Cold weather boosts winter recreation as many prepare for changing climate
Even as winters continue to warm in New Hampshire, this season has been one of the coldest in years – a boon to the state’s winter recreation industry.The sounds of slapshots and freshly sharpened skates line the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee in Meredith once again. On the other end of the lake, pilots are landing their planes on Alton Bay’s ice runway.In Concord, it has been the coldest winter in 10 years, with an average temperature around 23 degrees. At long last, 2025 has delivered what many New Englanders consider to be a true winter.”The last few years have been really, really tough,” said Scott Crowder, commissioner of the New England Pond Hockey Classic. “I mean, we haven’t been on this bay in its original full form since 2020.”>> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play <<Crowder said recent warm winters forced the tournament onto nearby Lake Waukewan.”The unfortunate part is some winters it’s not as cold, and the lake doesn’t freeze to a safe thickness,” he said.For an event that brings in $3 million to the Lakes Region economy, he said it was important to get players and spectators back on the big lake this year.”For us to be back on a weekend like this with – I mean, what, it’s like 13 degrees with 30 mph winds? It’s chilly, right?” Crowder said. “So that’s a hardy New Hampshire winter, and I think they still exist.”It has also been a great winter for skaters at Strawbery Banke in Portsmouth, but it hasn’t been an easy road to get there. Winter is the fastest warming season in New England, and that presents plenty of challenges in order to keep the rink open.”We’ve been lucky so far this winter,” said Linnea Grim, president and CEO of Strawbery Banke. “We’ve only been closed a day and a half because of temperatures being a bit too warm, whereas last year, it was around 10 days.”The Labrie Family Skate at Puddle Dock Pond is a staple of the Seacoast community during the winter. Grim said the historic museum has already been dealing with the effects of a changing climate and rising sea levels.”Some of the worst floods that we have had have been in the winter,” she said. “And so we look at how we are protecting the houses in terms of our mechanical systems, trying to raise them up.”On quieter winter days, Strawbery Banke can run its skating rink when it’s as warm as 50 degrees thanks to technology it has invested in over the past decade.”We have an amazing team with Rink Services Group, where they have ice technicians who can really monitor the conditions of the ice,” Grim said. “We have tubing that runs underneath the ice. That helps us keep it cold.”Grim said Strawbery Banke is ready to take on the uncertain future of winter.”We have amazing supporters throughout the community who say, ‘Let’s try some of these innovative solutions to how we protect this amazing – I would argue – national site,’” she said. “So I think we will be here, and I think we’ll be here for a long time.”
Even as winters continue to warm in New Hampshire, this season has been one of the coldest in years – a boon to the state’s winter recreation industry.
The sounds of slapshots and freshly sharpened skates line the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee in Meredith once again. On the other end of the lake, pilots are landing their planes on Alton Bay’s ice runway.
In Concord, it has been the coldest winter in 10 years, with an average temperature around 23 degrees. At long last, 2025 has delivered what many New Englanders consider to be a true winter.
“The last few years have been really, really tough,” said Scott Crowder, commissioner of the New England Pond Hockey Classic. “I mean, we haven’t been on this bay in its original full form since 2020.”
>> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play <<
Crowder said recent warm winters forced the tournament onto nearby Lake Waukewan.
“The unfortunate part is some winters it’s not as cold, and the lake doesn’t freeze to a safe thickness,” he said.
For an event that brings in $3 million to the Lakes Region economy, he said it was important to get players and spectators back on the big lake this year.
“For us to be back on a weekend like this with – I mean, what, it’s like 13 degrees with 30 mph winds? It’s chilly, right?” Crowder said. “So that’s a hardy New Hampshire winter, and I think they still exist.”
It has also been a great winter for skaters at Strawbery Banke in Portsmouth, but it hasn’t been an easy road to get there. Winter is the fastest warming season in New England, and that presents plenty of challenges in order to keep the rink open.
“We’ve been lucky so far this winter,” said Linnea Grim, president and CEO of Strawbery Banke. “We’ve only been closed a day and a half because of temperatures being a bit too warm, whereas last year, it was around 10 days.”
The Labrie Family Skate at Puddle Dock Pond is a staple of the Seacoast community during the winter. Grim said the historic museum has already been dealing with the effects of a changing climate and rising sea levels.
“Some of the worst floods that we have had have been in the winter,” she said. “And so we look at how we are protecting the houses in terms of our mechanical systems, trying to raise them up.”
On quieter winter days, Strawbery Banke can run its skating rink when it’s as warm as 50 degrees thanks to technology it has invested in over the past decade.
“We have an amazing team with Rink Services Group, where they have ice technicians who can really monitor the conditions of the ice,” Grim said. “We have tubing that runs underneath the ice. That helps us keep it cold.”
Grim said Strawbery Banke is ready to take on the uncertain future of winter.
“We have amazing supporters throughout the community who say, ‘Let’s try some of these innovative solutions to how we protect this amazing – I would argue – national site,’” she said. “So I think we will be here, and I think we’ll be here for a long time.”