History of Cranmore

North Conway businessman Harvey Dow Gibson had cleared the first trails on the slopes of Mount Cranmore during the summer of 1937. Two years later, Hannes Schneider "the father of American skiing" made his first turns on the South Slope and began a skiing revolution.

Part of Cranmore's history began in Austria , Schneider's home. An outspoken critic of the Nazis, Schneider was stripped of his influential title as head of all of Austria 's ski instructors after Hitler annexed Austria in 1938. After being placed under house arrest, Schneider fled to America and his new home of North Conway .

Gibson worked hard to bring Schneider to the Mount Washington Valley and saw him as instrumental in establishing Cranmore as a world-class skiing destination. Schneider received a hero's welcome upon arriving in North Conway. Schneider and his entire family left the train and walked under an archway of ski poles, held by 150 schoolchildren enrolled in the Eastern Slope Ski Club Junior Program. After lunch, Schneider made his first turns at his new home. "Well, Herbert," Schneider said to his son, "It's not St. Anton, but we're going to love it here." From that moment on, Schneider and Gibson worked to build Cranmore into a premier ski resort destination.

Schneider put Cranmore and North Conway on the skiing map. Skiing had been established in the Mount Washington Valley at Whitneys' Slope in Jackson and the old Wildcat Trail in Pinkham Notch. Schneider's arrival, however, elevated North Conway 's reputation and made Cranmore the place to ski in the East. Using his natural skill and vast knowledge acquired in his years of teaching in Austria, Schneider developed a ski school at Cranmore and taught his Arlberg technique to students from across the globe. Together with Gibson, Schneider laid the plans for the growth of Cranmore, which began with the expansion to the summit of the mountain and the completion of the already-famous Skimobile.

NEW historical photo gallery! - featuring photos submitted by Cranmore skiers and riders.

Photos Courtesy of the North Conway Public Library.