In the early 1980's the members of GSC decided one of the club's goals would be to run the most efficient and best organized race possible. This started with making improvements to Cannonball race trail: upgrading wiring, clearly rocks from the trail, and improving the timing building.

After a couple of years it became clear the next step was to build a clubhouse to host members and guests visiting for races at Gunstock. Over the course of the 1985 and '86 seasons, members volunteered many hours to the project. It was done on a shoe-string budget; labor and material were donated, trees cleared from the site were milled for the interior finish, there was no plumbing, and heat was provided by a wood stove.

Members assembled a workforce of friends, relatives, sons and daughters and spent weekends during the summer and fall sawing, nailing and painting to complete the project. Today there are parents and coaches in the club who can claim to have spent more than a few hours at Gunstock working to complete the project. You'll find a plaque in the rear of the clubhouse listing the many local business and community members that provided help essential to complete the project.

Almost immediately after the first race, the builders exclaimed "it's too small" and others said "where are the toilets". The next summer an outhouse was added, and not long after that came a deck and expanded storage. 

Over the years the club and ski racing have evolved, and so has the clubhouse: plumbing and "real" toilets were added, the wood stove was replaced with a gas heating system, the electrical system was upgraded, and in the mid 90's the clubhouse was expanded to add additional space to the basement and first level, and a deck to the second level. In the fall of 2015 and 2016 the clubhouse was expanded by enclosing the 2-level deck, adding a small deck, adding bathrooms on the main level and replacing siding.

As you make the walk to the clubhouse on a cold weekend morning, carrying your skis, lunch and wondering why it was built so far away, you can thank members from the early '80s who envisioned a club where everyone could come and enjoy a day ski racing at Gunstock.

Fun Fact
When initially built the walk from the parking lot to the clubhouse was much shorter. If you arrived early you would have parked near the large pine trees near the base of the Penny Pitou chair. In the late 80's Gunstock underwent a major renovation and the parking area in front of the main lodge was removed.