Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/438368
32 | JANUARY + FEBRUARY 2015 nshoremag.com Hermitage Inn $230 to $620/night White House $195 to $385/night hermitageclub.com For those of us wanting to for- go a long flight and time change and feel the joy of standing on top of a mountain less than 24 hours after leaving our desks on Friday afternoon, there is one ski resort that stands a cut above the rest. Situated just a little over two hours from the North Shore in southern Vermont is the only pri - vate ski mountain in the east. The Hermitage Club in Deerfield Val- ley is the brainchild of Jim Barnes and boasts 400 families to date who have exclusive access to more than 1,400 acres on the 3,200-foot- high Haystack Mountain for a full year of mountain sports. The ski resort had sat vacant for almost six years when Barnes purchased the mountain, Hermitage Inn, and Deerfield Valley Regional Airport, transforming it into a world-class winter playground. Barnes wanted to create a high- end ski resort "where you would never have to wait in line for the chair lift," he notes. "The slopes also have 100 percent snowmak - ing coverage by snow guns that produce lighter, drier snow, which assures 'first-track' conditions all day." Members and their guests can Alpine ski and board as well as cross-country ski, snowshoe, and—come springtime—golf on the 18-hole Desmond Muirhead- designed course. The master plan for the club includes more than 500 deluxe homes and condominiums—with plans for 14 ski-in/ski-out homes adjacent to a private chair lift, as well as a $15 million luxury five- star hotel. The Hermitage Inn of - fers cozy accommodations along with a five-star restaurant. Proj- ects already completed include a $21 million 80,000-square-foot clubhouse, with 14 spa and treat - ment rooms, a movie theater, and an editing suite for GoPro helmet cams, where skiers and boarders can edit footage they've recorded on runs and post on social media. With an initiation fee of $65,000 and annual dues between $2,500 and $5,000, The Hermitage Club is an investment for a family that wants to build lifelong friend - ships as well as enjoy Vermont's winter wonderland for genera- tions to come. As The Hermitage Club is not open to the public, interested skiers and golfers can call the club to visit or stay at one of the inns on the resort property. INFO Courtesy of The Hermitage Club Haystack Mountain offers the only private ski resort on the East Coast. Below, the timber-framed lodge is the perfect meeting place for families.