Western Mass. Backcountry Alliance aims to expand state’s skiing options

It has been a slow winter for the backcountry landscape in Massachusetts. (Aron Goldman)

The excitement grew as I pulled into the parking lot of the Maple Villa ski zone in Bartlett, N.H. A fresh coating of snow from the night prior enveloped the landscape, creating the perfect opportunity to grab a quick pre-work lap at a new backcountry ski zone established by nonprofit organization Granite Backcountry Alliance.

But upon arrival, I found the parking lot filled, despite it only being 7 a.m. A sizable portion of the license plates were from states other than New Hampshire. 

It’s no secret that the popularity of backcountry skiing has skyrocketed over the past few years. Mainstream media outlets are constantly publishing “how-to” articles aimed at getting resort skiers into the backcountry — a frequently searched topic fueled by a growing frustration about crowded, overpriced and under-delivering ski resorts.

In Massachusetts, the increase in popularity is just as evident as in places like Vermont and New Hampshire. But until recently, nobody had been tackling the lack of backcountry ski zones in the commonwealth. Instead, skiers would head toward one of the few established — and often crowded — areas in their state, like Mount Greylock’s Thunderbolt Ski Trail. Or, they drive a bit farther to developed areas in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. But even in states like Vermont and New Hampshire, which have organizations actively working to increase skiable out-of-bounds terrain, there has been a struggle to keep up with the increasing demand at some of the most-popular backcountry ski zones.

Andy Mathey, a skier native to the Berkshires, couldn’t help but notice what Granite Backcountry Alliance was doing, expanding backcountry ski areas in New Hampshire, and what the Ridgeline Outdoor Collective (formerly RASTA) had been doing in Vermont before that. He began thinking about whether or not a similar model might work in his state.

“I was hiking in the area where (RASTA) was establishing glades,” Mathey said. “I saw these signs and thought to myself, ‘holy &#@%, this is awesome.’ I headed down into the glades and saw all the signage at the road crossing and realized I really wanted to do this.”

It was 2021, and Mathey was beginning to see potential in his own backyard for what was already being done in states to the north. After doing some research and making a number of phone calls to the Ridgeline Outdoor Collective, Catamount Trails Association and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation in an effort to explore the possibility of establishing official backcountry ski zones in his area, the ball was set in motion. After proving to the CTA that there was interest in such an effort through trail day participation at a defunct ski area (which took place during fall 2021) and by starting a Facebook group that quickly gained what is now over a thousand members, they eventually agreed to host what would become the Western Massachusetts Backcountry Alliance, the first out-of-state chapter.

While there are a few existing backcountry ski zones in central and western Massachusetts, these areas are few and far between and get extremely crowded on a good snow day. Mathey’s hope is to create enough new zones to help disperse skier traffic throughout the state.

“Right now, everyone goes to the Thunderbolt on Greylock — that’s the iconic run,” Mathey said. “But if you go there on a weekend, it’s crazy. My, and the board’s, plan is to have a network of backcountry zones in our region that kind of spread out impact.”

Already, the organization has established a new zone on overgrown runs at the Beartown Ski Area, which has been inoperable since 1966, and has additional projects in the works.

Like many of the forgotten ski trails throughout New England, the trails at Beartown and other potential backcountry zones through central and western Massachusetts were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s and early 1940s — the direct result of President Roosevelt’s New Deal. According to Mathey, many of these trails were built in north-facing bowls and chutes that collect snow through the winter and experience limited sun, making them perfect for the modest snowfall received in Massachusetts.

The New Deal was a series of programs and policies created in an attempt to pull the U.S. out of the Great Depression by creating jobs, providing economic relief and reforming the financial system, all while addressing infrastructure issues throughout the country. The C.C.C. was just one of many programs created by the New Deal and employed nearly 3 million young men who planted trees, built roads and built trails — the same ski trails that have been revitalized and are frequently skied today throughout New England. In fact, many popular New England ski areas like Cannon and Stowe were developed around these historic ski trails. Others, like the Sherburne Trail on Mount Washington, have continued to see use since their construction nearly a century ago.

Over the years, these historic ski trails helped spawn popular New England ski destinations — North Conway, Jackson and Stowe — that we know and love today. Now, the trails continue to give back to the people they were intended to serve, especially as the desire for human-powered lifts grows.

“There’s a lot of sadness about these ski areas that are in the past, but the way I look at it, they’re not in the past anymore,” said Mathey. “When I’m up there, I’m thinking, my grandfather was probably making turns on this trail that I’m now cutting saplings out of. These mountains are going to come back alive. To me, that’s a really cool feeling.” — www.wmassbcalliance.org