# Otis Ridge, MA 11 Feb 2010



## billski (Feb 12, 2010)

Part two of my 2-fer day, gaining two more pins for my ski hat, now in excess of 60 pins.  

After my half -day at Butternut, I sauntered up the road to Otis Ridge Ski area, in Otis, Mass.  I almost drove right past the place.  Cars lined both sides of the road, giving the appearance of a roadside ice cream stand.








Sunny, brilliant day, aimed to take advantage of the weather prognosticator's "snowmageddon" which resulting in 1, maybe two inches of unplowable snow.

CONDITIONS
Lodge conditions: retro
lifts: retro
Food: appealing to the 10 year old;-)
Clientele - Nobody is a stranger
Snow conditions: retro
Grooming equipment: retro
Staff: jacks and jills of all trades






Walking in this place, simply took my breath away.  If you are at all nostalgic or have any interest in the way skiing used to be, you MUST put this on your lifetime MUST DO LIST.

I walked inside, not a table to be had.  But, there were maybe 20 tables top.  Total bedlam.  Tons, and tons of kids.  Thursday.  So noisy.  Good kids, well-behaved, lots of fun.   Nobody wears a uniform of any sort.  You can't tell the workers from the customers.  I paid my $15 for an all-day pass, funkiest little lift tag you've ever seen, it's a keeper.    
This IS a community area.  And a popular one at that.  This IS the way  community areas used to be.   A big, hot wood stove in the middle of the room heated the place successfully.





For the table moms, a shelf full of books was at the ready....

Grab the corner of a bench, get my boots on,


 walk out to so much noise:





It's the lift - an old double.  I mean OLD.  I mean REALLY, REALLY OLD.  It's banging and clanking.  It's a motor, but look, right below it is an old auto engine!





The safety stop was an extension cord hanging next to the liftie - one good yank, the cord disconnects, everything stops!

These lifts required some skill getting off and on.  Not all had pads.  Chair height was questionable.  I almost fell getting off.  It took a while to get the hand of it. The lift unloading zone was significantly lower than the chair.  I jumped the first time, then I figured out how to slide forward and slip off it.  the chair was small.  Even for two people it would have been tight.   It was just like old times!   

The liftie figured the chair was 50-60 years old.   I guess 40-50, since the stanchions appeared much newer.  Nobody I asked knew for sure.  It was just always there.   

The trails were vast    It was short, steep but sweet.   There were some winding trails in the middle that were, for all intents and purposes, ungroomed.   





The only rules were at the bottom.  The trail signs are home made and funky.  there are no fences, poles, gates or nasty signs.  Just ski down.  Somewhere.  Anywhere.  With abandon.

Indeed they have snowmaking and a groomer, but it seems to be used mostly on the greens and blacks.  

Here's a black:





The trails were retro: just the plain stuff. No parks, no mogul fields other than what others left behind.

But really, the snow conditions were retro too.  While there was blown snow and grooming, there were icy patches to be found, grass and dirt to be harvested too.
But it was really in good shape - packed powder, carve-able, good shape all around.  The winding trails in the middle were very old-time narrow.  You had to be careful - they have death footballs on the trail's edge, not cookies!   It was like a little bobsled run.  Fun.  

No nasty-grams.   Oh, and if there was a ski patrol, I guess there was, they had a fancy sign on the building, I couldn't spy one.  Suppose they just dressed like everyone else.  

The t-bars were funky old things, the weirdest support structures I've ever seen.  Definitely Yankee home-grown.  Very funky.   The place reeked of history.






Folks were great too.  Teens acted like teens, but were polite, said "excuse me" and thank you".  So refreshing I was ready to move!   Adults were easy to talk to, some just came up to me and started talking.  Guess they had to check out the stranger!






Take away the shredders and ski brakes and it could have been 1960s.






There were old machine skeletons everywhere:






It reminded me of a NELSAP area that could have but never went bust.  I had thought that Middlebury, Berkshire East, Burke and portions of Wildcat were fairly retro.  I even thought the rope tows at Ski Ward and Bradford were retro,  but this place takes the prize, big time.  Where other resorts mount antiques on the wall, Otis Ridge USES theirs.  The locals support it, and some frugal Yankee owner clings to it.   Best of the best.

After reading this, it becomes easy to see how they can afford a $15 lift ticket.  I miss those simpler, less-demanding days.

You owe it to yourself to check out this place once in your life.
There is no question about it.  I will remember this place for a very long time.

Five thumbs up!


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## jaja111 (Feb 13, 2010)

That was awesome. Absolutely awesome. I'd love to see more trip reports like that as I too have a soft spot in my heart for retro, minimalist, old as skiing itself, hills. They have soul.


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## Beetlenut (Feb 13, 2010)

Ah the memories. Took bus trips in high school to Butternut. I like all those old retro places. It was about the skiing back then!


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## filejw (Feb 13, 2010)

Leant to ski at Otis in like 59/60.....LOL not much as changed ...always a good time...


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## MR. evil (Feb 13, 2010)

I learned to ski there in 1992 and was hooked after my first night. Must have spent 20 days there that first winter. The following year I had my own car and my friends and I moved on to a bigger hill in Brodie. It's odd that Brodie went under but Otis is still around.


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## zinger3000 (Feb 13, 2010)

Thanks for the TR and awesome pics.  I've been there twice.  One of the nice things about smaller ski areas like this is that you don't have to walk half a mile to get from your car to the lifts.  Both times I went, I was able to park right up against the building off the side of the road - probably only about 150 feet from my car to the lift.  Fun little place, even with only 400 feet of vertical.  My favorite trail is the Knox trail, a short but solid blue trail.  I was told by one of the lift attendants that the green trail there is actually a mile long.


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## billski (Feb 14, 2010)

jaja111 said:


> That was awesome. Absolutely awesome. I'd love to see more trip reports like that as I too have a soft spot in my heart for retro, minimalist, old as skiing itself, hills. They have soul.



Thanks for the nice words.  I too,would like to see more reports like this.  I think most people get stuck in a rut, and go to the same places all the time.  I really enjoy reports that are more about the resort, a review as such, instead of "what i did on my saturday genre."    Love to see more folks prove me wrong!

  Being a natural explorer, I enjoy taking the risk of a bad day, checking out areas that aren't as appealing, or at least so it seems from the outside.  

Rivercoil and I chatted about this when we skied at Magic in January.   A general report from a newcomers perspective is always appreciated and something I strive to create.  I enjoy the hunt.  however, I can only do one report like this per resort,because after the first time, it's nothing new any more.  

Frankly, the reason I joined AZ originally was only to get up to date snow conditions, which I still greatly value.  As such, my subsequent reports tend to focus on conditions.

If you search back, you'll find several TRs like this that I have written.  The "world tour" trifecta of S6, Dartmouth and Whaleback is a good example.  

What drives me, is a goal i have set for myself to ski every area in New England in my lifetime.  Some of them are particularly difficult to get to.

I have been trying to push exposure to the off radar areas at my club, and here for several years now.  Certain areas,with a lot of challenge are now seeing the light of day, such as Burke, Magic and Saddleback.   But the smaller areas can have a lot to offer.  There is no "good" or "bad" area.  They are simply different.

So don't count on my to do all the introductory TRs.  I'm going at my own speed, and I'll get to them some day - a lot of my decisions come down to timing, conditions and convenience.  I'm aiming to hit Bosquet, Jiminy, Northern Slopes, Cochran's, Yawgoo, and ALL the community areas in Maine (that should be a huge undertaking!).   I'm finding that doing a couple of small nearby areas in one day to be not only efficient, but a lot of fun.  After 4 hours at a place like Otis, I am ready to move on, and that's OK.

Getting exposure to all these  areas is important.  We've lost far too many hills.  I'd rather focus on preserving what we've got rather than reminiscing about what we lost, nelasp-style.


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## jarrodski (Feb 14, 2010)

awesome!


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## MR. evil (Feb 14, 2010)

Billski, have you ever skied Blandford ski are ( about 20 minutes from Otis off Rt 20)?


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## billski (Feb 14, 2010)

MR. evil said:


> Billski, have you ever skied Blandford ski are ( about 20 minutes from Otis off Rt 20)?


 I wanted to but it wasn't open on Thursday.  Fri sat sun only.  Have You?


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## MR. evil (Feb 14, 2010)

billski said:


> I wanted to but it wasn't open on Thursday.  Fri sat sun only.  Have You?



I have skied there a handful of times, but only at night. Nice hill, pretty old school lodge and lifts. It's actually closer to me and less expensive than Sundown. Bur I like SD more so I don't mind the extra drive and higher pass price.


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## Bobt2ski (Feb 14, 2010)

Really, really nice trip report billski!!!!!   I enjoyed reading this as much, if not more, than reading some of Warren Millers classic articles.  Well done!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Beetlenut (Feb 14, 2010)

MR. evil said:


> Billski, have you ever skied Blandford ski are ( about 20 minutes from Otis off Rt 20)?



Tim, that's where I learned to ski back in high school! I had a neighbor that was a member there. Definitly old school.


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## MR. evil (Feb 14, 2010)

Beetlenut said:


> Tim, that's where I learned to ski back in high school! I had a neighbor that was a member there. Definitly old school.



Did realize it had been open that long


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## Beetlenut (Feb 14, 2010)

MR. evil said:


> Did realize it had been open that long



Just can't resist the low hanging fruit can you? I'm going to call you Eve from now on! :wink:


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## bigbog (Feb 15, 2010)

Nice pics billski!
If you are away from the highways connecting urban New England think you might find Otis Ridge to be similar to many community slopes with t-bars only.  Visited a Mt. Jefferson on a freebie Sunday, a few miles outside of Lee, Maine...~12mi east of Lincoln...just SE of Medway/Millinocket.


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## billski (Feb 15, 2010)

bigbog said:


> Nice pics billski!
> If you are away from the highways connecting urban New England think you might find Otis Ridge to be similar to many community slopes with t-bars only. Visited a Mt. Jefferson on a freebie Sunday, a few miles outside of Lee, Maine...~12mi east of Lincoln...just SE of Medway/Millinocket.


 
You've got my attention bigbob.  How's about you write up a TR on Mt. Jefferson?   I would love to read about it!


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## 4aprice (Feb 16, 2010)

Bill:

Would love to see a list of your pin collection and how my own stacks up against it.  Love collecting ski area pins

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ


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## billski (Feb 16, 2010)

4aprice said:


> Bill:
> 
> Would love to see a list of your pin collection and how my own stacks up against it. Love collecting ski area pins
> 
> ...


 
Well, I didn't want to get any more work done today anyways...

I'll show you mine if you show me yours...

Alpine MeadowsAttitashBlack MountainBolton ValleyBretton WoodsBristol MountainBromleyBurkeCannon MountainCranmoreCrotched MountainDartmouth SkiwayGlen EllenGreek PeakHoliday ValleyJayKillingtonKitzbuhelLake Placid/WhitefaceLoon MountainLovelandMad River GlenMagic MountainMont OrfordMount AscutneyMount SnowMount SunapeeOkemoOtis RidgePats PeakPico Peak Ragged MountainSaddlebackSki ButternutSquaw ValleySt. Anton ArlbergSteamboatStoweStrattonSugarbushSugarloaf/USASuicide 6Sunday RiverSwainTenny MountainWachusett MountainWaterville ValleyWildcat Mountain

That's 48 resort pins (dupes don't count). My rule is that I must have skied there for the pin to be put on my hat.
- There are several other organized areas I've skied that don't have pins.
- I also have a handful of other pins from significant event like LP Olympics, ski races and older resort logos (i.e. "Bunny's Ski Tows")
- I have a jar full of NASTAR pins from all over.

Here is my hat, from about 5 years ago:





So whatcha got?


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## 4aprice (Feb 16, 2010)

I started doing this with my kids.  Like you the rules are the area must be skied to pick up the pin.  My collection includes the following list:

Mountain Creek - NJ
Hidden Valley - NJ
Shawnee Mt -PA
Camelback - PA
Elk Mountain - PA
Ski Big Bear - PA
Ski Plattekill - NY
Belleayre - NY
Hunter Mt - NY
Gore Mt - NY
Whiteface - NY
Butternut - MA
Mt Snow - VT
Ascutney - VT
Killington -VT
Bolton Valley - VT
Smugglers Notch - VT
Jay Peak - VT
Bretton Woods - NH
Loon Mt - NH
Waterville Valley - NH
Tenney - NH
Gunstock - NH
Mt Sunapee - NH
Ragged Mt - NH
Dartmouth Skiway - NH
Sunday River - ME
Aspen Mt - CO
Aspen Highlands - CO
Buttermilk - CO
Snowmass - CO
Alta -UT
Snowbird - UT
Solitude - UT
Brighton - UT
Deer Valley - UT
Caynons -UT
Snowbasin - UT
Powder Mt - UT

My wife has a Loveland and Kitzbuhl pin in addition to these.  I should have more.  I've been too Iax at times and forgotten to get some.  I should have picked up Cannon and Wildcat last spring and didn't.  Sno Mt PA and Blue MT PA when I was there in January.  Gives me an excuse to go back and add them to the list. Don't have the great hat to mount them on and am still looking for the best way to display them.

 Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ


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## billski (Feb 16, 2010)

4aprice said:


> I started doing this with my kids. Like you the rules are the area must be skied to pick up the pin. My collection includes the following list:
> 
> Mountain Creek - NJ
> Hidden Valley - NJ
> ...


 
Very cool.   Nice list.  Makes me think we could do an AZ list and cover the whole eastern seaboard!   Other people's pins don't count!   I've got several areas that don't have pins.   I like the hat 'cause it's portable, though I don't really like it to leave the house.  Replacing it would be too much work.
Hey, I think you'll enjoy this - http://mysite.verizon.net/vze7d2cw/woodyskiodyssey/index.html


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## polski (Feb 17, 2010)

Great report Bill. Long live the places that refuse to go NELSAP!


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## telemarklarry (Feb 27, 2010)

*Otis Ridge*

Bilski
You really hit it on the mark. A great review of the people and the community that makes Otis a little ski area that won't quit.   Come on back and see us again.


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## billski (Dec 24, 2010)

MR. evil said:


> Billski, have you ever skied Blandford ski are ( about 20 minutes from Otis off Rt 20)?



I was scouting Blandford last week, trying to find an angle to ski there.  Need another pin fix.  Well, they don't seem to have a day rate.  You need to buy a season's pass.  It's not expensive as passes go, but a lot more than a Stowe day ticket.  Help!


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## Steve (Dec 25, 2010)

Thanks for such a great report! Although I've never been there, this reminded me exactly of what skiing was on the very early 60s when I started skiing and we had all these little family run areas in and around New England. 

Even Wachusett was like this in 62.

The report also reminded me of what I do on my motorcycle in the other three seasons. I love venturing out to find little towns that time forgot. Otis is a perfect example. The clock stopped there about 40 years ago and it's just continuing to be 1960.

Ain't it great!

Thanks!


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## billski (Dec 12, 2013)

bigbog said:


> Nice pics billski!
> If you are away from the highways connecting urban New England think you might find Otis Ridge to be similar to many community slopes with t-bars only.  Visited a Mt. Jefferson on a freebie Sunday, a few miles outside of Lee, Maine...~12mi east of Lincoln...just SE of Medway/Millinocket.



BB, I am trying to figure out how to do a ski safari to the community areas in Maine.  Two big hurdles, one is the distance between them and the other is that most are only open on weekends, which means I can't get to too many in one trip.


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