Dutch Hill Ski Touring Center

hamlet of Heartwellville, Readsboro, Bennington County, Vermont

“Dutch Hill Ski Touring Center, Heartwellville. Variety of terrain from novice to expert; very scenic overlooking Heartwellville Valley & Mount Greylock. 15 km set; 25 km total. Elev. 1600'-2900'. Instruction, rental, retail, repair, cafe, restaurant, lodging, change rooms, showers, ski weeks, telemark, headlamp tours, guided tours, inn to inn tours. Mike Kennedy, Main Rd., Box 911A, Stamford, 05352. Tel. 694-1202." -Cross Country Ski Vermont, 1984

a 1980's brochure for Dutch Mt. advertising "pure powder for downhill and cross-country skiing"

photo from Jeremy Davis' New England Lost Ski Area website, courtesy of Dwight Boerem

Location: Routes 8 & 100, Heartwellville, Vt.

Directory listings: 1983-1986

Known operators: Mike Kennedy

Today: out of operation

History

In addition to the ski touring center, Dutch Hill was predominantly an alpine ski area that operated from 1944 to 1985. Jeremy Davis, founder of New England Lost Ski Areas Project, describes Dutch Hill Ski area as a "popular, well liked mid sized ski area that operated in extreme southern Vermont, from 1944 to 1985. It reflected many of the small and mid sized areas the opened in Vermont and New England in the 1940's into the 1960's."

Dutch Hill was founded in 1944 by "veterans of the ski troops of World War II" according to a Nov. 1981 article in the Norwalk, CT newspaper The Hour entitiled "Dutch Hill is Sold to Westporter." The article details the sale of Dutch Hill to Bob Bamman sometime between 1979 and 1981 and outlines plans for operation which include "weekends and the usual holiday weeks, with improved cafeteria facilities and outstanding cross country trails." The article reads "the cross country skiing will be under the direction of Mike Kennedy, an Olympic Class cross country skier and the downhill will be under the direction of veteran Jim Curran. Mike and Hank Kennedy will manage the area."

Dutch Hill closed officially in 1985 due to what Davis explains as a mix of bad snow years, and competition from other, larger mountain around the state. The Ski Touring Center seems to have closed either with or shortly after the Alpine area--it was last listed in a 1986 directory with Mike Kennedy as the operator.

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See the full listing of directory entries for Dutch Hill Ski Touring Center here.