Birthplace of Modern Ski Instruction at Cranmore Mountain, New Hampshire

Ski School, Snowboarding and Race Programs Thrive

Complete details available at http://www.cranmore.com

NORTH CONWAY, N.H. - Cranmore Mountain Resort has a strong history of ski instruction that dates back to 1939 with Austrian Ski Meister Hannes Schneider. Today, Cranmore offers the same level of dedication and modern teaching techniques as taught by Schneider 70 years ago.

When Schneider came to the United States from Austria, his revolutionary teaching techniques dubbed him as the father of modern skiing and Cranmore, the birthplace of modern ski instruction in America. Schneider took over leadership of the ski school at Lookout Mountain, now known as Cranmore Mountain Resort, and taught millions of skiers from around the world the Arlberg Technique. Today, the quality of instruction continues at Cranmore.

"Parents who want their children to develop consistent and excellent skiing and riding skills should consider enrolling their kids in a seasonal program."

Cranmore offers daily and seasonal snowsports lessons for skiers and riders. Children as young as three years old can enjoy their first turns on snow. Private lessons and group lessons are offered every day of the season for all ages and abilities. Most popular are the resort's kids camps, which are taught based on age and ability.

Hundreds of children join Cranmore every weekend and vacation period as part of their popular Rattlesnakes, Cranmore Race Team and Freestyle Team Seasonal Programs. "There's no substitute for time on snow," stated snowsports director, Karen Dolan, "Parents who want their children to develop consistent and excellent skiing and riding skills should consider enrolling their kids in a seasonal program. And our race team frequently produces national-level competitors, which is remarkable for a mountain of our size."

This winter Cranmore brings back its Exploration Zones, where kids taking lessons can discover different regions around the mountain. Dolan stated, "It's a great way to explore Cranmore and to learn new skills. Kids look for the Exploration Signs around the hill and find the mailboxes near them to unlock their secrets."

Kids receive a special map indicating the location of each Zone. As each child progresses, they reach a new area and receive a special pin marking their achievement. The zones include:

South Pole - Base of the South Slope
Greenland - Beginner Basin
Iceland - Top of the South Double
Denali - Top of Skimobile Quad
Everest - Top of Koessler

Cranmore also offers snowboarders top-notch instruction, as the resort is an official Learn to Ride Center. Burton's Learn To Ride program incorporates the right equipment with proven teaching methods to make learning to snowboard easy and fun for everyone. Cranmore rents genuine Burton boots and boards to all lesson-takers.

With such an emphasis on teaching children to ski and ride, it's no wonder that Cranmore has developed such a strong reputation as a racer's mountain. In fact, Cranmore's racing pedigree harkens back to the Arlberg-Kandahar Race in 1928 that Schneider inaugurated and supervised in Austria. This race was two years before the FIS recognized downhill and slalom racing and three years before the first World Championships in Alpine Combined. Racing at Cranmore today draws attention as being in the top 2 in the East for number of NASTAR participants.

Strolz and Kneissl support Cranmore's race program as sponsors. Fittingly, Strolz is a custom foam fit ski boot company and Kneissl is a ski premium ski manufacturer, both out of Austria.

This winter, Cranmore plans to offer several fundraising events to support Leanne Smith, a ski racer who trained at Cranmore and around Mount Washington Valley and who was recently named to the Women's C Team on the U.S. Ski Team. The first event takes place September 15 at the resort's Oktoberfest where a donation will be requested at the door to help support Smith's efforts.

Racers on a more recreational level abound at Cranmore. Cranmore is home to Mountain Meisters, the country's largest weekly recreational race series. Every Wednesday between 600-800 racers hit the NASTAR course to vie for the title of Mount Washington Valley's fastest skier or rider.

Another popular race at Cranmore is the Hannes Schneider Meister Cup Race, benefiting the NE Ski Museum and paying tribute Schneider who came to Cranmore in 1939. This season's race will take place from March 8-9, 2008. More details can be found by contacting the Museum at (800) 639-4181 or http://www.skimuseum.org.

For more information about ski school programs or racing at Cranmore Mountain Resort, please visit http://www.cranmore.com or call 800-SUN-N-SKI.

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