Stratton Loans Snowmakers to Vermont Nonprofit Ski Hill

Stratton is owned by Alterra Mountain Company, which is not known for its cheap lift tickets. Brattleboro Ski Hill only boasts 204 feet of vertical drop, but for a family learning how to snowboard over the holiday break, that’s enough to keep them busy. Meanwhile, the low prices might help free up some of the lift lines at Stratton, down the street.

“We were here making snow last night with Stratton's 2 HKD snow guns they were pumping out some really good water last night with the single digit temps and we were really grateful about that,” Zach, a volunteer at Brattleboro Ski Hill, said in the video. “In the ski industry, everybody in Vermont helps each other out. We are all one big family so we just want to make sure that everybody can get together and have the same access to the sport that everyone else can.”

Brattleboro Ski Hill has one lift, two trails, and night skiing. Stratton, meanwhile, has a 2,003 vertical drop, 14 lifts, and 99 trails.

The ski hill opened more than 23 years before Stratton did, and the Brattleboro Reformer reported that busloads of Connecticut and New York skiers traveled to Brattleboro to ride the rope tow up the mountain.

“As New England winters change, mountains big and small are becoming more reliant on snowmaking,” said Todd Fahey, vice president of the Brattleboro Ski Hill board, in a statement published in the Reformer. “The brand-new HKD snow guns are the type of equipment a small operation like ours can only dream of. We’re incredibly grateful to Stratton for recognizing the important role community ski hills continue to play in keeping this sport accessible.”