Twin Mount Farm Lodge

Peacham, Caledonia County, Vermont

"Twin Mount Farm Lodge, Box 31, Peacham 05862. Tel. 592-3579. Ideal for ski tourers who would like to get away from large touring centers to enjoy peace and quiet in the winter woods. Capacity 12 guests; all rooms with private bath. 30 acres of open field and forest trails. Equiptment rentals nearby. *Facilities for guests only. " -Vermont Ski Guide, 1978

Location: Peacham, Vt. 05862

Directory listings: 1976-1983

Known operators: Hertha and Zoltan Forrai

Today: out of operation

1981 1024 us 02 twin mount farm

Photograph of Twin Mount Farm, circa 1981

from: Steinmetz family geneology website, http://steinmetz-cuxhaven.de/ © MICHAEL SCHUBERT 2013

History

Twin Mount Farm Lodge was owned and operated by Zoltan and Hertha Forrai in Peacham, Vt. Twin Mount Farm was listed in directories between 1976 and 1983 offering 30 acres of skiing space and lodging for up to twelve guests. According to his 2009 obituary in the Caledonia Record, Zoltan Forrai was born in Hungary and eventually settled in the United States where he and his wife, Hertha (Steinmetz), opened a horseback riding school and camp at Twin Mount Farm.

In the fall of 2013 I recieved an email from Hertha Forrai which read:

"My name is Hertha Forrai. My husband Zoltan and I ran a horseback riding school and camp called Twin Mount Farm in Peacham for 25 years. During the winter months we tried to earn extra income by offering rooms to cross country skiers in our farm house. They could ski across our fields, (no groomed trails!).

When road conditions were right we would sometimes hitch a horse to a sleigh and offer a sleigh ride.

Some guests only lodged with us and explored other cross country places in the area.

As we had 12 horses to take [care] of and prepare for next summer's riding camp the two of us did not really have the time to emplasize the skiing aspect. There are no brochures; it was mostly 'word-of-mouth.'"

Mrs. Forrai's email not only provides a first hand history of Twin Mount Farm, but also offers a more universal explaination of how and why so many personal farms and other family ventures supplemented their operations with cross country skiing in the winters during this era, using the rise of Nordic skiing in Vermont to their advantage while simultaneously helping to further promote the sport's growth.

Today, Twin Mount Farm is out of operation.

____________________

See full listing of directory entries for Twin Mount Farm Lodge here.