Wilmington, Vermont — After starting the 2020s on the verge of closing for good, a private Vermont ski resort is adding to its lift fleet this upcoming offseason.
Last month, the Hermitage Club at Haystack Mountain issued an ACT 250 approval request for a new chairlift. The new detachable high-speed quad will go from the Clubhouse base area to the Mid-Mountain Lodge. The new Hayfever chairlift would add needed redundancy to the Vermont ski resort. According to the New England Ski Industry, winds frequently affect the operations of the Barnstormer bubble chairlift, which serves the summit. If built, the chairlift would allow guests to access intermediate and advanced terrain.
It will follow a similar alignment to the old Haystack chairlift, which was removed in 2020. More on that lift in a minute.
History of Haystack/Hermitage Club
First opened during the 1964-65 ski season, Haystack struggled to be a successful public ski area because of its proximity to Mount Snow, among other ski resorts. It was eventually lumped together with Mount Snow when it became a part of the American Skiing Company (ASC). It was sold in 2005, with ASC stipulating that, if it reopened, it could be only a private ski resort.
Its revival came in the early 2010s, with new lifts (including a bubble chairlift) and a new mid-mountain lodge drawing interest from wealthy individuals. The ski resort brought in major musical acts for shows, such as America and The Doobie Brothers. The ski resort would rename the trails to songs by these bands. However, the financial books weren’t exactly on a Ventura Highway, as it met the Sandman when it went into receivership in 2018 and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2019. Some of the infrastructure, such as snowmaking guns and the Haystack triple chairlift, was removed.
In 2020, members of the Hermitage Club purchased the ski resort. The most notable change made was that the trails were reverted to their original names. The new owners have had much more success, with membership numbers up.
They have also been good stewards of their community. Their latest public ski day, which was held in February, raised $30,000 for local organizations. Also, they just hosted Special Olympics Vermont for two days.
Click here to learn more about the history of Haystack.
Image Credits: Hermitage Club at Haystack Mountain
