presented by Gunstock Mountain Resort

The Francis Piche Invitational race commemorates the life of local figure Francis Piche, who founded the Piche's Ski Shop and promoted the sport of skiing in the Lakes Region. Not only was he an accomplished skier and racer, but he also coached local youth and worked at the Belknap Recreation Area (now Gunstock Mountain Resort) in the late 1930's. After returning home from WWII in 1945 he ran his shop on nights and weekends and was active in the local skiing groups. The race, originally called the Thompson Trophy, was named in honor of Francis Piche in 1995.

The 2023 Francis Piche Invitational is scheduled for March 17-19, with training days on March 15-16.

The event program will be similar to the 2022 events; official announcements will be updated in the near future.

You may have heard about the controversy that shutdown operations at Gunstock in late July; as of August 2 the controversy appears to be resolved and Gunstock is anticipating normal winter operations. 

The Gunstock Ski Club partners with Gunstock Mountain Resort to run its events, but is a separately run organization that is responsible for the organization and operations of the events.