Belknap Area, Laconia, Ski Jumper — c. 1950s

A vintage Belknap Area ski patch from Laconia, New Hampshire, estimated to date from the 1950s — the name Gunstock carried before 1962 — featuring a jumper in full flight over two spruces, skis flat and parallel. BELKNAP AREA across a stitched sky, red-bordered shield in green and pale blue. Somebody chose dark green for every line of the drawing.

The jumper is the point. The Belknap Mountains Recreation Area opened on February 28, 1937, with an Eastern amateur ski jumping meet. By 1949 its 40-meter hill was hosting a competition in August, and about 8,000 people came to watch men fly off a hill in summer.

Before chairlifts were common and snowmaking was a word, this is what a ski area sold: spectacle, a long drive, and a cold seat in the stands. The patch was the souvenir. Jumping was the sport that drew crowds before downhill did.

The area is in Gilford; the patch gives the bigger town next door. The name changed to Gunstock in 1962. This patch didn't.

Embroidered on twill, merrowed edge. Photos are the condition report.