Stratton Mountain Resort

History

Stratton was established in December 1961 with three double chairlifts and a three-story base lodge. Although the mountain was top notch, the access road was a disaster. It was paved in time for the 1962-1963 season. Stratton added two T-bar lifts in time for the third season. A big expansion took place for the 1964-1965 season when the Snow Bowl was opened, bringing a double chairlift and over 30 acres of terrain. Another double chairlift was opened and the base lodge was expanded for the 1966-1967 season giving way to the birth of European style APre' ski entertainment by the Innsbruck Trio; a group of Austrain Ski Instructors. The group later went on to be known as the Stratton Mountain Boys and a key marketing component of the mountain. In the early 1970s, following development of the initial terrain, Stratton began to develop a new beginner area; this opened in 1972 with additional trails, though plans for a new lift were not realized. In the late 1980s, Stratton constructed new terrain to the south of the main mountain, and dubbed it "Kidderbrook." The expansion included a new quad chairlift, and was planned to be a starting point for potential additional terrain and housing in the area, though this never occurred. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the ski area constructed several new high-speed six-person lifts, and in 2007, the Kidderbrook Quad was removed and sold, as it was underused and Stratton's parent companies were in financial trouble at the time. From 1985 to 2012, Stratton hosted the Burton U.S. Open Snowboarding Championships; the premier open snowboarding event in the country. In 2013, after a 27-year run at Stratton; the event moved to Vail, CO.

Early Years

Lift served skiing debuted on the northern peak of the mountain when Stratton Mountain ski area opened with 3 double chairlifts (installed using a then-unique helicopter method) in December 1961. Designed by Gene Gillis of Sel Hannah's Sno Engineering firm, the area also sported a three-story base lodge.

While the facilities were top notch, the muddy access road was called a 'tank-proving ground' by the press. The road received much needed pavement in time for the area's second season.

Stratton's uphill capacity was improved for its third season with the installation of two T-Bars.

A sizable expansion took place the following season, when 30 acres of terrain, served by a new double chairlift, were opened in the new Snow Bowl.

1966-67 saw an expansion of the base lodge giving way to the regions first Apre' Ski parties and the birth of The Stratton Mountain Boys and the installation of another double chairlift. The Grizzly Bear and Polar Bear trails were added for the following season.

The Sun Bowl was developed for the 1968-69 season, adding a new base area, 5 miles of trails, and a new double chairlift.

An additional two chairlift expansion was planned for the 1971-72 season, however Stratton became one of the first ski areas in the state to run into trouble with the new Act 250 law, when residents of Winhall forced the ski area to first overhaul its sewer system in advance of potential increases in skier visits.

The Main Line pod was partially developed in the early 1970s, however development was halted prior to the installation of a chairlift.

Snowmaking was expanded to the summit circa 1974.

Also in 1974, James Sunday was paralyzed after a fall while skiing at Stratton. In a landmark decision three years later, Sunday was awarded $1.5 million by a jury. The decision resulted in significant price increases throughout the ski industry, due to skyrocketing liability insurance costs.

Moore and Munger, Inc. Ownership

Late in 1979, Stratton purchased nearby Bromley and assumed its multimillion-dollar debt. Stratton's debt was now reportedly up to $7 million. Moore and Munger, Inc. came to the rescue and purchased Stratton in early 1980. During the 1980s, Jake Burton found an ally in Stratton, when it became the first ski area to allow snowboarding. In addition to this, Stratton also became home to the first snowboard school, and would start hosting US Open snowboard races in 1985. Stratton would later become home to the first half pipe and formal terrain park on the east coast.

In the mid-1980s, in conjunction with the expansion of Stratton Village, the lift network at Stratton was modernized. Four new Poma chairlifts were installed in 1985 and 1986, replacing aging Heron-Pomas.

In the fall of 1987, Moore and Munger, Inc. sold Bromley to the owners of nearby Magic Mountain. The following year, the famous Gondola was installed to the summit of Stratton.

Victoria USA, Inc. Ownership

In the spring of 1989, Victoria USA, Inc., a Japanese sporting goods company that owned Breckenridge, purchased Stratton. Later that year, the Kidderbrook area debuted.

Intrawest Ownership

Intrawest purchased the ski area from Victoria USA, Inc. in 1994 and quickly started another round of new lift installations, eventually rolling out four new high speed six pack chairlifts. This project was named the "URSA" project after the Latin, bear, which represents their logo.

With the installation of these new high speed chairlifts, the fixed grip quads of the area quickly lost popularity. With its parent company facing some tough times, Stratton removed the often-idle Kidderbrook chairlift following the 2006-07 season.

Intrawest announced $6.5 million of projects for the 2013-2014 season, including new snowcats, improved snowmaking, two new glades, and base resort improvements. The aging gondola cabins were replaced the summer of 2014.

Mountain statistics

Stratton has 97 trails over 670 acres (270 ha) of skiable terrain, 93% of which has snowmaking. 42% of the trails are rated as easy, 31% are intermediate, and 27% are advanced. There are eleven lifts, which can transport 33,528 people an hour. The mountain's base is at 1,872 ft (571 m) and the summit is at 3,875 ft (1,181 m) for a vertical drop of 2,003 ft (611 m). Stratton has an average annual snowfall of 180 inches (460 cm). Stratton also ranks in the top 10 (SKI Magazine) for snow, grooming, lifts, terrain parks, service, lodging, dining, on-mountain food, apres and nightlife. .

Trails

Stratton has 97 trails covering over 670 acres (270 ha) of skiable terrain.

Future Projects

Stratton plans to replace the Snow Bowl quad with a High Speed Quad Lift or High speed six-pack lift in the near future. In the village and the village common, phase 2 of Founders Lodge is expected to begin construction in the upcoming years and Liftline Lodge is expected to be knocked down in the near future.