Snow Valley

Snow Valley in Winhall began as a rope tow operation in January 1942 while a Constam T-bar was being built, by NESH's account; NELSAP notes a rope tow at Manchester in 1939 that may have been Snow Valley. Its base lodge was called the Snow Man's Rest. By 1947 an Alpine Lift T-bar served 574 feet of vertical, a 1951–52 ski map listed a T-bar, three tows, three slopes and six trails, and a Poma lift came by 1960.^1,2

Fred and Mary Colclough bought the area in 1955 and sold it in 1965. By 1973 it ran only on weekends and holidays, probably because of competition from Stratton, Bromley and Magic Mountain. A double chair to the summit came for 1976–77 and raised the advertised vertical by 200 feet, and a brochure offered 15 trails and 900 feet of vertical. Snowmaking and a larger lodge followed for 1981–82.^1,2

It hosted the National Snowboarding Championships in 1983 and March 1984, but skiers did not return. Citing state tramway reports, NELSAP says it closed for good in 1984; NESH says it likely closed after 1983–84. After two idle decades a new owner recleared some trails, and a 2008 Act 250 application proposed an $8.5 million revival with a refurbished chairlift, cabins and building lots; the permit was withdrawn in 2016.^1,2