Ski Sundown is a ski area located in
New Hartford, Connecticut
New Hartford is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 6,658 at the 2020 census. The town center is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as the New Hartford Center census-designated place (CDP). The town is mainl ...
. There are 16 trails, 15 of which are lighted for nighttime skiing. In terms of difficulty, eight of the trails are easier, four are intermediate and three are difficult and one is most difficult. Popular trails include ''Tom's Treat'', which winds its way down the mountain for one mile and includes a mini terrain park (1.6 km), and ''Gunbarrel'', a steep pitch straight down the fall line which offers fre
NASTARas well a
CISCsponsored races. The ski area features two terrain parks, the easier on ''Tom's Treat'', and an expert terrain park on the black diamond run ''Stinger''. When there is enough snow, the mountain seeds moguls on the ''Exhibition'' and ''Gunbarrel'' trails. The mountain opened its newest trail, ''Satan's Stairway'', a double black diamond trail in the Winter 2014/2015 season. Five lifts service the mountain, with three triple chairs, and two conveyor lifts. Ski Sundown has of skiable terrain. Ski Sundown also includes 15 out of 16 trails lighted for night skiing, usually until 10 PM (12 am on New Year's Eve)
History
Satan's Ridge Ski Area opened with a
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 ...
T-Bar in 1963. A second T-Bar would be added in 1965. The area later closed, before being reopened as Ski Sundown by
Channing Murdock, owner of nearby
Butternut Basin Ski Area. In 1977, a new
Borvig triple chairlift was installed to the summit, currently named the Exhibition Triple. In 1987, a second summit triple chairlift, a
CTEC
The Microsoft Certified Technical Education Centre (Microsoft CTEC) channel provides training for computer professions in the use of Microsoft products. The term Microsoft Certified Technical Education Centre was introduced by Microsoft in early ...
now referred to as the Triple Barrel, was installed, replacing an earlier double chair. In 2006 a conveyor lift called the Little Easy was added, and in 2013 a 300-foot conveyor lift was installed in the Sunnyside Learning area to replace an earlier double chair, called the Big Easy.
Mountain Statistics
Trails
* Ski Sundown features 16 trails spanning 70 skiable acres.
:*
![Ski trail rating symbol-green circle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Ski_trail_rating_symbol-green_circle.svg)
- Easiest 50%
:*
![Ski trail rating symbol-blue square](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Ski_trail_rating_symbol-blue_square.svg)
- More Difficult 25%
:*
![Ski trail rating symbol-black diamond](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Ski_trail_rating_symbol-black_diamond.svg)
- Most Difficult: 25%
Lifts
:*Triples: 3
Ski Sundown features three Triple chairlifts. Their Triple Barrel and Exhibition Triple lifts run parallel to each other from base to summit, allowing skiers to access terrain on all levels. On weekdays or when crowds are light, only one of the summit chairs run, typically the Triple Barrel. Their third triple, the Sunnyside Express, services three beginner and intermediate level trails in the Sunnyside learning area.
:*
Surface Lifts: 2
The two surface lifts at Ski Sundown, the Little Easy and Big Easy magic carpets, provide an accessible way for beginner skiers to ascend the mountain. The Little Easy carpet services a small, fenced-off beginner area located next to Gunbarrel, while the Big Easy carpet is longer and serves the entirety of the Little Joe, Breezeway, and Loop trails.
External links
Ski Sundown
References
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Ski areas and resorts in Connecticut
Sports venues in Litchfield County, Connecticut
New Hartford, Connecticut