Burke Mountain

With the temperatures dropping and the snow starting to fall, Lyndonville's premier skiing destination is gearing up for another season of winter excitement.

    Burke Mountain, just seven miles from Lyndon State in East Burke, is preparing for nearly its 50- year anniversary of offering winter recreation to people of all ages.  The mountain boasts 2,011 feet of vertical skiing and snowboarding, and consists of 45 trails and glades as well as three terrain parks, all of which will be accessible to riders on the mountain's projected opening date, Dec. 11.  However, before Burke opens its lifts, some new features are being added to the mountain.

    "This winter we will be getting a few fan guns to test out at the base area and mid Burke," said Hannah Collins, the marketing and events manager.  "These fans will make snow a lot faster than the previous ones, so we are very excited."     

    Burke Mountain has the technology in place to cover roughly 80 percent of the mountain.  However, the snowmakers are not the only new features to Burke Mountain this season.  According to Collins, Steve Mahon, Burke's Terrain Park Manager (and LSC alum), has been working on improving some of the features on the mountain's terrain park, as well as building new additions that will be unveiled when the mountain opens.

In the upcoming season, Burke Mountain will also be working with LSC's Campus Activities Board for a series of ski days for LSC students, as well as hosting the first stop of the East Coast Snocross Tour, a snowmobile event that tours Vermont, New Hampshire and New York, along with stops in Canada as well.  With the opening fast approaching, Lyndonville residents and LSC students are preparing for what they feel is going to be another great winter.

"The coming season is looking to be a good one for skiing, and for Burke," said Stephen Boucher, an LSC student and avid skier.  "I've heard this is a La Nina winter, which normally means huge dumps of snow, and what skier doesn't like huge amounts of snow?"