When you end up with 6 free hours on New Year’s Eve and want to go skiing from CT, where do you go? How about Otis Ridge Ski Area.
It may be one of the smallest mountains in all of New England, but its terrain and history call out to those who like to barrel down a mountain with rests on the chairlift.
Otis Ridge is a jewel among the hidden ski areas of the United States. It is unexpected as you turn off of Route 8, that nice winding road along the Farmington River heading almost due north through the hills of Connecticut and Massachusetts. The hills become higher, and after turning on Route 23 from Otis toward Monterey and the Berkshires, it appears first as a crosswalk, with a parking lot on one side and a wooden foot bridge connecting Otis Ridge with the real world. Once you cross the bridge, you really have entered Narnia.
Otis Ridge Ski Area, a storybook setting
One of the founders of the mountain, William David Judson, Jr., earned a Bronze Star while serving in the 10th Mountain Division in their famous campaign in Northern Italy during World War II. After the war, Judson and his wife, Hooker, returned to Otis, beginning construction of a ski area on November 15, 1946. The vision never wavered from being a ski area only, through thick and thin. There were winters with no snow, little, snow and late snow. In 1954, they added “snow making” by way of an ice crusher with ice brought over from local lakes and two years later added one of the earliest Poma Lifts.
The base lodge and ski shop were added in 1962, and they have maintained their rustic look. The Grouse House provides trailside drinking and eating, and when first constructed in 1968, hosted many visitors staying for ski holidays. The areas snowmaking compressors hide in its basement, with guests able to feel when they are underway. Tours are available if you ask.
The Judson’s goal was to provide skiing without crowded lifts or trails. If New Year’s Eve was any indication of his vision, he deserved his induction as a member of the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame Class of 1997.
Sandy’s Slalom has been a part of New England racing since 1950, when the trail was cut and a rope tow gave access. In 1959, a J-bar was added and still makes my arms burn as you glide up the slalom hill.
Once you reach the summit, it’s like entering Alice’s Wonderland. Eileen’s Escapade takes you along the summit past the wide drop off for Sandy’s.
As you pass the crossing for the J Bar dismount, several large rollers greet you along Ken’s Way. Here you can split off for a couple short, intense runs that cut vertically down the front of the mountain with names that have meaning, John’s Cliff and Ridge Run.
Next come the moderate Blues with Dutchman and Jim’s Jog paralleling the Blacks, followed by Knox and Bob’s Bowl, a magnificent meadow that stretches wide, like a sand dune of snow that is fun to explore. It’s hardly ever the same.
My daughter says time is a social construct. This is one of those places where you feel that time is relative and really has no meaning.
Nothing has changed since my daughter, Eliza, began her racing career in a stubby slalom Interclub Race at Otis on Feb. 21, 2010. Racing is a major part of the lifestyle at Otis and many local coaches count Otis as a stop on their racing resume.
Our group of Interclub parents made a celebration every time we raced at Otis Ski Area. When our kids got older, we made up to the owners of the Grouse House for all the food we didn’t buy because of our tailgates in the parking lot.
This is one of the mountains to visit if you want to see if racing is in your future. The Otis Ridge Racing League (ORRL) has a public ski racing program for Individuals, families, or Corporations/Businesses on Sundays (January 11 to February 15) from 3pm to 5pm for Individual and Family Racing with 6pm to 8pm for Corporate Racing.
A full price season pass at Otis is $359 for age 7 and up, with 6 and under $135. Open Wednesday to Sunday, mid-week tickets are $30 which is cheap enough to draw me out the door on a beautiful day so I can take a quick jaunt to Narnia. It’s just across the wooden bridge.
