Overview
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Imagery: USGS The National Map · Terrain: Mapzen, USGS and others
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Skiing in Northfield likely began in 1936, when the Northfield Ski Club put up an electric rope tow on South Main Street near Norwich University; three years later William Lybrand bought the tow for the university, by NESH's account. NELSAP says the university's area began as a small rope tow hill in the late 1930s, and a 1939 guide listed an electric tow and a 45-meter jump there.1,2
Read the whole historyTodayMulti-use trails of the university's Shaw Outdoor Center run near the old ski area.2
Timeline
7 events · swipe
Memories
Skied Norwich University, or worked there?
Tell us what you remember, or what this page has wrong. Memories show here, credited to you, after we read them; facts are checked against a source before they change a figure.
Lost near Norwich University
The closest other lost ski areas, as the crow flies.
- 1936–1966 · 14.3 mi away · VermontA free rope tow on Harold Farr's farm on Elm Street in Randolph village, run from the 1930s until 1966 and the subject of a community revival since 2018.
- Opened 1937 · 27.9 mi away · VermontA small ski area on the former Eagan farm in Underhill Center, begun by a local winter sports club in 1937 and run by the Durbrow family until about 1981.
- Closed 1950 · 30.7 mi away · VermontA one-tow ski hill and lodge above Route 100 in North Sherburne, now Killington, run by the Bartenstein family from 1946 or 1947 until 1950.
History
Written by aurora.ski from the 2 pages below, each sentence numbered to its sources.
Skiing in Northfield likely began in 1936, when the Northfield Ski Club put up an electric rope tow on South Main Street near Norwich University; three years later William Lybrand bought the tow for the university, by NESH's account. NELSAP says the university's area began as a small rope tow hill in the late 1930s, and a 1939 guide listed an electric tow and a 45-meter jump there. A Poma lift, 1,500 feet long by NESH's account, was added in 1962.1,2
The largest change came for 1970–71, when a Hall double chairlift was installed and the area opened to the general public; NELSAP gives the opening day as December 24, 1970. The drop carved from Paine Mountain was 902 feet, and a 300-foot tow served children in a small beginner bowl.1,2
With no snowmaking, rising insurance costs and a few poor seasons, and unwilling to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on snowmaking, the university closed the area after the 1991–92 season. Around 1993 the double chair was sold to Pats Peak in New Hampshire, where it was installed as the Vortex Double. A 2010 gift from an alumnus funded the Shaw Outdoor Center, whose trails near the old ski area serve hiking, mountain biking, sledding, snowshoeing and nordic skiing.1,2
TodayMulti-use trails of the university's Shaw Outdoor Center run near the old ski area.2
Timeline
- c. 1936Northfield Ski Club's electric rope tow likely starts running2
- 1939A guide lists an electric tow and a 45-meter jump1
- 1962Poma lift added1,2
- 1970With a new Hall double chair, the area opens December 241,2
- 1992University closes the ski area after the 1991–92 season2
- c. 1993Double chair sold to Pats Peak, New Hampshire1,2
- 2010A gift funds the Shaw Outdoor Center near the old slopes2
Sources for this history (2)
- 1New England Lost Ski Areas Project · Norwich University Ski Area
- 2NewEnglandSkiHistory.com · Norwich University Ski Area History
Photos
No photographs of Norwich University we may republish yet
Its old photos and trail maps live on the sites that collected them, and Google finds the rest.
Memories
What skiers remember of Norwich University, in their own words.
Facts
Location
44.1392° N · 72.6551° W · Vermont
OpenSkiMap lists it as abandoned.
Years operated
until 1992 · the year it opened is not yet collected
Closed after the 1992 season. It stays here as part of the record of U.S. ski areas.
Its numbers
all 2all 2, in one list
Terrain contours: USGS 3D Elevation Program, public domain