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Winter Fun in New Hampshire

© Christina Coruth

"Switzerland of America" is one of the nicknames given to New Hampshire for her beautiful mountainous geography. That geography is perfect for all kinds of winter sports. According to the Office of Travel and Tourism, the state has 21 alpine resorts and 24 cross-country ski areas, as well as more than 6,000 miles of snowmobile trails. Throw in the numerous lakes and ponds that provide skating and ice fishing havens and that adds up to a lot of winter fun!

El Niño and La Niña have wreaked havoc with our snowfall during the past few years. Even the ski areas in the more northern parts of the New Hampshire had fewer visitors in spite of having plenty of natural and man-made snow. This was largely due to the "back yard" effect. People looked out the window and saw little or no snow in their own yards. Therefore, they tended not to get that urge to hit the slopes and trails.

The 2000 - 2001 winter season is shaping up much better. Significant snow fell before Christmas and the temperatures fell, as well. The last couple of weeks have seen more snow and coldness with predictions of even more. We've got a good solid winter going. That's good news for a state where winter sports not only entertain the local folks, but also draw in tourists from all over the world.

Winter sports have a long history in the Granite State. Peckett's-on-Sugar-Hill in Franconia was the first resort ski school started in the United States during the 1929 - 1930 season. The 1930's also saw Hannes Schneider techniques, which transformed and modernized downhill skiing, taught on Mt. Cranmore. Much earlier, in 1892, a group of men started what is thought to be the oldest ski club in the USA in Berlin, New Hampshire. Originally known as the Berlin Ski Club, it was later renamed the Nansen Ski Club in honor of Fridtjof Nansen, the Norwegian explorer noted for crossing Greenland on skis.

While many folks stick to the traditional winter sports of skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, dog sledding, snowmobiling, and ice fishing, others have found interesting ways to liven up these winter sports even more. Here's a small sampling of the events taking place this winter in New Hampshire:

January 27 - Winter Carnival, Merrimack, NH
February 2, 3, & 4 - The Winni Ice Derby is a major attraction. Big fish caught on Winnipesauke net big prizes.

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Snowman by Hannah

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