Birdseye Mountain
A short-lived Vermont area near Castleton, killed within about six years by an annual snowfall of only 60 to 70 inches and no snowmaking; one of its home-made disc lifts was still standing intact four decades later.
- Region
- Vermont
- Country
- USA
- Status
- abandoned
- Year opened
- 1961
- Year closed
- 1967
- Reason for closure
- Not enough snow. The mountain averaged only 60 to 70 inches a year and had no snowmaking. Bill Jenkins, who designed its lifts, had opposed building the 1965 T-bar without snowmaking to cover the new terrain; two bad winters followed the expansion, and after his resignation the area could not carry on.
History
Birdseye Mountain straddles Castleton and Ira in western Vermont, and its ski area ran only from about 1961-62 until roughly 1967. It was a home-made operation in the best sense: its two Stabil disc lifts were custom-designed by Bill Jenkins and Stan Whitney rather than bought off a manufacturer, the first going up on the west-facing slope in 1962 and the second on the north face in 1963, with a rope tow on the beginners ground. In 1965 a Doppelmayr T-bar of 1,300 ft was added, taking the area to six trails. That expansion was the mistake. Jenkins had argued against putting lifts on terrain with no snowmaking, pointing out that the mountain averaged only 60 to 70 inches of snow a year - poor even by Vermont standards - and after he resigned two bad winters in succession finished the operation. What makes Birdseye notable is how much survived: when NELSAP surveyed it in 2003 the west-facing disc lift was still standing and amazingly intact under heavy regrowth, the north lift foundations and return station were in place, and the T-bar base was still visible. The base lodge burned at some point between the 1980s and the 2000s. Trail names are not recorded.
Lifts
| Name | Type | Manufacturer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unnamed lift | Platter | Stabil | A Stabil disc lift on the west-facing slope, custom-designed by Bill Jenkins and Stan Whitney and installed in 1962; 750 ft long with 150 ft of vertical. Still standing and remarkably intact when surveyed in 2003, though heavily overgrown |
| Unnamed lift | Platter | Stabil | A second Stabil disc lift on the north face, installed 1963; 600 ft long with 100 to 150 ft of vertical, with both single and dual-rider carriers. Its foundations and return station survive |
| Unnamed lift | T-Bar | Doppelmayr | Installed 1965, 1,300 ft long with 390 ft of vertical; removed by the late 1960s or early 1970s. Its base station is still visible |
| Unnamed lift | Surface lift | A short rope tow of 100 to 200 ft on the beginner slope |
Sources and further reading
More in USA
Location
43.5873, -73.1143