Brodie Mountain (Hancock, Mass) will not operate as a ski area next winter. Instead, according to owner Brian Fairbank, the snowtubing operation at the resort will be expanded and additional winter activities, including snowshoeing, will be added.

Fairbank cited several reasons for the cessation of skiing. Plans to bring in a development partner collapsed in May. Early season ticket sales fell 50%, compared to year-ago sales. And a state grant for road improvements is "in limbo".

"When my partner and I purchased Brodie Mountain in December 1999, we created it as an independent corporation that had to survive on its own financially," Fairbank said. "We plan to do everything possible to have this resort property be an asset to Berkshire County tourism for the long haul and are going to continue in our effort to see that through.

"Brodie will always have a place in the resort community of Northern Berkshire County, its viability as a ski area can not currently be sustained given the competitive nature of the ski industry, the challenges of the weather (especially in recent years) and the lack of capital investment in the resort for many years."

Brodie has an opportunity to provide an amenity not currently available in our region, especially given its prime location on a major thoroughfare, Route 7. We see Brodie Mountain's role focusing on providing non-ski winter recreation for the time being. To that end, we plan to expand the snow tubing operation at the resort for this coming winter to include Matt's Chairlift, which will be used for two new, longer snowtubing runs along with the existing handle tow. We are also adding snow shoeing and are considering other winter activities. The lodging operations at Brodie Mountain will continue on a year-round basis. We will continue to evaluate different options for services at Brodie Mountain as we look at changing recreation trends and demands.

[Source: Skinet]

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