THIS VERMONT SKI AREA IS FREE FOR ALL

Today was a busy day. I worked and then I had my annual physical this afternoon. While it was scheduled for earlier in the week, my doctor’s office was closed due to snow. At the same time, my car also needed inspected. All that to say, Whiteface was off the table this afternoon and, instead of going to a small ski hill this evening that I’d been to before, I figured today was the perfect day to finally visit Hard’ack Recreation Area in St. Albans, Vermont.

The ski hill seen from the base.

Riding the rope tow.

This ski hill is run by the St. Albans Recreation Department, and the title of this blog isn’t clickbait: It really is free for all. There are no lift tickets. You can just walk up and ski if you want to. The Hard’ack Recreation Area is funded by donations. They ask that if you use the area, make a donation, and I did just that.

The lodge at the base.

Inside the lodge.

Sledding rules.

From the pictures, you've probably gathered that this is a very small ski area. There’s not much information in terms of stats out there, but I’d imagine it’s somewhere in the 200-300 ft. range of vertical. They have a small lodge, rope tow, terrain park, and part of the hill is used for sledding and tubing. It’s a pretty cool spot with a great setup.

View from the top.

Taken at the base.

They were open from 3:30 to 5 PM today. I got on the snow at about 4. There were very few people there and the hill was still covered in fresh corduroy. The rope tow provided a tiring ride to the top. It wasn’t my legs that were tired, but my hands. Holding on to that thing in the steep area at the top was tough! The snow conditions were fantastic and the hill skied great. Though it’s not a huge hill, the top is fairly steep, as mentioned, and you can get some decent speed.

This was my 11th ski area I’ve skied this season, and my 4th T-bar/rope tow ski hill. I’m glad I finally got to check it out. I’m hoping to make it to 20 ski areas this year, and I’ve got some big plans coming up to make it happen.

Never Quit Skiing,

Lincoln