Resurgence Of A Vermont Ski Area Brings Hope To Rural Communities
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- čas přidán 26. 08. 2024
- Residents see a symbiotic relationship between a mountain, a town and its resurgence as a success story for other rural communities that have lost their main economic driver. Shelley Seward says taking that chance has revitalized more than just a ski area. "Don't be surprised at how much energy and enthusiasm you can draw from your own community," she said. #vermont #ruralareas #skiing #scrippsnews
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The Country needs more stories like this. - Especially when it involves a home grown shred spot.
My great grandfather (Robert Hammond) and two other business partners started the original Ascutney, I'm happy that people are keeping it going. Small areas like this are important to the entire industry and sport.
Back in the late sixties, I was on a B- 52 bomber crew stationed at Westover near Spfld Mass. The base had easy access to Rt91 which is the gateway to Vermont ski areas. Our work schedules were largely erratic and if we didn’t have to fly, most of us would head up to a day of skiing. Ascutney was a smaller ski area without major difficulty of any of the larger ski areas and it was in so. Vermont within easy access to rt 91. So, we headed up to Ascutney many times and we would often meet up with fellow friends from back at the base. The ski area was small and didn’t have all the bells and whistles of the bigger areas and that also meant smaller or No crowds on weekdays. It was almost like we had our own ski area. No crowds, no long lift lines, generally pleasant skiing with a lot of our friends. What could be better? So after an enjoyable day of skiing, we were able to have an easy ride down Rt 91, be home for supper and be ready to fly the next day.
Those were the days. Brings me happiness to see the area come back to life.
Thank You for your service..
And the story
This is a great news story - I grew up in VT; special place in my heart!
My friends and I took trip from Long Island to Ascutney in the early 80's. We stayed for 4 days. I'll never forget it, because it snowed for a day and a half and we had 2 feet + of powder. We called it the Dump of the Decade. Wonderful memories and great skiing. I had heard the mountain closed years back. I am glad the mountain has made a comeback.
We are old Ascutney people. My family (George and Shirley Dunning were my parents) ran the ski area one season in the early 50s and had the ski shop there for many years. I broke my leg on the main slope in 1957 when I was 7. It is an amazing rebirth - so impressed by the foresight of the Brownsville people. - Leslie Dunning O'Kelly
This is really wonderful to see a community come together, especially for a ski area. And that others wanted to help. Skiing and snowboarding are fun sports and an eastern tradition.
I worked for Carson Helicopters in Perkasie PA, around 1978. We flew concrete in buckets from the base of that mountain to the lift towers using a Sikorsky S58T. Scary job.
thanks for risking your safety. sounds like a pretty wild job.
I live in Bennington and we have had nothing but rain so far this winter. I was just today wondering how this very unusual weather might impact the ski industry that Vermont's economy relies so heavily on. I figured that ski areas north of here and at higher elevations and those with their own snowmaking equipment might be faring pretty well. This story is so encouraging and so inspiring! Kudos to the people of Windsor for their determination and hard work to bring this ski area back to life!
but with no snow making, it will have a hard time getting open/staying open even on weekends.
Yeah it really sucks
Creating downhill mountain bike trails is a great use of ski areas.
The lifts (even tbars and ropes) can allow riders to get repeated downhill runs…
Insurance cost MAY keep this place from doing bikes. They hit a stone and fall and get hurt and will sue, waver or not.
@@trvman1 that used to be true but insurance is now a settled issue even on ski areas on public land.
There are dozen bike parks in the North East now and more on the way.
It’s a great alternative for unpredictable winters…
Wow, wonder to see the community come together. I will try to get there this winter! I wish them the best of luck!
what is the mountain called?
Nice story. My son had his first lesson here. He was three years old and that was over 40 years ago. It was one of the few places that was not crowded over the Christmas holiday. Then we stayed at the brand new hotel at the base. Next year you could not even get into the hotel at the base. Eventually it all fell apart. Ended up at Greek Peak in NY which had a feel similar to the old Ascutney.
I adore Vermont & consider it my second home state. My family has a lakeside house in the NEK & grew up skiing, hiking & backpacking all over the state. I clearly remember a hike with friends we took up Ascutney around 1974! I’m glad to see skiing come back to the town & I hope it’s an amazing success.
Nice report, thanks so much. I cringed and winched when I bought my Epic pass fir the season. It's nice see an independent operation going, there aren't many any more. I'll try to get up there some day.
Just moved to NH, I hike Mt. Ascutney often as I'm only 10 min away and this winter has been a bit warm so far. I love the small town feels around here. Feels like a throwback to a past time. And that general store is the Brownsville Butcher, great food and great people. Thanks for sharing
Once in a while you'd see Charles Bronson in the lift line. He and his wife, Jill Ireland, owned property in West Windsor. They are both interred in the Brownsville Cemetery in West Windsor overlooking the mountain.
And this is why I would like to buy a cabin rental/campground up there and move! I miss New England, and Vermont is just a beautiful place to be! The community makes it worth while and can show the country a lot of what it really means to be neighborly and a part of something that isn’t just about yourself
My family and friends were just here few days ago enjoying snow tubing. The place is just right next to our hotel a beautiful place to have fun and relax during this cold winter days. We have a good memory here my kids love it.
Nice to see Ascutney being resurrected. My brother and I brought his kids there for their first ski lessons. A great time. They both ended up being amazing skiers.
I believe my skiing at Ascutney was the late 1960s. It was great. Too many New England ski areas have closed. Big shout out to the locals !!!
Vermonters are very resourceful and no quit in them folks.
Cool people there in that area of Vermont. I wish them well!
A great family mountain. I have fond memories of skiing there with my kids 30+ years ago. Their greatest challenge is it’s western exposure. The mountain faces west so it tends melt in the afternoon sun and then ice up after sunset.
One of the originals. If my memory serves me correctly I skied there in the early '60s. Nice little mtn.
I was traveling for a week skiing around route 100 in the early 90's. Stopped by to ski Ascutney, but it was closed. It looked like a great place to ski.
Grew up in the 50's and 60's in Claremont. Went to the ski area with my parents as it was just over the river. Great to see it coming back!!
I grew up skiing at Ascutney. I was fortunate enough to live in Cornish, NH during K-5 and Cornish Elementary had a ski program at Ascutney and I consider it a life long gift. Hoping to get back for some great skiing soon.
So great to hear this -- I skied there a few times in the late 80s while attending college in Springfield MA and it was a sweet little mountain.
I pretty much learned to ski at "Round Top". Anyone remember that one? With the climate SO much warmer now....good luck with the snow. Maybe in a few more years you guys can plant orange trees in the parking lot!
I do remember Round Top; from about 50 years ago. It was a nice little family area, but was kind of overlooked, being in the shadow of neighboring Killington. I remember it closing for a while, and then being bought by a wealthy Texan, who's business plan was more about the Après-ski than the actual ski. Don't know if it's still in operation.
It's now called Plymouth Notch and is a private ski area, like a golf club.
Awesome story . Only been to Vermont 1x. But its wonderful.
Loved the small towns and toned down commercialism.
Dartmouth Ski Run in NH reminded of.
Our family learned to ski at Cochran in Richmond which seems very similar. The only time I have been on a T-bar.
Peter at the Brownsville Butcher & Pantry is the best! Amazing store & amazing Mtn
Skied there a lifetime ago but participated in the Vermont 50 a number of times in just the past decade. Vermont 50 is a mountain bike and running event. Keeping my fingers crossed for the success of this area.
Great terrain. Never got tired of that hill.
Some of my first memories are on that mountain, as well as my brothers ashes.
Back in the early 70s, my parents ran a ski lodge/restaurant in Stowe where I learned to ski. There was pretty much zero off-season tourism then so my dad and his partner had to take part time jobs to make ends meet. I remember my dad was selling Rath meats and his partner was peddling CCTV equipment until there was enough snow to open the slopes. But it's the opposite of that now with so many people interested in all kinds of outdoor sporting activities in the warmer weather. Man, I can't believe you have rope tows and T-bars. That's what I learned on at Toll House and Little Spruce. Best of luck to you all.
I remember when the lodge burned. I was working security at the resort that night. It was a super cold night…
Vermont is such a great place to live for so many reasons.
I grew up skiing here! On some days we called it Ice-scutney but it was always a good time. I’ve been hiking and backcountry skiing this mountain for the past 6 years.
Thanks for this inspiring story!
I started skiing in Minnesota on a small ski area that had a rope tow (one rope tow). We moved out to Washington state and I began skiing on mountains, using chair lifts. At that time the area was “folksie”. Gradually over the years it has lost all remnants of that atmosphere. Before I kick the bucket I’d like to find an area like yours, to live near.
Had some good days there before the closure. Would love to see it go back to the top of the old triple chair someday. I'm not driving 2 hrs for what they have now. Even though I'm not going this is a great story. Perfect for the kids in the area.
Gotta luv skiing
When I was first learning to ski in Pennsylvania in the 1970’s we had a few small ski areas like this. But just like in Vermont we now only have larger mountains in our state. It is nice to see the community try to operate this ski area. It makes a nice area for beginning skiers to learn and with lower costs than the big ski areas may encourage more people to ski. I hope the weather turns colder and you get much natural snow for the rest of the season.
PA doesn’t have one single medium sized mountain much less a large one
@@MyKeeP81 While PA does not have any mega or extremely high mountains we do have many good sized mountain resorts that have challenging and rather long runs. My favorite mountain here is Blue Mountain just north of Allentown/ Bethlehem Pa. They offer everything from easy wide beginner trails to challenging black diamond runs. I have traveled and visited some major ski areas in both New England and Colorado and yes compared to these resorts PA mountains are smaller. But our larger ski areas have plenty of runs to keep most skiers happy. Also here in eastern PA you also have the benefit of being able to do a day trip from the Philadelphia area to several ski areas and not have to spend money on staying overnight at a hotel if you choose. And while ski tickets are getting expensive at most resorts you can ski here for more affordable rates especially on weekdays and, enjoy discount tickets if you check around several businesses.
As long as it remains in private hands and not sold into Corporate structures, will be a great place to invest some time and money ....
One big secret to reviving the ski areas is cheap lift tickets, and the make the other money on food and other ski equipment, and other things. People can't afford a $100.00 lift ticket, but they can maybe afford a $50.00 dollar one.
Right, keep it a basic ski area not a full on resort that increases the price of lift tickets. Just want a place to ski, not a luxury resort for shopping and dining.
right, when ski areas started getting renamed as ski resorts, the prices skyrocketed. Love the smaller Mom and Pop type areas. I've been skiing at a small mountain in NH that is so fun, and every one learns your name even if you only ski there on weekends.
I skied in Vermont when I got into skiing I haven’t skied in 25 years last year I got new equipment hopefully I will get to Vermont this time Ed Strong from Ct
Good luck. No snow this season so far.
This is pretty cool
Murray Ridge in Fort St. James operates as a Non Profit Society. This can be another option for community ski areas like this.
Vermont Strong! 💚
There are quite a few ski places like that in NY that are defunct. One was Deer Run😢. None had snowmaking and that was a major issue.
Nice story. Perhaps some know about Nozawa Onsen one of the best ski areas/resorts in Central Japan. It went bankrupt in the 90s and was bought by the town for nothing. It was ran by them and then sold and is incredibly successful. Amazing place to visit. Of course hey have amazing snow and A LOT of it, problem in Vermont and east coast in general is that you kinda need good snow making equipment which is very expensive
Good video, great job Chris.
This is fantastic 👏
Looks like a beautiful hill. I'm amazed that the population density in that part of the US cannot support the place full time
There is a mixed message in VT about "outsiders"- if enough people came to this area to ski and then wanted a hotel or restaurant built the locals would become hostile. They want revenue but they resent development and people who build homes here.
@@aprilhancy7277 Or….maybe the terrain, snow conditions and location kept people away. Ascutney is sandwiched between the better known Vermont ski areas to the west and the better known New Hampshire ski areas to the north-east…it could just be that for non-locals who were traveling to ski, an extra bit a driving to a better ski area was worth it. There are a lot of ski areas competing for a finite number of skiers and it’s very likely that Ascutney was the unfortunate loser in that cut-throat world.
@@aprilhancy7277 In other words, they are out of touch with reality.
@@bb5242 That might be a bit harsh - Vermonters are the salt of the earth, they (like everyone else) don't want some big corporate entity overrunning their small town happiness.
Good stuff
Very interesting 🤔
Great people 👍🏽
What about Wilderness at Thé Balsams in NH
The problem is the people younger than these people don't ski as much as previous generations. Ski areas everywhere face tough times.
it aint ASPEN but its better than nothing !
☘ Irish Honey Badger - "Historic"
Naw be we have actually good skiing in Vermont Killington Sugarbush, Jay Peak smugglers notch not there tho
Can't wait to visit, but what's the name of the mountain/ski hill?
Ascutney.
Big Tupper in NY needs everything. Any donors out there.
Save your local area!
Where is this ski resort at?
Human-washing is what that was. A nice feel-good story without the info we really need to support them. Who is the parent company of Scripps?
The village of Brownsville in Vermont, located about a third of the way up the state near the New Hampshire border.
If they could get patrons to accept personal responsibility, this could become a going enterprise.
The sad thing is, lawyers & insurance companies take a big cut and ruin it for the rest of us.
Watch out for the ice.
Over 200 bucks for a day pass at Steamboat. What a deal.
The problem is that most VT residents do not ski. So people from out of state are expected to come and ski along with their dollars. If more VT residents skied, then there would be what as known as a 'natural market' to help sustain the local ski areas. Vermont also does a terrible job at promoting the ski industry. Many mountains have not expanded in over 40 years due to environmental regulations. For examples, Killington wanted to connect to Pico for many years, and Sugarbush wanted to build an area between its two peaks, but the state shot both of them down. There are now less than 20 public ski areas now in the state.
You're a little out of touch. A lot of Vermonters do ski, but they've been priced out of the market. If you take a look at the recent growth around Mt. Snow, Okemo, Killington, Sugarbush, Stowe, Jay Peak; it's all geared toward the more affluent folks from downcountry. Most locals can't afford to buy tickets at those areas, nor do they want to fight the crowds; which is why they are actively revitalizing smaller areas with a focus on local access. Vermont Act 250 was put in place to prevent Vermont from becoming another Coney Island or Atlantic city. It's not popular with developers, but those who love the beauty and quietude of Vermont truly appreciate it. Some of our greatest Alpine Olympians grew up on small hills.
This is a great example of what life could look like without big corps calling the shots.
If the town would have allowed a golf course 35 years ago like someone wanted, the ski area probably wouldn't have closed. Growing up next to Mt Ascutney, it was such a shame to see it close.
A golf course doesn’t make it snow…
@@johns3106 The golf course would have made Ascutney Mountain Resort a 4 season destination and given it a chance to survive. Also, there would have been hundreds of jobs associated with it.
@@johns3106 How do you think Quechee Lakes would do without golf?
Build a bike park and they will come.
Interesting reporting that does not mention the ski area or town by name. Of course, one can infer it from their shirt logo's or the highway signs, but that's weird 🤷🏻♂️
Maybe they don't want thousands of people showing up and ruining it!! kind of like how surfers never mention their favorite surf spots.
@@asquare9316 also called claimers
Aside from maybe land management agencies leasing land to private industry, local governments have absolutely no business in the ski resort industry.
Why is your voiceover YELLING
Pretty sad when to make a business work, you have to use volunteers instead of employees.
Lawyers, insurance companies and government permitting schemes riin all the fun.
Why not just let a private company buy it?
This sounds like some kind of hippy business model.
Good for you guys-well done👏👍⛷️
Reportedly "ascutney mountain." They have a Web site.
Thanks for sharing Good Stuff folks!!
The Vermonter BS
This is Socialism, dam you Vermonter's don't you know that in near by NH Larry Summer's and Sunumo? Are all upset of you doing something capitalism can not!
Love and Respect.
If you like fresh air, nice views and decent people, check out VT.
And then leave or you'll be ostracized as a "flatlander" to this day.
If you like slow drivers, getting run off the road and getting the finger. Vermont is the place to be.
@@chadmarino2741 Sounds like you bring it out in people. I've never had a problem.
@@chadmarino2741 What's your hurry?
great hard working Americans vs so many lazy ones today. well done VT
We've suffered a lot of inflation. It's hard to keep doubling down on thst work ethic when the goal posts just keep moving further out.