Bousquet Mountain is a local

ski area A ski area is the terrain and supporting infrastructure where skiing and other snow sports take place. Such sports include alpine and cross-country skiing, snow boarding, tubing, sledding, etc. Ski areas may stand alone or be part of a ski resort. ...

serving skiing and snowboarding located on a northern summit of

Yokun Ridge Yokun Ridge is a ridge in the Taconic Mountains in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, consisting of a well-defined series of contiguous peaks including West Stockbridge Mountain and Lenox Mountain. The name "Yokun Ridge" was invented for the area in ...

Pittsfield, Massachusetts Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Pittsfield� ...

within the Taconic Mountain Range. It is now owned by Mill Town Capital and has a consulting contract with the Schaefer family which are owners of Berkshire East and

Catamount The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large cat native to the Americas. Its range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. ...

. Snowtubing is also offered with four lanes, 100 tubes, a magic carpet, and snowmaking on the tubing hill.

History

Opened in 1932, the resort is the oldest existing ski area in The Berkshires. Prior to its use as a ski area, the property was a

mink Mink are dark-colored, semiaquatic, carnivorous mammals of the genera ''Neogale'' and '' Mustela'' and part of the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, otters, and ferrets. There are two extant species referred to as "mink": the A ...

farm belonging to Clarence J. "Clare" Bousquet. After his mink farming operation failed during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, Bousquet responded to the interest of the

Mount Greylock Mount Greylock is a mountain located in the northwest corner of Massachusetts and is the highest point in the state. Its summit is in the western part of the town of Adams (near its border with Williamstown) in Berkshire County. Geologicall ...

Ski Club, which had been using a steep

pasture Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep, or swine ...

on his property as a practice run. He allowed the club to cut a ski slope to the northern summit of Mahanna Cobble (part of Yokun Ridge) in 1933.

Summary of developments

* In the 1935–36 season, the first

rope tow A surface lift is a type of cable transport for snow sports in which skiers and snowboarders remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill. While they were once prevalent, they have been overtaken in popularity by higher-capacity and higher-co ...

was installed on the lower mountain. * In the 1936–37 season, an upper mountain rope tow was constructed. Bousquet installed

night skiing Night skiing is the sport of skiing or snowboarding after sundown, offered at many ski resorts and mountains. There are usually floodlights – including LED lamps – along the piste which allow for better visibility. It typically begins after a ...

, with mercury vapor

floodlights A floodlight is a broad-beamed, gas discharge lamp#High-intensity discharge lamps, high-intensity artificial light. They are often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is Night game, being held during low-li ...

installed on poles in 1936 as part of a local partnership with

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...

. * A third rope tow, which opened in 1937–38, relieved the expanding crowds. * When another rope tow — the longest rope tow in the world at the time — was added in 1938-39, Bousquet was nicknamed one of America’s finest ski developments." It was also described as the "most mechanized ski center in the East" because of its four rope tows. The

gripper was invented by Bousquet and he filed for a patent. Bousquet marketed and subsequently sold 500,000 of his grippers. * The 1940–41 season gave the mountain a fifth rope tow for night skiing. * A new base lodge opened in 1941, with a fireplace from the old farm. * The mountain was sold to Don Soviero in 1956 and installed a

T-Bar A surface lift is a type of cable transport for snow sports in which skiers and snowboarders remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill. While they were once prevalent, they have been overtaken in popularity by higher-capacity and higher-co ...

. * In the 1957–58 season, Bousquet installed two Poma lifts and expanded into the

snowmaking Snowmaking is the production of snow by forcing water and pressurized air through a "snow gun", also known as a "snow cannon". Snowmaking is mainly used at ski resorts to supplement natural snow. This allows ski resorts to improve the reliabilit ...

world. * They installed a Carlevaro & Savio double lift in the 1962–63 season entering the chairlift world. * Don Soviero sold the mountain in 1967. Paul Bousquet was able to buy it back the following year. * A second double chair serving the lower half of the mountain opened in the 1960–81 season. It was manufactured by

Hall In architecture, a hall is a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age and early Middle Ages in northern Europe, a mead hall was where a lord and his retainers ate and also slept. Later in the Middle Ages, the gr ...

. * In 1981, Four Skiers Enterprises bought Bousquet and started summer operations. * The 2004–5 season came with a

double chair from Eastover, Massachusetts. * In 2012, ownership of the mountain was transferred to Sherry Roberts. She continued to operate it but sought a buyer.. In May 2020, the ski area is sold to Mill Town Capital< which began updating and improving the facilities. *Bousquet currently operates 2 chairlifts, and 2

surface lifts A surface lift is a type of cable transport for snow sports in which skiers and snowboarders remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill. While they were once prevalent, they have been overtaken in popularity by higher-capacity and higher-co ...

Other Businesses

Mill Town Capital also purchased two other businesses in 2020 to operate under the Bousquet brand. * The Camp is a 130-acre campground overlooking Richmond Pond with many lodging options. * Bousquet Sport is an athletic club that was originally the Berkshire West Athletic Club and currently offers Tennis, Pickleball, and Fitness options.

References

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External links

Ski Mountain & Sports Resort
Bousquet Ski Area
Ski Mountain & Sports Resort
Ski areas and resorts in Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Pittsfield, Massachusetts Sports in Pittsfield, Massachusetts Taconic Mountains