The Gunstock Mountain Historic Preservation Society Celebrates the 75th Anniversary of Gunstock's 70-Meter Ski Jump

Gunstock's 70-meter ski jump is now 75 years old!  It was on February 28, 1937 that the Queen of the Eastern Snows, Miss Ruth McMann, cut away the official dedication ribbon of the jump allowing the number one rated ski jumper, Carl Holmstrom, to make a perfect jump.  The jump was named after the sensational Norwegian ski jumper, Torger Tokle, after he was killed in action during World War II. (Jump photo by Harrison Haas, Harrison Haas Photography, Laconia, NH).

The Gunstock Mountain Preservation Society (GMHPS), a 501(c)3 organization, is currently restoring Torger's jump as well as three other historic jumps located at Gunstock.  These jumps are currently rated as the best set of development hills in the East.  It is a goal of the Society to not only historically restore all four of these jumps, but also bring them up to modern standards so today's jumpers can once again use them for training and national and international competitions.  A hill survey on all four hills has been completed.  The estimated total of this restoration project is $1.4 million.

~All the Latest News~
 

~  The Gunstock Mountain Historic Preservation Society and Gunstock Mountain Resort were recently honored with a preservation achievement award from the NH Preservation Alliance.  Members from the society, along with Gunstock's Bill Quigley, accepted the award at the NH Preservation Alliance's Annual Awards Ceremony in Concord, NH on May 8, 2012.  The award was for outstanding planning, documentation and education in the field of preservation.

~  In February 2012, the preservation society was pleased to announce that Gunstock Mountain Resort was added to the New Hamshire State Register of Historic Places.

~ GMHPS would like to thank the board of directors of the historic Belknap Mill in Laconia for hosting the "Gunstock Through the Ages" display from February 15th through March 5th.  The display represented all aspects of Gunstock's history and was open to the public.  Much positive feedback has been received!

~ To help celebrate Skiing History Month, the Gunstock Inn and Fitness Center, located in Gilford, hosted a joint meeting of GMHPS and Gilford's Thompson-Ames Historical Society on Monday, February 27th.  Penny Pitou, two-time Olympic Silver Medalist spoke of her experiences while skiing and training with the Gilford Outing Club and at Gunstock.  GMHPS president, Carol Anderson, gave a presentation on the history of Gunstock, which included the preservation efforts of the organization.  Attendees were urged to share their memories of skiing in Gilford and many endearing stories were told.  The meeting was taped for the local public access channel.  Air date has not yet been announced.

~ On November 2, 2011, two-time Olympic ski jumper, Walter Malmquist, paid a visit to Gunstock.  He was greeted by members Carol Anderson and Bernie Dion, a director of the society and former coach to the Olympian.  Malmquist first toured the archives of Gunstock, which he deemed a "goldmine".  He then visited the ski jumps.  He not only had trained on the four jumps on his way to being one of our country's top ski jumpers, but competed on the 70-meter before heading to the 1980 Winter Olympics held in Lake Placid, NY.  He described the jumps as one of the finest training/competition facilities in the country since everything that is needed to train ski jumpers is located all in one place at Gunstock.  Malmquist fully supports the work and mission of GMHPS as well as the complete restoration of all four jumps.

~ Nearly 300 of Gunstock's historic blueprints were delivered to the Northeast Document Conservation Center in Andover, MA by members of the society's archive committee.  While there, the prints will undergo extensive restoration, which includes flattening, cleaning and repairing.  Funding for the preservation work was provided by a $5,000 Conservation Plate Grant from the NH State Library.
 

~ Members of the archive committee meet every Monday morning at Gunstock.  Members of the committee have completed a Museum Software Workshop with Jenna Carroll-Plante, former executive director of the Laconia Historical and Museum Society.  Armed with the knowledge of how to best utilize this specialized software, members continue to digitize Gunstock's extensive archives.  In 2011, the committee donated over 400 hours as they worked on the archives. 
    

Junior Member of the Preservation Society Recognized by the NH Preservation Alliance

Gunstock Mountain Historic Preservation Society's junior member, Sarah Anderson of Gilford, has been recognized by the NH Preservation Alliance as a Young Preservationist as part of the Alliance's 25th anniversary celebration.  The preservationists, ages 15 to 25, were chosen because of their commitment to the preservation of the state's history.

Anderson's interest in history and its preservation began five years ago when she spearheaded an effort to restore the historic Gilford Outing Club Warming Hut, located on Cherry Valley Road in her hometown of Gilford.  As a junior member of Gunstock's preservation society, she, and her younger brother, Dean, volunteer over 100 hours each, helping to organize and digitize the archives.  She plans on a career in historic preservation.

Our Congratulations to Sarah!