Thanksgiving Weekend Family Fun at Cranmore Mountain
NH’s First Mountain Coaster Opens for Regular Operations
NORTH CONWAY, NH – Cranmore Mountain in North Conway, NH will be the place to be for family fun this Thanksgiving weekend, as the region’s first Mountain Coaster opens for regular operations after its successful grand opening Nov. 20th. If Mother Nature cooperates, skiing and riding will also be happening starting Sat. Nov. 27th. The resort will also be hosting a Homecoming Event and offering special Thanksgiving weekend activities at its Fitness Center.
Headlining the fun is Cranmore’s new Mountain Coaster, which will operate Fri. Nov. 26 – Sun. Nov. 28 from 9am – 4pm. Tickets are just $9 per person per ride, or $23 for 3 rides per person. A special 6-pack is available for just $44, and tickets can be used by more than one person.
Cranmore Mountain began snowmaking on Fri. Nov. 19th and will continue as weather permits. Currently the projected opening day for skiing is on Sat. Nov. 27, and the snowtubing park on Dec 4. Opening weekend ski conditions would likely offer intermediate and advanced terrain off the summit. Check the Cranmore snow report online for the latest conditions or call 1-800-SUN-N-SKI option 1 for the snow phone
Also taking place is Cranmore’s first annual Homecoming Event, welcoming back season passholders and all other friends of Cranmore, on Sat. Nov. 27th from 3-5pm in the new Artist Falls Lodge, home to the Cranmore Fitness Center and ticketing for the Coaster. The event will feature an overview by Cranmore president Ben Wilcox on the highlights of the resort’s on-going $6 million renaissance. Light refreshments will be provided and a cash beer and wine bar is available.
The Homecoming Event will also feature a special sale of recently retired trail signs, for $50 each, with proceeds going to the Jimmy Mersereau Scholarship Fund. The Fund was founded last year in the wake of the passing of Cranmore’s long time mountain operations director Jimmy Mersereau and is in support of students interested in ski area operations as a career.
The event is taking place at the new Artist Falls Deli, now offering visitors tasty favorites including pizza, beer, wine, snacks and soda in a venue handy to the new Coaster and expanded snow-tubing park. It will be open whenever the Coaster is operating, giving guests a new place to hang out for families enjoying the new attraction.
And for those looking for fit and healthy option for the holiday weekend, Cranmore Family Fitness Center offers day passes for visitors to the Valley, only $12 for adults, $8 for seniors and $6 for children; kids 5 and under are free with a paying adult. Passholders receive 50% off for Sat. & Sun. 11/26-27 as part of the Homecoming event (present season pass or proof of purchase for the 10-11 season).
On Thanksgiving Day, Thurs. Nov. 25th, the Club is open from 7-11am and will be featuring its annual Turkey Day Spinning classes. Guests can sign up for a 7am, 8:10am or 9:15am class. Reservations are required as space is limited. Call 603-356-6301 for reservations. Rates are $8 for CFFC members and $10 for other guests (passholder discount does not apply).
A special Turkey Buster class, an extended sculpt and tone work out, is available on Sat. Nov. 27th from 10-11:30am. There is no charge for CFFC members and anyone purchasing a day pass can take part at no additional cost. The Fitness Center is the largest facility of its kind in Mt. Washington Valley and offers a host of classes and programs all weekend long, with a full cardio and weight room available, plus indoor tennis and swimming pool.
To start, riders enjoy a 1200-foot trip up the mountain in the 2-person sled. Then the gravity-driven ride begins, taking people down the looping, turning track for 2,400 feet down the slopes. The coaster will operate year round in nearly all weather.
The Coaster is a centerpiece of a $6 million revitalization of Cranmore taking place under new ownership announced in June, 2010. The resort also installed a new quad chairlift, moved and expanded its popular snow-tubing park, renovated 5 facilities, cut new learning terrain, installed 70 new energy-efficient snowguns and relocated a double chairlift.
For more information, contact Cranmore at 603-356-5544 or visit www.cranmore.com.
