Crotched Mountain, New Hampshire
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Crotched Mountain Ski & Ride Area is a small ski area on the border between Francestown and Bennington, New Hampshire. USA, that is unusual because it reopened in the 2003-2004 winter after having been closed for 13 years. This bucked a trend in the downhill ski industry, which has seen hundreds of small ski areas close due to high costs and increased competition.
The mountain was bought in 2002 by St. Louis-based Peak Resorts, a company that runs ski areas in the American Midwest. The company spent an estimated $9 million to build a new lodge, install new snowmaking equipment and chairlifts and to recut trails.
Results for the first winter were disappointing, with a reported 40,000 skier visits compared to the hoped-for level of 80,000. Visits rose to 88,000 the second winter (2004-2005), still below the company target.