Mount Washington Valley News Brought To You By Horsefeathers

PINKHAM NOTCH NH - Festivities begin at 5:30 p.m. with a chauffeured ride to the summit of Mount Washington, where a sumptuous selection of desserts will await your indulgence in the rotunda of Mt. Washington State Park Sherman Adams Building. A champagne toast at sunset will follow, with a twilight return to the Wildcat base lodge. The evening will continue with a silent auction and an elegant dinner.

Tickets are $100 per person, and may be purchased online or by phone at (603) 356-2137, extension 230. Reservations are requested by September 7. All proceeds will benefit the nonprofit Mount Washington Observatory, helping to support its work in weather observation, research and education.

A special lodging package is available for Sunset Soiree guests at the Carter Notch Inn in Jackson. Mention the Mount Washington Observatory at the time of booking and receive 20% off standard room rates! For more information and to make a reservation, visit: http://www.carternotchinn.com/

Support for Sunset Soiree is provided in part by L.L.Bean and Rath, Young and Pignatelli, with a special thanks to Wildcat Mountain, the Mt. Washington Auto Road and the Mt. Washington State Park.

Date: Saturday, September 11, 2010
Time: 5:30 PM - 9:00 PM

PINKHAM NOTCH NH - Come join us in celebrating the 149th birthday of the Mt. Washington Auto Road, the oldest man-made attraction in America. Vintage horse drawn and automotive stages, which have operated for the past 140+ years, will be on display. Don’t miss this opportunity to be involved in this part of New Hampshire’s history. Vehicles with a “This Car Climbed Mt. Washington” sticker attached prior to arrival will receive free passage up the Mt. Washington Auto Road.

603-466-3988

Click for more info: www.mountwashingtonautoroad.com

Animal Rescue League of NH - North invites you to join us on Sunday, August 15th, 2010 for a great day of golf! This year the outing will be held at Wentworth Golf Club in Beautiful Jackson, NH. $80 per player - includes 18 holes of golf, shared cart and boxed lunch. All proceeds to benefit Animal Rescue League of NH - North.

Tee times start at 11:00 AM.
There will be a 50/50 Raffle and prizes for:

• Best team score
• Best individual score
• Closest to the pin
• Longest drive (men’s)
• Longest drive (women’s)

To register online (click here)

To download a mail in registration form (click here)

Any Questions??
Tom Dean
Phone: 603 356 3855
E-mail: tdean@conwayshelter.org

On June 4th and 5th join the NH Highland Games, Red Jacket Mountain View Resort and Spa, Cranmore Mountain Resort, Indian Mound Golf Course and the Mt Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce for a:

CEILIDH, a traditional Scottish “PARTY” featuring:

* GOLF TOURNAMENT
* WHISKY TASTING
* PIPING COMPETITION
* ATHLETIC DEMONSTRATIONS
* DANCING DEMONSTRATIONS
*
LOCHCARRON Woolen Mill from Scotland
* YOUTH PROGRAM
* Ala Carte BBQ by Red Jacket $10 inclusive

JACKSON NH - At the Wildcat Tavern Tuesday night May 4th there will be a very exciting book signing by author Jay Atklinson as he introduces his new book; “Paradise Road: Jack Kerouac’s Lost Highway and My Search for America“. This is Jay’s 5th book and the event will be a ton of fun in combination with Hoot Night and Dinner With Your Dog. This event is sponsored by White Birch Books and will begin at 6:30 PM. For those night owls Jay will be at The Tavern until closing so come on out for a great night of literature, good friends, good drink and great music.

PINKHAM NOTCH — Great Glen Trails announces free skiing on Sundays during Marvelous March.
With more than three feet of new snow at the end of February, March is going to be marvelous at Great Glen Trails. And to celebrate Marvelous March, Great Glen Trails is offering free cross country skiing, snowshoeing and snow tubing on every Sunday in March to anyone who presents their trail pass from the previous day. Ski at Great Glen Trails on Saturday and ski free on Sunday. Additionally, anyone who presents a season pass or trail pass from the previous day from another cross country ski area will receive a half price trail pass on Sundays. Great Glen Trails is open daily for cross country skiing, snow tubing and snowshoeing. Complete snow conditions information is available at www.GreatGlenTrails.com or by calling 603.466.2333.

By Tom Eastman

CONWAY NH — It was a chili and chocolate weekend in Mount Washington Valley, and a snowy one, too.
Buoyed by the weekend’s snowfall, the Mount Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce presented the seventh annual Chilly Chili Cook-Off Saturday, Feb. 27, at Flatbread Company in the Eastern Slope Inn Resort in North Conway from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Taking top honors out of the 34 chili entries was the Appalachian Mountain Club Highland Center. The Appalachian Mountain Club’s Pinkham Notch Visitor Center, meanwhile, won top honors in the day’s cornbread contest.
John Vescera of Worcester, Mass., won the individual award, and the Mount Washington Valley Harley Owners Group (HOG) won the People’s Choice award.
The “best presentation” was awarded to Tuckerman’s at the New England Inn.

New to this year’s cook-off were the cornbread and crazy hat competitions, where the Appalachian Mountain Club Highland Center at Crawford Notch again rocked the competition taking home the award for best cornbread. Sarah Goldstein, family member of owners Linda and John Rafferty of Rafferty’s Restaurant and Pub, took home the prize for craziest hat.
A highlight were workers from the AMC Highland Center who hail from Brazil. They wore traditional costumes to add some color to the well-attended proceedings.
“This was the best attended to date. We think we had over 600 attendees,” said Sirri Grubb of the Mount Washington Valley Chamber. Her comments were shared by events manager Mary Seavey of the chamber.
Event sponsors were Eastern Slope Inn Resort, Flatbread Company, Lakes Region Coca-Cola, Sizzlin Sauces LLC, Waste Management and Zeb’s General Store. Other participants were Coldstone Creamery, The Met Coffeehouse and White Mountain Cupcakery, who provided sweet treats.

Frank Hastings of SOUND-FX provided the karaoke entertainment. Judges were Carey-Ann King, Tom Eastman, Trudy Kasianchuk, Richard Mattei, Tim Remillard, Lisa Somerville, Audley Williams, Corinne Whitaker, Carol Craig and Maureen Seavey. Read the rest of this entry »

by Tom Eastman

JACKSON — Snowmakers have been doing their part at Mount Washington Valley ski areas, and now, just for good measure, so is  a local .

Black Mountain marketing director Lori Pecor said Monday at the sunny start of  Presidents Birthday Week that Sullivan, a local Symmetree Yoga instructor, once again was called upon to give one of her bikini-clad Telemark skiing snow dances Monday afternoon at Black. She did it back at the start of Black’s 75th season in December, and it worked very well. With the recent natural snow drought, however, Pecor and Sullivan figured it was time to do the dance again — so, keep your Telemark ski tips crossed!

“We’re doing our part to get snow in the future for our guests,” laughed Pecor, saying that business has been strong so far this week, with customers appreciating the work of snow groomers and snowmakers.
“This afternoon we had the snow goddess return for an emergency snow dance and we all felt pretty good energy, so we’ll see what happens. “The biggest hit of the week at Black other than the fourth annual chairlift speed dating the day before Valentine’s? Snowcat rides,” said Pecor.

Meanwhile, Jerry Jacobson, general manager of the Eagle Mountain House (383-9000) in Jackson next to the Jackson Ski Touring’s Jackson International Stadium, said he, too, will continue his snow dancing: “I continue to perform a snow dance in the privacy of my home and the details of this will remain a secret,” quipped the ever-quotable Jacobson, adding, “Nevertheless, I am delighted to report seeing a teasing of snowflakes on Sunday and my persuasive energy seems to finally be drawing some much needed snow to our area.”

In all seriousness, local snowmaking and grooming crews have been ruling the day at local areas leading up to this past weekend, when temperatures warmed up, laying down good cover for the vacation week. For further information about ski conditions at local alpine and touring areas, call the Mount Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce at (603) 356-5701 or visit www.mtwashingtonvalley.org.

By Tom Eastman

PINKHAM NOTCH NH— The 10th annual Tuckerman Inferno Pentathlon and Wildcat Wildfire Pentathlon return to Mount Washington Valley Saturday, April 17.

The events are presented by the non-profit, member-supported Friends of Tuckerman Ravine organization based in Madison.
Funds from the races and membership dues help Friends of Tuckerman to preserve and protect the unique alpine and sub-alpine eastern slopes of Mount Washington and work in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service to sustain the traditional uses of this distinctive area.

The events are open to teams, individuals and duos, according to executive director Al Risch.

The Inferno is the more challenging of the two events. Getting under way at 7 a.m., it consists of five legs — an 8.3-mile run, 6-mile kayak, 18-mile bike, 3-mile hike, and 1- mile ski or snowboard, ending in the ravine.

Registration is full for the Inferno limit of 30 teams of five and the 20-field solo TuckerMan class (to get on a stand-by list email to info@friendsoftuckerman.org). It is still open for the 20-female TuckerWomen competition, the all-women class and the duo class.

Registration is also still open for the Wildcat Wildfire. It follows the same format but starts an hour later, and finishes at Wildcat Mountain Ski Area with stunning views of Tuckerman Ravine.

The Wildfire race legs are a 6-mile run, 6-mile kayak, 18-mile bike, 2-mile hike/snowshoe up the Polecat Trail  at Wildcat and a 1.5-mile downhill ski race. The race is open to the same categories as the Tuckerman Inferno. The Wildfire will also feature a Wildfire Ski Club Division. An awards party will follow at the Wildcat Mountain Base Lodge at 5 p.m.

For further information, go to www.friendsoftuckerman.org or call 367-4417.

By Tom Eastman, Conway Daily Sun Feb. 2, 2010

JACKSON NH — It was a sellout Saturday night for the venerable resort’s 75th birthday gala, as the Valley’s Swingtones Big Band played a smooth series of sets that got everyone “In the Mood,” Glenn Miller Orchestra style.
The day’s events included skiing at Black, a dinner, torchlight parade, birthday cake and address by ski historian Ian Scully, who presented a brief overview of Black’s history. Scully is creator of the ski documentary, “Austria’s Influence on American Skiing.” Also featured at Black was the annual N.H. Sanctioned Snow Sculpting.

This year’s 2010 “People’s Choice” was awarded to Greg Grady andStephen Torpazio. First Place was awarded to Jonathan Pullan, StephenPullan and Jay Tremblay, who will be representing New Hampshire at the Nationals in Lake Geneva Wisconsin in 2011. The Pullan brothers — who hail from East Conway — have also won in the past.

TheInvitational first-place winner was awarded to Bryny Urquhart andMolly Urquhart of Maine.

Sunny, affordable and historic, Black Mountain has been a New England tradition since 1935 and, as the marketing director puts it, “continues to walk the very fine line of today and yesterday.” Back when it started, Black was known as Moody’s, as farmer Edwin Moody had his farmhouse which took in some lodgers and a hill behind the house. In 1935, he and local inventor George Morton and Phil Robertson of the local electric company at Goodrich Falls hydro-electric dam put up a tow, and soon skiers were flocking to the place. “Phil [Robertson] needed a day time power customer because they were dealing with hyrdo-electric — that’s part of the story behind the lift at Moody’s. They could not turn off the river, obviously, and it made sense to try and develop a big customer during the day that would counteract the draw they needed for the nighttime when everyone would be turning on their electric lights,” notes Jeff Leich of the New England Ski Museum, who was among the ski luminaries who attended Saturday’s gala.