Gorham, New Hampshire — It appears as though the gondola era at Wildcat Mountain has officially ended.
Yesterday, Wildcat Mountain announced that they’re auctioning off the gondola cabins that were used for summer operations until 2019. The auction will begin on September 21st at 11 am EST and conclude on September 22nd at 11 am EST. The cabins have dimensions of 67” W x 66″H x 46″D and approximately 900 pounds in weight. If you win one of the cabins, you must pick it up on-site on September 28th from 10 am – 2pm. A key thing to note: THESE ARE NOT THE OG EGG CABINS.
For the first several decades of Wildcat’s existence, the summit was serviced by a gondola. The two-person gondola, which operated from the 1957-58 season to the winter of 1998-99, became one of the symbols of New England skiing. You can find those gondola cabins scattered across the Mt. Washington Valley.
It was replaced by the Wildcat Express, which opened during the 1997-98 season. According to New England Ski History, the gondola cabins, which were originally from Whistler, were purchased a few years after opening. During the winter, it was a quad chairlift. In the summertime, they would take the chairs off and place gondola cabins onto the line.
While some may be bummed about the end of this era, I don’t mind it too much. I personally prefer summer scenic chairlift rides over gondolas. Why? I’ll elaborate in a future post.
Image/Video Credits: Wildcat Mountain
