The Brattleboro Ski Hill and Harris Hill Ski Jump stand as testaments to the enduring appeal of winter sports in Vermont. From their humble beginnings in the 1930s to their present-day status as community hubs, these ski destinations have woven themselves into the fabric of Brattleboro's identity.
Harris Hill Ski Jump
The Genesis of a Skiing Tradition
The Brattleboro Ski Hill has operated at what’s now the town’s Living Memorial Park since its founding in 1937. In the early summer of 1937, Robert Billings, Elliot Barber, Floyd Messenger, and John Dunham, driven by a shared vision of skiing, came together to create a plan for building and operating a ski tow in Brattleboro.
On November 10, 1937, construction of the “Guilford Street Ski Tow” began in earnest on the Charles Clark Farm, where the Living Memorial Park is now located. The facility opened to the public the first Saturday in January 1938. The half-day ticket cost 25 cents.
It was an 1100 foot rope tow that had its’ terminal building built up on two large timbers and located across the street from the William Cushman house which still stands today. It was quite modern by any standards in that it had a fairly large electric motor for power that would easily handle 300 skiers per hour. When the rope reached the top it traveled around a three foot bull wheel and came back to the bottom riding on Model A Ford wheels fixed to the top of light poles about 16 feet high and 60 feet apart. It was planned to open the Guilford Street Ski Tow to the public in December that year; however, there was very little snow.
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Early Expansion and Challenges
In 1939, lights were added, and the tow operated three nights each week and the ticket price was 25 cents. In 1939 Dunham announced the lengthening of the Guilford Street Ski Tow by 400 feet so the run would extend to 1,500 feet. More lighting was also added. The ski tow at Round Mountain didn’t operate past 1940. Dunham had opened another ski tow on Bonnyvale Road and it proved to be too competitive.
After war was declared on December 8, 1941, there were many changes in the town. The Guilford Street Tow ran from January 1938 to February 1946. In October 1946 it was announced that the Guilford Street Tow would no longer operate because the Clark family was no longer interested in leasing the land to the ski tow company.
In November 1937 Robert Billings announced that 150 acres of the Clark Farm on Guilford Street had been leased in order to build a ski tow. Billings, along with John Dunham, Elliot Barber and Floyd Messenger planned to use a 20-horsepower electric motor to power an 1,100-foot rope tow at the area where the Brattleboro Outing Club had been hosting skiing lessons under the lights for the past few years.
During the winter of 1937-38 there were three rope tows in town. Besides the Guilford Street Ski Tow, Bruce Sawin and William Mundell leased 15 acres of the Arthur Crooks Farm in West Brattleboro on the north side of Round Mountain to build a 400-foot rope tow powered by a gasoline engine. Robert Billings would also oversee a ski tow in Wilmington with his brother.
The Brattleboro Ski Patrol
The Brattleboro Ski Patrol was formed in January 1938. Some of the original members included Holland Douglas, “Ozzie” Stowell, Edward Dunklee, Dr. Richard Stevens, Bruce Buchanan, Madeline Messenger, “Benny” Zakauskas, Floyd Messenger and Clyde Benedict. This group functioned as an independent patrol until 1941, when it formally became affiliated with the National Ski Patrol System. Today the Brattleboro Ski Patrol is the second oldest, continuous NSPS Ski Patrol in the Easter Division.
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Living Memorial Park and the T-Bar Lift
A decade later, a 53 acre farm plot was procured, becoming the site of the Living Memorial Park. After a town vote on December 20, 1955, the $115,000 bond issue was used to constructed a swimming pool, bath houses, snack bar, and warming hut. Publisher Howard C. Rice donated $3,000 for a skating rink, while the local Rotary Club contributed $1,500 toward purchasing a rope tow, restoring lift served skiing to the slope.
In 1957 the current Dopplemeyer T-bar lift was installed and the town began running the operation. Eight years later, a $30,000 fundraising campaign was launched to purchase a 1,300 foot T-Bar. A Doppelmayr T-Bar was likely installed for the 1964-65 season with Hogback ski area covering the shipping expense while purchasing two T-Bars for itself.
After three decades of operation, the town of Brattleboro likely closed the ski area following the 1994-95 season, reportedly due to poor snowfall and being overshadowed by nearby Maple Valley. A private group of citizens banded to re-open the hill in 1997, knowing there was no money from the town. was formed in May of 1997 and quickly worked to reopen the area, likely reopening in February of 1999.
In advance of the 2018-19 ski season, the Living Memorial Park became known as Brattleboro Ski Hill.
Harris Hill Ski Jump: A Century of Soaring
One of the most historic ski jumping competitions in the country, the Harris Hill Ski Jump, is still going strong. In February 2022 the Harris Hill Ski Jump in Brattleboro celebrated its 100th year of hosting an annual competition.
In 1910, a 23-year-old local daredevil named Fred Harris strapped two planks to his feet and went off a homemade jump. But Harris, who also lays claim to being one of the first to ski Mount Washington’s Tuckerman Ravine, persevered, both in his skiing and in his efforts to build a ski jump.
In 1922 he erected a handmade wooden trestle that cost him about $2200 to build and hosted his first jumping competition there. During the event, a New England record was set. The competition grew and grew, attracting ski jumpers from all over the world and at its heyday in the 1950s drew crowds of nearly 10,000 to the Brattleboro area.
In 2006, though, the aging jump was deemed unsafe. It sat idle for three years until $600,000 could be raised to rebuild the 90-meter jump to international specifications. The jump is still managed by volunteers and is only open for competition for one event a year: the Harris Hill Ski Jump on Sunday with a Pepsi Cup hosted on Saturday.
Harris Hill Ski Jump is a ski jumping hill in Brattleboro, Vermont which hosts annual ski jumping competitions. The jump is designed to international standards for ski jumps, reaching an Olympic-calibre Normal hill size. FIS certification was granted in 2011. In 2022 lights were installed for night events.
Harris Hill Ski Jump
Harris Hill Ski Jump Competition
Harris Hill Junior Ski Jumping Program
Ski jumper Fred Harris helped erect a small, 25-meter jump in Brattleboro’s Latchis Park that operated from 1952 to 1979. There, a new generation of ski jumpers is now learning to fly. Kids enrolled in the Harris Hill Junior Ski Jumping Program practice twice weekly on the 10-meter and 18-meter jumps erected there in the early 2000s and as of 2022 at Vermont Academy’s 10-, 20- and 35-meter jumps. The best of them may then go on to compete at Harris Hill, just north.
A Community Affair
About 100 volunteers still face the challenge of pulling water from a shallow pond and electricity from a slim number of poles. The Brattleboro Ski Hill is one of a handful of nonprofit Vermont areas that also include Ascutney Outdoors in Brownsville, Cochran’s Ski Area in Richmond, Hard’ack in St.
Volunteers fire up snowmaking guns to cover the 230-foot-wide Brattleboro Ski Hill. Organizers went on to secure aging water guns from the old nearby Maple Valley ski area in hopes of hiding occasional bald spots. A lack of snow delayed the opening until January 1938, when locals could ski for 35 cents.
“It’s all about getting people out to ski, snowboard and enjoy the winter,” Fahey said. “So many small ski areas have closed in Vermont, New England and across the country,” said Fahey, a Brattleboro Memorial Hospital administrator when he’s not making snow or selling $5 single-day tickets in a world where resort prices average $250.
Skiing as a Family Tradition
Our family lived just across the Creamery Bridge at 125 Western Avenue and from all the windows facing the avenue we had an excellent view of the ski area. My mother had a pair of Northland double groove skis and with those skis I had the good fortune to ski at the Guilford Street Ski Tow in 1938. After the tow closed for the day, I would shovel snow into the ruts, and then pack the towline with my skis.
Brattleboro Ski Hill Today
We’re excited to announce that opening day is planned for this weekend! We can’t wait to welcome everyone back to the hill-come out and kick off the season with us! Interested in becoming a ski hill volunteer? We’d love to have you join our crew! We’re hosting two upcoming training sessions where you can learn about the different ways to help keep this community hill running. Thank you all for your support and enthusiasm. Lesson registration opens THURSDAY 12/18/25 at 6:00PM. A limited number of lessons are provided by Mount Snow instructors, beginning January 8th, for beginners ages 7-14.
The following table shows the ticket pricing:
| Ticket Type | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult Weekend Full Day Lift Ticket | [Price] |
| Adult Full Price Unlimited Season Pass | [Price] |
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