Ski Areas on Public Land - NewEnglandSkiHistory.com

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Ski Areas on Public Land

Killington, Vermont

Ski Area	State	Land Ownership
Loon	New Hampshire	Federal
Attitash	New Hampshire	Federal
Wildcat	New Hampshire	Federal
Gunstock	New Hampshire	County
Waterville Valley	New Hampshire	Federal
Cannon	New Hampshire	State
Prospect	New Hampshire	State
Sunapee	New Hampshire	State
Arrowhead	New Hampshire	Town
Abenaki	New Hampshire	Town
Kanc	New Hampshire	Town
Storrs Hill	New Hampshire	Town
McIntyre	New Hampshire	Town
Veterans Memorial	New Hampshire	Town
Eustis	New Hampshire	Town
Mohawk	Connecticut	State
Camden	Maine	Town
Powderhouse Hill	Maine	Town
Spruce	Maine	Town
Pinnacle	Maine	Town
Osceola	Massachusetts	Town
Wachusett	Massachusetts	State
Blue Hills	Massachusetts	State
Butternut	Massachusetts	State
Sugarbush	Vermont	Federal
Bromley	Vermont	Federal, State
Mount Snow	Vermont	Federal
Haystack	Vermont	Town
Stowe	Vermont	State
Smugglers Notch	Vermont	State
Jay Peak	Vermont	State
Killington	Vermont	State
Burke	Vermont	State
Okemo	Vermont	State
Bellows Falls	Vermont	Town
Living Memorial Park	Vermont	Town
Lyndon Outing Club	Vermont	Town

Being that many prominent mountains are located within state and national forests, it is no surprise that many ski areas are located on public land. The vast majority of these ski areas are operated by private groups with state or federal lease agreements.

While restrictions on real estate development are a limitation to operating a ski area on public land, the overall land cost can be an advantage, as the operators don't have to purchase the land or pay property taxes on it. Private operators may, on the other hand, be required to pay property taxes on their lifts and buildings.

Some ski areas, such as Attitash, have many of their buildings and lifts located on private property. Others, such as Wildcat, are completely located on public property.

Lease payment calculations vary depending upon the ski area and the government entity. Some are fixed annual rates, while others are determined by gross revenue and/or skier usage.

Last updated: November 16, 2013

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