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Berkshire East
Charlemont, Massachusetts
Berkshire East as seen from Warfield Hill (2005)
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| Berkshire East Details |
| Status: | Open |
| First Year of Operation: | 1953 |
| Vertical Drop: | 1,180 feet |
| Lifts in Operation: | 1 quad, 2 triples, 1 double, surface lifts |
| Lifts Removed/Non Operational: | 6 doubles, surface lifts |
Berkshire East Ski Resort was first opened by Arthur Parker as a small ski club named Thunder Mountain in 1953-54. After closing for the balance of the 1950s, Thunder Mountain reopened as a chairlift served ski area in 1961-62. Subsequent financial hardships resulted in Richard Tambussi taking control of the mountain in 1965 and renaming it "Berkshire East" in 1969.
The ski area hit hard times with a failed real estate development in the 1970s, resulting in bankruptcy. Roy Schaefer and Union Terminal Piers from Michigan purchased the ski area in the late 1970s and gradually improved the existing facilities over the next two decades. Major expansions during this tenure took place starting in the mid-1990s with the Outback complex. The Wilderness Peak complex was opened a few years later.
The Schaefer family purchased the ski area from Union Terminal Piers in June of 2007 and subsequently expanded the focus of the business beyond snow sports to include zip lines and wind power generation.
The Competition T-Bar in the late 1960s |
Expansion History
Lift Timeline
| Season | Lift Name | Type | Event | Notes |
| 2000s |
| 2009-2010 | Mountain Top | Poma Triple Chairlift | Installed | From Ski Rio, NM |
| 2008-2009 | Diamond Express | Hall Double Chairlift | Removed after season | |
| 2003-2004 | West | Borvig-Leitner Quad Chairlift | Installed | From Berthoud Pass, CO |
| 2002-2003 | Exhibition | Mueller Double Chairlift | Removed after season | Sold to SkyTrans |
| 2001-2002 | Top Notch | Hall Double Chairlift | Installed | From Mt. Tom, MA |
| 2000-2001 | Top Notch | Hall J-Bar | Removed after season | |
| 1990s |
| 1995-1996 | Summit | Poma Triple Chairlift | Installed | From Magic, VT |
| 1994-1995 | Summit | Mueller Double Chairlift | Removed after season | Sold to Ski Ward, MA |
| 1994-1995 | Little Beaver | SLI Double Chairlift | Likely removed after season | Sold to Winterplace, WV |
| 1970s |
| 1978-1979 | Diamond Express | Hall Double Chairlift | Installed | From Sierra Ski Ranch, CA |
| 1977-1978 | Tenderfoot | Thiokol Double Chairlift | Possibly removed after season | Sold to Nashoba Valley, MA |
| 1977-1978 | Little Beaver | SLI Double Chairlift | Installed | From Mackinac Island, MI |
| 1972-1973 | Broken Arrow | Thiokol Double Chairlift | Partially installed | New install, never completed |
| 1972-1973 | Tenderfoot | Thiokol Double Chairlift | Partially installed | New install, never completed |
| 1960s |
| 1966-1967 | Yankee Doodle | Mueller T-Bar | Removed | Sold to Berkshire Snow Basin, MA |
| 1965-1966 | Top Notch | Hall J-Bar | Installed | |
| 1965-1966 | Snowflake | Mueller T-Bar | Relocated | To Yankee Doodle slope |
| 1963-1964 | Yankee Doodle | Mueller T-Bar | Relocated | Renamed Snowflake |
| 1962-1963 | Exhibition | Mueller Double Chairlift | Installed | New install |
| 1961-1962 | Competition | Mueller T-Bar | Installed | New install |
| 1961-1962 | Summit | Mueller Double Chairlift | Installed | New install |
| 1961-1962 | Yankee Doodle | Mueller T-Bar | Installed | New install |
Skier Visits
| Season | Skier Visits | Source |
| 2006-2007 | 80,000 | Greenfield Recorder |
| 1975-1976 | 30,000 | |
Ticket Price History
Weekend Full Day Lift Ticket
| Season |
Price |
Source |
| 2010s | | 2011-12 | $58.00 |  | berkshireeast.com | | 2010-11 | $58.00 | | berkshireeast.com | | 2009-10 | $55.00 | | berkshireeast.com |
| 2000s | | 2008-09 | $52.00 | | berkshireeast.com | | 2007-08 | $50.00 | | | | 2006-07 | $48.00 | | | | 2005-06 | $45.00 | | | | 2004-05 | $42.00 | | | | 2003-04 | $40.00 | | | | 2002-03 | $38.00 | | | | 2001-02 | $38.00 | | | | 2000-01 | $35.00 | | berkshireeast.com | | 1999-00 | $35.00 | | berkshireeast.com |
| 1990s | | 1998-99 | $35.00 | | berkshireeast.com | | 1997-98 | $35.00 | | berkshireeast.com | | 1996-97 | $32.00 | | Skiing The Pioneer Valley |
| 1980s | | 1988-89 | $26.00 | | Ski Massachusetts Brochure | | 1982-83 | $17.00 | | Rand McNally Winter Recreation Map | | 1981-82 | $15.00 | | Berkshire Vacation Bureau |
| 1970s | | 1973-74 | $8.00 | | Skiing | | 1971-72 | $8.00 | | Boston Globe |
| 1960s | | 1965-66 | $5.50 | | Press Release | | 1963-64 | $5.50 | | Buxton's Eastern Ski Slopes | | 1962-63 | $5.50 | | Buxton's Eastern Ski Slopes |
| 1950s | | 1953-54 | $2.00 | | New York Times |
Vintage Ads
Berkshire East ad in the 1966 Eastern Ski Map
Click here to see more Berkshire East vintage advertisements
External Links
Berkshire East Ski Resort - official site
SkiBerkshireEast.com - history and photos
Mt. Institute - FranklinSites.com Hiking Guide
Berkshire East Ski Resort - Wikipedia
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Last updated: March 27, 2012
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