In the 1960s Channing Murdock bought the G Bar S Ranch, a defunct ski area and dude ranch near Great Barrington. The ranch had a couple of rope tows that had been in operation for about 20 years.
The Murdocks could see its potential as a much larger ski area. It was accessible to population centers and offered good elevation and terrain. Channing Murdock wanted Butternut Basin to be the biggest ski area south of Vermont.
Butternut today is a very successful ski area. It draws skiers mostly from Connecticut, New York and New Jersey. Skiers from the Springfield area also drive out on the Pike to sample Butternut's slopes.
But a couple of tragic events in the 1990s nearly brought the operation to an end. In the summer of 1994, Murdock was tossed over the handlebars of his bicycle when he hit a manhole cover in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. He broke his pelvis, collarbone, shoulder blade and three ribs. Far worse, he had a major head injury. The injury affected his centers of speech and memory. I had been a good friend of Murdock's, but was told last week that he still wouldn't be capable of giving me an interview.
Murdock had a hand in cutting all the ski trails. Marketing Director Matt Sawyer noted, "Channing was always proud to be out there side by side with the other guys. He would cut the trails. Every one had his signature on it. He would be out there operating the chain saw or running the 'dozer."
Butternut isn't especially steep, but Murdock made it interesting by keeping the trails narrow and twisting with the flow of the mountain. He also made it so you really couldn't see one trail as you skied another.
As you approach the top on the main chair, a green stand of mountain laurel lies beneath you. Years ago Murdock told me on a ride up on what was then the "new" triple chair that he was proud that he didn't clear-cut the trees underneath the lift. It was a lot more work, but all the cut trees were hauled out of the ravine, leaving a lot of vegetation in place.
In 1975 Butternut won SKI Magazine's First Place Environmental Award. It was cited for its "sensitive environmental planning." Little Butternut beat out such big players as Vail, Sun Valley, Copper Mountain and Snowbird—all up for the same award.
Then in 1995 an F-4 tornado ripped through Butternut on Memorial Day. It cut a path 500 feet wide across the ski area, destroying 8,000 mature trees. The swipe destroyed chairlifts and changed the landscape. The clear cutting that Murdock hadn't wanted to do was accomplished in minutes by the twister.
Butternut sustained over $2 million in uninsured damages. Five of the area's eight lifts, most of the snowmaking equipment and 18 of 22 trails were affected. In the surrounding area, three were people killed and 24 injured.
Sawyer stated, "The tornado was devastating. It almost collapsed the area. The family wasn't sure they would be able to come back from that. It was a tragic event."
But Channing's son Jeff decided they should rebuild, and they did. Butternut was up and running for the next season, but the mountain was roughed up as a result of the tornado.
Sawyer recalled, "He [Channing] was really proud of the canopy. The area before the tornado had a really solemn feel. It really had a beauty. We planted 200 pine trees to try and re-establish some of the perimeters of the trails."
Butternut is still family-owned and operated. Jeff Murdock is now the president and general manager. The mountain is friendly and well adapted to family skiing. The beginner area is totally separate from the rest of the area, so you don't get experts shooting through.
I used to ski with Channing before his accident. We would sit in his office and talk about the snow (or lack of it) and the business in general. I remember his telling me, "Every year I wonder why I do this. Then I get out there and wiggle my ass down the mountain and it all makes sense."?
