Skiing at Stowe:
A bit of the history of Mt. Mansfield
1914 First recorded decent on sklis - Nataniel Goodrich, Dartmouth College librarian,
1920 Stowe Civic Club builds a ski jump and toboggan slide.
1922 Stowe has its first Winter Carnival.
1932 Stowe Ski Club is founded. Later incorporated as the Mt. Mansfield Ski Club, Roland Palmedo, founder of the New York Amateur Ski Club, formulates plans to develop Mt. Mansfield. With friend, Lowell Thomas, Palmedo cut trails on the mountain, using Civilian Conservation Corps for manpower and equipment.
1933 The CCC does trail work on Mt. Mansfield, cutting the Bruce and a few touring trails toward Luce Hill On February 25, 1934, the first official down-mountain race is held. Dick Durrance, America's most famous early racer, is the winner of this historic event
1934-35 The CCC cuts the original Chin Clip trail and Nose Dive. The Mt. Mansfield Ski Club (MMSC) hires Stowe's first ski instructor: Jim Trachier of Hanover, New Hampshire. Ten lessons, enough to get someone off to a good start, costs $4. The Ranch Camp is beginning to overflow so a new bunk house is built. Skiers can stay at a few other places by this time: Barnes Camp, the Green Mountain Inn, the Fountain and a few farm houses.
1935-36 The CCC builds the stone hut which still stands at the top of Mt. Mansfield. The Lodge and Toll House open for their first winter season. First season of the Mt. Mansfield Ski Patrol.
1936-37 Generally recognized as the official beginning of Stowe's ski industry. A 1,000 foot rope tow is installed on the practice slope by the Toll House. Sepp Ruschp arrives in Stowe from Linz, Austria to teach skiing
1937-38 The Mt. Mansfield Hotel Co. opens the Mt. Mansfield rope tow. The Stowe-Mansfield Association, forerunner of the Stowe Area Association is formed. The National Championships take place in 1938 in Stowe.
1938-39 Total of 4.6 miles of expert, 13.4 miles of intermediate and 12.5 miles of novice trails now in place. Palmedo and Thomas get together several other New Yorkers and form Mt. Mansfield Lift, Inc. This new corporation raises $90,000 for the mountain's first major improvement: A single chair lift.
1940 Mt. Mansfield Lift, Inc. unviels its impressive new single chair lift on November 17, 1940. It is the first chair lift in Vermont, and the longest in the country at this time (6,330").
1941-42 In January 1942, the Civilian Conservation Corps is disbanded. Most of the men in the CCC join the armed services and go off to World War II.
1945-46 Route 108 is paved. First Mt. Mansfield-Stowe Derby, a ski race from the mountain to the village is held.
1946-49 Insurance magnate Cornelius Van Der Starr comes to Stowe. The Mt. Mansfield T- Bar Company is formed. By winter 1947, the 3,000 foot Mansfield T-Bar is in operation. The Mt. Mansfield Hotel Co. expands by purchasing Spruce Peak, Starr consolidates five separate companies running the ski operations in Stowe: The Mt. Mansfield Hotel Company, the Mt. Mansfield T-Bar Company, The Lodge. Sepp Ruschp Ski School and Mt. Mansfield Lift, Inc. into the Mt. Mansfield Co., Inc.
1951-52 The Nose Dive is extened to the top of The Nose. Fabled as a precipitous trail, the Nose Dive challenges the best of skiers. In 1952, Stowe hosts the Men's and Women's National Championships heldon the Nose Dive. A new trail is built that is known all over the country as one of the best “National”.
1953-55 The Mountain Company begins construction of a double chair lift, trails and buildings on Spruce Peak.
1955-56 Spruce House is built at the base of the Little Spruce and the Mt. Mansfield State Shelter is expanded.
1956-57 The Toll House T-Bar is constructed. All American Internationsl Races are held on Mt. Mansfield. The double Moriarty and Betsy Snite represent the US, in the Squaw Valley Winter Olympics. Betsy Snite is the Silver Medal winner in the Slalom chair
1964 Olympics at Innsbruck, Stowe native, Billy Kidd, captures the Silver Medal Slalom.
1965 Nose Dive's Seven Deadly Turns are graded away.
1967 The Mountain Company installs snow-making equipmen 1968- The Gondola Cliff House and Base Terminal are built. Five new trails are the Gondola area.
1975 The first revival of the Stowe Winter Carnival is held.
1977 Sepp Ruschp is made Chairman of the Board of the Mt. Mansfield Co., Inc. The Mansfield Touring Center is built to attract Nordic skiers to the mountain. 1979- The new Lookout double chair is built and an additional seven miles of Mansfield trails are equiped with snow-making.
80’s
1980 Worst ski season in the history of the East
1982 Mountain open until May 2nd - the lastest closing in history - with over 360,000 skjer days recorded for the season Extensive snow-making coverage completed.
Famed Stowe Single Chair