Frontenac
(The Original)
Plymouth, NH
c1937 - Merged with Wendy's Slope Mid 1940's-Lift operated until c1960

History and Pictures    By the Year

History and Pictures

Thanks to an interview with owner George Greer, we now know the complete story of Frontenac and Wendy's slope. George owned and operated Frontenac from the 1960's until 1991, and still owns the land today. Both areas have closely related, albeit slightly complicated histories.

In the mid to late 1930's, Plymouth, NH was a major stop for the snow trains. Skiers would ride these trains from metropolitan areas in the south and would enjoy ski areas in NH. Both Plymouth and North Conway were major snow train destinations.

Three areas were developed in Plymouth before World War II - Wendy's Slope, Frontenac, and Huckins Hill. Huckins Hill was located east of town, while Wendy's and Frontenac were developed on Stage Coach Hill, just south of town. Frontenac was the area on the northern side of the hill.

To help illustrate where the two areas were in relation to each other, here's a late 1930s map. Number 3 is the original Frontenac, and Number 4 is Wendy's.

The original Frontenac had a 900 foot rope tow, which served a 200 foot drop hill. There were 6 trails and slopes. The area was close to the village, and most residents of Plymouth could walk to the area.

As you can see here in this 1939 photo, cars would line the 

Frontenac existed separately from Wendy's Slope until just after World War II. At that point, the owners purchased Wendy's, and interconnected the two areas at the top. This combined area was also called Frontenac. The two areas were internally classified as the North Slope (the original Frontenac) and East Slope (Wendys).

In 1960, Plymouth zoned the area around the North Slope as residential, and the North Slope closed. However, the East Slope continued to operated, but kept the name Frontenac. Since the original Wendy's Slope operated the longest, we will use that page to tell the rest of the story of the area, which can be read here.

Another view of the area, 1937/1938.

Here's a sign for the snow conditions for early Plymouth ski areas.  This was taken from the Treetop Restaurant in Plymouth, NH.  

The Original Frontenac (North Slope) by the Year

Year Lifts Trails Other Info Source
1939 900' tow 6, novice to expert Located on north slope of Stage Coach Hill, needs 12" of snow to ski, 20-50' wide trails, slope 900 long, 200' vertical drop Skier's Guide to New England
1942 Tow 2 novice to expert downhill trails, open slopes Night skiing Complete Skiers Guide
Right after WW II Same Same Area buys out Wendys Slope, two areas become one interconnected mountain. For the rest of the story, read about Frontenac here. George Greer

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