Bousquet Ski Area
Encyclopedia
Bousquet Ski Area is a 200 acres (80.9 ha) ski area located in on a northern summit of Yokun Ridge
in Pittsfield, Massachusetts
within the Berkshires
cultural region. The resort features a vertical drop of 750 feet (228.6 m), a lift-top elevation of 1818 feet (554.1 m), twenty-four trails, five lifts, one terrain park, and 75% snowmaking capacity.
farm belonging to Clarence J. "Clare" Bousquet. 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 pasture
on his property as a practice run, allowed the club to cut a 750 feet (228.6 m) ski slope to the northern summit of Mahanna Cobble (part of Yokun Ridge) in 1933. The ski area was successful. Bousquet sold the ski area in 1956; it has changed hands twice since then.
Bousquet was also the inventor of the rope tow gripper which protected the arms and hands of skiiers using rope tow lifts. Bousquet marketed and subsequently sold 500,000 of his grippers. They were first to have night skiing.
Yokun Ridge
Yokun Ridge is a well defined ridge within the Taconic Mountains in Berkshire County, Massachusetts that principally include West Stockbridge Mountain and Lenox Mountain as well as other related features...
in Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Its area code is 413. Its ZIP code is 01201...
within the Berkshires
The Berkshires
The Berkshires , is a highland geologic region located in the western parts of Massachusetts and Connecticut.Also referred to as the Berkshire Hills, Berkshire Mountains, and Berkshire Plateau, the region enjoys a vibrant tourism industry based on music, arts, and recreation.-Definition:The term...
cultural region. The resort features a vertical drop of 750 feet (228.6 m), a lift-top elevation of 1818 feet (554.1 m), twenty-four trails, five lifts, one terrain park, and 75% snowmaking capacity.
History
Created in 1932, the resort is the oldest existing ski area in The Berkshires. Prior to its use as a ski area the property was a minkMink
There are two living species referred to as "mink": the European Mink and the American Mink. The extinct Sea Mink is related to the American Mink, but was much larger. All three species are dark-colored, semi-aquatic, carnivorous mammals of the family Mustelidae, which also includes the weasels and...
farm belonging to Clarence J. "Clare" Bousquet. After his mink farming operation failed during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, Bousquet, responding to the interest of the Mount Greylock
Mount Greylock
Mount Greylock is the highest natural point in Massachusetts at . Its peak is located in the northwest corner of the state in the western part of the town of Adams in Berkshire County. Although geologically part of the Taconic Mountains, Mount Greylock is commonly associated with the abutting...
Ski Club who had been using a steep pasture
Pasture
Pasture is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep or swine. The vegetation of tended pasture, forage, consists mainly of grasses, with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs...
on his property as a practice run, allowed the club to cut a 750 feet (228.6 m) ski slope to the northern summit of Mahanna Cobble (part of Yokun Ridge) in 1933. The ski area was successful. Bousquet sold the ski area in 1956; it has changed hands twice since then.
Bousquet was also the inventor of the rope tow gripper which protected the arms and hands of skiiers using rope tow lifts. Bousquet marketed and subsequently sold 500,000 of his grippers. They were first to have night skiing.