Mohawk Mountain Ski Area

Per New England Ski History, Walt Schoenknecht entered into a lease with the State of Connecticut in February 1947 for about 100 acres on the northwest side of Mohawk Mountain, on a peak known as the Pinnacle; the new area "reportedly debuted the day after Christmas in 1947," per that source's own hedge, opening for the 1947-48 season. Mohawk Mountain's own history page, in a passage originally rendered in all capitals, states: "in 1947 Walt Schoenknecht opened Mohawk Mountain Ski Area for all to enjoy," and that the mid-mountain Pine Lodge "was the Schoenknecht family home for many years before Mohawk Mountain Ski Area opened in 1947." While still running Mohawk, Schoenknecht purchased land on Mt. Pisgah in southern Vermont around May 1953, and following the 1953-54 season announced the formation of the Mount Snow Development Corp; Mount Snow opened for the winter of 1954-55, per the same source. Mohawk's own page states: "Walt also founded Mount Snow." Schoenknecht was inducted into the National Ski Hall of Fame — today the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame — as a Class of 1979 inductee in the Resort category, per that organization's own inductee page, and passed away prior to the start of the 1987-88 season at age 68, per New England Ski History. On snowmaking, two accounts differ: Mohawk's own history page states "Walt was the pioneer of manmade snowmaking, leading the efforts behind the technology that is used worldwide today," while New England Ski History credits the actual 1950-51 machinery to equipment "invented by Tey Manufacturing's Wayne M. Pierce Jr.," describing Schoenknecht's own winter 1949-50 contribution as purchasing an estimated 500 tons of ice and using a chipper to create a snow surface after a drought, distinct from a snowmaking machine. Mohawk's own history page separately states the ski area "offers 112 skiable acres over 300 scenic acres of state forest," an operator-stated figure attributed here to the operator's own page. Schoenknecht ordered Carlevaro & Savio chairlifts for the 1960-61 season, including one for Mohawk, which New England Ski History describes as "the first chairlift installed in southern New England"; Channing Murdock "was hired to manage the upgraded area," then, following the 1961-62 season, "departed to start Butternut Basin. A few years later, he acquired the defunct Satan's Ridge ski area, reopening it as Ski Sundown," per the same source — corroborated independently by the Berkshire Edge's January 8, 2024 profile of Ski Butternut, which describes Murdock as "a former employee of Mount Snow in Vt., and former manager of Mohawk Mountain in Cornwall, Conn." An F4 tornado struck Mohawk at 4:37 p.m. on July 10, 1989, causing $1.5 to $2 million in damage and toppling lifts, per New England Ski History; Mohawk's own page corroborates the event, and the ski area rebuilt in time for the 1989-90 season. In the fall of 1991, the State of Connecticut agreed to allow night skiing at Mohawk under a fifteen-point list of requirements, added that winter in part to help pay off tornado-related debt, with alcohol remaining banned on the state property. Schoenknecht signed a new 30-year lease with the State of Connecticut starting January 1986, providing up to 1.85% of gross revenue to the state; a further 30-year lease began in January 2017. Mohawk's own page states Walt opened the mountain "the same year his daughter, Carol Lugar, was born," and that "today, Mohawk Mountain is still family owned and operated with Carol as co-owner and president"; New England Ski History adds that Walt was diagnosed with cancer in the early 1980s and that Carol Lugar returned to help him manage the area.