Vermont — The Green Mountain State is home to some awesome ski resorts, but they are expensive and can get crowded. If you’re looking to have a more down-to-earth experience and support a local Vermont community, you should consider going to a ski hill.
These might not be the places to rack up your vertical distance on Slopes, or for those who love luxurious amenities, but they are affordable, and feature mellow and quieter experiences from the ski industry status quo.
To be specific, we’re defining ski hills as slopes with surface lifts and limited amenities. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a quality day or evening there. Here are five ski hills in Vermont for those who want to check out some affordable places to shred.
1. Ascutney Outdoors: Long known as Ascutney Mountain Resort, the ski resort shut down in 2010.
After a few years of inactivity, locals joined together to purchase the land. Since then, they’ve made the mountain a four-season destination for hikers, mountain bikers, tubers, and skiers. While the old chairlifts from its ski resort days have been removed, Ascutney Outdoors has revitalized it by adding a rope tow in 2016, a tubing lift in 2019 and a T-bar in 2020. The ski hill now has a vertical drop of 450 feet, and 26 skiable acres to explore. For backcountry skiers, a skin track takes uphillers up to the upper mountain trails. I gotta say that when it has snow, it’s one of my favorite places to ski locally.
On your way out of West Windsor, be sure to check out the Brownsville Butcher & Pantry, which features a pretty impressive food lineup.
2. Brattleboro Ski Hill: If you’re looking for an affordable place to ski, Brattleboro Ski Hill is an option. With lift tickets being only $5, it’s hard to beat that value. The T-bar services a few trails plus a terrain park. Its snowmaking has improved this season thanks to Stratton assisting them by loaning the ski hill two snowmaking guns. Opened back in 1937, the ski hill typically operates on Friday nights, Saturdays, and Sundays.
3. Cochran’s Ski Area: Ski racers will feel right at home at Cochran’s, which was the training ground for Olympians like Barbara Cochran and Ryan Cochran-Siegle. This legacy has helped make Cochran’s one of the prominent ski hills in the United States.
Cochran’s tends to have a more consistent operating schedule than other ski hills on its list, as they have a thorough snowmaking network. Friday nights is probably the best time for the public to go, as there is a community dinner and lift tickets are only $5.
4. Northeast Slopes: This ski hill is a must visit for both skiers and movie buffs. Opened back in 1936, Northeast Slopes is home to the oldest operating ski tow in the United States. Its wide open slopes make for some fun, uncrowded turns.
Beetlejuice fans will also want to visit this ski hill for two reasons. The covered bridge in Beetlejuice was converted into two buildings that house the motors for the Big and Small Rope Tow. The covered bridge from Beetlejuice Beetlejuice has become an events pavilion for the base area.
5. Lyndon Outing Club: If you’re planning a trip to the Northeast Kingdom, and there’s been a sufficient snowpack, consider a trip to the Lyndon Outing Club. Created back in 1937, the historic Vermont ski hill has a vertical drop of 433 feet and is serviced by a rope tow and T-bar that was originally situated at Stowe.
Currently, Lyndon only operates when a natural snowpack exists. However, it’s planning to add snowmaking in the future, and they plan to open for the season tomorrow night.
Image/Video Credits: Ascutney Outdoors, NBC-5, Brattleboro Ski Hill, Cochran’s Ski Area, Northeast Slopes, Lyndon Outing Club
