Ascutney Mountain Resort was a downhill ski area on the western side of Mount Ascutney in Brownsville, Vermont that operated from 1946 until 2010. It was purchased by local communities and the Trust for Public Land in 2015, with plans to reopen a smaller version of a ski area, and keep the rest of the mountain preserved.
The Mt. Ascutney Ski Club cut the first trail at Ascutney in 1938. Skiers initially had to hike up the mountain to be able to ski down the trail, now known as Screaming Eagle. In 1946, Catharine Cushman, with the help of others, began to develop real estate on the mountain, in essence opening Ascutney as a ski area. It wasn't until the second year, 1947, that two rope tows were installed to take skiers up the mountain. The first groomer was bought in 1947, while snowmaking was installed ten years later, when the ski area was owned by John Howland. Kurt Albert is the only man to ski 24 straight hours at Ascutney to raise money for charity in 2001.
When Summit Ventures owned Ascutney, they invested $80 million into operating the resort, but had to file for bankruptcy in 1990. After three years of closure, Steven and Susan Plausteiner from New York City bought Ascutney for over one million dollars. Improvements under the Plausteiners include snowmaking coverage being expanded to 95% of the skiable area and installation of a high-speed detachable quad chairlift in 2000 from the bottom of the mountain to a new, higher peak.
2010 closure
In 2010, rumors spread of severe debt and financial troubles on the part of the owners, the Plausteiners. In October 2010, the State of Vermont admitted that Ascutney Mountain had not yet filed for lift inspections,[1] and the resort did not open for the 2010 winter.
Despite the closure of the ski operations, the resort hotel at the base of the mountain, a Holiday Inn affiliate, continued to operate. Holiday Inn Club Vacations had no ownership ties to the ski operation.[2]
Following a protracted legal battle, Dan Purjes of MFW and Mark Blundell of UTVT, the principal lien holders on the property, assumed ownership as the only bidder at an auction of the resort's assets in November, 2013.[3] The high speed quad, known as the "North Peak Express," was sold to Crotched Mountain, which installed it in 2012. The Triple Chairs were removed in 2014 and sold to Pats Peak ski area in Henniker, N.H. On January 8, 2015, the ski lodge burnt down,[4]
In late 2015, a group of local residents with help from the Trust for Public Land purchased the area, a total of 468 acres, with plans to reopen a smaller, community ski area, keeping much of it preserved as open space. It is now owned by the town of West Windsor, Vermont.[5]
In 2017, Pats Peak re-installed the Snowdance Triple Chair, a CTEC Triple Chair that had operated as backup for the North Peak Express Quad, as the Peak Triple to replace a 1962 GMD Mueller Double Chair.[citation needed]
Heavenly Mountain Resort is a ski resort located on the California–Nevada border in southeastern Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. It opened for business on December 15, 1955 and has 97 runs and 30 lifts that are spread between California and Nevada and four base facilities. The resort has 4,800 acres (1,900 ha) within its permit area, with approximately 33% currently developed for skiing, boasting the highest elevation of the Lake Tahoe area resorts with a peak elevation of 10,067 ft (3,068 m), and a peak lift-service elevation of 10,040 ft (3,060 m).
Ragged Mountain is a ski resort located on the northern side of Ragged Mountain in Danbury, New Hampshire, in the United States, with a vertical drop of 1,250 feet (380 m) and spread across 250 acres (100 ha). Offering three terrain parks and many glades, the resort is home to the only six-person chairlift in New Hampshire.
Mount Ascutney is a mountain in the U.S. state of Vermont. At 3,144 feet (958 m), it is the highest peak in Windsor County. Mount Ascutney is a monadnock that rises abruptly from the surrounding lowlands. For example, the Windsor Trail is 2.7 miles (4.3 km) to the summit with 2,514 feet (766 m) of elevation gain and an overall 18% grade. Particularly noteworthy are the mountain's granite outcrops, one of which, near the summit, serves as a launching point for hang-gliders.
Sugarloaf is a ski area and resort located on Sugarloaf Mountain in Carrabassett Valley, western Maine. It is the second largest ski resort east of the Mississippi in terms of skiable area and snowmaking percentage (95%); its continuous vertical drop of 2,820 feet (860 m) is the second longest in New England. Sugarloaf recorded a total of 352,000 skier visits in the 2005–2006 season, ranking it second among Maine resorts and 11th in New England.
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Sugarbush Resort is a ski resort located in the Mad River valley in Warren, Vermont, owned by Alterra Mountain Company. It is one of the largest ski resorts in New England. The resort encompasses more than 4000 acres (16 km²) total, 484 trail acres (2.34 km²) skiable, 53 miles (85 km) of trails, and 16 ski lifts. Sugarbush has 111 ski trails, 18 additional marked wooded areas, and substantial off-piste skiing and riding The summit elevation is 4,083 ft (1,244 m), and it has a vertical drop of 2,600 feet (790 m), the second largest in Vermont after Killington, and the third largest in New England after Killington and Sugarloaf.
Mount Snow is a mountain and ski resort in southern Vermont located in the Green Mountains. It is Vermont's southernmost big mountain, and therefore, closest to many Northeast metropolitan areas.
Bromley Mountain is located in southern Vermont, United States and is part of the Green Mountains. It is located in the town of Peru, Bennington County, seven miles (11 km) east of Manchester, Vermont and just west of the Peru town center. It is a popular destination for skiing and snowboarding.
The Summit at Snoqualmie is a recreation area in the northwest United States, located on Snoqualmie Pass, Washington. It provides alpine skiing and snowboarding, Nordic skiing, mountain biking, winter tubing, and scenic lift rides. Owned and managed by Boyne Resorts, it is 52 miles (80 km) east of downtown Seattle on Interstate 90.
Schweitzer is a ski resort in the northwest United States in northern Idaho, 11 miles (18 km) northwest of Sandpoint. Located in Bonner County in the Selkirk Mountains, it overlooks Lake Pend Oreille to the southeast with views of the Bitterroot and Cabinet mountain ranges. The ski area is approximately 45 miles (70 km) south of the Canada–US border. Doing business as Schweitzer Mountain Resort since 1988, in April 2021 the ski area adjusted its brand name to drop the words "mountain resort" to now be known only as "Schweitzer."
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The White Pass Ski Area is a ski area in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, in the Cascade Range at White Pass in the state of Washington. It is located 53 miles (90 km) west of Yakima on U.S. Route 12, and 53 miles (90 km) east of Morton. As the crow flies, the pass is 25 miles (40 km) southeast of the summit of Mount Rainier and 30 miles (50 km) north of Mount Adams.
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The Mount Buller Alpine Resort is a ski resort located on Mt Buller in the Australian state of Victoria.
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