The Middlebury College Snow Bowl, nestled in the heart of Vermont's Green Mountains, stands as a testament to the rich history and enduring spirit of skiing in New England. Located just twenty minutes from the village of Middlebury, this family-friendly ski area offers a diverse terrain suitable for skiers and riders of all levels. From its humble beginnings in 1934 to its modern amenities, the Snow Bowl has played a vital role in shaping the region's skiing culture and fostering a legacy of champion ski teams and Olympians.
Middlebury College Snow Bowl Trail Map
Early Days and Pioneering Spirit
The story of the Middlebury College Snow Bowl begins with a visionary named Fred Harris, a Brattleboro native and ski pioneer. In 1922, Harris constructed one of Vermont's earliest ski jumps on a hillside along Cedar Street in Middlebury. By 1924, a 40-meter jump was built on Chipman Hill-also known as Battle Hill-overlooking downtown Middlebury. This jump helped establish the town as a hub for competitive ski jumping.
In 1934, the Snow Bowl officially became one of Vermont’s earliest ski areas when trails were first cut, marking the beginning of a legacy of champion Middlebury College ski teams and Olympians. By 1941-42, the Worth Mountain facility was called the Bread Loaf Snow Bowl and was the cornerstone for the school's winter sports. The cabin was constructed in 1938 by members of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) with the help of local residents, including Dick Hubbard. The structure was built with trees that CCC members, Hubbard and others had cut in 1937 to clear the first ski trails at the Snow Bowl.
Evolution and Expansion
The Snow Bowl has undergone significant transformations over the years, evolving from a modest ski area to a comprehensive winter sports destination. In 1946, the Middlebury Ski Patrol was formed, while a 300 foot wide slalom slope was cut by students under the direction of Jones, served by a new rope tow. In 1954-55, Middlebury replaced a rope tow with what was billed as the longest Pomalift ever installed at that point, making the Snow Bowl a major ski area that was in turn now marketed to the public. In addition to the new lift, four miles of new trails were opened.
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Expansion continued in the 1960s, when the Neil Starr Shelter was constructed in 1962 and two shorter Pomalifts installed on the north side of the ski area in subsequent seasons. Middlebury moved into the chairlift age in 1969, when the Worth Mountain Chair was installed to the summit. Middlebury's second double chairlift, named after former coach Bobo Sheehan, was installed for the 1984-85 season, replacing a Pomalift. In addition, an $800,000 top to bottom snowmaking system was constructed. Three years later, the Bailey Falls triple chairlift was installed on the east side of the ski area, allowing for continuous top to bottom runs for the first time. The Starr Shelter received a major facelift for the 2003-04 season, when it was expanded from 7,500 to more 10,800 square feet as part of a $2.25 million dollar project.
Circa 2009, word emerged that the Worth Mountain double chairlift was no longer up to code and that the ski area may close if a replacement could not be procured. Peter Mackey retired in June 2018 after 40 years of working at the Snow Bowl.
Modern Amenities and Offerings
Today, the Middlebury College Snow Bowl boasts a range of modern amenities and offerings to enhance the skier and rider experience. Today four lifts - three chairlifts and a surface lift - serve 28 trails, plus several gladed areas for skiing and riding in the trees. The Snowbowl summit rises to 2,720 feet, offering sweeping views of Vermont’s Green Mountains. The ski area spans over 600 acres of terrain, including 110 acres of groomed trails and expansive glades, providing a natural playground for skiers and riders of all levels.
Whether discovering the sport for the first time or fine tuning carving skills, instruction is available from the professionally-staffed Snow School. Skiers and riders enjoy the Bowl’s full-service cafeteria and can rent equipment or get their skis and boards tuned in the Ski and Snowboard Shop. All these big mountain amenities along with affordable prices make the Snowbowl a true skiers’ and riders’ mountain and a place families and college racers alike call home.
Of the many ski resorts across Vermont, only a handful offer night skiing. That list now includes The Middlebury Snowbowl in Hancock, which opens for night skiing for the first time ever. Mike Hussey: Great question. It's so exciting for us to have this coming on tonight. Tonight, however, the opening night big celebration, we're going to start at five because we need it to be dark for the fireworks and the lights coming on and that piece of it. So, we're going to start night skiing at five, we will be skiing three trails under the Sheehan lift, which is the left side of the mountain as you look at it from the parking lot, the new quad. And it will be the Lang, the Cameron, and the Kelton. And we'll also be skiing on the Discovery Zone, which is the carpet lift down at the base of the mountain.
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Fans of the Snowbowl see several other changes at the ski area this year. The other large addition that is most visible is the replacement of the old Sheehan chair, the double into a fixed grip quad. It's on the same footprint, the exact same lift line, all the components were changed to the new lift, but the lift distance is the same, and the placement is the same. There's also, new reveal, we're working on it this week, we'll be putting up a new roadside sign. We'll be updating our signage along Route 125.
The Snowbowl is owned outright by the college. All the work we're doing is in an effort to make the ski areas financially viable, and move forward on their own two feet, so to speak. So, pretty exciting times. There's been a lot of support and backing from the college administration and you know, alumni associations and the whole gamut. You know, there's been some really great support.
Hubbard Cabin: A Tribute to Skiing Heritage
A renovated ski cabin - the oldest original base lodge in the nation - at the Middlebury College Snow Bowl in Hancock, Vermont, has been renamed the Hubbard Cabin in honor of Richard C. The Middlebury Ski Club joined members of the Middlebury College community in a dedication that included remarks by Rick and Pete Hubbard, sons of Richard or “Dick” Hubbard, who was also one of the founding members of the club. Serving as the base lodge for the Snow Bowl until the current lodge was completed in 1962, the cabin became a caretaker’s residence for about three decades.
With permission from Middlebury College Snow Bowl Manager Peter Mackey and the College administration, Napier and other ski club members performed much of the renovations themselves over the last two years, removing the living accommodations and returning the cabin to its original one-room design. The cabin, whose changes include a new furnace, will now serve as a meeting place for the club, which operates a ski racing program for children in elementary school through college. According to Napier, dedicating the renovated cabin to Dick Hubbard is an appropriate recognition of the numerous contributions Hubbard has made to the local ski community.
Dick Hubbard, a member of the Middlebury College class of 1936, is a Middlebury native who arrived at the College in 1932. Since there was no ski coach, Hubbard and the other skiers coached themselves. Joining with other students and local residents, Hubbard helped create local ski slopes, and install a rope tow on the back slope of Chipman Hill in Middlebury. He set in motion the clearing of cross country ski trails at Bread Loaf in Ripton. Hubbard went on to serve as Middlebury’s first ski coach from 1936-1939, coaching the men’s team for two years and the women’s team for one year.
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The Middlebury College Snowbowl is a ski area in Hancock, Vermont, 13 miles (21 km) east of Middlebury in the Green Mountains. The site has been owned and operated by Middlebury College since its first trails were cut in 1934. The Snowbowl has 17 trails and 3 lifts, offering access to more than 700 acres (2.8 km2) of terrain. One of the second oldest ski areas in Vermont, the Snowbowl has hosted intercollegiate competitions since the 1930s. Located on the north slope of Worth Mountain, the Snowbowl rises near Middlebury Gap on land willed to Middlebury College by Joseph Battell in 1915. The property is surrounded by the Joseph Battell Wilderness, land once owned by the College but now part of the Green Mountain National Forest.
Averaging 200 inches (5.1 m) of natural snowfall annually, additional snowmaking covers nearly half of all trails, including most terrain served by the Worth Mountain and Sheehan chairlifts. The Snowbowl endeavors to electrify their vehicle fleet with electric snowmobiles and passenger cars.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | Hancock, Vermont (13 miles east of Middlebury) |
| Ownership | Middlebury College |
| Founded | 1934 |
| Skiable Area | 600+ acres |
| Trails | 28 |
| Glades | 11 |
| Lifts | 3 chairlifts, 1 surface lift |
| Night Skiing | Available on select trails |
| Annual Snowfall | 200 inches (average) |
| Snowmaking | Covers nearly half of all trails |
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