Big Basin Ski Area
Ripton, Vermont
Proposed in the 1960s
Big Basin (2010)
Overview
Located between Sugarbush and the Middlebury College Snow Bowl, Big Basin was the site of a proposed ski area in the 1960s.
Following the opening of Sugarbush in 1958 and Glen Ellen in 1963, groups looked to develop another major resort in the region. Property was reportedly acquired in anticipation of the new development.
Following his time as general manager of Okemo and Dartmouth Skiway, Donald Cutter was hired to survey Big Basin's viability as a commercial ski resort development in conjunction with Green Mountain National Forest Middlebury District Ranger Evans Lutz. The findings of their study were released in the spring of 1965, concluding that the topography couldn't support the needed facilities and that the exposure and terrain were not ideal.
In September 1966, a meeting was held in the Town of Lincoln to discuss the possibility of a new ski area development, with Big Basin once again being considered. David Johnson of Allen Johnson Co. of Boston, Massachusetts and John Adams Brown of Burlington spoke at the meeting. A committee was formed to study the proposal, however it likely faded away.
The highest elevation in the greater Big Basin region is Mt. Wilson at 3,835 feet, which much of the ridgeline remaining above 3,000 feet. Had Big Basin ski area been developed, the vertical drop could have been 2,000 feet.
Big Basin topographic map
Today
There are no known remains of the Big Basin ski area proposal.
Last updated: September 3, 2024
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