Ascutney Mountain Nordic Center

Unincorporated village of Brownsville, West Windsor, Windsor County, Vermont

“Ascutney Mt. Nordic Center, Brownsville. Wooded & open trails for beginner, intermediate & some expert. 30 km machine tracked; 50 km total. Instruction, rental, retail, repair, cafe, restaurant, lodging, day care, showers, ski weeks, telemark, headlamp tours, guided tours, winter camping, ski mountaineering. Davie Davis, Ascutney Mt. Nordic Ctr., Brownsville 05037; 484-7711.” -Vermont: Winter's Best Vacation Magazine, 1986

Ascutney Mountain in the 1980s

From NewEnglandSkiHistory.com

Location: 485 Hotel Rd, Brownsville, VT 05037

Alternate listing titles: Ascutney Meadows Touring Center (1981, 1982)

Directory listings: on and off between 1981 and 2011

Known operators: Collins & Helena Parker; Davie Davis

Today: Ascutney Mountain Resort ended skiing operations in the fall of 2010, though a reopening is possible

History

Ascutney Mountain was first opened as an alpine ski area in 1947. According to Jeremy Clark's New England Ski History website, the operation was plagued with financial troubles from the start which included filing for bankruptcy in 1950, narrowly avoiding it in 1961, being "mortgaged to the hilt"--according to then Assistant Manager Bob Straw--by 1974, and again filing for bankruptcy in 1983. In the summer of 1983, new ownership instated a long-term investment plan to revamp and expand the area, which would include upgraded chairlifts, improved snowmaking and grooming, and a new Village area. Despite a $65 million investment over the following years, according to owners, a new tax law in the mid 1980's initiated the financial downfall of Ascutney Mountain, though mountain back taxes and mismanaged funds also seem to be to blame.

Following the 1990-1991 ski season, Ascutney Mountain closed down for the first time. In 1993, Ascutney was purchased at auction for $1.1 million and reopened that winter under new ownership. The Nordic Center, however, did not reopen with the mountain. according to Travel Writer's Magazine, "2004 marked the rebirth of the Ascutney Nordic Center, when trails were cleared and delineated for both cross-country skiing and snowshoeing." In early 2008, at the time of the article, they had this to say about Ascutney: "Ascutney has about 10 km of snowshoe trails and 25 km of cross-country trails. The snowshoe trails are a lovely wooded section of Ascutney mountainside with very pretty mountain views. The cross-country network is a combination of classic groomed meadow and forest trails and is available for use free of charge. Daily equipment rental and weekend lessons are available."

Despite continued growth, debt again mounted and foreclosure proceedings were underway by the 2008-2009 season. Finally in 2010, Ascutney was again sold and unsuccessfully liquidated. It did not open for the 2010-2011 season and neither the alpine nor the Nordic area have been opened since (though it was listed in the 2011 cross country directory since its official closure was not certain until the fall of 2010).

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See the full list of directory entries for Ascutney Meadows Touring Center and Ascutney Mountain Nordic here.

Read the full history from Jeremy Clark's New England Ski History website here.