Gone But Not Forgotten: Lost Ski Areas | Connecting Point | May 5, 2014
Vložit
- čas přidán 29. 08. 2024
- Jeremy Davis is the Founder of the New England Lost Ski Areas Project (NELSA), an online web site that preserves the history of local ski areas that are no longer operating. There are 62 ski areas in western mass that are no longer in operation and our crew visits a few of them, including the former Berkshire Snow Basin in Cummington, that closed in 1985, and the Mt Tom Ski Area in Holyoke that closed in 1998.
Skiing those old mountains holds a special place in my heart. My family skied Hogback Mountain in Marlboro, Vermont from the mid 1960’s till it closed in 1986. Sad to see them all closed up. In fact, one man a couple of decades ago saw some of my posts and got in touch with me about Hogback. I ended up in his article that was in the Wall Street Journal.
I lived in West Springfield in 1963 when our dad got my sister and I into skiing. We spent the first year skiing down and climbing back up the small hill in our back yard. Learning to maneuver up and down hill with skis on. Mt Tom was the first place i skied with lifts. On a clear winter night, we could see the night skiing lights climbing the eastern slope of the mountain from our home. We also skied Berkshire Snow Basin in the mid 1960's. I remember the the 1-inch round rock on the floor of the lodge and the large free standing fireplace in the center. There was also a small rope tow hill in W. Springfield run by the YMCA. Late in the 1960's we moved to Westfield and started skiing at the Springfield Ski Club facility in Blandford. All of these places occupy a warm place in my heart.
I skied at Berkshire Snow Basin in its final season. Very old fashioned, but so welcoming! I miss these old ski hills and the idea that local skiing is fun and affordable.
I own the property that was once Burnt Hill Ski Area in Heath, MA. The ski area was in operation for a short time in the early 1960s. There are concrete pads and old cables still in the woods.
Skied here in the late 70s made snow here and worked here at night and a late 80s 🎉 I partied my fucking brains out up here 💯 made a lot of memories at Mount Tom 🏆 just saw this, and it pulled down my heartstrings to think I’m this fucking old
My first time skiing was at Benjamin Hill Ski Area, Shirley, MA, when I was about 5, in the '60s. The rope tow was not a good experience! Later took lessons after school at Ward Hill, now Ski Ward, in Shrewsbury, MA. Now I'm a snowboarder, I finally found my calling!
And I advocate for snowboard safety!
Skiing has become a sport for the rich. Insurance companies have made sure of that.
You just need to stop going to the big expensive areas.
Yeah it's kind of sad, however, many of these spots are good for hiking and taking some runs. Back in the 90's I used to take runs down the top to bottom rope tow line at Thunder Hill in Haverhill MA I'm not sure when it closed but that was the only line that wasn't completely overgrown. Now sadly the hill is a stripped eyesore with mcmanions. You can see it from Ski Bradford, which along with Nashoba Valley and Blue Hill are the only small left in eastern MA. They all have great after school programs that introduce many kids to the joy of skiing/snowboarding.
😢😢😢😢