The Methuen Ski Area/Merrimack
Valley ski area is certainly an interesting one. It appeared on hardly
any ski guides (except for Billy Kidd's) and was not well known. It offered
skiing on 2 main open slopes on a 200 foot vertical drop. 2 T-bars and
one tow served the slope. Located only 2 miles from Rte 93, this area was
accessible to the large suburban population of Boston.
| Here's the Terraserver aerial pic of the ski area. Notice that there isn't much left to see, with most of the slopes grown in. |
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However, it closed in the mid 1980's. This occurred perhaps due to weak snowmaking, larger nearby ski areas (Nashoba/Wachusett), and people's changing attitudes towards skiing the smaller areas. Today, the area has grown up and is posted with No Trespassing signs. The lodge burned to the ground, either as a firefighting practice or by vandals. The T-bars are all gone, and were probably removed in the mid 1990's (The Colorado Skier).
Thanks to The Colorado Skier, we now have these great shots of the area from its 1971/1972 brochure:
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| The cover of the brochure of 1971/1972. Notice the lodge, not very big. When I visited the area, you could only see the foundation of this building. | 3 shots of of skiing at Methuen. The first shot shows the loading of the T-bar. Notice how its a retractable version. The second shows skiers riding on of the T-bar to the summit, notice the small vertical drop. If you visit the area today, it does not resemble the open slopes at all! The final shot shows the summit station of the T-bar. |
Directions to Methuen Ski Area:
