lift served on state highpoints

[ski_resort_observer]

Frank's site got me thinking about Stowe. When I was a kid it was known as the " Ski Capital of the East " and I remember having a trail map with the gnarly looking Mt Mansfield and dreamed about skiing there. Didn't happen till college and have many great memories of those days.

It also made me think that most mountain state highpoints do not have lift served skiing. Matter of fact, the only other one I could think of is Mt Hood in Oregon. Am I missing any? A mountain state in this context is any state that has at least a 3000' highpoint.

 

[bousquet19]

Good question, SRO. I never thought about it before, but after I ran down the list I realized that no state in the Eastern US has a high point with lift-served skiing.

Even on Vermont's Mt. Mansfield, the Chin's gondola lift stops several hundered vertical feet below the mountain's summit.

Woody

 

[ERJ-145CA]

No lift served in High Point, NJ but there is cross country skiing in High Point State Park.

 

[Breeze]

Kind of getting a chuckle out of this one. Slackfest on Mt Washington, NH doesn't happen until the Auto Road opens to the top, and even then skiers seldom see the summit sign for a Highpoint tag.

Heh, in spite of all the folks who dis the Auto Road, my smiling face is there to welcome you late spring skiing in May, often into late June, and even Early July, and a shared road toll is certainly a lot less $$ than "lift served" would cost to the High Point of NH.

Why anyone would even THINK "lift service" to the summit of Mt Washington pretty much escapes me.

Breeze

 

[ski_resort_observer]

No lift served in High Point, NJ but there is cross country skiing in High Point State Park.

No disrepect intended but the Garden State is not a mountain state according to my parameters. The lifts do not have to go to the summit, just lift served on the mountain that is the state's highpoint so Stowe and Mt Hood qualify.

I think part of the reason is that each mountain states highest peak is kinda sacred to alot of people and one easy reason for many out west the state's highest peak are in somewhat inaccessible areas.

 

[ERJ-145CA]

No disrepect intended but the Garden State is not a mountain state according to my parameters.

Well I guess I should have read your whole first post, I was just going off the thread title. Anyway NJ thought it was important enough to put a 220 foot obelisk monument there. So the peak is 1803 feet and if you go to the top of the monument you are just over 2000 feet above sea level.

 

[riverc0il]

I think part of the reason is that each mountain states highest peak is kinda sacred to alot of people and one easy reason for many out west the state's highest peak are in somewhat inaccessible areas.

I don't think this is part of the reason at all. Both New York and Maine have state regulation which would prohibit development of ski areas (not that a ski area on Katahdin would be feasible). The regulation does not concern the highpoints specifically but rather a broad area intended to not be developed.

Not sure of how Mount Washington's ownership developed through the years. There certainly was no drive to keep the mountain pristine given a cog railroad, an auto road, and excessive summit development. And Vermont of course has Mansfield developed. So that reasoning does not hold weight in any of the northeast's mountain states.

 

[Skimaine]

10/31/2010 - Augusta Maine - The Baxter Park Authority announced today the first phase of a major project to expand winter recreation and allow anyone to reach the top of Mount Katadhin. The State plans to install a funitel from Katadhin Stream Camp Ground to the summit. In addition, the Park Authority will cut a ski trail in the vicinity of the AT and Hunt Trail to allow skiers to return to the camp ground (a trail of approximately 4 miles with a decent of 4,000 feet). When asked about the forever wild provisions of Percival Baxter's gift Governor Baldacci responded with the following explanation:

"Percival was a great outdoors-man, however, he never skied. I am confident that if Percival skied he would be totally supportive of installing a multi-million dollar funitel to the summit of Katadhin; not only skiing but to allow anyone to enjoy the summit. This will give Maine the longest lift served trail on the East Coast. Skiers from around the world will be flocking to Maine to ski this great trial. Besides, what can anyone do? Fire me."

 

[ski_resort_observer]

I don't think this is part of the reason at all. Both New York and Maine have state regulation which would prohibit development of ski areas (not that a ski area on Katahdin would be feasible). The regulation does not concern the highpoints specifically but rather a broad area intended to not be developed.

Not sure of how Mount Washington's ownership developed through the years. There certainly was no drive to keep the mountain pristine given a cog railroad, an auto road, and excessive summit development. And Vermont of course has Mansfield developed. So that reasoning does not hold weight in any of the northeast's mountain states.

Why do you think Baxter and the AP were put aside from developement? Baxter is considered so sacred to Maine native americans that they sued to try to gain ownership. Part of the reason is in my view because many people consider those places sacred and speciial although Marcy does have an auto road on it. People were skiing and hiking Mt Washington before the auto road was built. Moot point.

When the AP was formed, I was in HS when all of a sudden we were in a state preserve. ORDA doesn't prohibit developement it restricts it to conform to a hellava lot of regs and hoops.

If someone went to the NH state legislature and proposed a ski lift from the notch to above Tucks they would be laughed at. People would threaten to take to the streets of North Convey. Blocking shoppers etc. :lol:

Back to the OP......are Stowe and Timberline the only lift served skiing/riding on the tallest mountain by state, over 3000', in the country.?

 

[snowmonster]

Was there ever a ski lift or rope tow at Mt. Greylock?

 

[klrskiah]

It also made me think that most mountain state highpoints do not have lift served skiing. Matter of fact, the only other one I could think of is Mt Hood in Oregon. Am I missing any? A mountain state in this context is any state that has at least a 3000' highpoint.

The Arizona Snowbowl is on Humphreys Peak which is the AZ state highpoint. 12,500'+! Although the highest lift is something like 1k vertical short of the summit.. it should still count. Pretty cool area.. was bummed i didn't have my ski gear last time i was out there.

 

[ski_resort_observer]

The Arizona Snowbowl is on Humphreys Peak which is the AZ state highpoint. 12,500'+! Although the highest lift is something like 1k vertical short of the summit.. it should still count. Pretty cool area.. was bummed i didn't have my ski gear last time i was out there.

I didn't think of that one....thanks! That Flagstaff/San Francisco Mtn area is nice.

 

[threecy]

Was there ever a ski lift or rope tow at Mt. Greylock?

The Mt. Greylock Ski Club (rope tows) has been in operation west of Greylock for only a few decades shy of a century.

There was also this rope tow ski area on the east side, which was at one time part of a proposal to bring aerial lift service higher up Greylock:

http://www.newenglandskihistory.com/Massachusetts/thunderbolt.php

 

[ski_resort_observer]

The Mt. Greylock Ski Club (rope tows) has been in operation west of Greylock for only a few decades shy of a century.

http://www.newenglandskihistory.com/Massachusetts/thunderbolt.php

So, is there currently a lift in operation on Mt Greylock? Could not find the answer to that with your link.

 

[Mapnut]

I think Greylock should be counted. http://www.snowjournal.com/page.php?cid=galimg29846

The higher the mountain, the worse for skiing, it seems. Colorado has 58 peaks over 14,000 feet, and I think only one of them has lift-served skiing. Not hard to guess which one: http://14ers.com/

It's odd that Colorado has so many summits in such a small range, 14,000 to 14,443. As if the top of the state had a ceiling or something.

 

[ski_resort_observer]

Thanks guys....I googled Mt Greylock Ski Club and comfirmed that is now the 4th state highpoint over 3000' that has an operating ski lift/tow.

 

[threecy]

Thanks guys....I googled Mt Greylock Ski Club and comfirmed that is now the 4th state highpoint over 3000' that has an operating ski lift/tow.

I would caution that the ski club area is actually kind of far from Greylock proper and on a small subpeak. The abandoned and cancelled ski areas on the other side were actually on the slope of Greylock proper.

 

[redalienx11]

Why do you think Baxter and the AP were put aside from developement? Baxter is considered so sacred to Maine native americans that they sued to try to gain ownership. Part of the reason is in my view because many people consider those places sacred and speciial although Marcy does have an auto road on it. People were skiing and hiking Mt Washington before the auto road was built. Moot point.

Marcy does not have an auto road.Whiteface does (along with lifts).

 

[wa-loaf]

Sugarloaf is the second highest Mtn in Maine.

 

[jaywbigred]

If you remove the "mountain state" requirements, does that actually add any ski areas?