Winter Skiing Near Great Barrington & Ski Butternut, MA
Ski Butternut sits a mile and a half up State Road from us, which means that on a good January morning you can be on the lift within ten minutes. It is the closest thing the southern Berkshires have to a hometown mountain: 22 trails, a 1,000-foot vertical drop off an 1,800-foot summit, and trails for beginners, families and intermediates alike.
What the mountain is actually like
Butternut is a small mountain. Most of the terrain is wide and gentle, which is why it works so well for beginners and families. Stronger skiers get enough pitch on the upper trails. There are two terrain parks and a separate tubing hill, and five of the ten lifts are quads, so weekend lines move.
Book lessons earlier than you think
Butternut runs private, adult, youth, senior and adaptive lessons, plus multiweek programs like All Mountain Explorers and Women's Wednesdays. They sell out. The mountain recommends booking private lessons at least three weeks ahead, and youth or adult group lessons two weeks ahead. Group lessons are purchased online; privates are booked by phone. If you are already here, you can check for same-day openings at the Lesson desk in the rental shop, as you may get lucky.
Picking your days
The busy stretches are posted well in advance: Christmas Week runs December 24 to January 3, Martin Luther King Jr. weekend is January 16 to 18, and Presidents' Week is February 13 to 21. For elbow room, come midweek outside those windows. The Rental Shop is open Friday through Tuesday, 9 AM to 3 PM, so plan around that if you need gear. Uphill travel hours run 9 to 4 on weekdays and 8:15 to 4 on weekends and holidays.
Opening day moves with the weather every year, depending on how many cold nights the snowmakers get in November. Butternut posts the date on their site once they commit to it.
What to bring
Layers, goggles for the flat-light days, and more hand warmers than you think you need. The drive is three minutes each way, so it is easy to come back midday, warm up, and head out again.
Ready for a ski weekend in the Berkshires? Book your stay at
East Rock Inn.
