Gunstock sees record-setting day amid sun, plentiful snow

GILFORD — Tom Day, the new president and general manager at Gunstock Mountain Resort, sat at his desk Wednesday and looked out at a blue, sunny sky over a mountain full of snow — the kind of conditions that makes people want to click into their bindings and take on a few trails.

But instead of skiing, he was looking at various facts and figures as he acclimates to his new job leading the venerable county-owned ski area.

One fact jumped out.

“Sunday was a record day for us, historically a record day in terms of skier visits,” he said.

There was a big dump of snow the night before, so there was plenty of fresh powder for skiers on the Sunday of Martin Luther King Jr. weekend.

“The snow and sunny weather got everybody out,” Day said. “Even though it was busy, everybody was happy because it was good skiing. There were a lot of happy, satisfied skiers and riders here.”

Stephan Nix, chairman of the Gunstock Area Commission, said he was also at the ski area over the weekend.

“I was interacting with the guests on the slopes who were all enjoying the area,” he said. “It was a blue sky day, mild temps and fresh snow. A real trifecta.”

Day said he did not have exact numbers of skier visits for the MLK holiday or for the winter break, but said business was strong for both key periods. If the numbers are good for the February school break, the overall season will be a success.

A lot depends on the weather.

“In the ski business, Mother Nature is your boss and she can be a tough boss,” he said.

Like farmers, ski area operators depend on getting the right weather at the right time — snowfall and cold temperatures that permit snowmaking operations.

“We are essentially snow farmers,” Day said. “We grow and groom the snow. We create huge piles of it and push it all out.”

When the season is over, Gunstock has other attractions to lure people.

“Visitation here in the summer is huge,” Day said. “You want to be able to offer a fun experience.”

There is a Mountain Coaster, ropes courses, hiking and other attractions, not the least of which is a lift ride to the top of the mountain, where the view of Lake Winnipesaukee is breathtaking.

Day was hired by the Gunstock Area Commission, which runs the ski area. He began as president and general manager on Jan. 15, succeeding longtime GM Greg Goddard, who has retired.

Day said that, before he was hired, he was semi-retired, dividing his time between the Northeast in the summers and Utah in the winter, where he worked for MountainGuard, an insurance provider to the ski industry.

He said the insurance job put him in position to see best practices at dozens of ski areas.

Starting in 2014, he worked for 18 months as general manager of the Hooksett Welcome Centers.

Day began his career in the ski industry as a lift attendant at Waterville Valley Resort, worked his way up to director of mountain operations and in 1997 was named vice president and general manager.

He left Waterville in 2010 and became chairman of the board of Dome Industries, a manufacturing business in Warwick, Rhode Island.

He grew up in Falmouth, Maine, and Londonderry and attended Manchester Memorial High School and Plymouth State College.