Pinnacle Ski Club

Per New England Ski History's Pinnacle Ski Club page, in the early 1950s former Bowdoin ski team member Jack Baxter and PSIA instructor Byron "Bud" Dow "were troubled by the lack of opportunities for local youngsters to learn to ski"; in the fall of 1954 the two "worked with an elderly property owner and the local Kiwanis to develop a small ski area on the eastern slope of an area known as the Pinnacle." The area, known as the "Kiwanis Community Ski Slopes," was open by early winter of 1954 and served by a rope tow, at a $1.00 lift ticket price. By the end of the first (1954-55) season, "dozens of kids a day were taking part in ski school classes." "Over the next decade, the property likely ended up in the hands of the Town of Pittsfield and the Maine Central Institute." The area grew to feature "open slopes on either side of the rope tow, a steep race course into a gravel pit, and a ski jump between the slope and the race course." Instructor and co-founder Bud Dow died in 1979. The New England Lost Ski Areas Project corroborates that the area was "operated by the local Kiwanis Club, then by the Pinnacle Ski Club" and "continues to be operated today when snowfalls permit." Per New England Ski History, the area "has remained in operation, operated by the Pinnacle Ski Club," with two rope tows, no snowmaking, but night skiing offered; the adult weekend full-day ticket for 2025-26 is $20.00. The club's own website lists both membership options (Single $40.00, Family $100.00 for 5 immediate family members) and separate public day tickets (Single Day Pass $20.00, Family Day Pass $50.00). The club's own site also advertises "Learn to ski, snowboard, and Race all for Free!" as part of its public-facing program, frames its mission as "Promoting and encouraging skiing for Pittsfield residents and the surrounding communities," and states it has "operated the ski slope for more than 65 years." Public ski hours are Friday Night Ski 6:00-9:00 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., "(Times and dates are subject to change due to weather and volunteers)."