for tourists to gain access to the mountaintop view.

@thomasconnors7511 9 күн бұрын

I used ri go here in the summer with my family when we stayed in Moultonborough. Cool place with Bumper Cars .

@jimcushman5060 Ай бұрын

It was always fun mountain. But we usually just drove up to wildcat . Great job with the video.

@goodtimefolkrock 9 ай бұрын

Hi Avery glad to see more lost ski area content again....

@alexrad603 8 ай бұрын

I highly recommend researching the balsams ski area in dixville nh, i learned how to ski there when i was 5 and it closed shortly thereafter. i’m 19 now

@NortheastHobbyfarmer 2 ай бұрын

I rode up the ski trail on a motorcycle in summer, I also rode up the trail a ways in a Tucker Snow Cat when it was open. Of course I skied here too. Lots of memories.

@NGRSnow 8 ай бұрын

The Whittier gondola was indeed detachable, though there were no chains or tires and cabins had to be manually piushed around at each end. The racks that detached the grips are missing from the midstation and summit; perhaps they're intact at the base, though it's not easy to get permission to look around in there. My understanding is that the midstation had a system that allowed the detaching mechanisms and rails to be pulled away from the cable so that in summer sightseeing operations, cabins did not stop and little to no staff was needed there.

@averyzucco220 8 ай бұрын

Very cool information! Thank you!

@LB-kc8nc 8 ай бұрын

Another great video Avery. Thank you. The first T-bar was a Hall lift.

@averyzucco220 8 ай бұрын

Thanks for the info. Thought it looked like one.

@YourLockerzPal 8 ай бұрын

Wow outstanding work per usual Avery. Thank you for taking the time to document and show its history, this one was a true Time Capsule.

@averyzucco220 8 ай бұрын

Thank you!

@donhathaway3234 2 ай бұрын

I remember as a kid stopping here on the way up to our grandfathers camp in Thornton in the early/mid 60s. Our parents used it for a rest stop and lunch. We would watch the gondolas cross the road and drool over the stuff in the gift shop.

@drekfletch 4 ай бұрын

The end of the ski area closed the site completely. In the mid 90s they reopened as a waterpark (no mountain coaster); the snow pond was used for bumper boats, and the slope from the lodge down to rt25 had 4 water slides. That was only open a few years, though. At some point before or during the waterpark, the original regrowth was cleared. You were walking through much of the regrowth after that.

@drekfletch 4 ай бұрын

One of my earliest memories was riding the gondolas before they closed, and being terrified going over the road.

@coeneschamaun1735 4 ай бұрын

Too bad the water park didn't survive. It sounds like tons of fun!

@timtoms4117 5 ай бұрын

kind of a strange, dysfunctional main lodge thank you for the tour

@user-oi4ln6gw9x 5 ай бұрын

Shows you how the cable were very durable and still in place after many years of neglect.

@yelram4life 8 ай бұрын

Used to hike up to the cabin on top with kegs and party up there back in HS, Kingswood class of '93. Went to school with some Whittiers, although I don't know if they were related to the ski area in any way.

@averyzucco220 8 ай бұрын

Hey, who knows? It would be cool to have a mountain named after your family though!

@guitarteacherjohn8174 Ай бұрын

I remember those partys 👋😎

@ossipee1023 4 ай бұрын

Great video. We shared excerpts from it. Thanks.

@user-ko8qb4rg1m 8 ай бұрын

Outstanding!!

@jimr7120 8 ай бұрын

Awesome Video! I skied that as a kid, sooo...maybe 50 years ago. We went down the Alpine Slide too, that was a blast! I drive by every year or so and have wondered about it. Thanks for posting that. We have stopped at the McDonalds across the street to see the new tree growth where the slopes were. Have you ever posted about Tyrol? That was another good one. Thanks again!

@averyzucco220 7 ай бұрын

I did look at visiting Tyrol when I was in the area. Whittier had more of the old ski area still intact so I chose that with the time available. I'll have to check out some more areas next time I'm up that way.

@charlesolson9019 4 ай бұрын

What is surprising about the Whittier gondola is that the haul rope is still there, under tension and (apparently) still on every tower, almost 40 years after it was abandoned. I'd have thought NHDOT would have required it to be taken down where it crosses NH16. I remember seeing the gondola cars crossing over the highway as a kid once or twice, on the way home after hiking, but we never rode it.

@Skibum66 8 ай бұрын

Would be interested in seeing you do a video on Cove Ski Village, Zion Grove, PA.

@easternyellowjacket276 2 ай бұрын

One of the old trail maps lists ski lift price: $5.50 a day.

@ErnieHutchins 2 ай бұрын

Looks like a "Doppelmayr" T-Bar The reason is the short section hanging from the main lift cable contained a retractable short cable and wood T-Bar Skied on it over 50 years ago but cant remember for sure

@ErnieHutchins 2 ай бұрын

Opps I am wrong not a "Doppelmayr" I think.

@averyzucco220 2 ай бұрын

Cool info! Thanks. Not sure it was called Doppelmayr back then. I think that name only came later, after merging with several other companies. Not sure of the history but believe they were called Garavanta back then, then Thiokol then CTEC then finally Doppelmayr. Again, not sure on the order of operations on that or who merged/bought who.

@davidsmeglap4023 8 ай бұрын

I skied Whittier in 1970 after an ice storm. They dragged the trails to break up the ice. Quite literally is like skiing on a trail of thousands of one inch ice cubes. It would have been more ski-able if they just left it as hockey rink ice. I have never skied any condition like this before or after. Hockey rink ice with tuned skis is doable. This was impossible.

@JamesRegister-np7gn 8 ай бұрын

You should really collaborate with Avery Zucco.

@averyzucco220 8 ай бұрын

Yeah?

@JamesRegister-np7gn 8 ай бұрын

I meant to say skier 72 and I'll tell him to collaborate for you, you should watch his videos.

@averyzucco220 8 ай бұрын

@@JamesRegister-np7gn I've seen his work. Really enjoy it. Maybe if he ever visits the Ice Coast.

@Skier72 7 ай бұрын

@@averyzucco220 Would be fun...

@charliebarker5074 2 ай бұрын

i hiked up the accesses road to get there a few years ago and the guy who owns it drove up in a tracked side by side to yell at me and tell me to leave

@IWILSONMCF 3 күн бұрын

This feels like fallout 4

@phishENchimps Ай бұрын

Glebe Mountain Farm/Timber Ridge...

@davidandrewbull Ай бұрын

Ossipee = AUS E pee or AUS O pee or AUS A pee, depending on who you talk to. AUS like Australia. Not the most important thing in the world, grateful for your video, enjoyed it.

@mikewilliams1482 7 ай бұрын

Great video. I wanted to get on that property back in February while on my way up skiing. But there were no trespassing signs all over the place. Is it ok to explore the mountain now because you clearly did.