Camel's Hump Nordic Ski Center

Huntington, Chittenden County, Vermont

“Camel's Hump Nordic Ski Center, Huntington. Dramatic alpine setting high in foothills of undeveloped 4000' Camel's Hump; varied terrail for all abilities with spectacular view. 35 km machine tracked; 60 km total. Elev. 1100'-2300'. Instruction, rental, retail, repair, cafe, lodging, telemark, headlamp tours, guided tours, camping, mountaineering. David Brautigam, RD 1, Box 99, Huntington 05462. Tel. 434-2704. ” -1985

Cross country skier at Camel's Hump Nordic Ski Area

from CHNSA website

Location: Handy Rd., Huntington, Vt. 05462

Years of Operation:1979-1996

Known operators: David Brautigam and Myra Handy

Today: After being disbanded in 1996, a non-profit known as the Camel's Hump Skiers Association was incorporated to continues maintainance and grooming of the Camel's Hump Nordic Ski Area trails today

History

Camel's Hump Nordic Ski Area got it start in 1979 when David Brautigam and Myra Handy settled on Myra's family farm in Huntington, VT and began to cut the first trails along the property. Her father, Jack Handy, an avid cross country skier who served in Vermont famous 10th Mountain Division in WWII and his wife Jane were active participants in the venture. Some of the earliest trails included the Honeymooner and Echo Woods trails, still on the trail map today.

For the next seventeen years, Dave and Myra continued to run Camel's Hump Nordic Ski Center out of their basement and cut more than half a dozen new trails. They enjoyed a working relationship with nearby landowners; the Vermont Dept. of Forests, Parks, and Rec.; fellow skiers; 1968 Winter Olympic gold medalist Babben Enger who ran the Camel's Hump Nordic Ski School; and countless volunteers who helped them maintain the network. In 1986, a Cross Country Skier magazine article entitled "24 Best Cross Country Ski Areas in North America," called Camel's Hump Nordic the "most underrated trail network in the Northeast."

According to Camel's Hump Nordic Ski Area's website "when Dave and Myra ended their run as owners of Camel's Hump Nordic Ski Center in 1996, a volunteer group determined that they wouldn't let the ski center disappear. That fall, the non-profit Camel's Hump Skiers' Association was born with the help of former friends/neighbors/trailgroomers, John Hadden, Marc Torelli, and Jerry Gange, who did the legal legwork in establishing CHSA and becoming its founding officers."

In 2011, they were recognized as a charitable, tax-exempt, non-profit organization. Today, the trails and Dave and Myra's legacy are maintained by the Camel's Hump Nordic Ski Area (which is, as their website explains, both a place and an organization) and they remain comitted to their goal of "bringing a diverse, high quality AND affordable skiing experience to all those who wish to explore the thrill and beauty of the Camel's Hump region in winter."

___________________

See the full listing of directory entries for Camel's Hump Nordic Ski Center here.

Read the Full History of Camel's Hump Nordic Ski Center here.

View Camel's Hump Nordic Ski Area 2012-2013 trail map here.