It turned out a non-skier was just the right person to write the history of the Gunstock Mountain Recreation Area

GILFORD — Carol Lee Anderson, a non-skier who moved to Gilford two decades ago, may not seem like an obvious choice of a person to write the history of the Gunstock Mountain Resort. Sometimes, it seems, it takes the perspective of an outsider to see a story as a whole.

Earlier this year, the History Press published Anderson's book "The History of Gunstock: Skiing in the Belknap Mountains." Response to the book has exceeded Anderson's expectations and she finds herself a sought-after speaker for events and book signings, such as one to be held November 16 at the Gunstock Inn and Fitness Center in Gilford.

"The History of Gunstock" is graced with a forward from Penny Pitou, Olympic medalist and the unofficial first lady of skiing in New Hampshire. Pitou, a Gilford native who learned to ski at the facilities and with the people described in Anderson's book, agreed that the story of Gunstock was waiting for the right author to come along.

Referring to Anderson, Pitou writes in the forward, "I believe that only she could write this book... The task has been a daunting one, but the respect she has for the individuals who make up the history of Gunstock is immense, and it shows."

Anderson came upon the project by happenstance, through the curiosity of her daughter Sarah, who in 2006 became interested in a small, poorly-maintained building standing alongside Cherry Valley Road. Though she was only 10 at the time, Sarah would exhibit the focus and determination of a person many times her age as she spearheaded an effort to restore what the Andersons later learned to be the Gilford Outing Club's old warming hut.

By researching the outing club's hut, Anderson discovered a history that twined around the story of the creation of the Belknap Mountains Recreation Area. Once she got started, she found herself compelled to continue.

"It just blossomed into the wonderful story," she said. "It was a wonderful story, it just wasn't written down." She set about to correct that oversight.

Anderson's interest and growing expertise began to attract attention and she was soon named the first president of the Gunstock Mountain Preservation Society. As the home school teacher for her two children and president of the newly-formed society, the research project was not the only task competing for Anderson's time. However, she found the story rewarding to research, in part due to the many people eager to share stories and old photos.

"Wonderful, wonderful people I've met along the way, it's been a wonderful journey."

Anderson spent five years researching the history, going back to newspaper articles of the 1920s. She spent a year writing the 150-page book, which is illustrated with historic photographs.

The story of Gunstock, Anderson has found, is the story of a group of people who, through work and care, created and developed a publicly-owned institution that today is a treasure for local outdoor enthusiasts and draws visitors in droves to the region. "It showed what volunteers could do and the sense of the community these people had."

Her book tells the story of the development of the infrastructure, including the first ski jump, the first tow rope and the first chair lift, how the lodge was constructed using lumber and stone harvested from the property. It also tells the story of key individuals, such as Fritzie Baer, Gary Allen and the aforementioned. Penny Pitou.

She also tells the story of one of the region's once-celebrated, now-forgotten heroes, Torger Tokle, for whom she dedicated her book. The magnetic Torker was a super star of the ski-jumping world until he was killed on the battlefields of World War II.

"I didn't want people to forget the names of people who worked so hard to bring a recreation area to the Lakes Region," Anderson said. "It's such a big part of people's lives... It means a lot to me, and I don't even ski," she said.

The book was published on October 6, and immediately started selling. She was surprised that there were many people who had pre-ordered the book before it was available, and she said the enthusiastic response she's seen since – many people purchase several at a time – further proves what she's found about the place: there are hundreds for whom Gunstock, or the iterations that came before it, was the setting for dear memories.

Copies of the book can be purchased at the Historic Belknap Mill, Piche's Ski and Sports, Annie's Book Stop, the Gunstock Inn, the retail shop at Gunstock Mountain Resort and at the New England Ski Museum in Franconia.

Researching and writing the book, she said, "has been a wonderful experience... You come over here and everyone's smiling. It seems throughout history, that's the theme for Gunstock."

CAPTION for CAROL ANDERSON in AA:

Carol Lee Anderson of Gilford has seen a warm reception for her book, "The History of Gunstock: Skiing in the Belknap Mountains," which was published last month and is available at several local retailers. (Laconia Daily Sun photo/Adam Drapcho)