Learn to Ski - Lakes & Mountains NH

Winter is a wonderful time to bring your family to the Lakes & Mountains of New Hampshire. With awesome views of the Lakes and White Mountains, affordable family friendly lodging and now reduced rates on learner slopes -- Central New Hampshire is THE Learn to Ski Destination.

Gunstock Mountain Resort - Mountain Magic
(Gilford, NH) Gunstock invites all new skiers and riders to join the nationally recognized and award winning learn to ski or ride program - Mountain Magic. Whether you are 6 or 106, your first day is magical. This all-inclusive package offers Head BYS System rental skis and/ or Burton LTR Boards, lift tickets, and instruction from patient, fun, and passionate instructors. Three Day Package for just $180 - 3 days of lift tickets, lessons and rental equipment for ages 6 and up.
After your third lesson you receive your "Magic Card" to get 50% off all followup lessons and rental equipment for the current season; $15 off any helmet and 20% off ski wear in the Mountainside Outfitters retail shop; and your choice of either 50% off on prime time or night lift tickets purchased during the current season OR $149 Season Pass valid to the end of the current season. Single Day Mountain Magic $90. 800-GUNSTOCK www.gunstock.com

King Pine Ski Resort - Master the Mountain
(East Madison, NH) Our popular "Master the Mountain" complete learn-to-ski/learn-to-ride package is back for 2008/09!
Learn on your own terms with this flexible 3-session learning package. Packages are geared for first-timers and beginners, and include 3 rentals, 3 lessons and 3 lift tickets. When you learn is up to you-- take one now, one in a couple of weeks and one later - it's up to you! Adult $158 / Junior (ages 8-12) $134 | (800) 373-3754 www.kingpine.com

Loon Mountain Ski School & Learning Area
(Lincoln, NH) Novice Ticket for lower mountain learning area is only $39 for a full day and $34 for a half day. It includes the carpet lift, Kissing Cousin double chair and Little Sister double chair. Skiers over 80 and under 6 ski free.
Loon Mountain group ski and snowboard lessons for kids and young teens are all about learning, having fun, friendship, and winter adventure. All children's groups are carefully designed for levels 1-5, and are formed daily by ability. Coaches are trained in child-specific teaching techniques that are innovative and fun. Safety is always a focus as they use games and terrain features to develop skills on the mountain. Ages 3-6 Full day lift/lesson/lunch $115; Half day am/pm - lift/lesson $85. (603) 745-8111 www.loonmtn.com

Cannon Mountain's Tuckerbrook Learning Area
(Franconia Notch, NH) Tuckerbrook is not just for kids; 4 lifts, and 13 trails were designed and built just for families, learning, and for those who want a relaxed skiing or riding experience apart from the "big mountain".
From the wide open slope Brookside slope to the easy trees of Robin's Nest, there's plenty of terrain here for just about any skier or rider. The Snowsport School is located along the side of the Brookside slope, and has a magic carpet lift for their programs. The cost for Tuckerbrook is only $32 per ticket. Kids under 5 are free with a paid adult.
Cannon Mountain Snowsports School has excellent programs for kids that will keep them engaged and get them skiing and riding! Half day programs start at $64 and full day programs start at $85. 603-823-7771 www.cannonmt.com

Ragged Mountain - To the Top, Intro Skiing & Riding
(Danbury, NH) Ragged Mountain is determined to get you "To-the-Top" by your third lesson, or sooner, with our To-the-Top Learn to Ski and Ride Program. We've created an experience for beginners that most mountains are not able to deliver including top of the mountain views, lunch at our mid-mountain restaurant and the thrill of making it from top to bottom. The To-the-Top Program is created for those learning to ski or ride over the age of 13.
One lesson is just $59 and a package of three lessons is $159. Both options include lift ticket, rentals, and a 2 hour lesson. At the completion of the third lesson discounts on season passes will be made available or Ragged Mountain will provide you with a free one-day lift ticket. Lesson times are at 9:45am, 12noon and 1pm. Learning programs for all ages available! www.raggedmountainresort.com Lift Tickets for under 6 are Free.

Tenney Mountain - Learn to Ski or Snowboard
(Plymouth, NH) Learn to ski or snowboard package - $60
A complete package for first time skiers or snowboarders. This package includes a 1 1/2 hour novice lesson, ski or snowboard equipment rentals and a 1-day novice-area* lift ticket. For ages 6 and older. Classes start at 9:30 am, 11:30 am or 1:30 pm. *May be upgraded to an all-mountain lift ticket for $10 weekdays or $18 weekends.
Group lessons for ski or snowboard - $30
Ski or snowboard lessons for all ability levels in a group setting usually with 8 or fewer people. Learn new skills or hone up on previous skills. For ages 6 and older.
888-289-1020 tenneymtn.com

Wildcat - Learn to Ski or the Next One is FREE
(Pinkham Notch, NH) Learn to Ski / Ride / Tele Beginner Package
(ages 13+) This fun and relaxed introduction to the sport includes lesson, rental and a full day Snow Cat lift ticket. We encourage all participants to register early and be ready a half-hour prior to lesson start times. Only $69. Upgrade to an all mountain PM ticket for just $20.
We GUARANTEE if you are not able to make a run on our Snowcat Beginner Area by the end of the first lesson, then you will receive another Learn-to-Ski for FREE! 888-SKI WILD www.skiwildcat.com


Bretton Woods at the Mount Washington Resort
(Bretton Woods, NH) Lift tickets for the Learning Center Quad at Bretton Woods is just $15.
Children ages 4 & under always ski or ride free at Bretton Woods with paying adult! 603.278.3303 www.mountwashingtonresort.com

Win $10,000! and Play at the Lake!

Each ticket will give you 2 admissions to the Wild, Wild West Showdown party including the silent auction, plenty of hot and heavy hors d'oeuvres featuring Wild West Cookin', Live Entertainment, entry into the multiple raffles drawn each hour and one $10,000 Sweepstakes by the Lake Entry to be drawn at the end of the evening.

Tickets are ONLY $100 per couple - cheaper than dinner and show and way more fun! Can't come? Go in on a ticket with friends - you don't need to be there to win the $10,000 Sweepstakes by the Lake Grand Prize.

Get your ticket today. Only 300 will be sold!

To purchase ticket(s) contact the Lakes Region Association office at (603) 286-8008 or purchase online. You must be 21 to purchase a ticket.

The funds that we raise allow the Lakes Region Association to increase our marketing and promotion of the entire region and contribute to the Annual Mildred A. Beach Hospitality Scholarship and the Ron Meade "On the Track to Tourism" Scholarship.

Lakes Region Public Access TV Debuts Lakes Region Cooking Show

Laconia NH – LRPA TV continues to expand its presentation of the breadth of Lakes Region activities and programs with the kick off of A Taste of the Lakes Region, to be televised for the first time, Wednesday, February 18th.

The program is a collaboration of Lakes Region Association member restaurants and the Lakes Region Community College's Hospitality Program.
On camera, Chef Nicole Barreira, Special Events Chef for Great New Hampshire Restaurants, shared the secrets of preparing Cactus Jack's signature dishes, such as Seafood Gumbo and North Country Smokehouse Andouille Sausage with LRCC culinary students Chris Young, Matthew O’Brian and Patrick Ferland.
Organized by the Lakes Region Association and filmed by LRPA TV at Cactus Jack’s Great West Grill and Watering Hole, this first of a series provided hands on learning and networking opportunities for the Lakes Region Community College’s Hospitality program students.
The series debuts on Wednesday at 5pm and continues Thursdays at 8pm, Fridays at 2am and 12 noon, Saturdays at 6:30pm, Mondays at 5:30am and 8pm, and Tuesdays at 10am on LRPA TV, Metrocast Cable channel 25. These air times will be reserved for the ongoing cooking series. Lakes Region Public Access channels reach ten communities and more than 32,000 households.
The recently filmed second program in the Cooking Show series, features students, Chris Young and Matthew O’Brien, learning how to prepare T-Bone’s Great American Eatery favorite, Baked Stuffed Scallops Mornay and Montreal Grilled Salmon.
LRCC culinary coordinator, Patrick Hall said of the series “ We are excited at this great opportunity for students to learn recipes and techniques from local professionals.”
Denise Beauchaine, LRPA TV Executive Director says “this genre is a foray into new territory for us. All in all, it’s a win-win for everybody involved. We welcome the community’s feedback to the series.”
The Lakes Region Association's mission to promote the region as a year-round visitor destination, coupled with the Lakes Region Community College’s qualitative and quantitative expansion, come together with programming such as the cooking show. With it, Lakes Region Public Access TV continues to further its program offerings to it’s membership in Alton, Belmont, Deerfield, Franklin, Gilford, Laconia, Meredith, Northfield, Northwood and Tilton, as well as providing information for visitors to the community.

Wild Encounters Day at Lebanon High School

HOLDERNESS, N.H. – Though a huge variety of creatures inhabit the wild spaces and backyards of New Hampshire, few people have been close to a live Beaver or looked into the fire-orange eyes of a Great Horned Owl. Wild Encounters Day 2009, on Sunday, March 8 at Lebanon High School, will provide Upper Valley residents the rare opportunity to experience an up-close visit with native New Hampshire wildlife from the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center.

Beginning at 1:00 p.m., live animal programs will be presented by Science Center naturalists every 20 minutes. The final talk begins at 3:30 p.m. Visitors may come for the whole event, or drop-in to learn more about their favorite animals.

Animals at this year’s Wild Encounters Day include the Great Horned Owl, Snakes, Beaver, and Opossum. In addition to the presentations, there will be displays and hands-on exhibits that encourage exploration and learning. Attendees can also learn about upcoming programs at the Science Center, meet Science Center staff and volunteers, pick up membership materials and hear about the upcoming season at the Science Center.

Admission to the event is FREE and reservations are not required. The event will be held in the Lebanon High School cafeteria, located at 84 Hanover Street in Lebanon, NH.

About Squam Lakes Natural Science Center

The mission of the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center is to advance understanding of ecology by exploring New Hampshire’s natural world. Through spectacular live animal exhibits, natural science education programs, and lake cruises, the Science Center has educated and enlightened visitors for forty years about the importance of our natural world. The Squam Lakes Natural Science Center is located on Route 113 in downtown Holderness, exit 24 off I-93, and is open daily from May 1 through November 1. For further information about the Center, call 603-968-7194 or visit www.nhnature.org.

Gunstock's Classic Vintage Weekend

Gunstock has been at the center of motorcycle activities since the first Laconia Classic was run at the Gilford resort in 1938. Now in its 80th season, bike week continues to focus on the Gilford resort as it continues to draw thousands of motorcyclists for its Belknap Classic Vintage Race and the Gunstock Motorcycle Hillclimb.

Gunstock's Vintage Weekend starts out the motorcycle mania with two days of festivities on June 7-8. Starting out the commemoration on Saturday will be a Vintage Swapmeet which attracts bike and restoration aficionados for its eclectic mix of parts, pieces and personalities. The swapmeet shares the Saturday billing with the Belknap Vintage Bike Show & Observed Trials, the Trials being a test of motorcycling skill over the most rugged terrain imaginable including logs, stumps, boulders and stream beds. The Vintage Trials event has international sanctioning and competitors from Europe are expected. Admission for the Saturday event is only $10 and gates open at 8am.

On Sunday of Vintage Weekend, the mountains around Gunstock will reverberate with the sound of motorcycles dating from the 1930's thru the 1960's racing around the old Laconia Classic road course as the AMA/USCRA sanctioned Belknap Classic Vintage Race gets underway. Featuring the classic marquees of the era including Harleys, Indians, Ducattis, Triumphs, Nortons and others, the intense racing action makes for an exciting day at the track. Another spectator favorite is the sidecar races that feature a two-person team, the driver and "monkey" as they use their weight to negotiate the curvy track. Sunday's Classic Race admission is $20. A special weekend ticket is $20. Kids 10 and under are free with a paying adult. No coolers over 14" or glass bottles will be admitted into the event and no pets are allowed. The gates open on Sunday at 8am, practice starts at 10am and racing action begins at 1pm.

The annual Gunstock Motorcycle Hillclimb gets off to a rip roaring, full throttle start at 10:00am on June 11th. This year's event will feature 200 competitors (two runs each) as successful riders maneuvere their machines to the top of the steep 70 meter ski jump landing hill while the remaining riders provide non-stop thrills, chills and spills that are guaranteed to keep the crowd roaring. Featuring a variety of classes the Gunstock Motorcycle Hillclimb has attracted a growing crowd of spectators who appreciate its excitement. The gates open at 8am and admission is $10. No coolers over 14" or glass bottles will be admitted into the event and no pets are allowed.

More information on the Motorcycle Classic Vintage Weekend or the Motorcycle Hillclimb is available at 800-GUNSTOCK (293-4341 in the local calling area) or by clicking on www.gunstock.com. Gunstock is located on Route 11A in Gilford, NH.