Birchtoft Floodlight Tow
Jaffrey Center, NH
1940's - ?

This area, located 3 miles from Jaffrey Center, had a ski season which lasted from December 15 to March 15. It was located from 1200 to 1280' in elevation, giving the area an 80 foot drop. A 300 foot rope tow served this area.  This was a small area that was part of the Birchtoft Inn, a Swiss Chalet type of accommodation. 

Ned Bolle spoke to John Summers and found out the following info:

"John confirmed that the Birchtoft Area was later the "Monadnock Recreation Area", now the Birchtoft trail head and picnic area of the Monadnock state park. (Just north of the Poole Rd entrance to the park. My Visit there later in the day was disappointing.  No sign of the tow is left.  If you drive up to the picnic area and look East, you can see some difference in the vegetation, but if I hadn't seen the area open 30 years ago, I'd never know it was there.  There is a flat area where the Motor house likely was.  That's about it.  I checked the picnic area for signs of another tow, but nothing.   They may have had a tow on the West facing slope.  This would have had a spectacular view of Mt. Monadnock"

David Cranton used to work there: I used to work at the rec area, and operated a small ski tow there..lived in the lodge while there also. The ski tow wasn't much, a small building with an old model A motor,a couple of large wheels with a rope tow. The hill wasn't much either... I was there quite a few years ago, sorry to see the lodge had been torn down.. as you look at the mountain, the lodge would have been to your right.. the ski tow almost directly behind you. It was a great campground-many campsites, a couple of large cabins and the lodge.

Thats all I have on this one, does anybody remember it?

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