Berkshire Links

Skiing

Skiing is a favorite activity in the Berkshires and has been an important component of the local tourism industry for as long as Tanglewood has been. In 1935, the first of the famous "ski trains" left Grand Central Station in New York bound for Bousquet's in Pittsfield, MA, where the rope tow was perfected and night skiing was introduced on Dec. 24, 1936, by U. S. Ski Hall of Fame honoree Clare Bousquet. By 1945, Bousquets featured 10 rope tows. Olympic skiers Heidi Voelker, Krista and Kim Schmidinger began skiing at Bousquets.

Skiing the Thunderbolt trail Mt. Greylock

Berkshires skiing lore also includes the legendary Thunderbolt Ski Run, a world class downhill trail carved into the east slope of Mt. Greylock in 1934 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, under the direction of the Mt. Greylock Ski Club. Today, Berkshire county residents and visitors to the Berkshires have several choices for downhill skiing and snowboarding, as well as for cross-country skiing.

Ski Butternut in the Berkshires

Ski Butternut located in the Berkshires just east of Great Barrington offers downhill skiing on 22 trails with a vertical drop of 1,000 feet, as well as snow tubing and snow boarding, making it popular with families with children and young adults. Ski Butternut got its start when the New Haven Railroad developed it under the name Warner Mountain Ski Area in the 1930s. (Media credit: Wikipedia user: Jrclark.)Along with a full range of winter ski activities, Butternut is a popular Berkshires attraction in the summer as the site of music and arts festivals. Berkshires visitors coming to ski at Butternut may be interested in Gt. Barrington, Mass hotels.

Ski Butternut contact information

Ski Butternut map and driving directions

[mappress mapid=”152″ width=”100%” height=”250″ adaptive=”true”]

How to get to the Berkshires

Here are inks for local and regional public transportation depots and stops, plus where to get Peter Pan bus and Amtrak train schedules and tickets: how to get to the Berkshires.