Landgrove Ski Touring Center

Landgrove, Bennington County, Vermont

"Landgrove Ski Touring Center, Landgrove. The primary trail network lies upon gentle terrain affording pleasant skiing for beginners & intermediates. Direct access to existing trails in Peru, Mt. Holly & Weston provides virtually unlimited skiing for all abilities. 20 km machine tracked; 60 km total. Elev. 1500'-1900'. Instruction, rental, lodging nearby, telemark, guided tours, camping. John G. Eckhardt, "Westwind," Landgrove 05148. Tel. 824-3792." -Cross Country Ski Vermont, 1985

Location: Landgrove, Vt. 05148

Directory listings: 1985-1986

Known operators: John Eckhardt

Today: out of operation

History

Little is known about the Landgrove Ski Touring Center. The operator John G. Eckhardt, according to a United States Marine Academy memorial article, was an Airborne and Ranger qualified Infantry Officer who graduated from West Point and served in Germany in South East Asia before returning to Vermont where he worked as a teacher and later a land surveyor. In 1971, the Eckhardt family moved to Landgrove, VT where it says John "remained physically and mentally active" by participating in long distance cross country ski races and teaching alpine skiing at both Bromley and Stratton. He later served as the director of Stratton Mountain Ski Touring Center for over a decade.

Landgrove Ski Touring Center was only listed in two cross country directories but appears to have had a sizable trail network with 60 km of trails, 20 km of which were machine tracked. The 1986 directory entry for Landgrove Ski Touring Center reads almost identical to the 1985 one (listed above) except for a $5.00 trail fee, only 8 km of machine tracked trails down from 20 km in 1985 (still lists 60 km total trails), and an elevation of 1600'-2200'. The amenities listed in 1986 are "instruction, rental, retail, lodging nearby, guided tours."

Aside from the information provided in the directories and the background on operator John Eckhardt, little information is available on Landgrove Ski Touring Center. Because there are a number of ski touring centers in Landgrove (both active and out of operation) it is not unlikely to think some of the Landgrove Touring Center trails, or perhaps the whole network, was absorbed into another Landgrove trail system, however, no evidence of this was available.