Berkshire East started as Thunder Mountain, but once was one of five ski areas located within a 3- mile radius centered on Charlemont in the beautiful Deerfield River Valley. Starting in the 1930s, skiing in Charlemont became a big business for the community, yet Berkshire East Mountain Resort is the only survivor. This is part of that story.
Lots of thanks to the great work of the New England Lost Ski Areas Project and New England Ski History. In particular, to Jeremy Clark, one-time Berkshire East manager and the inquisitive mind who keeps digging up the colorful history of this awesome sport.
The first two ski facilities in the area of Charlemont were built in the 1930s. The first, Chickley Alps, was located several miles south of Charlemont in the town of Hawley. The second, founded by racers, was called the Mohawk Skiers Project and was located on the mountain behind Zoar Outdoor.
We are uncertain of the railroads connection to the ski areas, but at the time, on the summit behind the Mohawk Trail Skiers Project, was a large Adirondack Style gentleman's farm and retreat owned by the Boston and Maine Railroad. The home was tied to 1000 acres for hunting, golfing, farming, and general carousing that we suspect, played a connection between Charlemont ski areas and the snow trains, which kept these mountains busy with guests from NYC and Boston.
Soon after these two got started, Snow White opened in the 1940s, and after that, Thunder Mountain. This resort, the predecessor of Berkshire East, was opened in 1953. Founded by Art Parker, a skier of Chickley Alps and a guest at the Plantation House.
The last hill to be opened in Charlemont was Sawmill Hill, located in the lower fields of the Warfield House Inn. Operated with a rope tow that its only known use is that of a steam powered ski lift. The creator, Charles Goodwin, was known as a local genius, and he built many contraptions around town, including the "Hoot, Toot, and Whistle," a miniature children's train that operated as a roadside attraction until the mid 1980s.
Closer to Greenfield, Mohawk Mountain Ski Way opened in the mid 1950s. Further to the south, on Route 9, the Berkshire Snow Basin was opened in 1949, by Stan (veteran of World War II) and his wife Ruth Brown, both former ski racers. Berkshire Snow Basin operated until the 1980s, and many of the instructors, race coaches, and guests of that mountain converted to Berkshire East when it closed.
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