Brodie Mountain Sold

[cdskier]

Huh? When did they do that? That’s trespass.

This is years ago (early 90s?) when O'Donnell was a part owner of Magic. Not really trespass if you own the property...

 

[thetrailboss]

This is years ago (early 90s?) when O'Donnell was a part owner of Magic. Not really trespass if you own the property...

Right. I read the post to mean that Fairbanks recently (in the last 15 years or so) went on the resort when they did not own it and sabotaged it.

And I read that thread. It doesn’t support Fairbanks sabotaging Magic. The implication is that one of the partners may have intentionally left it in a state of disrepair/bad shape when he sold it. Slightly different.

 

[sugarbushskier]

Grew up skiing in the Berkshires.

Bousquets was my go to with season passes most years during junior/high school, but didn't go to Brodie as often as it was further from our home. I do remember skiing Harps Hump during one Halloween year as it was cold, they blew a ton of snow and most importantly opened early. Skiing that early was unique and I just had to do it and as I recall, it was good!

Brodie offered a big enough area close by with enough challenge. Shamrock lift area, Tipperray if I recall the name, was fun off the top and a long cruiser. I sincerely hope they reclaim the mountain as a ski area as it would do well in the area as an option to Jiminey.

The fondest memory I have of Brodie was participating in the St Patrick's Day "Green Beer" race. Six gates, chug a green beer at each gate, did not end well LOL.

 

[Hawk]

Been a looong time... I skied there a few times in the 1970's. Similar to Jiminy I recall. Not surprising as it's right next door. Definitely bigger and better than Butternut which is flat and bigger and mostly steeper than Catamount. I would check it out if they open for skiing.

We are actually looking into the area around Williamstown, MA for retirement. (probably 5-years out) Be nice to have another ski hill nearby.

About 10 years back, Pedrosfest MTB festival was down the street from Brodie a few times. I actually mountain biked up the ski hill. That is one flat mountain and is nothing like Jimmy or Birkshire. Good to see that they are doing something with it. it seemed a waste to have it sit idle.

 

[Newpylong]

Gotta clear the air a bit on this one since my family worked there in the early to mid 90s and it was pretty much our second home during winter.

First, the place was nothing like Jiminy Peak (down the fall line, steep) and fairly modern infrastructure. Brodie was much flatter, the runs were longer, had more character, and everything was dated. It was 2 bars with a ski area attached at times. Brodie had an odd lift layout where 3 (very slow) doubles ran parallel to each other with the longest (Dots) being the only one that accessed the true summit. Incidentally this lift was furthest from the main base lodge and ran the least amount of hours. It very rarely ran at night unlike the other two doubles as only the JFK trail has lights off the top. Tipperary was the 2.5 mile green run off the top that went way out and came back through the camping area by the Upper Canteen, very fun to rip.

The mid-week clientele were locals and on the weekends it was Metro-Albany folks plus tons of busses that would come up from Long Island. They had a bunch of small "chalets" that they would rent out that were placed around the base area. They all looked like they belonged in Austria.

The snowmaking consisted of a handful of early 90s vintage Heco Snow Cub Fan guns that they had to move around with the cats everywhere. There was not ample pumping capacity (or water really) to run more than maybe 6 or so at a time. It took them a long time to get everything covered and there was significant hose dragging to get to trails without their own pipe. They did have an air plant but it was out of service by the early 90s.

The Kelly's were extremely "frugal" owners that did not put much into the place outside of what was necessary to operate. Some trails that had lights (like Kelly's Leap) were often left off to save money. The last real big thing they did was the widening/expansion of Mickey's to the top of the Gramp's chair w/snowmaking. They had a rocky relationship with the town of New Ashford, so multiple items were blocked such as the Triple Chair expansion area or additional water rights.

I have a little bit different opinion on the Fairbanks. Unknown if their true motive was to close, but at the time they did make an honest effort to operate the ski area. Significant money was put into snowmaking including a similar summit snowmaking pond to what they built at Jiminy. However, by that time the lifts were pretty much end of life and if they sold X amount of passes they were going to put in a detachable. It never happened, by that time investment happening at next door Jiminy was pretty much skyrocketing. The rest is history...

I have a hard time figuring out how anyone could possibly make a go of the place as a downhill facility again given its proximity to Jiminy, Bousquet and Southern VT.

But anyway, I still have a photographic foot by foot map of the place in my mind if anyone ever has questions.

 

[The Sneak]

I drove by in February. Bummed me out to see it so overgrown and trashed. Looked like a caretaker was on site, though.
I never did get to ski there, and have always lamented it. I mean, I even skied Jiminy on Veteran's Day 1992 (at age 14, my poor father drove us out there to ski on half of 360 or 180 in the pouring rain)

 

[skithetrees]

Right. I read the post to mean that Fairbanks recently (in the last 15 years or so) went on the resort when they did not own it and sabotaged it.

And I read that thread. It doesn’t support Fairbanks sabotaging Magic. The implication is that one of the partners may have intentionally left it in a state of disrepair/bad shape when he sold it. Slightly different.

There’s a difference between disrepair and boulders in snowmaking lines.

 

[zyk]

Gotta clear the air a bit on this one since my family worked there in the early to mid 90s and it was pretty much our second home during winter.

First, the place was nothing like Jiminy Peak (down the fall line, steep) and fairly modern infrastructure. Brodie was much flatter, the runs were longer, had more character, and everything was dated. It was 2 bars with a ski area attached at times. Brodie had an odd lift layout where 3 (very slow) doubles ran parallel to each other with the longest (Dots) being the only one that accessed the true summit. Incidentally this lift was furthest from the main base lodge and ran the least amount of hours. It very rarely ran at night unlike the other two doubles as only the JFK trail has lights off the top. Tipperary was the 2.5 mile green run off the top that went way out and came back through the camping area by the Upper Canteen, very fun to rip.

The mid-week clientele were locals and on the weekends it was Metro-Albany folks plus tons of busses that would come up from Long Island. They had a bunch of small "chalets" that they would rent out that were placed around the base area. They all looked like they belonged in Austria.

The snowmaking consisted of a handful of early 90s vintage Heco Snow Cub Fan guns that they had to move around with the cats everywhere. There was not ample pumping capacity (or water really) to run more than maybe 6 or so at a time. It took them a long time to get everything covered and there was significant hose dragging to get to trails without their own pipe. They did have an air plant but it was out of service by the early 90s.

The Kelly's were extremely "frugal" owners that did not put much into the place outside of what was necessary to operate. Some trails that had lights (like Kelly's Leap) were often left off to save money. The last real big thing they did was the widening/expansion of Mickey's to the top of the Gramp's chair w/snowmaking. They had a rocky relationship with the town of New Ashford, so multiple items were blocked such as the Triple Chair expansion area or additional water rights.

I have a little bit different opinion on the Fairbanks. Unknown if their true motive was to close, but at the time they did make an honest effort to operate the ski area. Significant money was put into snowmaking including a similar summit snowmaking pond to what they built at Jiminy. However, by that time the lifts were pretty much end of life and if they sold X amount of passes they were going to put in a detachable. It never happened, by that time investment happening at next door Jiminy was pretty much skyrocketing. The rest is history...

I have a hard time figuring out how anyone could possibly make a go of the place as a downhill facility again given its proximity to Jiminy, Bousquet and Southern VT.

But anyway, I still have a photographic foot by foot map of the place in my mind if anyone ever has questions.

I lived in one of those chalets for a time. I recall it being the furthest one from the lodge.

 

[raisingarizona]

Gotta clear the air a bit on this one since my family worked there in the early to mid 90s and it was pretty much our second home during winter.

First, the place was nothing like Jiminy Peak (down the fall line, steep) and fairly modern infrastructure. Brodie was much flatter, the runs were longer, had more character, and everything was dated. It was 2 bars with a ski area attached at times. Brodie had an odd lift layout where 3 (very slow) doubles ran parallel to each other with the longest (Dots) being the only one that accessed the true summit. Incidentally this lift was furthest from the main base lodge and ran the least amount of hours. It very rarely ran at night unlike the other two doubles as only the JFK trail has lights off the top. Tipperary was the 2.5 mile green run off the top that went way out and came back through the camping area by the Upper Canteen, very fun to rip.

The mid-week clientele were locals and on the weekends it was Metro-Albany folks plus tons of busses that would come up from Long Island. They had a bunch of small "chalets" that they would rent out that were placed around the base area. They all looked like they belonged in Austria.

The snowmaking consisted of a handful of early 90s vintage Heco Snow Cub Fan guns that they had to move around with the cats everywhere. There was not ample pumping capacity (or water really) to run more than maybe 6 or so at a time. It took them a long time to get everything covered and there was significant hose dragging to get to trails without their own pipe. They did have an air plant but it was out of service by the early 90s.

The Kelly's were extremely "frugal" owners that did not put much into the place outside of what was necessary to operate. Some trails that had lights (like Kelly's Leap) were often left off to save money. The last real big thing they did was the widening/expansion of Mickey's to the top of the Gramp's chair w/snowmaking. They had a rocky relationship with the town of New Ashford, so multiple items were blocked such as the Triple Chair expansion area or additional water rights.

I have a little bit different opinion on the Fairbanks. Unknown if their true motive was to close, but at the time they did make an honest effort to operate the ski area. Significant money was put into snowmaking including a similar summit snowmaking pond to what they built at Jiminy. However, by that time the lifts were pretty much end of life and if they sold X amount of passes they were going to put in a detachable. It never happened, by that time investment happening at next door Jiminy was pretty much skyrocketing. The rest is history...

I have a hard time figuring out how anyone could possibly make a go of the place as a downhill facility again given its proximity to Jiminy, Bousquet and Southern VT.

But anyway, I still have a photographic foot by foot map of the place in my mind if anyone ever has questions.

Do you have any actual photographs from back then? It would be cool to see them.

 

[Newpylong]

Do you have any actual photographs from back then? It would be cool to see them.

Sadly, just one of my father and two friends. I wish there were more out there. I'm guessing before smartphones it was rare to whip out an old school camera in the winter. I have a whole bunch from a hike I did in 2006 though, obviously well on its way to oblivion by then.

 

[joshua segal]

When I skied there in the early 70s, there was a T-Bar that rarely ran that took one to the top. It seemed long and flat. I have fond memories of going from the top of the chair through a short gladed section that opened into Shamrock which was a lovely Blue Square (although at the time, they used the old system and it was a triangle). My recollection was that at the time, Brodie was as steep, if not steeper, than Jiminy was then. Some of the new sections of Jiminy added some better steeps.

 

[raisingarizona]

Sadly, just one of my father and two friends. I wish there were more out there. I'm guessing before smartphones it was rare to whip out an old school camera in the winter. I have a whole bunch from a hike I did in 2006 though, obviously well on its way to oblivion by then.

This photo is great. Thanks for posting it up.

 

[Newpylong]

When I skied there in the early 70s, there was a T-Bar that rarely ran that took one to the top. It seemed long and flat. I have fond memories of going from the top of the chair through a short gladed section that opened into Shamrock which was a lovely Blue Square (although at the time, they used the old system and it was a triangle). My recollection was that at the time, Brodie was as steep, if not steeper, than Jiminy was then. Some of the new sections of Jiminy added some better steeps.

The bullwheel for that T-Bar was still on the side of the trail in the woods as you got off the Gramps double and skied straight back. Basically where Mickeys started and Fire Tower Trail ended. I bet you it's still there. It was greenish steel with an orange bullwheel.

 

[shpride]

"This unique property is being offered as a prime residential development site or for snowboarding, cross country skiing, zipline, ATV, adventure park, glamping or more. Don't let this one go! 500 Acres in the Berkshires doesn't come along every day. "

The wording is interesting. I wonder if they figured out how to get around the deed restriction. Maybe a "snowboard resort" that allows skiing in some roundabout way. I guess it depends on how the deed restriction was written.

The deed says skiing and snowboarding so I don’t know why they say snowboarding? The deed is on the registrar of deeds website.

By this Deed, Grantor hereby creates a restriction running with the Property which restriction prohibits Grantee, its successors or assigns, from owning and/or permitting the operation on the Property of a public commercial downhill skiing and/or snowboarding facility; provided, however, the foregoing restriction shall not prohibit the Grantee, or its successors of assigns, from owning and for operating (i) a private downhill skiing and/or snowboarding facility on the Property for the sole use of Grantee's timeshare members, or (ii) a public commercial recreation facility offering cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, tubing, and any other winter activities other than downhill skiing and/or snowboarding.

 

[raisingarizona]

They can get around that deed with the right amount of $.

 

[2planks2coasts]

How are deed restrictions like that legal? Deed restrictions have long been used for far more nefarious purposes than stopping a new ski area, but it seems anti-competitive at best. Can the new /current owners remove the restriction then sell the property to a subsidiary??

 

[joshua segal]

They can get around that deed with the right amount of $.

I suspect they could do what they do with liquor in Utah. Set up a bogus club. First window you buy a club membership for $1. Second window, you show your membership card and buy a ticket.

 

[cdskier]

How are deed restrictions like that legal? Deed restrictions have long been used for far more nefarious purposes than stopping a new ski area, but it seems anti-competitive at best. Can the new /current owners remove the restriction then sell the property to a subsidiary??

Yea...completely bizarre to me that one person can set a restriction that lasts long after that person is gone. These things either should be illegal or have time limits...

 

[urungus]

Yea...completely bizarre to me that one person can set a restriction that lasts long after that person is gone. These things either should be illegal or have time limits...

I have mixed feelings, one the one hand I am appalled by what happened at Brodie. On the other hand, I do support “nature trusts” who pay farmers who agree to restrict their farmland from an future development.

 

[eatskisleep]

I have mixed feelings, one the one hand I am appalled by what happened at Brodie. On the other hand, I do support “nature trusts” who pay farmers who agree to restrict their farmland from a future development.

I mean, there’s a pretty big difference in turning farmland into 1000 town houses and condos versus a ski area spinning chairlifts for outdoor recreation…