Wachusett Mountain Timeline

1933 -- Olympic skier Charles Proctor built the Balance Rock Trail, the first ski run on the mountain.

1936-1937 – The Civilian Conservation Corps improved the Balance Rock Trail and added the Pine Hill Trail. The CCC also built Bullock Lodge.

1940s and 1950s – Wachusett Mountain was the site for numerous Massachusetts Downhill Championships.

1959 – Massachusetts legislature appropriated $225,000 to build trails, install lifts and add snowmaking on a portion of the mountain.

1962 – Lift-serviced skiing began with the opening of a 2,000-foot T bar.

1963 – A 3,500-foot T-bar was installed and a ski shop opened at the base of the mountain.

1967 – The state Department of Environmental Protection took control of Wachusett Mountain ski area.

1968 – Wachusett Mountain Associates, under the leadership of Ralph Crowley, was awarded a five-year lease for the ski area.

1975 – Lights were installed and Wachusett offered two skiing sessions each day.

1976 – First after school learn-to-ski program introduced.

1976 -- The Graduated Length Method (GLM) of ski instruction comes to Wachusett along with short ski pioneer Clif Taylor.

1980 -- The State passed legislation that allowed the ski area to expand on an additional 450 acres of the mountain.

1981 – Wachusett Mountain Associates granted a long-term lease to operate the ski area.

1982 – First phase of expansion is completed with a lodge, two chairlifts, six trails and computerized snowmaking added to the ski area.

1983 – The “Wa, Wa Wachusett” jingle was created.

1983 – R.H. White Construction company, of Auburn, temporarily manages the ski area, and invests in further expansion.

1984 – Three trails were added and a chairlift was extended to the summit, giving Wachusett 1,000 feet of vertical.

1987 – The U.S. Small Business Administration names Ralph Crowley Massachusetts Small Business Person of the year for transforming Wachusett.

1988 – The Black Diamond Restaurant opens.

1992 – Mountainside Ski & Sport opens in the Main Base Lodge.

1993 – Wachusett expands with five lifts, 18 trails and an additional 19 acres.

1995 – Polar Express, four-passenger, high-speed chairlift goes to the summit.

1996 - The largest stand of Old Growth Forest east of the Connecticut River discovered on the mountain during expansion planning.

1998 – Wachusett Mountain acquired the Wachusett Village Inn.

2000 – Minuteman lift converted to high speed quad chair giving Wachusett two four-passenger chairlifts.

2000 – The base lodge was expanded with the addition of the Granite Room and  second story mountain suites.

2000 – Monadnock lift converted into a triple chairlift.

2001 – Segment from Hollywood movie “Shallow Hal,” directed by the Farelly Brothers, filmed at Wachusett.

2003 – Environmentalists protested Wachusett’s expansion plans and perched in Vickery Bowl area  trees for 45 days.

2004 – Vickery Bowl, with 2 new trails and 1 lift, opens after nearly 10 years of
environmental review.

2004 – Wachusett Mountain the site for filming the movie “The Legend of Lucy Keyes.”

2006 – The Ski Train from Boston was reinstated in partnership with the MBTA.

2008 – The Crowley Family receives the Sherman Adams Award from the National Ski Areas Association for significant contributions to the ski industry.

2010 – Bullock Lodge reopens after 50 years serving fresh cider donuts and hot cider prepared by Red Apple Farm of Phillipston, Ma.

2011 – SKI Magazine designates Wachusett as of the the Top 20 resorts in the East.

2011 -- A four-passenger chairlift replaced the Monadnock triple in the beginner’s area.