Catamount Ski Area facts for kids
| Location | Egremont, Massachusetts / Hillsdale, New York, USA |
|---|---|
| Nearest city | Great Barrington, Massachusetts (7.5 Miles), Albany, New York (51 Miles), New York, New York (129 Miles) |
| Vertical | 1,000 ft (300 m) |
| Top elevation | 2,000 ft (610 m) |
| Skiable area | 119 acres (0.48 km2) |
| Runs | 36 |
| Longest run | Ridge Run To Upper And Lower Promenade 2.5mil |
| Lift system | 8 Lifts, 3 surface lifts, 1 Quad, 2 Triples, 2 Doubles |
| Terrain parks | 3 |
| Snowfall | 75" |
| Website | Catamount Ski Area |
Catamount Ski Area is a fun ski resort located on Mount Fray. This mountain is part of the Taconic Mountains. You can find Catamount in two states: Hillsdale, New York and South Egremont, Massachusetts.
It's special because it's one of the few ski areas in New England still owned by a family. Catamount is also one of the biggest ski spots in the Berkshire and Taconic Mountains. It has grown into a great place for all seasons, not just winter. It's also known for having one of the largest youth ski race programs in the Northeast!
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History of Catamount Ski Area
Mount Fray was first explored by a young man named John (Jack) Falconer Fisher in 1937 or 1938. When Jack was only 16, he learned to fly planes! He would fly over mountains and imagine where trails could go. He dreamed of building either a golf course or a ski area.
Jack was from a nearby town called Salisbury, Connecticut. He had already helped create the Lime Rock Race Track and the Salisbury Ski Jump. He had many friends from Scandinavia who loved skiing and ski jumping. After talking with them, he decided to buy a farm called Fray. He named his new ski area Catamount.
In 1937 and 1938, Jack and his friends camped out at the base of the mountain all summer. They worked hard to create trails and plan out one of the first ski areas in the country. Jack was a true pioneer in the ski world.
Catamount opened for business in 1939. It had three simple rope tows. These tows used a car engine with a big wheel to pull skiers up the hill. It was a big success!
Many skiers would travel from New York City by train. The train tracks ran right through Hillsdale, New York. When skiers arrived, trucks with hay bales were waiting. These trucks would pick up the skiers and take them to Catamount for a day of fun on the slopes.
In 1953, Jack married Florence (Flukie) Kendall from New York City. They had two children, Katherine and Barrie. In 1958, Florence started the ski shop at Catamount.
The main lodge was cozy with two large fireplaces. For 30 years, it had a gravel floor and picnic tables. It has always been a family-friendly place. Over the years, new parts were added. These included the Ski Cat Club, a special race trail with a shed for racers, and snowmaking equipment. They also added four chairlifts, one T-Bar, and one J-Bar.
In 1974, Bill Gilbert and Don Edwards bought Catamount and took over running it. Since then, many new trails and lifts have been added. Also, the amount of snowmaking coverage grew from 25% to an amazing 98%!
In 2006, an old double chairlift at the top of the mountain was replaced. A newer, faster quad chairlift from Belleayre Mountain Ski Center was put in its place.
In May 2018, the Schaefer family bought Catamount Ski Area. They already owned and managed Berkshire East Mountain Resort. This purchase helped Catamount grow even more and become a world-class resort.
The 2018-2019 ski season brought more improvements. The main Berkshire Lodge was updated. A new triple chairlift was added on the Massachusetts side of the mountain. This helped reduce crowds and make getting up the mountain faster.
In the summer of 2018, Catamount introduced the Zip Tour. This includes the "Catamonster," which is the longest zipline in America!
For the 2019-2020 ski season, a brand new Catamount Lodge opened. It offered more seating, a store, restrooms, and ticketing areas. Five new trails with snowmaking were also opened, offering different levels of difficulty.
Food services in the new Catamount Lodge began in the 2020-2021 season. The second floor was used for extra seating. An old double chairlift called "Glade" was removed. A higher-capacity triple chairlift was put in its place. This new chairlift was built in the summer of 2021 and was ready for the 2021-2022 ski season. A new intermediate trail called "Overlook" also opened with snowmaking.
During the 2021-2022 season, the main office moved to the second floor of the new Catamount Lodge. The new triple chairlift also started helping skiers get up the mountain. It runs alongside the Ridge Quad to help ease crowds.
Ticketing and Passes
In 2018, Catamount installed special RFID gates from Axess. They also introduced the Catamount Direct card. Catamount was one of the first smaller ski areas in the Northeast to use this cool technology.
Catamount is part of the Berkshire Summit Pass. This pass lets you ski at Berkshire East and Catamount. In 2020, it was announced that Bousquet would also join the pass. This happened after Bousquet was sold to Mill Town Capital, and the Schaefer family worked with them to include it.
Berkshire Summit Pass Types
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Unlimited | Ski as much as you want at all three resorts! |
| Locals | Valid Sunday through Friday. |
| Weekday | Valid Monday through Friday. |
| Night | Only for night skiing. |
Catamount is also part of the Indy Pass. This pass is a good way to visit many smaller ski resorts across the U.S. without spending too much money.
Trails at Catamount
- Skiable area: Catamount has 119 acres (0.48 km2) of skiable terrain.
- Number of trails: There are 39 trails to explore.
- Longest trail: The longest run is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long! It's called Ridge Run to Upper and Lower Promenade.
Almost all of Catamount's trails (99%) have snowmaking capabilities. This means they can make their own snow to keep the slopes covered, even if natural snowfall is low. Only one glade trail does not have snowmaking.
| Easiest | More Difficult | Most Difficult | Expert | Terrain Park | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ali's Alley | Catamount (n) | Lower Alley Cat (n) | Ripper (m) | Bobcat (n) | |
| Cat's Meow (n) | Chute (n) | Upper Alley Cat (n) | Lynx (m) | Sunrise | |
| Colonel's Caper | Mountain View | Expressway | Christophers leap | Panther Park (n) | |
| Esplanade (n) | On Stage (n) | Lower Glade (m) | Catapult | ||
| Holiday (n) | Race Slope (n) | Upper Glade | |||
| Kelli's Run (n) | Walter's Way (n) | Off Stage (m) | |||
| Kid Cats | Shawenon | Marty's Run | |||
| Lower Promenade | Lower Sidewinder | ||||
| Upper Promenade | Upper Sidewinder (n) | ||||
| SnowSports Learning Area (n) | Turnpike | ||||
| Spencer's Way | Upper Turnpike | ||||
| Birch Cathedral | Fishers Fluke | ||||
| Ridge Run (n) | Birch Glade (g) | ||||
| Echo Run | Lookout | ||||
| Lauren's Run | |||||
| Ridge Run Extension | |||||
- (m) - This trail often has moguls (bumps) when conditions are right.
- (n) - You can enjoy night skiing on these trails on certain days during the main ski season.
- (g) - This is a glade terrain (skiing through trees) and does not have snowmaking.
Lifts at Catamount
Catamount has eight lifts in total. They vary in age, length, and how many people they can carry. Catamount is special because it has one of the last SLI double chairlifts left in the world! It's the only one like it in the Northeast.
| Name | Notes |
|---|---|
| Learning Area Carpet | Connects to a fixed-grip triple chairlift. |
| Kids Cat Carpet | Only for use by kids learning to ski. |
| Learning Area Carpet |
| Name | Manufacturer | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Meadows Triple | CTEC/Thiokol | Has a mid-station stop. It came from Solitude. |
| Promenade Triple | Poma | This lift came from Berkshire East and then Magic Mountain. |
| Glade Triple | Poma | Was ready for the 2021-2022 ski season. |
| Name | Manufacturer | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Catamount Chair | SLI | This is a rare chairlift with a center pole. |
| Name | Manufacturer | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ridge Quad | Garaventa CTEC | This lift came from Belleayre. |
Lodges at Catamount
- Berkshire Lodge: This is the original lodge at Catamount. It has places to eat, a tavern, restrooms, ski rentals, and seating areas. You'll find it to the left of the Catamount Chair.
- Catamount Lodge: Opened in 2019, this is the newer lodge. It offers food services, offices, ticketing, a shop, restrooms, and plenty of seating. It's located in front of the Kids Cat carpet.
- Taconic Lodge: This is a temporary lodge. It has a shop, restrooms, and seating. It's located at the bottom of the mountain, close to the Ridge Quad.
