Mount Snow, Vermont - New England Ski Area Expansions

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Mount Snow
Somerset, Vermont

Overview

North Face - 1963 - Open

The North Tore area in a 1962 Mt. Snow trail map

The 1965 Mt. Snow trail map showing the new North Face area

As part of Walter Schoenknecht's dream of skiing on all four sides of Mt. Snow, the North Face area was first opened circa 1958, labeled as "North Tore." Without a top to bottom lift in place, uphill access from three advanced trails was provided via a rope tow leading to a connector trail back to the Main Mountain.

In 1963, a new Carlevaro & Savio double chairlift, 4,000 feet long and climbing 1,050 vertical feet, was installed on the North Face, eliminating the inconvenient rope tow ride and flat ski trek back to the Main Mountain. From a business perspective, the complex of six trails was developed to help reduce crowds and stress on the Main Mountain area.

The North Face on the 2009 Mt. Snow trail map

In 1982, the uphill capacity of the North Face area was dramatically increased when a new Yan triple chairlift, the Challenger, was installed adjacent to the North Face double. The new chairlift climbed 1,024 feet over a run of 3,700 feet. That same year, the summit lodge was rebuilt, further adding to the North Face experience.

In 1987, the original North Face double was gradually upgraded, initially by Yan, then by CTEC, to a triple. It is now known as the Outpost.

A 1960s postcard showing the North Face at Mt. Snow

The Challenger Triple (2006)

The Outpost Triple (2006)

The Outpost Triple (2007)

The double-diamond Ripcord (2007)

Sunbrook - 1970 - Open

The Sunbrook area (left) as seen in a 1980 rendering of Mt. Snow

Advertised as a third mountain area, the Sunbrook complex first opened with lift service in January of 1970. The original development was composed of three trails - two long intermediate runs from the summit and the Beartrap expert trail, served by a new 1969 Carlevaro & Savio 373 vertical foot by 977 foot long double chairlift. As such, only the Beartrap trail could be skied with one lift right - the other two trails would require riding up the Sunbrook Double back to the main mountain, then up a main mountain lift.

The Beartrap Double (2005)

The Sunbrook Double was rebuilt with Yan parts in 1986 and subsequently became the Beartrap Double.

1990 saw Sunbrook becoming a full fledged area, as six new intermediate trails were cut. In addition, a new 4,430 foot long by 910 foot vertical CTEC fixed grip quad was added from base to summit, thus allowing for top to bottom skiing without having to use main mountain lifts.

The Sunbrook area was considered at one point to be the starting point for a connection to the Haystack ski area.

Due in part to the relative slow speed of the quad in comparison to high speed quads elsewhere on the mountain, the Sunbrook quad has not consistently operated on a full time basis. Efforts were made to operating the lift at a faster speed, however as of 2010, there are now plans to replace it with a high speed detachable quad.

The Sunbrook area (2007)

The Sunbrook Quad (2006)

The Sunbrook Quad (2007)

The Beartrap Double (2006)

The Sunbrook 2009 trail map

Carinthia - 1986 - Open

The 2009 Carinthia trail map

Having operated in the shadow of Mt. Snow as an smaller, independent area for a quarter of a century, Carinthia ran into financial struggles in the 1980s.

On April 28, 1986, Mt. Snow acquired Carinthia and connected it to the rest of the mountain via four short trails. Overall, the expansion was said to be the largest in the history of Mt. Snow. As a result, Mt. Snow's trail count was boosted 16 and lift count by 3.

One year later, the Carinthia T-Bar was replaced with a new 3,239 foot long by 574 vertical foot Yan double chairlift, helping to bring skiers back to the Main Mountain from the Carinthia base area.

Ten years later, the Carinthia double chairlift (installed only a few years prior to the acquisition) was replaced a new 5,029 foot long by 992 foot vertical Poma high speed detachable quad. Since then, the Carinthia area was been generally geared toward terrain parks and halfpipes, briefly being renamed as "Nitro" and "Planet 9."

The Carinthia base area (2006)

The Carinthia base area (2005)

The Nitro Express Quad and half pipe (2007)

he Nitro Express Quad and half pipe (2007)

The bottom of the Heavy Metal Double (2006)

The Heavy Metal Double (2006)

The top of the Heavy Metal Double (2006)

Deerfield Ridge - Cancelled

The proposed Deerfield Ridge Link in a 1989 plan

As part of a grand Mt. Snow and Haystack expansion proposal, a connection between the areas was planned in the 1980s. A 1989 proposal map displayed three new lifts and nearly two dozen new trails being constructed toward Haystack by Mount Snow, Ltd. (with additional trails and lifts to be constructed by Haystack Associates), much of it in Green Mountain National Forest land. Sunbrook and the newly acquired Carinthia would have been main connectors to the proposed trails.

It is not known how far this proposal went, however the trails and lifts were never constructed. Haystack would go bankrupt and be taken over by Mt. Snow starting in 1991.

The interconnect area as seen from near the top of Carinthia (2006)

The interconnect area as seen from near the top of Sunbrook (2006)

Summit Six Pack - Open

The Summit Local and Grand Summit Express chairs (2007)

With an aging, 1987 Yan (Poma modified) detachable quad ("Grand Summit Express") as a primary lift, with a long, 1978 Yan triple chairlift ("Summit Local") as a backup, Mt. Snow was looking to improve the summit access. On March 5, 2011 a formal plan was announced.

Starting in March of 2011, the Summit Local was removed.

During the offseason, a new Leitner-Poma high speed detachable six person bubble chairlift was be installed in its place. The bubble design of the chairs is expected to make riding the lift on windy days more bearable. The lift opened on December 10, 2011.

The Grand Summit Express, at one point rumored to be relocated to the Sunbrook area, remained in its present location as a backup/peak overflow lift. New chairs were added to this lift, as well as a renovated base terminal.

The Summit Local (2007)

The Grand Summit Express (2005)

The top of the Bluebird Express (2011)

Resources

Mt. Snow - NewEnglandSkiHistory.com

Mount Snow Official Site

Mt. Snow - FranklinSites.com Hiking Guide

Last updated: January 8, 2012