New Hampton School

The New Hampton School in New Hampton, NH operated a ski area on Burleigh Mountain sometime in the 1950/1960's until likely the early 1980's. This area is very easily seen from Rte 93 southbound, visible just before the Rte 104 exit. For many years I had noticed this area and figured it had to be an area, and turns out it was!

The area was used primarily for school students for racing. There also possibly was a jump for students as well. When the area closed in the early 1980's, it grew in rapidly.

This picture of the area taken during the summer of 2000 by Andy Dufresne clearly shows two slopes, a wider one on the left and a narrower shot on the right. The area had 2 rope tows. I had noticed this area a long time ago on my trips from Massachusetts to Lyndon State College, and always thought it was an area.

For a bit of history since then, here's Nathan Spencer's take on it. Nathan is graduating from the New Hampton School in 2003, and found out some great stuff. Turns out the area may reopen!

A topo map of the area, showing the slopes on Burleigh Mountain.

I am a four-year student at the New Hampton School, and as a senior this year I had to create an independent community service project in order to graduate. Along with this project I had to write a research paper on some aspect of my project. Currently the school has a number of lower ropes course elements around the base of were the area was. Which I worked on as an underclassman with the service group that went up there. For my project, I built a new element on Burleigh and for my research paper I
have chosen the history of Burleigh Mountain.

When he school Hired Dr. Jeffery Pratt Beedy Ed., to be the new Headmaster (Fall 1992) he wished to use the area for skiing again, so the following summer the school hired a company to re-clear the old slopes. However due to steeper terrain half way up the company was unable to finish. But the school still wished to use the area. So they decided to have an adventure education program for the student at the school. The facilities that this program would use were the A-Frame building which was a warming hut for skiers, two Yurts and a series of lower ropes course elements, which would be built but a community service group. A Yurt is a Mongolian building that is round with a peaked roof that was easily dismantled. The exterior was made from animal hides.

A terraserver image of the area, showing the two main slopes. Notice the location where the clearing of the trails stopped, as per Nathan's information.

This past fall (2002) the group that worked on Burleigh cleared the sapling from the first slope that had reclaimed the tails from the last clearing. This past winter (2003) the school used the slope for sliding, the school is currently working on get the insurance cleared to put in a new rope tow and for skiing. To view pictures of the area today, click here.

J.O.: "I attended New Hampton as a PG '77-'78. I was on the "Ski Patrol" there, we cleared brush in the pre-season. We did ski the area that winter. It was a great snow year, remember the blizzard of '78? It had two rope tow's. there were powered by a tractor and a truck. the motors were still on the frames and the ropes were wound around the drive wheels. the operator would start the truck/tractor throttle it up and away we go."

John Wait: I attended New Hampton School as Post Graduated student in 1988. The Schools Ski slope is just south of the school which is just off exit 23 on I 93. The Slope has not been used since the early 80s or before I am not really sure. The slope was used for the ski team and had only the one slope and a rope tow no snowmaking. The school stopped using it because it was cheaper to bus the students who wanted to ski up to Loon or Waterville than to keep the ski slope running and the lean snow years of the late 70s and early 80s they need to travel to the larger mountains to the north.

Alexander Price: I was a member of the ski team at Kimball Union Academy and we skied on the hill at New Hampton school for races. The way I remember it was not a T bar or Poma but two rope tows to get to the top. We ran GS and Slalom on that hill which may have had 500 feet vertical.

Allen Swett: I spent 1 year at New Hampton school in 1984. And I vividly remember hiking over to Burleigh Mt. and checking out the hill. It was a shame that nothing was happening on it. It had a pretty good vertical, and a few nice wide runs. Being on the ski team at the time I could not help but think what a great practice hill this would have been.

Nathan Spencer took some great photos of the area in the fall of 2002. Click on each thumbnail below for the larger image.

A view of the summit rope tow building, now deep in the woods.

Looking at the front of the summit lift building.

Another view of the summit lift building.