NORTH CONWAY, NH — For the first time since the 1980s, the Gibson Cabin at the summit of Cranmore Mountain Resort is open to the public. Built in 1939 as a private retreat for Cranmore founder Harvey Dow Gibson, the cabin has reopened as a historical exhibit that tells the story of the mountain and the people who helped shape it.
The Gibson Cabin exhibit is open daily throughout the summer, then Thursday–Sunday after Labor Day through mid-October, adjacent to the Meister Hut. Visitors can ride the Scenic Chairlift to the summit, explore the cabin, view its original stone fireplace, and see one of Cranmore's iconic Skimobile cars up close. The resort is also exploring opportunities to incorporate the space into future winter experiences.
Gibson built the cabin above the Ledges and Koessler trails as a quiet retreat for himself and his wife, Helen. According to local lore, however, he spent only one night there before deciding to summon a Skimobile to return him to the base area. Helen found a more practical use for the space, hosting lunches and gatherings for friends and guests for years afterward. By the 1960s, the cabin had been converted into storage.
During the winter of 1986–87, the building briefly reopened as the Gibson-Schneider Ski Museum, curated by Herbert Schneider, son of Hannes Schneider, the Austrian ski pioneer whom Gibson brought to Cranmore in 1939 after Schneider fled Nazi-controlled Austria. Later that year, the museum was relocated to the Main Base Lodge, and the cabin remained vacant until now.
Today, the restored cabin serves as an exhibit space dedicated to preserving and sharing Cranmore's history, highlighting the vision, innovation, and determination that helped establish North Conway as one of the country's most influential ski destinations.
"Harvey Gibson and Hannes Schneider didn't just build a ski area; they built a community that has helped define skiing in North Conway for nearly 90 years," said Ben Wilcox, president and general manager of Cranmore Mountain Resort. "Reopening the Gibson Cabin gives us an opportunity to share that story in the place where so much of it happened. We want guests to connect with the people, ideas and experiences that made Cranmore what it is today."
About Cranmore Mountain Resort
Cranmore Mountain Resort has been part of North Conway, New Hampshire's ski history since 1938, when founder Harvey Dow Gibson opened the mountain with a single rope tow. Today, Cranmore offers over 170 acres of skiable terrain, a 1,200-foot vertical drop and a Mountain Adventure Park that runs through the summer with biking, tubing, a mountain coaster and the Scenic Chairlift to the summit. Cranmore is part of the Fairbank Group, which also includes Jiminy Peak in Massachusetts and Bromley Mountain in Vermont. Learn more at cranmore.com.