Mill Town has made numerous investments in downtown Pittsfield; it owns several properties along North and Tyler streets and became the venture capital partner for the Berkshire Innovation Center in October. The ski area’s innovations include the rope tow gripper which protects the arms and hands of skiers, which Bousquet marketed and sold 500,000 units. Bousquet Ski Area dates to 1932 after Clarence J. Bousquet’s mink farm failed during the Great Depression, and he started a ski club there. About: Bousquet Ski Area & Family Fun Center is a regional amusement and recreation facility for all seasons. TimesUnion.com reports, the Mill Town community impact fund is buying the ski area from the Tamarack Ski Nominee Trust and owners Sherry and PJ Roberts. Season passes for the 2020-21 ski season at Bousquet are now available at bousquetmountain.com. Keywords Bousquet Ski Area is located in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, in the heart of Berkshire County. So … Mill Town did not obtain a mortgage. The ski area was successful. ", "Through the years, Bousquet has entertained generations of families in Pittsfield, throughout the Berkshires, and beyond," Pittsfield Mayor Linda Tyer said. Later in the 1930s the area had one of the world’s longest rope tows. The device made it easier for skiers to go up hills so they could ski back down. Created in 1932, the resort is the oldest existing ski area in The Berkshires. — The venerable Bousquet ski area, which was built on a former mink farm in the 1930s, has been sold to a local investment group and will be working with two nearby areas, Berkshire East and Catamount, in a season pass collaboration. Five future U.S. Olympic downhill skiers, including Pittsfield natives Kim and Krista Schmidinger and Heidi Volker, all have been members of Bousquet's Ski Racing team. Bousquet is a great Place with small lift Lines , economical prices and family atmosphere. The Mill Town community impact fund is buying the ski area from the Tamarack Ski Nominee Trust and owners Sherry and PJ Roberts. In 1940, in a single day, buses carried 2,600 passengers from Pittsfield station to Bousquet’s. Bousquet ski area in Pittsfield has been sold to a local investment group and will be working with Berkshire East and Catamount, in a season pass collaboration. “We are thrilled to partner with Mill Town to ensure Bousquet will be a respected skiing and outdoor recreation asset for years to come. Burke grew up in Pittsfield before returning to the Berkshires from the Boston area in 2017, when he founded Mill Town Capital with business partner David Mixer. "Clare" Bousquet, the ski area had also been sold in 1955 and 1967. The ski area likely dates to the early 1940s. In the Bousquet lodge in 2019. The late Clarence J. TimesUnion.com reports, the Mill Town community impact fund is buying the ski area from the Tamarack Ski … Bousquet is the most recent historic area ski area to change hands. PITTSFIELD, Mass. The ski area was successful. Among the ski area’s innovations was a rope tow gripper that protects the arms and hands of skiers, which Bousquet marketed and sold 500,000 units. The sale, finalized Friday, includes 115 acres spread across four parcels on Bousquet Mountain, including the summit of Yokun Ridge, 22 trails, multiple buildings and operational equipment. The new owners also will collaborate with Jon and Jim Schaefer, who own Berkshire East Mountain Resort in Charlemont and Catamount ski area which straddles the New York/Massachusetts border near Hillsdale. Bousquet also was sold in 1955 and 1967. The management of those two ski areas will advise Bousquet's new owners on capital and operational decisions and investments. Sherri and her crew all work hard to … Bousquet is a huge part of that strategy as it encapsulates so many rich mountain activities right here within the city confines.”. In the 1930s, ski trains from New York City deposited skiers right at Bousquet. It is possible that it was called "Big Devil" after skyline since "Big Devil Stairs" is a prominent gorge just north of the old ski area in what is now … It was one of the first ski areas to offer night skiing when Bousquet partnered with the local General Electric plant to install lights on the trails in 1936. It was in 1957 that Soviero briefly engaged the services of Frank Lloyd Wright to design a four-season resort a la Sun Valley. Find and book deals on the best accessible hotels in Bousquet Ski Area, United States of America! PITTSFIELD — A private investment group from Pittsfield has purchased the venerable Bousquet Ski Area and plans to keep one of the country's oldest ski resorts operational. We are excited about the sale of Bousquet Ski Area to Mill Town. Bousquet also was sold in 1955 and 1967. Bousquet Ski Area is a 200-acre ski area in Pittsfield, MA, within the Berkshires cultural region. Bousquet Mountain Sold - May. Among the ski area’s innovations was the rope tow gripper that protects the arms and hands of skiers, which Bousquet marketed and sold 500,000 units. Positioned between Berkshire East and Catamount, we feel that Bousquet will provide significant value to Berkshire Pass holders as another great skiing and riding option in Western Massachusetts. We plan to invest in the ski operation infrastructure and the lodge, and we are excited to work with strong partners to enhance the on-mountain experience.”. To keep growing, he installed area-wide snowmaking in 1956. Mill Town builds and renovates housing units, and invests in promising businesses and it aims to improve the quality of life for residents and attract more families and business to the area. After his mink farming operation failed during the Great Depression, Bousquet, responding to the interest of the Mount Greylock Ski Club who had been using a steep pastureon his property as a practice run, allowed the club to cut a 750-foot (230 m) ski slope to the northern summit of Mahanna Cobble (part of Yokun Ridge) in 1933. Some 500,000 Bousquet Rope Tow Grippers were sold wherever there were skiers. www.berkshireeagle.com Reactions: NYSnowflake. It precedes Big Boulder (originally called Hazard), which was founded in 1946 and was sold a couple years later to become the Pocono's first commercial ski operation (and where snowmaking was first pioneered in PA). A third tow was likely added for 1937-38, while a fourth debuted for 1938-39. After more than a dozen years on the market, Massachusetts’ Bousquet Mountain sold late last week for just over $1 million, a touch more than the median price of a one-bedroom Manhattan apartment and a huge discount to the $3.2 million initial … If these details are missing from the Bousquet Ski Area snow report, you can predict off-piste conditions using the snow depth, the date of the most recent snowfall at Bousquet Ski Area, the Bousquet Ski Area weather report and the forecast. Wright was 87 then, but he did indeed visit the Bousquet property. He also partnered with General Electric’s Pittsfield Plant to outfit the mountain with floodlights installed on poles in 1936 to illuminate runs, introducing the concepts of night skiing. Bousquet ski area in Pittsfield has been sold to a local investment group and will be working with Berkshire East and Catamount, in a season pass collaboration. Tamarack Ski Nominee Trust had owed Bousquet since 1981. Bousquet Mountain was sold to a local group yesterday after being on the market for more than a dozen years. Bousquet Ski Area was founded in 1932 by Clarence J. Bousquet after his mink farm failed during the Great Depression, and was revived into a ski club. Rick Karlin covers the environment and energy development for the Times Union. Located in Pittsfield, Bousquet is one of the few ski areas in the country located in a city. Older Headlines: Bousquet Mountain Sold - May 29, 2020; Ski Blandford Closing - March 26, 2020; Ski Areas Closing Due to COVID-19 Coronavirus - March 12, 2020; Chairlift Chatter - January 8, 2020; Massachusetts Lift Ticket Prices Up 4% - November 12, 2019; Lodge Construction in Progress Across New England - October 16, 2019; Lift and Lodge Construction In Progress Across New England - June … We have a plan. Bousquet Mountain: COVID-19 Operations Plan Remember to purchase your tickets and rentals prior to your arrival! The sale was scheduled to close today. Bousquet was also the inventor of the rope tow gripper which protected the arms and hands of skiiers using rope tow lifts. Bousquet Ski Area in Pittsfield has been sold to investment firm Mill Town Capital, which intends to keep the facility operational. Bousquet marketed and subsequently sold 500,000 of his grippers. As the legend goes, Clarence Bousquet installed a rope tow in the spring of 1935, increasingly the area rate from 25 cents to $1.00. sold. The Bousquet ski area in Pittsfield, Mass. The ski area was sold to the owners of Ski Butternut by the Springfield Ski Club, which has owned it for more than 80 years, in 2017. Both parties agreed to not publicly disclose the purchase price, but the property sold for $1.07 million, according to documents filed at the Berkshire Middle Registry of Deeds in Pittsfield. "One of the people involved with Mill Town came to ski here a couple of years ago and reminisced about bringing his family there and the great memories that he had growing up in the Berkshires. The one certainty is everything will change and we will need your cooperation. Share The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast.