billski
Active member
Butternut seems well-positioned to capture the Albany, Western Connecticut and Springfield market, and the numbers showed. It's a mid-sized mountain, about 1,000 feet, with a powerhouse of a marketing machine. I stopped by and spoke with the Marketing Director about programs for ski clubs. The list of marketing programs is seemingly endless.
This was stop one on my two-fer Butternut and Otis Ridge Thursday. It was about 2.25 hours from metro Boston and the midweek ticket was 25. Like most Berkshire mountains, they hardly get anyone from metro Boston.
My first impression was not all that great, and it had nothing to do with skiing. There was a cluster of buildings, but no clear indication where to buy a ticket or where the ski lodge was. Other newbies like me were having a similar challenge as we asked each other for help to no avail. The Storyland-like ticket booths were unstaffed and there was no indication where to go. There were buildings everywhere but not one simple sign directing us to the main lodge. Even once inside, everyone seemed self-absorbed. It was as if they all knew what to do and where to go, and that first-timers were an afterthought. I mentioned this to two employees and they didn't react at all. I finally mentioned it to an older woman in the ski shop (thinking it was a teen employee thing), and she looked at me with utter amazement. She said, "well, you can buy tickets inside the lodge, etc. etc." I indicated back there was no way to know that, she just stood there still puzzled. "Well, I guess you could put a note in the suggestion box." Ooooh, I know how suggestion boxes work.
Lot more cars than I expected, perhaps a hundred and a half. Lots of CT and NY plates.
Well, anyways, I got inside the lodge, and found everyone, customers and employees all wrapped up in themselves. The only helpful person was an older woman behind the grille, but only when I asked. They don't even ask if they can help you. They just stare at you (just like NJ Turnpike rest stop workers). Strange.
The lodge was right out of the 70s. There were a ton of senior citizens, all geared up, spending most of their time talking. A much bigger demographic than I see at most places.
Lots of kids, someone mumbled something about a snow day...
The kraut and braut was not bad, reasonably priced on a stale roll.
Trails were groomed to perfection. It was very packed powder. Wall to wall. Almost nothing loose to play on, even on the sides.
Kinda confusing "upper lodge"
One black trail was half moguled
There are two summits and three peaks, with 4 or 5 triples and quads servicing them. It skis much bigger than Tenny or Ragged, but without the challenge. I do have to give them a break, the weather in Mass (freeze-melt-freeze, little natural) made trail maintenance a major challenge. Looks like it would really spread people out well. I met one guy who had been skiing two years, he thought it was great that you could actually get away from the main base (not all lift bases end at the lodge). I suppose having two lodges will spread things out a lot. I get the impression this operation was designed for large crowds.
All in all, a great place for the beginner to gain confidence, moving into lower-intermediate territory. Great place for the older or infrequent skier to get out for the day and have nearly zero trail issues. The challenge of what 1000 footer brings was taken advantage of.
This was stop one on my two-fer Butternut and Otis Ridge Thursday. It was about 2.25 hours from metro Boston and the midweek ticket was 25. Like most Berkshire mountains, they hardly get anyone from metro Boston.
My first impression was not all that great, and it had nothing to do with skiing. There was a cluster of buildings, but no clear indication where to buy a ticket or where the ski lodge was. Other newbies like me were having a similar challenge as we asked each other for help to no avail. The Storyland-like ticket booths were unstaffed and there was no indication where to go. There were buildings everywhere but not one simple sign directing us to the main lodge. Even once inside, everyone seemed self-absorbed. It was as if they all knew what to do and where to go, and that first-timers were an afterthought. I mentioned this to two employees and they didn't react at all. I finally mentioned it to an older woman in the ski shop (thinking it was a teen employee thing), and she looked at me with utter amazement. She said, "well, you can buy tickets inside the lodge, etc. etc." I indicated back there was no way to know that, she just stood there still puzzled. "Well, I guess you could put a note in the suggestion box." Ooooh, I know how suggestion boxes work.
Lot more cars than I expected, perhaps a hundred and a half. Lots of CT and NY plates.
Well, anyways, I got inside the lodge, and found everyone, customers and employees all wrapped up in themselves. The only helpful person was an older woman behind the grille, but only when I asked. They don't even ask if they can help you. They just stare at you (just like NJ Turnpike rest stop workers). Strange.
The lodge was right out of the 70s. There were a ton of senior citizens, all geared up, spending most of their time talking. A much bigger demographic than I see at most places.
Lots of kids, someone mumbled something about a snow day...
The kraut and braut was not bad, reasonably priced on a stale roll.
Trails were groomed to perfection. It was very packed powder. Wall to wall. Almost nothing loose to play on, even on the sides.
Kinda confusing "upper lodge"
One black trail was half moguled
There are two summits and three peaks, with 4 or 5 triples and quads servicing them. It skis much bigger than Tenny or Ragged, but without the challenge. I do have to give them a break, the weather in Mass (freeze-melt-freeze, little natural) made trail maintenance a major challenge. Looks like it would really spread people out well. I met one guy who had been skiing two years, he thought it was great that you could actually get away from the main base (not all lift bases end at the lodge). I suppose having two lodges will spread things out a lot. I get the impression this operation was designed for large crowds.
All in all, a great place for the beginner to gain confidence, moving into lower-intermediate territory. Great place for the older or infrequent skier to get out for the day and have nearly zero trail issues. The challenge of what 1000 footer brings was taken advantage of.
Last edited:
