New Gunstock GM
Robert Drake
‘My passion is being involved with the community and being a part of that ski vibe,’ says Robert Drake, the new general manager at Gunstock. ‘It’s really important for me to cultivate leadership within a team, and I have the ability to do that.’ Robert Drake has worked in the ski industry throughout his life. A native of west Texas, Drake grew up skiing at Taos and Red River in New Mexico. He went to work at Red River in his 20s, and then migrated north, with stops in Durango, Colorado, and Red Lodge Mountain and the community-owned Bridger Bowl in Montana, before moving to New England.
Last August, Drake took the reins at Gunstock Mountain Resort, replacing ski industry legend Tom Day. Drake, 54, assumes control of one of the country’s longest continuously operating ski areas, built by the Works Progress Administration in 1937. Owned and operated by Belknap County, the four-season resort can also be a political quandary, enduring a tumultuous past two years after being embroiled in a Free State debate questioning whether New Hampshire should be in the ski business.
In the summer of 2022, Day and his leadership team quit en masse following a dispute with Gunstock’s commissioners over management of the resort.
Staffers returned after commissioners Peter Ness and David Strang stepped down, restoring stability. But the political winds are again swirling, with proposed legislation seeking a larger slice of Gunstock’s annual profits.
Against that backdrop, Drake arrives with more than three decades in the industry, most recently at the Middlebury Ski Bowl in Vermont.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Q. Do smaller ski areas, with unique ownership groups, tug at your heartstrings?
A. Absolutely. There’s one common thread, and that’s community. As the larger ski corporations get ahold of the industry, there’s still a place for small community-focused ski areas. Gunstock really pulled me in with the community focus of this ski area and the raw love that people have for this place. I believe that skiers yearn for the kind of down-home experience of a small community-owned ski area. That’s what attracts me to these places. It’s our job as stewards of these ski areas to make sure that we don’t lose the essence of that feeling, that nostalgic feeling for the way it used to be.
Q. What attracted you to Gunstock?
A. Gunstock has a special place within this community. And when I say community, I mean all the way to the Seacoast, not just the Lakes Region. It’s really important for us to have the right people to maintain that focus. Meeting Tom Day, and seeing this place in person, really just resonated with me. Tom’s done a phenomenal job here. He’s extremely respected with an industry, and particularly here with this team. He’s built a great team. I’m lucky to inherit that team.
Q. Ski areas today face climate change challenges. It’s not an easy field these days, is it?
A. No, it’s not. Climate change is real and it’s affecting us as ski areas. Managing rain in the middle of the winter, managing lower natural snowfall, is certainly a challenge.
One of the biggest challenges we face is making sure that we have snow for our guests. Gunstock has done a fantastic job, making sure that we have the resources to produce snow. As the industry moves forward, the folks in the snowmaking field will continue to advance technologies in order for us to continue making snow at warmer temperatures. We experience freeze/thaw cycles in times of the year that we didn’t in the past. We now have rain in the middle of winter, and then it gets cold, resulting in icy conditions. So, grooming becomes just as critical as getting snow on the mountain.
Q. With Gunstock being a county-owned ski area, aren’t politics always a factor?
A. We all face those potential changes, and it’s really up to us to determine if that’s a risk that we’re willing to take. Again, the commissioners are interested in the best outcome for Gunstock as well. They all love this place. They’re skiers. They want to see this place succeed just as much as I do. I feel good about where we are right now.
Q. What are your strengths?
A. My passion is being involved with the community and being a part of that ski vibe. It’s really important for me to cultivate leadership within a team, and I have the ability to do that. The Gunstock team is really tight. That makes me a perfect fit here, because I have the ability to be a compassionate leader.
Q. So, you’re bullish on Gunstock?
A. The longer I spend here, the more I love this area, this place. I’m so impressed with what they’ve done here. They’ve maintained the charm of this ski area, and the additions that they’ve put in are very tasteful and guest-oriented. They haven’t lost the essence of what Gunstock is. It’s a very special place. I’m super excited about the opportunities that I have.
