New Hampshire, Usa
Cranmore Mountain
200 acres, 57 runs in North Conway. Historic Skimobile heritage, family-friendly White Mountains skiing.
Season 2025 - 2026
Opens
6 Dec 2025
Closes
5 Apr 2026
Days open
120
Annual snow
4ft
The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Cranmore Mountain's summit reaches 2,000 feet, dropping roughly 1,200 vertical feet to a base at 600 feet across 57 runs spread over 200 acres in North Conway, New Hampshire. Terrain splits 44 per cent intermediate and 28 per cent each for beginner and advanced, with no expert-rated runs, and average annual snowfall of roughly 45 inches. Nine lifts, including two quad chairs and two triple chairs, serve the mountain alongside one double chair, three surface lifts and one t-bar.
Cranmore holds a storied place in American ski history, having pioneered one of the sport's most distinctive early lift technologies and helped establish North Conway as a genuine skiing destination. Its historic Skimobile Road, still bearing the name of the resort's famous vintage lift, remains a visible link to this heritage today.
Local businessman Harvey Gibson founded Cranmore, opening the resort for the 1937-38 season with a single rope tow after purchasing land parcels on the mountain's west side. For the 1938-39 season, Gibson introduced the Skimobile, a distinctive lift consisting of 60 small cars travelling on a wooden track, designed by area mechanic George Morton, which carried skiers from the base to roughly halfway up the mountain. In 1939, at Gibson's invitation, prominent Austrian skier Hannes Schneider moved to Cranmore after being briefly imprisoned in Austria for his anti-Nazi views, and Schneider's arrival spurred further expansion, including a second Skimobile stage to the summit and additional trails.
The Skimobile operated as a beloved, if unusual, piece of Cranmore's identity for decades before being fully abandoned by 1988, giving way to more conventional chairlift infrastructure. Adult daily tickets run from 79 to 109 US dollars, with a discounted beginner-terrain-only ticket also available.
1,401ft
Vertical
57
Runs
200 acres
Skiable
4ft
Annual snow
The Terrain
57 runs across 200 acres skiable
Cranmore Mountain spreads 57 runs across 200 acres skiable of terrain. It leans intermediate at 44%, with 16 beginner runs to find your feet and 16 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
Terrain split
57
runs
57 runs across 4 grades
Beginner16 runs · 28%
Intermediate25 runs · 44%
Advanced16 runs · 28%
Expert0 runs · 0%
Time it right
When to visit Cranmore Mountain
The 2025-26 season at Cranmore Mountain ran from 6 December 2025 to 5 April 2026, a roughly seventeen-week season supported by average annual snowfall of around 45 inches. Extensive snowmaking supplements natural snowfall considerably, supporting consistent conditions throughout the season given the resort's comparatively modest natural totals.
Midwinter, from December through February, typically brings the most consistent conditions to Cranmore's intermediate-weighted terrain. Given the resort's location in North Conway, a considerable regional tourism hub, Cranmore draws strong visitation from visitors combining skiing with the area's well-known tax-free outlet shopping.
As an independently operated resort offering its own daily tickets alongside White Mountain Super Pass access, Cranmore's visitor base draws heavily from families and beginner-to-intermediate skiers given the resort's terrain profile and learning-focused amenities, including the Mountain Adventure Park. School holiday periods bring substantial family visitation given this accessible terrain mix.
Specific event programming beyond standard operations and the Mountain Adventure Park is not confirmed in available resort information. Cranmore's history, dating to Harvey Gibson's 1937 founding and the Austrian influence brought by Hannes Schneider in 1939, continues to inform its identity as one of North Conway's most historic ski destinations. The resort's family-friendly, accessible character remains central to its seasonal appeal.
Season 2025 - 2026
6 Dec 2025
Opens
5 Apr 2026
Closes
120
Days open
4 ft
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to Cranmore Mountain, and where to stay
Cranmore Mountain sits in North Conway, New Hampshire, in the heart of the Mount Washington Valley, with a base elevation of 600 feet and a summit at 2,000 feet across a roughly 1,200-foot vertical drop over 200 acres. This setting places the resort within one of New England's most popular tourism destinations.
North Conway itself offers extensive lodging, dining and the region's well-known tax-free outlet shopping, all within a short walk or drive of the resort. The broader Mount Washington Valley surrounds Cranmore with additional attractions and outdoor recreation options across the White Mountains region.
New Hampshire State Route 16 provides direct access to the resort through the centre of North Conway. Winter driving conditions on this route can include snow and ice, though the well-travelled state highway is regularly maintained given the area's status as a major regional tourism destination. There is no direct public transport service to the resort, though North Conway's walkable village centre reduces the need for driving once visitors arrive.
Specific nearest commercial airport details are not confirmed in available resort information, though Cranmore's North Conway location keeps it within a reasonable drive of the greater Boston metropolitan area's major airports for visitors travelling from further afield.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Cranmore Mountain, powered by Stay22.
Latest News
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Lift system
Cranmore Mountain runs nine lifts: one double chair, two quad chairs, two triple chairs, three surface lifts and one t-bar, serving 57 runs across 200 acres in North Conway. This modern lift network has entirely replaced the resort's once-famous Skimobile, a distinctive piece of early American ski lift history.
The Skimobile, introduced for the 1938-39 season and designed by area mechanic George Morton, consisted of 60 small cars travelling on a wooden track from the base roughly halfway up the mountain. Following Austrian skier Hannes Schneider's arrival in 1939, a second Skimobile stage extended the lift to the summit, unlocking considerably more terrain for the resort's growing visitor base.
The Skimobile continued operating for decades as a beloved curiosity among Cranmore's lift offerings before being fully abandoned by 1988, after which conventional chairlift infrastructure took over serving the mountain. The quad chairs and triple chairs now distribute the bulk of skier traffic across Cranmore's intermediate-weighted terrain.
The double chair, surface lifts and t-bar serve beginner and learning areas near the base, supporting the resort's family-friendly, learn-to-ski focus. Specific recent individual lift replacement projects beyond the Skimobile's retirement are not confirmed in available resort information. Cranmore's Skimobile Road still bears the name of this pioneering lift, a lasting reminder of the resort's place in ski history.
9lifts across 5 types
2
Quad Chairs
2
Triple Chairs
1
Double Chair
1
T-Bar
3
Surface Lifts
Cranmore Mountain lift system
Cranmore Mountain is served by 9 lifts, listed here by type. Check which lifts are turning against the live conditions before you plan your first laps - early lifts and high-speed chairs get you to the best snow fastest.
More Cranmore Mountain intelligence: trail map, snow report, webcams, resort overview.