Thank you to all of the 2024 Berkshire Highlands Pentathlon participants!   Download PDF File Here Download PDF File Here

It is with heavy hearts and lots of fond memories that we remember Paul Putnam. Our long-time race coach and mentor passed away on September 6 after a challenging illness. Paul grew up in Northfield and, accompanied by his two older brothers, grew up skiing around the farm rope tows of the area. He worked for one year at Berkshire East in the ski s...

The results from the 2023 Berkshire Highlands Pentathlon are in! See how you and your teams did : Pentathlon-23-Results-Pd_20230606-182859_1 26 kb Download Files 2023-Pent-Reg---TIMING 200 kb Download Files

FROM CONTRIBUTING WRITER S. ROJASFree Heel Fun for Everyone!There's a special sort of connection many folks feel when they meet others who engage in some shared, niche interest. Usually the minority at any given resort, and with many articles claiming that the rise of better Alpine Touring (AT) setups has heralded the end of telemark skiing, telema...

2022 RESULTSSee the results from the 2022 Berkshire Highlands Pentathlon here!  Pentathalon-Results_2022 226 kb Download Files

Article by: Stuart Winchester "Skiers do this too. At some point we all think we would buy and rescue a ski area and it would be the greatest ski area in the world. Lifts everywhere and zero grooming and tree-skiing all over and cliffs and nothing roped off ever and at the base only a bar and a hot tub because who gives a shit about anything else? ...

From my seat as an operator of ski areas, I've spent the better part of 15 years trying to get 6 inches of snow made on mountains that had a mile of ice on them for the better part of the last 100,000 years. An effort that is challenging, irrational and phenomenal all wrapped into one. In that role, I have gotten to meet many people, done many thin...

A FRESH PERSPECTIVE FROM CONTRIBUTING WRITER S. ROJAS The slopes are snowy, trails are open, and the community is welcoming at Berkshire East. New skis and new friends on freshly opened trails–does it get any better? Ok, maybe I'm overselling it a little here; the skis are over a decade old, and I don't know if sharing a lift and swapping contact i...

STATUS UPDATES Hi all. Jon Schaefer here. I run Berkshire East and Catamount. My family has owned Berkshire East since 1976, and Catamount since 2018. When we bought Catamount in 2018, we committed to revitalizing it and haven't stopped. Admittedly, these improvements haven't been easy, and there have been some real challenges. In June 2020, we dis...

LAURA SLAVIN ON FORT HILL NO MATTER WHAT TYPE OF RIDING YOU DO, EVENTUALLY YOU'LL COME TO A DO OR DIE MOMENT - A POINT OF NO RETURN. THE FIGHT OR FLIGHT RESPONSE KICKS IN AND THERE ARE ONLY TWO CHOICES IN FRONT OF YOU: BRAKE, PULL OFF, AND GIVE UP… OR STEP THROUGH THE FEAR AND COMMIT. -LAURA SLAVIN Check out this incredible write up and video from ...

 We are all huge fans of Teton Gravity Research, so we are more than honored for Berkshire East to be involved in the making of this short film "In Pursuit Of Soul"! Take your time, grab a beverage and a snack and enjoy this awesome piece about Indy Ski Mountains.

TGR Travel Journals - Berkshire East Check out this awesome article by Katie Lozancich and Teton Gravity Research about Berkshire East! Teton Gravity Research made a visit to Berkshire East last season as part of their filming tour for "In Pursuit of Soul" film project. The film is now out and Travel Journals Ch. 1 IPOS: Berkshire East The sky is d...

NEW STAFF MEMBERS REVAMP MENU AT CRAZY HORSE BAR & GRILL IN CHARLEMONT Click here for the full article from the recorder! New staff members revamp menu at Crazy Horse Bar & Grill in Charlemont Two heads are better than one, the saying goes. At Berkshire East Mountain Resort's Crazy Horse Bar & Grill, Food and Beverage Director Alan Dell...

Jon Schaefer began working at Berkshire East on June 10, 1980. He was born the day before. Floating in and out of all things ski area operations between the ages of 0 and 19, Jon found his way to Middlebury College by way of ski racing. The sport of ski racing connected him globally to the broader world of skiing and travel. While abroad, he gained...

 Thunder Days are back! We can't wait to see everyone back on the hill. The first chair opens at 10am on Friday, May 28th, with riding from 9am to 5pm through Monday the 31st. Here is a quick rundown of what to expect this year and provide some updates. Season Pass Deadline: Get your Thunder Mountain Bike Park season pass before May 31st and s...

Check out the first edition of the Berkshire Sessions podcast with Jon Schaefer and Stuart Winchester where they dive into the past, present, and future of Berkshire East, Catamount and the North East ski scene at large.  

The 2021 SAMMY Leadership Awards honor four individuals for their positive impact on their resorts, local communities and industry at large. This year's class includes: Katie Brown, an involved mentor, promoter, and champion for female leaders; Robert McClendon, a coach and jack-of-all-trades; Jon Schaefer, an innovator for the greater good; and Ch...

BERKSHIRE EAST CLOSED FOR WINTER We tried to hang on as long as possible, but Mother Nature has had the final say. Berkshire East is now CLOSED for the season. We stockpiled snow to run as late in the year as we could, but the past two weeks and the recent rainstorms have hit us hard. We want to thank all our loyal skiers and riders as well as the ...

The Recorder just released this cool article about Rt 2! Mohawk Trail receives national recognition as one of America's Byways The Mohawk Trail has been accepted as one of America's Byways, a distinctive collection of American roads recognized by the U.S. Department of Transportation. "America's Byways are roads to the very heart and soul of Americ...

A LETTER FROM JON SCHAEFER Dear Berkshire East and Catamount Passholders and Guests, Ahh, March in Massachusetts, thou art more lovely and more temperate than… than… than, the arctic? Anyway, I am confident that soon enough we will settle into the business of spring skiing -- at least for a few weeks. Or maybe longer? I'm happy to announce that we ...

"RUMORS ARE TRUE: BERKSHIRE EAST IS A GEM WORTHY OF A REPEAT VISIT" By Eric Wilbur, SkiJournal.com There are countless benefits to skiing with your children. Except, that is, when you are denied the ability to explore new terrain. Such was the case on Thursday when my three kids and I made our first-ever visit to Berkshire East. It was our first ti...

REP. NEAL TALKS RENEWABLE ENERGY, PANDEMIC, DC POLITICS AT BERKSHIRE EAST "CHARLEMONT — U.S. Rep. Richard Neal was at Berkshire East Mountain Resort Thursday morning, talking up a plan to incentivize renewable energy that he hopes will be included in the federal government's upcoming economic support efforts. The conversation also touched on the ec...

Check-in here for the PVIAC results! PVIAC Results January 28th, 2021  GIRLS-RACE-2-2021 59 kb Download Files 2021-RACE-2-BOYS 56 kb Download Files PVIAC Results for February 2, 2021 GIRLS-Race-3-2021 61 kb Download Files 2021-RACE-3-BOYS_0 57 kb Download Files PVIAC Results for February 11, 2021 GIRLS-Race-4-2021_0 54 kb Download Files 2021-R...

Check out this awesome Mountain Report video about Berkshire East! We are proud to be an Indy mountain and we love providing 4 seasons of quality outdoor adventure to our community!  

"EVEN A TUBE NOOB CAN HAVE A BLAST ON THE SLOPES" "Berkshire East, 66 Thunder Mountain Road, Charlemont; berkshireeast.com: True, it's a little bit of a drive from Greater Boston, but what do we have more of than time these days? Berkshire East has three tubing lanes that are groomed to help you speed all 500 feet down. A "magic carpet" zips you ba...

I FELT SAFER GOING SKIING AT BERKSHIRE EAST THAN I DO WHEN I GO TO THE GROCERY STORE, AND I HAVE GENERALLY FELT PRETTY SAFE AT THE GROCERY STORE. Boston Globe: I felt safer going skiing at Berkshire East than I do when I go to the grocery store, and I have generally felt pretty safe at the grocery store." Throughout the summer and fall, winter spor...

A LETTER FROM JON SCHAEFER Happy New Year to every one of you who make up our awesome community! 2020 started in an inauspicious way at Berkshire East and Catamount. As 2019 wound down, a severe ice storm shut down the ski resorts on December 30, and on the 31rst our crews worked tirelessly to reopen the mountains. For me, I spent New Years Eve in ...

REMEMBER TO PURCHASE YOUR PASS BEFORE YOU ARRIVE! Thank you to everyone who came out this weekend! The conditions were great and we loved seeing our community enjoying the outdoors! We would like to remind all mountain visitors that you need to purchase your tickets on our www.berkshireeast.com website BEFORE you arrive at the mountain. As our holi...

BERKSHIRE EAST OPENING DAY 2020 Berkshire East will open for the season on Thursday, December 17, 2020. Our snowmakers have been busy getting the hill ready for a great season ahead. But, with the warm temps and rain forecasted this weekend, we are going to keep the snow piled and protected so we can properly take advantage of next week's snowmakin...

PAULA MOLTZAN SCORES 2ND PLACE WORLD CUP FINISH A 10th-place finish in giant slalom last month was Paula Moltzan's best career world cup finish, but she blew that away on Thursday with a second-place finish in women's parallel in Lech/Zuers, Austria. The 26-year-old had to really earn it, too, beating world cup veterans Marta Bassino of Italy and L...

GOGGLES FOR DOCS FOUNDERS GET RECOGNIZED IN OUTSIDE MAGAZINE AS OUTSIDERS OF THE YEAR Jon Schaefer and Mike Halperin Click Here For Outside Magazine Original Article The skiers who collected goggles to protect health care workers On March 12, Jon Schaefer, owner and operator of the Berkshire East and Catamount ski areas in Massachusetts and New Yor...

A LETTER FROM JON SCHAEFER On Thursday, March 12, 2020, Berkshire East and Catamount became the first ski areas to shut down for COVID. Within 100 hours, most ski areas in the country had followed suit. The next 16 days were full of uncertainty, nervousness, and fear. At both mountains, we concluded that we would approach the year dynamically. We w...

DID YOU KNOW WE GENERATE 100 % OF OUR ELECTRICITY WITH ONSITE RENEWABLE ENERGY? Check out this article from the Greenfield Recorder about Berkshire East and its Renewable Energy Systems! As the article from the Greenfield Recorder states: "We were truly inspired by Berkshire East, as the only ski resort in the world to generate 100 percent of (its)...

ROAD TRIP RX FOR SKIING THE NORTHEAST THIS WINTER Winter '20-'21 will undoubtedly be different for those of us that must travel to reach desired skiing destinations. If you're trying to avoid flights, and save money, this road trip to Indy Pass ski areas in the Northeast could be the perfect solution. Your total cost to ski these 8 amazing ski area...

SKI WELL, BE WELL LOOKING AHEAD TO THE 2020/21 WINTER SEASON The ski industry values the health and safety of its employees, guests, and communities. The Berkshire East and Catamount teams demonstrated this commitment in March when we led the ski world into shutting down with several weeks left in the season. This was painful for our business, our ...

Hey there Winter Lovers! This letter is to address the COVID-19 elephant in the room. It is time to shed some light on what we are planning for this winter. Without question, we are raring to open for the 2020/2021 season. Yes, there will be recommended COVID-19 state guidelines that we will follow. This will result in a change to the face of your ...

THUNDER MOUNTAIN BIKE PARK IS EXCITED TO WELCOME YOU BACK! THUNDER MOUNTAIN BIKE PARK COVID-19 OPERATIONS GUIDELINES Thunder Mountain Bike Park COVID-19 Operations Guidelines Thunder Mountain Bike Park is excited to welcome you back! We feel outdoor recreation is an important component to living a well-rounded and healthy lifestyle, and we are comm...

BERKSHIRE EAST COVID-19 PREVENTION STATEMENT COVID-19 and the risk of viral contamination have fundamentally changed the recreation industry, and we have been planning accordingly. As we start looking beyond the immediate crisis, it is clear people are yearning for human connection and a return to the activities they love. We believe that e can sat...

Hey There Thunder Mountain Bike Park Riders! We can't wait to host you here at Berkshire East and Thunder Mountain. Hearing the hoots and hollers of bikers echoing through the forests of the park is music to our ears. A quick reminder for those riders looking to come and buy a day pass or rent a bike in the coming weeks. Please keep in mind that we...

COVID-19 AND REOPENING FOR THE SUMMER The safety and wellbeing of our guests, employees as well as the community remains our highest priority. We believe we all have a part to play to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Massachusetts has ordered the closing of all physical spaces of non-essential business and gatherings of over 10 people...

26 days ago, on March 28, 2020 at 8am, a single email appeared in my inbox. This simple moment initiated a series of actions that galvanized the ski and action sport worlds into a focused, global effort to bring protective eye wear to health care workers practicing 'battlefield medicine' in the war against the coronavirus. Our organization has work...

THE VIRAL TRAJECTORY OF GOGGLES FOR DOCS As reported by www.vtskiandride.com On the night of March 11, Jon Schaefer read an article about the spread of COVID-19. He turned off the lights and went to sleep. "Five minutes later, I woke up and knew what we had to do," he said. Schaefer, who runs Berkshire East (the ski area in northwestern Massachuset...

Dear Seasons Pass Holders and Friends, As I am sure that many of you have seen, on March 12, 2020 we made the decision to close Berkshire East and Catamount Resorts for winter operations due to the Coronavirus. On that day we chose to lead the ski industry into its early close. Believe me when I tell you that decision was one of the hardest decisio...

To our Berkshire East and Catamount Guests and Employees: Berkshire East will close for the season today, Thursday, March 12 at 4pm and Catamount Ski Area will not reopen this weekend. COVID-19 has been discovered in the surrounding hill towns and multiple people are being quarantined. To be clear, no known Berkshire East or Catamount customers or ...

Here is a podcast I did with Kaylee Sandval, a convert to DH riding from St. Johnsbury. Kaylee asked some good questions and made me think. This is her synopsis, "Thunder Mountain's Jon Schaefer shares stories that illustrate how to pursue excellence- in racing, in business, and in life." Summary for me: Podcasts are fun, and a little more free flo...

FIRE'D UP GM for Fire on the Mountain by TGR! About time someone got the music right in a ski video. Teton Gravity producing some great content. These guys are all better skiers and riders, than me, but I wouldn't mind trying to stick with them on some of these aspects... 

Here is a link to the Storm Skiing Journal. I recorded the interview in early November after Stuart successfully chased me down. BLOG AND AUDIO LINK I like the podcast format and had fun with Stuart, maybe in another decade we will do another one if I work hard enough to come up with new content. Thanks all. Jon