Opening Party: Searching for Vermont’s Lost Ski Areas, Part II

Join us for our Searching for Vermont’s Lost Ski Areas, Part 2 Exhibit Opening Party! This expanded exhibit highlights areas from Route 4 north to the Canadian border and features an additional 113 documented areas not included in Part 1. Photographs, maps, interviews, newspaper clippings, equipment, and memorabilia from the Museum’s collection showcase the extraordinary number of ski areas that once dotted Vermont's hills and mountains. To date, we’ve identified 185 areas that once operated a mechanical tow, including four that were planned but never opened.

For those who missed last season’s popular Part 1, it has been incorporated into the new exhibit. All areas are identified on an eight-foot-tall map, including 20 ski areas that are still operating today.

A few of the lost areas highlighted in the exhibit include four in Waterbury, five in Stowe, and one located just off Interstate 89’s eastbound Route 2 exit in South Burlington.

Towns like Newport, Middlebury, and Lyndonville had strong ski-jumping traditions, which eventually evolved to include lifts for alpine skiing. Ski lifts and programs also appeared at Norwich University, Johnson State College, Vermont Junior College in Montpelier, Sterling School, and Goddard College.

Farmers in central Vermont and the Champlain Valley, seeking extra income during the winter, installed rope tows and strung lights for night skiing. Town recreation programs added lifts and offered lessons in the heart of towns and villages. Inns and hotels created lifts for their guests’ enjoyment. Many of these areas were community-based and locally run, while others were built with a vision similar to today’s ski resorts. Some lasted only a season or two, while others operated for decades. Unfortunately, many closed due to rising insurance costs and strict state lift safety protocols.

Celebrate this extraordinary history with us on Friday, December 6^th. Admission is free, everyone is welcome, and donations are always appreciated.

Searching for Vermont’s Lost Ski Areas, Part 2 is made possible thanks to the efforts of many volunteers, and with the support of Union Bank, Darn Tough, the Winthrop H. Smith Jr. Charitable Foundation, and Jeremy Davis of the New England Lost Ski Areas Project.