The area has not operated since the onset of COVID-19 and the death of its founder.
Tuesday, December 7, 2021, NewEnglandSkiIndustry.com
Granite Gorge is unlikely to reopen for skiing this winter, the Keene Sentinel reports.
As previously reported on NewEnglandSkiIndustry.com last month, Granite Gorge's web site and e-mail address are no longer functional.
Reopened in 2003 on the site of the former Pinnacle ski area east of Keene, Granite Gorge perhaps peaked in around 2011, when a chairlift was in operation with snowmaking and night skiing. Financial and equipment struggles resulted in operations being limited to surface lifts in recent years. Owner Fred Baybutt passed away unexpectedly in early August 2020, leaving the future of the ski area in doubt. Granite Gorge did not operate during the winter of 2020-21.
According to the Sentinel, Baybutt's brother John owns the defunct ski area and has "pretty much decided to move on from it." Choosing to enjoy retirement, Baybutt had lined up a tubing operator earlier this year, but "right now, we're kind of on hold."
