New Hampshire on Skis »

E. John B. Allen, an avid skier and prolific writer on the subject for the last twenty-five years, has put together a collection of images, many taken from the New England Ski Museum, that recounts the history of skiing in the state of New Hampshire. He is also the author of New England Skiing.

The state of New Hampshire has a strong skiing tradition to brag about, and in the 1930s, it led the United States in ski activity. The early prominence of Dartmouth College's Outing Club and winter carnival was a major forerunner in the development of the sport and readied the state to receive the alpine impetus coming from Europe in the 1930s. Germans and particularly Austrians-some fleeing Nazi persecution-brought with them the expert downhill schuss and found the White Mountains suitable terrain. Rail excursions from Boston, well-plowed roads, help from the Civilian Conservation Corps, and entrepreneurial activity helped skiing take off, and many ski centers boasting rope tows opened.

New Hampshire on Skis follows this development and the rise in popularity of skiing in the state. Such innovations as the Cannon Tram, operating from 1938, marked a high point of state-supported ski promotion. After World War II ended, development of ski areas began in earnest. In the late twentieth century and today, ski areas have combined their ski sport activity with other snow sports-snowboarding in particular. New Hampshire on Skis documents the growth of the ski industry in New Hampshire from its European beginnings to what is now one of the most popular winter destinations on the East Coast.