Granite Gorge’s history has been an interesting one. The mountain opened up as “The Pinnacle” in the 1959-60 season, but then closed in 1977 due to a lack of snowmaking, subpar winters, and poor infrastructure. The land sat vacant until 1999 when Baybutt Construction bought the land and started work on reopening it. The mountain reopened as a snow tubing and rope tow operation in 2003. A double chairlift was added in 2005 and helped create a major terrain expansion.
The last ten years of the operation of the mountain were disastrous. The mountain faced foreclosure in 2013 but was able to manage its way around it. In 2016, multiple mechanical issues caused their chairlift to roll back, causing two chairs to ram into each other. Two people needed to be taken to the hospital, but no serious injuries were reported. In 2019, their summer camp license was revoked after children weren’t supervised by lifeguards while swimming, and the counselors lacked the proper experience to run the camp. The mountain faced yet another auction in 2019, but the owners got out of this situation by “meeting the bank’s terms and paying those taxes.” After the pandemic shut down operations in March 2020, the place hasn’t opened since. It wasn’t the biggest ski area in the region, but it’s a loss for Keene area residents, especially schoolkids and Keene State students, who are looking for a quick commute to some turns in. While Granite Gorge has made a comeback before, it looks its days may be numbered.