Connecticut — When people think of Connecticut, they think of things like pizza, hamburgers, and the Hartford Whalers (RIP).
Skiing doesn’t come to mind, but the state has five downhill ski areas. While the climate can make snow farming tricky, big crowds from cities like Hartford and New York City help keep these places busy.
To keep up with demand, one of the largest ski areas is continuing to modernize its lift fleet over the next few years.
Last week, Mount Southington’s GM Jay Dougherty went on the Storm Skiing Journal & Podcast to discuss recent and future improvements. It’s a good watch/listen if you want to learn more about what it’s like to operate a ski area in Connecticut.
Chairlifts & Other Improvements
In the video, he discusses a phased rebuild of the Stardust chairlift. Installed in 1978, the Borvig triple chairlift is aging. In response, the Connecticut ski area is working with Partek on a three-year (could be more or less) rebuild. This offseason, a new top terminal is going in. The unloading experience will also change, leading to better egress. Next offseason will see the replacement the base terminal. For the third year, the lift towers will be replaced.
The same lift carriers (i.e., the chairs) will be used, as they actually aren’t from the original installation. Partek replaced the original chairs back in the early 2000s.
These additions follow two lift replacements in the 2020s: Avalanche and Northstar. With this replacement, all of Southington’s chairlifts will be from the 2000s and from Partek.
While not mentioned in the pod episode, another new addition is an all-weather snowmaking system. This will allow them to make snow during more variable weather.
About Mount Southington
Situated in Central Connecticut, Mount Southington is one of the state’s several active operating ski areas. The ski area features 14 trails, 8 lifts, and a vertical drop of 425 feet. Southington features 100% coverage for snowmaking and night skiing. During the offseason, the ski area hosts summer camps, volleyball, cornhole, and events. For the 2026-27 season, it’s a partner of the Snow Pass and Snow Triple Play.
Image/Video Credits: Mount Southington, Storm Skiing Journal & Podcast
