Middlebury College Snow Bowl

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Middlebury College Snow Bowl


Location:	Hancock, Vermont, US
Top elevation:	2640 ft (808 m)
Base elevation:	1600 ft (488 m)
Skiable area:	110 acres
Runs:	17
Lift system:	3 chairs
Snowfall:	250 in (635 cm)
Web site:	Home / Report

The Middlebury College Snow Bowl is a ski area in Hancock, Vermont, 13 miles east of Middlebury in the Green Mountains. The site has been owned and operated by Middlebury College since its first trails were cut in 1934.[1] The Snow Bowl has 17 trails and 3 lifts, offering access to more than 110 acres of terrain. In 2006, it became the first carbon-neutral ski area in the United States.[2]

[edit] History

View of Bread Loaf Campus near the summit of the Snow Bowl

The third-oldest ski area in Vermont, the Snow Bowl has hosted intercollegiate competitions since the 1930s. The original lodge--a traditional log cabin--was built in 1938 and remains the oldest standing base lodge in the nation.[3] A modern lodge, Neil Starr Shelter, was completed in 1962 and completely renovated and expanded in 2004. Along with the Dartmouth Skiway, the Snow Bowl is one of two remaining college-owned ski areas in the eastern United States.

[edit] The Mountain

Located on the north slope of Worth Mountain, the Snow Bowl rises near Middlebury Gap on land willed to Middlebury College by Joseph Battell. The property is surrounded by the Joseph Battell Wilderness and the Green Mountain National Forest. Averaging 250 inches annually [4], additional snowmaking covers nearly half of all trails, including most terrain served by the Worth Mountain and Sheehan chairlifts. The Snow Bowl's eastern face, colloquially known as "the backside", relies mainly on natural snow and is accessed by the Bailey Falls triple chairlift. A volunteer ski patrol, staffed primarily by students, provides on-mountain medical services. Members are certified as Outdoor Emergency Care technicians and trained in first aid, chairlift evacuation, and toboggan handling.