We skiers have got it made, don’t you think? During the summer months while we are hitting the beach, having BBQs or enjoying the cool comfort of air conditioning, the crews at Vermont ski resorts are using some elbow grease to prepare for the coming ski season.
Two smaller Vermont ski areas are adding lifts this year: Middlebury Snow Bowl and Northeast Slopes. Both ski areas have been in operation for more than 70 years. It’s wonderful that they have the means to continue to upgrade their operations; smaller ski areas help keep the sport accessible to skiers of all ages, abilities and economic backgrounds!
Here’s the scoop on improvements at these family-friendly Vermont ski areas:
Middlebury Snow Bowl
The Middlebury Snow Bowl, a 75-year-old ski area owned by Middlebury College, is replacing its Worth Mountain chair, which is a fixed grip Poma double chair, with a Doppelmayr CTEC fixed-grip triple chair at a cost of about $1.7 million. The more the merrier on that lift ride now, although the uphill capacity will remain the same per hour.
Midd’s President Ron Leibowitz wrote recently, “In late spring, we learned that the 40-year-old Worth Mountain double-chairlift at the Middlebury College Snow Bowl no longer meets state licensing requirements. After considering the options—repair the existing lift, replace it, or close the Snow Bowl—I recommended to the Board of Trustees that the best course is to replace the Worth Mountain lift. In making this decision, we weighed the recreational value of the Bowl and its economic importance to the region against purchasing a new lift when we are making significant budget cuts elsewhere at the College due to current economic conditions.”
Northeast Slopes
The folks at Northeast Slopes invite you to step back in time when you come to their skiing hill. Located near Interstate 91 in East Corinth, Vermont, Northeast is home to the nation's oldest continuously operating ski tow in the United States, they say.
This year Northeast is completing installation of a T-bar, which will open this ski season. The T-bar has seen time at Stratton and at Bradford Ski Hill in Massachusetts before finding its way to Northeast Slopes. Their marketing director also reported they hope to purchase a pre-owned groomer for improved snow tilling. The ski area is open on weekends and Wednesday afternoons.
Photo courtesy of Northeast Slopes.
