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Located on 1,770 foot Warner Mountain in southwestern Massachusetts, Ski Butternut is a popular mid-sized ski area.
G-Bar-S Dude Ranch
G-Bar-S Ranch |
Ski Butternut's rich skiing history dates back to the 1936-37 season, when two trails were cut by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Rope tow service was also in place at that time.
The trails emptied into a large development known as G-Bar-S Dude Ranch. Years earlier, local entrepreneur Henry J. "Pop" Cairns was told he couldn't fish on a pond near Warner Mountain. Described by some as 'stubborn,' Cairns purchased the pond and the land around it in 1929. In 1936, he opened the G-Bar-S Ranch there.
A native of Quebec, Cairns moved to the region in the 1920s, eventually owning a petroleum distribution, lumber, and real estate businesses. In addition to his businesses, Cairns was involved in many local civil and church groups, as well as co-founding nearby Camp Stevens and Camp Sunrise for the Boy Scouts. Prior to settling on G-Bar-S Ranch name, Cairns called the complex the Great Barrington Sports Center.
By the time the 1939-40 season started, two rope tows were in place, running a combined 3,000 feet up Warner Mountain over a vertical drop of 630 feet. The facility was likely the second most popular in Berkshire County with 14,500 visitors that season.
Four rope tows were in place for the 1941-42 season. While some areas closed during World War II, G-Bar-S Ranch remained in operation. A fifth rope tow was in place by the time 1948-49 started. By this time, the ski area was marketed for beginners. Each trail was claimed to end in a different place, as to avoid potential bottlenecks.
Prior to the 1950-51 season, nearby Jug End Barn, Inc. purchased the G-Bar-S Ranch from the Cairns. General improvements were reportedly made to the area for the first season under the management of Robert Thompson.
The 1952-53 season was a disaster for G-Bar-S, which was reportedly only open for one week.
Following the 1953-54 season, Francis Maher's G Bar S Corp. purchased the facility for about $100,000. G Bar S Corp would operate the ski area for two seasons.
The End of G-Bar-S Ranch
The former G-Bar-S Ranch circa 1962 |
In June of 1955, the main house of the G-Bar-S Ranch facility was lost in a fire. The ranch headquarters were then moved to the recreation hall, which was subsequently upgraded. In May of 1956, that building too burned to the ground. One month later, the property was sold to Stanley Wincek, owner of the Mountain View Club.
In September of 1956, G-Bar-S Ranch was sold at auction to Robert Wheeler for about $25,000. In addition to being the head of Wheeler & Taylor, Inc. (one time employer of Pop Cairns' daughter Alida), Wheeler was also part owner of Jug End Barn. At the time of the sale, the facility spanned 98 acres and included the ski area, the pond, a swimming pool, 12 cabins, and a bunkhouse. The ski area would likely sit idle after the auction. Wheeler reportedly was hoping to sell the land to the Massachusetts Department of Natural Resources, though the funds were never allocated.
In April of 1960, the old ski area was sold to James and Margaret Joyce of Barrington School, Inc. The school, which opened nearby in the fall of 1960, was purchasing land for a potential campus. Barrington School would quickly run into financial problems.
The Murdock Family Arrives
The Clubhouse Lodge circa the mid to late 1960s |
In August of 1962, Channing Murdock and his wife Jane purchased the old ski area from the the Joyces and Barrington School for a reported $60,000, while also securing a $100 per year lease for the adjacent state-owned property. A native of Hastings-on-Hudson, NY, Murdock graduated from Middlebury College and served in the Army before eventually ending up at Mohawk Mountain. Murdock managed the Connecticut ski area for two years, learning the entire operation from snowmaking to lift construction.
Murdock's plans called for a $250,000 development with a planned 1963-64 opening as Butternut Basin. In addition to a bank loan, Murdock funded the project by selling shares of stock with perks such as free skiing and butternuts.
In April of 1963, Murdock signed an agreement to purchase a new Carlevaro & Savio double chairlift for $83,585.
Channing personally cut new trails and managed the installation of the chairlift with a group of high school students. Jane handled the bookkeeping and payroll, with Channing telling the Berkshire Eagle, "She does all this work, even though she's expecting our second child soon." Their second son, Timmy, was born just before the ski season started.
The base lodge was conceived by Murdock, designed by architect T. Merrill Prentice Jr., and constructed by a crew led by Rene Burdet. The 250-seat lodge had a $45,000 price tag, of which $4,000 was for glass. With peak motifs in the form of triangles throughout, form outweighed function when it came to the chairs Murdock wanted, as the three legged chairs resulted in many falls during the first winter. Perhaps harkening to his former boss Walt Schoenknecht, there were subtle Asian influences, including Japanese-style paper lanterns and a doors that were painted 'Chinese Red.'
The summit double circa 1963-64 |
The Murdocks opened their new ski area on Christmas Eve of 1963. In addition to the new chairlift, up to 4 of the old G-Bar-S Ranch rope tows served 6 trails. A Larchmont snowmaking system was installed on the lower mountain. Both in their mid to late 20s, the Murdocks were the youngest ski area owners around. Paul Brown served as Ski School Director
Though Butternut was only open for 60 days during the winter of 1963-64, it was busy enough to warrant a $70,000 investment during the following off season, including a T-Bar serving the East Area.
G-Bar-S founder Henry Cairns passed away in June 1964 at the age of 73.
Unfortunately, the winter of 1964-65 was a tough one with subpar snowfall. In addition, Butternut pumped its snowmaking pond dry before Christmas and was often limited to its novice slope, seldom having skiing above the mid-station of the chairlift. Overall, the area operated for 65 days, but roughly broke even. No new trails were planned for the off-season, as Murdock stated, "we have trails cut which we haven't even skied yet."
Following the 1964-65 season, Butternut Basin announced it was opening a childrens' summer camp. With a prime location for various summer activities, the camp operated into the 1980s.
New Lifts and a Sister Area
The Upper Lodge |
Butternut Basin soon was engulfed in state politics, as the developers of the proposed Saddle Ball ski area on Mt. Greylock claimed they were not given the same treatment as Butternut Basin. Though Murdock was hoping to expand Butternut in 1967, his proposal was halted by the state as they dealt with the Saddle Ball concerns.
Murdock eventually signed a new lease with the state, which addressed some of the concerns raised by the Saddle Ball developers, while allowing him to expand. As a result, his annual state lease fees increased from $100 to between 2% and 3% of his gross ski revenue, the latter being estimated at about $100,000. In addition, Murdock had to give the state control over any development on his adjacent private property, as well as to agree to a prohibition of alcohol sales.
With the new agreement in hand, a new Carlevaro & Savio chairlift was installed in 1968, serving two new intermediate trails in the Highline Area. In addition, the base lodge was expanded by 2,500 feet and snowmaking was improved. Norwegian native Einar Aus was named Ski School Director, as Paul Brown moved to Hawaii. With ample natural snowfall, the 1968-69 season was described by Murdock as "tremendous," enabling for further ski investment.
A third double was installed for the 1969-70 season, giving Butternut the largest number of chairlifts in the county. In addition to the new beginner chairlift, the base lodge was once again expanded, making it twice the size of the original structure. Meanwhile, Murdock purchased defunct Satan's Ridge in nearby Connecticut. The area would reopen for 1969-70 as Ski Sundown and would remain under Murdock's ownership for a few seasons. Meanwhile, a beginner double chairlift was installed at Butternut.
The next big expansion took place at Butternut in 1975, when the Overbrook Area debuted. Serviced by Massachusetts' first triple chairlift, the new pod initially featured two intermediate trails. The Upper Lodge, designed by Butternut skier Lo-Yi Chan of Prentice, Chan & Ohlhausen, would open in 1979 near the new area.
In November of 1983, the Murdocks purchased 135 acres of land west of the ski area. While they had planned to build a new trail pod, the trails and lifts would not be constructed.
Celebrating their 30th season at Butternut, the Murdocks upgraded their original chairlift for 1993-94. A $750,000 project, the summit lift was converted into Massachusetts' second quad chairlift. While things appeared to be running smoothly, Butternut was about to suffer back to back tragedies.
Tragedies
In June of 1994, founder Channing Murdock was seriously injured in a biking crash. In addition to multiple broken bones, Murdock suffered permanent brain injuries that immediately ended his career.
The 1994-95 season was Butternut's worst in nearly a quarter of a century. In order to save money, new General Manager Jeff Murdock cancelled the area's property insurance. Two months later, in May of 1995, an F4 tornado hit Butternut, heavily damaging lifts, buildings, snowmaking equipment, and the countless trees that had been carefully planted and or saved over the years by Channing Murdock. Thanks to the help of ski areas all over the Northeast, as well as a $1.4 million Small Business Administration loan, Butternut was able to rebuild enough to reopen for 1995-96.
Recovery
The Top Flight Quad (2016) |
Nearly a decade later, Butternut was able to start making sizable investments to its lift infrastructure again. Quad chairlifts were installed in consecutive seasons starting in 2004. As a result, Ski Butternut left the decade with 3 quads and a triple serving its core trails, giving it one of the largest uphill capacities in Southern New England.
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Year by Year History
Adult Weekend Full Day Lift Ticket; Adult Full Price Unlimited Season Pass
| 2020s |
Ticket Price |
Season Pass Price |
Pass Payback |
Opening Day |
Closing Day |
Skier Visits |
| 2020-21 | $65.00 |  | $399.00 | | 6.1 days | December 18 | March 27 | | | | | 2019-20 | $65.00 | | $399.00 | | 6.1 days | December 6 | March 15 | | | |
| 2010s |
Ticket Price |
Season Pass Price |
Pass Payback |
Opening Day |
Closing Day |
Skier Visits |
| 2018-19 | $60.00 | | $399.00 | | 6.7 days | December 7 | March 30 | | | | | 2017-18 | $60.00 | | $490.00 | | 8.2 days | December 14 | April 1 | | | | | 2016-17 | $60.00 | | $455.00 | | 7.6 days | December 15 | April 2 | | | | | 2015-16 | $60.00 | | $455.00 | | 7.6 days | January 3 | March 13 | | | | | 2014-15 | $55.00 | | $440.00 | | 8.0 days | December 5 | April 5 | | | | | 2013-14 | $55.00 | | $440.00 | | 8.0 days | December 7 | April 6 | | | | | 2012-13 | $55.00 | | $330.00 | | 6.0 days | December 15 | April 7 | | | | | 2011-12 | $55.00 | | $330.00 | | 6.0 days | December 16 | March 18 | | | | | 2010-11 | $55.00 | | $330.00 | | 6.0 days | December 10 | April 3 | | | | | 2009-10 | $55.00 | | $279.00 | | 5.1 days | December 12 | March 28 | | | |
| 2000s |
Ticket Price |
Season Pass Price |
Pass Payback |
Opening Day |
Closing Day |
Skier Visits |
| 2008-09 | $55.00 | | $279.00 | | 5.1 days | | | | | | | 2007-08 | $50.00 | | $279.00 | | 5.6 days | December 7 | | | | | | 2006-07 | $49.00 | | $279.00 | | 5.7 days | | April 1 | | | | | 2005-06 | $46.00 | | $199.00 | | 4.3 days | | March 31 | | | | | 2004-05 | $46.00 | | $299.00 | | 6.5 days | | April 10 | | | | | 2003-04 | $45.00 | | $299.00 | | 6.6 days | December 6 | April 3 | | | | | 2002-03 | $43.00 | | $299.00 | | 7.0 days | November 29 | April 6 | | | | | 2001-02 | $41.00 | | | | | | | | | | | 2000-01 | $39.00 | | $495.00 | | 12.7 days | November 25 | April 8 | | | | | 1999-00 | $39.00 | | | | | December 3 | | | | |
| 1990s |
Ticket Price |
Season Pass Price |
Pass Payback |
Opening Day |
Closing Day |
Skier Visits |
| 1998-99 | | | | | | December 18 | | | | | | 1996-97 | $38.00 | | | | | December 7 | | | | | | 1995-96 | | | | | | December 2 | | | | | | 1994-95 | | | | | | December 3 | | | | | | 1993-94 | $36.00 | | $490.00 | | 13.6 days | December 17 | April 3 | | | | | 1992-93 | $35.00 | | | | | November 21 | | | | | | 1991-92 | $33.00 | | | | | | | | | | | 1990-91 | $33.00 | | | | | | | | | | | 1989-90 | $30.00 | | | | | November 24 | | | | |
| 1980s |
Ticket Price |
Season Pass Price |
Pass Payback |
Opening Day |
Closing Day |
Skier Visits |
| 1988-89 | $30.00 | | | | | December 9 | | | | | | 1987-88 | $28.00 | | | | | | | | | | | 1986-87 | $25.00 | | | | | | | | | | | 1985-86 | $24.00 | | | | | | | | | | | 1984-85 | $20.00 | | | | | | | | | | | 1982-83 | $18.00 | | | | | | | | | | | 1981-82 | $17.00 | | | | | | April 11 | 120,000 | | | | 1980-81 | $15.00 | | | | | | | 100,000 | | | | 1979-80 | $13.00 | | | | | | | | | |
| 1970s |
Ticket Price |
Season Pass Price |
Pass Payback |
Opening Day |
Closing Day |
Skier Visits |
| 1978-79 | $12.00 | | | | | | March 24 | | | | | 1977-78 | $12.00 | | | | | | | 110,000 | | | | 1976-77 | $11.00 | | $160.00 | | 14.5 days | | | | | | | 1975-76 | $11.00 | | | | | | | | | | | 1974-75 | $10.00 | | | | | | | | | | | 1973-74 | $9.00 | | | | | | | | | | | 1972-73 | $9.00 | | | | | | | | | | | 1971-72 | $9.00 | | $120.00 | | 13.3 days | November 26 | | | | | | 1970-71 | $8.00 | | | | | November 27 | April 11 | 80,000 | | | | 1969-70 | $8.00 | | | | | | | 68,000 | | |
| 1960s |
Ticket Price |
Season Pass Price |
Pass Payback |
Opening Day |
Closing Day |
Skier Visits |
| 1968-69 | $7.00 | | | | | | March 30 | | | | | 1967-68 | $6.50 | | | | | | | | | | | 1966-67 | $6.50 | | | | | | | | | | | 1965-66 | $6.00 | | | | | | | | | | | 1964-65 | $6.00 | | $80.00 | | 13.3 days | | | | | | | 1963-64 | $6.00 | | | | | December 24 | | 20,000 | | |
| 1950s |
Ticket Price |
Season Pass Price |
Pass Payback |
Opening Day |
Closing Day |
Skier Visits |
| 1952-53 | | | | | | January 4 | | | | | | 1951-52 | | | | | | December 16 | | | | | | 1949-50 | | | | | | December 10 | | | | |
| 1940s |
Ticket Price |
Season Pass Price |
Pass Payback |
Opening Day |
Closing Day |
Skier Visits |
| 1948-49 | | | | | | December 26 | | | | | | 1939-40 | | | | | | | | 14,500 | | |
Visitor Memories
| "Skied a good part of my younger days at Butternut.Was on the ski Patrol with Ken Noad, Ski school with Einar, Coached Racing and Freestyle, and jumped over the tourist's heads on Lucifer's Leap. Had some really great days at Butternut...will always remember Jane and Channing. Thanks! BUTTERNUT." | | Vic Radzevich, Jul. 9, 2014 |
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External Links
Ski Butternut - official site
Ski Butternut - Wikipedia
G-Bar-S Ranch - New England Lost Ski Areas Project
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Last updated: February 5, 2020
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