Featured Member: Mount Eustis Ski Hill
Featured member Mount Eustis Ski Hill is proof that a small hill with a rope tow and a devoted community can outlast almost anything. This all-volunteer, nonprofit ski area in Littleton, NH, offers low-cost and no-cost skiing and snowboarding, keeping a piece of North Country snow sports heritage alive one lap at a time.
A Historic Hill Brought Back to Life
The Mount Eustis rope tow first operated in 1939 and continued into the 1980s, a fixture for generations of local skiers who learned to ski and ride on its slope. After the hill sat dormant for more than two decades, a group of dedicated Littleton-area residents set out to revive it. They joined forces in 2014, worked diligently for more than two years, and reopened the community ski hill in December 2016.
Today Mount Eustis embraces the enduring grit of North Country ski culture, offering a main run, a terrain park, and several off-piste glades. It remains an accessible entry point into snow sports, welcoming everyone from first-timers gripping the rope tow for the first time to seasoned riders looking for a few quick laps.
Affordable Skiing for Everyone
At the heart of Mount Eustis is a clear mission: to provide skiing, snowboarding, and reliable programming and events that foster a love of North Country snow sports heritage at low or no cost to residents. The vision behind it is just as focused, to improve the lives, health, and wellness of area families by ensuring that everyone, regardless of socioeconomic status, can engage in snow sports.
The hill operates on a donation-only basis, which means skiing is effectively free. Suggested donations are modest: a $5 day pass, a $30 child season pass, a $50 adult season pass, and a $100 family season pass. Facilities are simple and community-focused, including the rope tow, a warming hut, and basic amenities. Uphill skinning is welcome along designated routes on the far looker’s right.
One of the organization’s signature efforts is its ski loaner program, run in collaboration with Littleton Parks and Recreation and the Boys and Girls Club of the North Country. The program has provided skis, boots, helmets, goggles, and gloves to well over a hundred local children at a time, removing a major cost barrier that keeps many families off the slopes.
Powered Entirely by Volunteers
Mount Eustis runs on people, not profit. From the board of directors to the crew running the rope tow, the hill is powered entirely by volunteers, and it cannot open without them. Because the hill has no snowmaking, operations depend on natural snowfall, and posted hours can shift with weather and volunteer availability. In recent seasons the hill has aimed to open Wednesday and Friday evenings and Saturday mornings, with the latest conditions shared through its website and social media.
That grassroots model has weathered real challenges over the years, including equipment failures, a tow rope that needed replacing, and the ordinary financial strain of running a mountain on a shoestring. Each time, the community has rallied. Local businesses, regional ski resorts, and area foundations have repeatedly stepped up with donations of funds, gear, and equipment, including a snow groomer donated by Attitash Mountain to help maintain the slope.
A Growing Network of Support and Recognition
Over the years Mount Eustis has expanded its reach and its partnerships. It has partnered with the Turtle Ridge Foundation, the charitable foundation tied to the Miller family, serving as a beneficiary of its annual Bode Bash fundraiser, and has earned a place in Ski NH’s efforts to support community ski areas across the state. The little hill has also drawn statewide and national attention, with features in The Christian Science Monitor, WCVB Boston’s Chronicle, and New Hampshire PBS’s Windows to the Wild.
The organization continues to evolve, guided by a dedicated board of directors and a deep bench of volunteers who keep the lights on and the rope turning season after season.
Grip It and Rip It
Whether you are learning to ski for the first time or carving laps under a winter sky, Mount Eustis offers something increasingly rare: an affordable, welcoming, community-owned slope with genuine history under the snow.
Mount Eustis Ski Hill is located at 188 Mount Eustis Road in Littleton. Visit mteustis.org to learn about operations, events, volunteering, and how to support the hill.
