LINCOLN, New Hampshire — Loon Mountain will celebrate its annual Independence Weekend on Saturday, January 13 through Monday, January 15. This weekend-long celebration started over 15 years ago as a recognition of Loon’s snowmaking team and their ability to blanket the mountain with fresh snow when Mother Nature fell behind. With a variety of special events scheduled for the long holiday weekend, Loon will also celebrate 40 years as New Hampshire’s most-popular winter vacation destination.

The celebration will kick off Saturday with day and night tubing, free snowcat rides for kids in the afternoon from 4:30 p.m. – 6:45 p.m., a WAAF Radio Promo from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. and a Long Trail apr??s-ski promo in Babe’s Lounge and the Paul Bunyan Room for those over 21. The slopes will glow outside of the Governors Lodge at 7 p.m. with a torch light parade and will be immediately followed by a spectacular fireworks show sponsored by American Thunder.

Uncle Sam, a 10-foot-tall skiing spectacle, will take to the slopes and join the festivities Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday night, the sweet sounds of The Wicked Smart Horn Band will rock Babe’s Lounge from 8 p.m. – 11 p.m. Tickets are available for adults 21+ for $10 at Babe’s, any ticket window or snowsports desk and doors will open at 7:30 p.m.

All weekend long, guests can participate in the $40 Gift Card Scavenger Hunt. Forty, $40 gift card certificates will be hidden throughout the mountain and it’s up to guests to find and redeem them at the Octagon Snowsports Desk. Gift cards can be used for numerous products throughout the mountain including rentals, lessons, tickets, food, ice skating, tubing and more.

“Celebrating 40 years of ski area operation is a very exciting milestone that we are all proud to be a part of here at Loon,” said General Manager Rick Kelley. “Celebrating our anniversary at the same time as Independence Weekend will make this a very special weekend not to be missed at Loon!”

Loon Mountain History
Founded by Sherman Adams, former New Hampshire Governor and Chief of Staff to President Eisenhower, the Loon Mountain Corporation was established in 1966. Loon opened for business on December 27, 1966, and over 30,000 skier visits were recorded by that season’s end. Two years later the East Basin was opened with its own chair lift and challenged even expert skiers. This helped establish Loon Mountain’s reputation of “having something for every skier.”

Throughout the 1980’s, Loon nearly doubled its size with more novice and intermediate terrain in the West Basin, along with additional expert trails on North Peak. Forty years after Adams recognized the potential that Loon Mountain held as a ski area, his legacy continues and the celebration begins.

In November 2005, Loon initiated it’s much anticipated South Peak expansion that will add new lifts, more skiing and riding terrain and create a premier ski-in, ski-out resort community. South Peak will open in December of 2007, with a brand-new, high-speed quad and 40-acres of new intermediate and advanced terrain.

For events information or current snow conditions, please call 1-800-229-LOON (5666) or visit www.loonmtn.com.