During the 2025-26 season, Loon Mountain plans to open a new gondola. However, it’s not at the location that you would expect.
Last Friday, the New Hampshire ski resort announced that it will install a pulse gondola connecting the Riverwalk Resort to the Escape Route Parking Lot B, next to Loon Mountain’s new terrain expansion: Timbertown. The Doppelmayr pulse-movement fixed-grip gondola will travel 1,300 feet and have twelve Omega IV cabins. A pulse gondola is where a group of cabins, in this case, three of them, travel together. The gondolas stay with each other during the journey on the haul rope and arrive at the terminals simultaneously. Each cabin will be able to fit eight passengers.
It’s expected to open during the 2025-26 season, with construction scheduled for next year. Guest access and operating hours have yet to be determined, but it’s possible that it could operate in the evenings.
The project is a collaboration between Loon, Riverwalk, and South Peak Resort. Riverwalk Resort at Loon Mountain is a growing hotel near South Peak, currently in phase two of its development. South Peak Resort is a real estate development that has been happening for years, as homes and condos have sprouted up around the base of this part of Loon.
Brian Norton, Loon’s president and general manager, explained in the press release that this project has been dreamt of for decades:
“Innovation and access are areas we continue to focus on. This lift has been long dreamt of—dating back to the late ‘80s—and would not be possible without collaboration with RiverWalk and South Peak resorts. ”
The reaction from guests to this new gondola has been mixed. Some are annoyed that this is the priority for Loon when other lift upgrades are desired more. Others want to see Loon to more action on their parking issues, as traffic jams have become an issue for them during weekends. For the first few years, this isn’t going to be used a lot, as most of the clientele will be guests staying at the Riverwalk. However, Loon argues that this is a signature project that will help them begin its work on a base village at South Peak.
Mark Bogosian, developer at South Peak Resort, said the following in the press release about the importance of this new gondola:
“This is a keystone project for us. Partnering with Loon and RiverWalk on this lift demonstrates our collective commitment to expand the offerings in this great town of Lincoln.”
A South Peak Village will transform what is currently parking lots for Loon. If built, some of the plans for the village will include a fitness center, spa, sports courts, ice skating rinks, a member’s clubhouse, bars, restaurants, and more real estate developments. In addition, another terrain expansion is planned. Not much is known about this expansion, but it’s being referred to as Westward.
I think this would have been a better project to do five years from now, as it seems like this lift is premature. I believe that Loon’s lift priority right now should be replacing the White Mountain Express with a higher-capacity gondola. Man, those things are so cramped. Otherwise, Loon’s lift infrastructure is more modern than other New Hampshire mountains.
It should be noted that Loon plans to replace the North Peak, Lincoln Express, and White Mountain Express lifts in the future.
We’ll see what other lift projects are on the horizon for Loon and whether this project was a premature addition.
Image/Video Credits: Loon Mountain Resort, South Peak Resort
