Skiing and Tramways on Mt. Greylock, Massachusetts

[Papa Bear]

It's time to repeal prohibitions on skiing, tramway construction and other activities and improvements at the Mount Greylock Reservation and the Greylock Glen, according to the town's Mount Greylock Committee.

Town Moderator Anthony McBride, also a Greylock committee member, told the Selectmen on Wednesday night that repeal legislation is being planned and will be supported by signatures on a petition calling for changes to be made before any development can occur at the state's highest peak.

Petition drive

McBride said yesterday that he has signatures from people in the Boston and Pittsfield areas. He noted that the reservation is a state property and that all residents of the state have a stake in the mountain's future. Petitions will be placed in businesses, McBride said, and the committee is considering a door-to-door drive.

"In order to do anything up there, the law has to be amended," McBride said.

Massachusetts General Law Chapter 676, which was passed in 1985, forbids downhill skiing, the construction of chairlifts, tramways and other projects. The legislation sought by the Greylock committee would insert wording that permits such endeavors.

And McBride said another change is vital. Currently, any proposed changes to the mountain require unanimous approval from the Board of Environmental Management, also known as the Mount Greylock Protective Association. McBride wants that condition changed to a simple majority approval.

http://www.berkshireeagle.com/Stories/0,1413,101~7514~1750559,00.html

This proposal to develope the mountain was shot down in 1985 and one of the local towns is trying to revive it. Some input from the AT to keep the prohibition in place would be in order IMHO.

Pb

[Peaks]

There has been talk and proposals to "develop" Greylock for over 30 years. I thought that Jane Swift killed it 2 years ago, but apparently not.

Everyone has big ideas, and wants someone else to pay for it. To my knowledge no one has a plan that makes financial sense.

Granted, the area has been hard hit by the rust belt type industries closing in this area. I believe that this area has been losing population for about a century now.

Brodie Mountain Ski Area closed a few years ago. Hard to believe that ski area on Greylock would be successful.

[icemanat95]

There was a ski area on Greylock a long time ago. It was one of the earliest if I recall correctly. The local communities are trying very hard to attract outside dollars into their communities, and recreational tourism is one of the popular methods. However, ski areas are having a tough go of it in recent years. The need to provide a high quality skiing experience from around thanksgiving weekend through Mid-march requires them to spend A LOT of money on snowmaking, high speed lifts and slopeside amenities. All of this makes running a ski area very difficult. Bad snow years make it even worse since you've got to run the guns more requiring more water and more power as well as manhours of work. So the finances of starting up a ski area are not all that encouraging. They would be better off (in my opinion) going with a ski-touring, snowshoe center. The initial start up costs are much lower, the most complicated pieces of machinery needed are snowmobiles to groom trails and chainsaws to cut down blowdowns. Such a touring center would be far less invasive on the environment than ski trails and, if they marketed it right and made sure they had sufficient lodging, they could do a good business on the Trapp Family Lodge model. Plus, if there is no snow, the trails could still be opened to hiking and perhaps mountain biking on a more limited basis.

I have a great deal of sympathy for local communities seeking to restore prosperity. But it definitely needs to be balanced with the long term health of their resources.

[Peaks]

There never was a real ski area on Greylock. However, during the 1930's the CCC I believe did cut the Thunderbolt trail and Bellow Pipe Trail. Both go from the summit down to a farm at the base of the mountain in Adams. No lift, you had to climb up and ski down. The trails were used for racing the early days. There may have been a modest base shelter at the bottom. I suspect there hasn't been an organized race there in over 50 years.

Building a cross country touring center would be a possiblity. However, the problem with Adams is that it's out of the way for the general public to get there. Other good touring centers in the area include numerous ones in Southern Vermont and Northfield Mountain. Lack of natural snow in the Berkshires has been a problem. The cross country portion of the Bay State Games has been cancelled for lack of snow 2 and 3 years ago, so last year they got dropped from the Winter Games.

[Papa Bear]

There never was a real ski area on Greylock. ... I suspect there hasn't been an organized race there in over 50 years.I was a student at Williams 1960 - 64 and I believe the college team used the Thunderbolt for competition during the first part of those years. I was not a skier but I was in the outing club and we did some maintenance. I remember when the college developed an area on the NY/MA border (Berlin Mountain?) with slolom slope, ski jump etc. I think around 1963. Then I think the Thunderbolt was abandoned. The cross country course in those years was in a state forest east of North Adams.

Could be wrong on the dates. Anyone know for sure?

Pb

[Peaks]

I think that the area off the Taconic Trail (Route 2) may have been called the Hopkins Forest. I supsect that Williams still owns it, but don't know how much it gets used anymore.

Currently, the cross country ski teams trains at Prospect in Woodford VT, (up hill on Route 9 from where the AT/Long Trail crosses). I'm not sure where the alpine ski team trains these days. Brodie Mountain closed 2 years ago.

But, Papa Bear has a few years on me, so if Williams held some races on the Thunderbolt, than that's probably one of the few times after WW2 that this trail was used for ski racing.