Winter Fun

Bretton Woods is auctioning off 50 vintage chairlifts for its 50th anniversary

Bidding ends March 4.

The chairs on auction are from the original Bretton Woods "B-Lift." Courtesy of Omni Mount Washington Resort

February 9, 2024

1 minute to read

Bretton Woods Ski Area and Omni Mount Washington Resort are auctioning off a piece of ski history this season. Well, pieces.

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An online auction of 50 vintage chairs, called “Lift Up Our Community,” is underway in celebration of the ski area’s 50th anniversary. The auction began in November and bidding ends March 4.

Bids for the chairs start at $500 and the money raised will benefit 50 local and regional organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club of the North Country, Conway Area Humane Society, Mount Washington Observatory, NH Food Bank, and more.

Bretton Woods is New Hampshire’s largest ski area, with 464 acres of skiing and riding, 63 trails, 35 glades, and 10 lifts, including four high-speed quads and the Bretton Woods Skyway Gondola.

The chairs on auction are from the original Bretton Woods “B-Lift,” retired in 2018 to make way for the gondola.

“The two-person fixed-grip chairlift was originally manufactured by Heron Poma in 1973 and installed that same year at the Bretton Woods Ski Area,” wrote Bretton Woods on its website. “For nearly 45 years, the B-Lift gave skiers and eventually snowboarders access to trails partway up the summit, most notably as a streamline to the race course and terrain park features.”

Omni Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods. *– Courtesy of Omni Mount Washington Resort*

The money raised will be presented to all 50 organizations, which were nominated by an auction committee, during a special reception before the end of the ski season.

“We recognize that our neighboring organizations don’t always get the funding they need,” said Craig Clemmer, director of sales and marketing at Omni Mount Washington Resort, in a statement. “We hope that this helps in some way, while allowing ski enthusiasts the chance to own a sought-after piece of Bretton Woods’ 50-year history.”

Walter McGrail, a ski instructor at Bretton Woods for 50 years who has taught three generations of local families, said in a YouTube video about the 50th anniversary, “This area and the people associated with this area really are a community.”

Auction participants must be 18 years old and can place a bid here.

Kristi Palma

Travel writer

Kristi Palma is the travel writer for Boston.com, focusing on the six New England states. She covers airlines, hotels, and things to do across Boston and New England. She is the author of the award-winning Scenic Six, a weekly travel newsletter.