Vermont Academy

Bob Campbell has an excellent write up and memory of this ski area which was started by Coach Warren Chivers. It was basically the training hill for the Vermont Academy and was a classic rope tow ski area.

My formative years were spent on this hill from elementary school through high school. I went on to the University of Denver, taught skiing at Arapaho Basin, and have taught at Bromley Mtn. for the past thirty-three years. For two years I was headmaster at Stratton Mountain School. My roots are deeply imbedded in this ski area.

I grew up in Saxtons River and first skied here in 1952 at the age of six. The area was across town from Vermont Academy about a mile away. It was on farmland loaned and eventually given to the school by the Barnes family. The hill was packed by skis and the students walked from school to the area. The walk was considered character building. The tow was open to the community on weekends. The single rope tow was reputed to be the fastest in New England. When I was eight years old my poplin Slalom Skiware parka wrapped around the rope and I went over the top. I rode upside down nine feet off the ground for two towers down the hill, before my parka ripped and dropped me to the ground. The wind was knocked out of me and I had bruised ribs but no major injuries. But I did get two days off from school. After this it was decided that a safety gate might be a good idea.

Here is the Terraserver Image of Vermont Academy's ski slopes:

I skied to elementary school every day and skied with the VA students after school at every opportunity. In 1960-1965, as a student at the school, I competed on the ski slope. As the pasture land overgrew several actual trails were cut. One was called Devil's Dip, a narrow downhill trail. The speed record was set by senior Sam Bartow who skied between two trees so narrow that he had to turn his upperbody sideways to squeeze through. Our coach, 1936 Olympian and ski hall of famer, Warren Chivers cut the trees down the next week but the record was never beaten.

In the late sixties and early seventies poor snow limited the use of the area and the demand of students for better conditions, Bromley and Okemo became near daily trips. The area was finally retired in the mid nineties. In 2002 the whole system was dismantled by Harry Brown and his son Chris, both Vermont Academy graduates, and hauled off to Colorado where Chris lives. Over the years many olympians competed on the hill, some VA students others from the likes of Kimball Union Academy, Deerfield, and
Holderness and Putney School. Two years ago a ski park was built on the campus with three ski jumps, a practice hill for alpine skiing and snowboarding, snowmaking and a poma lift. This was a great addition for the school, but the real memories will be with the high speed rope tow that would rip you off the ground if you grabbed on too quick, the gloves and mittens that wore out, the occasional tangled clothing, and the incredibly heavy rope when waterlogged from damp spring snow. The entire history of the old hill was
possible because of the work of Warren Chivers, and his assistant coaches, Bob Rock, Gus Black,Nat Niles and others who worked in conjunction with the Vermont Academy Outing Club through the years. Warren has just turned 90 and still lives in Saxtons River and has close ties with Vermont Academy.

A. Tilden:

"I believe that Vermont academy had a ski area which they used in Saxtons River in the 1960's. It was located up the road near what at that time was Kurn Hattin Homes Girls Department. I don't recall lots about it but think they used it for meets and pretty sure it had some type of lift. I recall many of these smaller areas although I was not a skier at that time - wish my kids had the opportunity to be able to go to a small area without gold plated prices."

Tab Julius also remember this area:" I do remember the Vermont Academy ski area. I attended Vermont Academy (VA) from 1976 to 1980, and the ski area was operational even then. It had "5" trails, but it was really two major trails (well, as major as they get on a tiny hill), a third smaller trail, and two connectors.

It had a rope tow there, and we all had to have jackets and gloves that were wrapped with athletic tape, because otherwise the rope tow would burn through the gloves (friction from moving), and possibly too the side of your jacket.

The mountain was cut and maintained by the Outdoors Club (or wilderness club or whatever it was called), mainly spearheaded by Warren Chivers, who I believe was a former Olympic skier and ran the ski program at VA for many years. He recently retired. I don't know anything about the status of the mountain after 1980, but my guess is that Mr. Chivers would have kept it running right up until his retirement.

Vermont Academy also had a 15-meter ski jump, on the campus overlooking the Lacrosse fields, and it was actively used by long jumpers during the time that I was there (conditions allowing). I'm not aware of too many schools sporting their own ski jump. I would be surprised if that was still standing, though, unless it's been rebuilt. (Jeremy note-the jump is still being used today)."

Jeremy and Betsy visited this area during the spring of 2000. Very hard to get too...its on private property, and behind a fence, so we just viewed it from the road and old parking lot at the Kurn Hattin Home. The trails are still clear.