What is believed to be the world’s largest ski pole is back in place in the New Hampshire ski town of North Conway following repairs required after it was blown over in a storm in the spring of 2018.
The pole, measured whilst under repair at 18 feet, 9 inches (5.7 metres) high, was originally installed in the mid-1950s by Carroll Reed, a pioneer of winter sports in New England, in front of his store in North Conway.
Reed also ran the area’s first ski school, which he sold to Harvey Gibson the founder and original owner of the local Cranmore ski area. Gibson then in turn passed the school on to the legendary Hannes Schneider, the man from the Arlberg credited with developing the downhill skiing technique we still use today, when he arrived in town from Austria in 1939.
The restored pole and basket of the pole are still the original from the ski shop. A team from Cranmore built a new base and “shield” for it, referencing old photos that showed the original.
The pole has been repositioned in the same place it was before it fell over, in front of the former Carroll Reed Ski Shop, now home to Olympia Sports. There is a Cranmore information booth right next to it.
Pictured at the dedication of the new pole are: Ace Tarberry, Barbara Harmon, Rick Oaks, Glenn Harmon, Ben Wilcox, Stefan Karnopp, Joe Berry, Mark Butterfield.
