Ascutney Mountain Resort facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ascutney Mountain |
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| Location | Brownsville, Vermont, US |
| Nearest city | Windsor, Vermont, US |
| Top elevation | 2520 ft (768 m) |
| Base elevation | 720 ft (219 m) |
| Skiable area | 200 acres (.81 km²) |
| Runs | 57 |
| Longest run | 2.5 mi (4 km) |
| Lift system | 5 chairs, 1 surface lifts |
| Terrain parks | 1 |
| Snowfall | 16.7 ft (5.1 m) |
| Website | Ascutney Mountain |
Ascutney Mountain Resort was a popular place for downhill skiing. It was located on the western side of Mount Ascutney in Brownsville, Vermont. The resort was open for many years, from 1946 until 2010.
In 2015, local groups and the Trust for Public Land bought the mountain. They planned to open a smaller ski area. The rest of the mountain would be kept as a natural, protected space.
Contents
The History of Ascutney Mountain Skiing
How Skiing Started at Ascutney
The Mt. Ascutney Ski Club created the first ski trail in 1938. This trail is now called Screaming Eagle. Back then, skiers had to hike up the mountain to ski down. It was a lot of work!
In 1946, Catharine Cushman and others helped open Ascutney as a real ski area. The next year, in 1947, they added two "rope tows." These were simple lifts that pulled skiers up the mountain.
New Technology and Owners
The first machine to smooth the snow, called a groomer, was bought in 1947. Ten years later, in 1957, they added snowmaking machines. These machines make snow when there isn't enough natural snowfall. John Howland owned the ski area at this time.
In 2001, a man named Kurt Albert skied for 24 hours straight at Ascutney. He did this to raise money for charity.
Big Changes and Challenges
Later, a company called Summit Ventures owned Ascutney. They spent about $80 million to improve the resort. But they faced money problems and had to close in 1990.
After three years, Steven and Susan Plausteiner from New York City bought Ascutney. They paid over a million dollars for it. Under their ownership, many improvements were made. Snowmaking was added to 95% of the ski trails. In 2000, they installed a new, fast high-speed quad chairlift. This lift took skiers from the bottom of the mountain to a higher peak.
Why Ascutney Mountain Closed in 2010
The Closure and What Happened Next
In 2010, people started hearing rumors about money troubles at the resort. The owners, the Plausteiners, were in serious debt. In October 2010, the State of Vermont announced that Ascutney Mountain had not completed its lift safety checks. Because of this, the resort did not open for the 2010 winter season.
Even though the ski area closed, the hotel at the base of the mountain stayed open. This hotel was part of Holiday Inn Club Vacations. The hotel business was separate from the ski operations.
What Happened to the Lifts and Lodge
After a long legal fight, new owners took over the property in 2013. The fast "North Peak Express" quad chairlift was sold to Crotched Mountain Ski & Ride in 2012. The three triple chairs were removed in 2014. They were sold to Pats Peak ski area in New Hampshire.
On January 8, 2015, the ski lodge burned down. It was later taken down completely. In 2017, Pats Peak re-installed one of the old Ascutney triple chairs. It is now called the Peak Triple.
A New Future for the Mountain
In late 2015, a group of local people bought 468 acres of the mountain. They had help from the Trust for Public Land. Their plan was to open a smaller, community-focused ski area. They also wanted to keep much of the land as open space for nature. The town of West Windsor, Vermont now owns the mountain.
Ascutney Mountain's Size and Trails (2010)
How Big Was the Ski Area?
- Vertical Drop: This is the height difference from the top of the ski trails to the bottom. At Ascutney, it was 1,800 feet.
- Skiable Area: The total area where you could ski was 200 acres.
- Glades: About 50 acres of this area were "glades." These are ski trails through trees, where you ski between the trees.
Ski Trails for Everyone
Ascutney Mountain had 57 different ski trails.
- Novice Trails: 14 trails were for beginners (about 24.5% of all trails).
- Intermediate Trails: 22 trails were for skiers with some experience (about 38.5%).
- Advanced and Expert Trails: 21 trails were for very skilled skiers (about 37%).
- Longest Trail: The longest trail was 2.5 miles long.
The Lifts at Ascutney
The resort had 6 lifts to take skiers up the mountain:
- 1 high-speed detachable quad chair (this was a very fast four-person chairlift)
- 3 triple chairs (these carried three people)
- 1 double chair (this carried two people)
- 1 surface lift (a simple lift that pulls you along the snow)
