The 60s—Yodel-ay, we’re on our way!
Stratton was born in the primordial soup of winter adventure, Alpine style, American enterprise and pioneering optimism that was Eastern skiing in the late 1950s. The Baby Boom was going off, and young parents were looking for great adventures for themselves and their children.
Across New England, raw mountains were set upon, trails were cut, an odd assortment of lifts rose to the peaks. Skiers sliced down narrow trails at Stowe and Mad River Glen, and snowplowed down wide slopes at Mount Snow, maneuvering six- and seven-foot-long Rossignols, Kneissls, and Kastles with their low, leather Henke and Nordica boots. Rustic base lodges offered a warm fireplace and basic food. It was skiing in its most pure and simple form.
The Founders
From the start, the founders of Stratton had a different vision. Bob Wright, a ski instructor at Stowe, foresaw a north-facing trail system, with plenty of terrain for a wide range of abilities. Frank Snyder, an avid, budding skier from Greenwich, Connecticut, pictured a Tyrolean-themed resort with first-class European instruction. And Tink Smith, a local logger with a strong connection to the land, dreamed of building a top-notch golf course high up the mountainside. Stratton would be Vermont’s highbrow ski area.
All they needed was money.
