Welcome
Stark Mountain Foundation
Save The Single
Nowhere in Vermont can the mountains, invigorating climate and indomitable people be found in greater evidence than at Mad River Glen. This ski area, created in the earliest days of Vermont skiing, still attracts the energy and excitement that signals true lovers of the sport and the state. And its icon is the Single Chair...nationally, the only remaining single chair lift that is still in its original location and still taking skiers to a mountaintop for a snowy launch.
Today, the Single needs work. It is tired and worn, but no one wants to give it up. So the Mad River Glen Cooperative has partnered with the Preservation Trust of Vermont and the Stark Mountain Foundation to make sure the Single is preserved and used for decades to come. We are hoping hundreds who love Vermont, its history, its mountain and its skiing will join together to preserve the Single.
In 2005, the shareholders of the Mad River Glen Cooperative voted overwhelmingly to restore and preserve the Single. For an eclectic group, this huge majority in itself was historic. For the Single, it is even more remarkable because most of the original chairs from other ski areas have ended up in museums or scrapped. At Mad River, the Single is part of the active landscape and will continue to do its work.
The historic restoration will have the same lift capacity, about 500 skiers per hour, as the current single chair. To the untrained eye it will look virtually identical to the existing lift, but will have new and restored components.
This includes removing, sandblasting, repainting and reinstalling the lattice towers and framework with new concrete bases to assure safety. New chairs are being built to the exact specifications of the originals. While the original wire rope and lattice towers, as well as the return station framework can be reused, a new electric drive with diesel backup, new sheaves, and safety systems will be installed. The result will be a Single that will look the same, feel the same, but will be safer and longer-lasting than the original. All the work will be completed with allegiance to the historic fabric of the Single. The unique experience of riding up the mountain will be unchanged.
|
Estimated Costs |
|
|
Site Work |
$120,000 |
|
Top Return Station |
$84,000 |
|
Line Work |
$625,000 |
|
Chairs |
$172,000 |
| Drive |
$145,000 |
|
Miscellaneous |
$89,000 |
|
Total |
$1,540,000 |
Following the 2005 vote by Shareholders, a small committee began exploring the possibilities of a capital campaign to support the restoration of the Single. We are currently inviting friends of Mad River Glen and lovers of Vermont history to support this project.
Between now and the end of 2007, volunteer solicitors will approach
hundreds
of skiers, shareholders, community members and Vermonters of every
interest and persuasion to invite support for the project. Every
gift will be tax deductible, when donated to the Stark Mountain
Foundation or the Preservation Trust of Vermont as a restricted gift for
the Single. Gifts of every size are encouraged. Pledges may
be committed with a final payment date of March 31, 2010.
At the close of skiing in the Spring of 2007, the Single will be dismantled and work will begin. Work will be completed during the summer. Opening day with the newly restored Single Chair will be in December, 2007. While the vast majority of the support will come through charitable gifts, there will be opportunities for other unique ways to support this project as well: by buying a few of the 'retired' chairs, and attending events. Stay tuned for the many ways to participate!
Mad River and Vermont
Mad River Glen is truly unique among ski areas in America, and is entirely in keeping with the independent spirit of Vermont. The mountain is famous for its legendary expert terrain, beautiful and varied beginning and intermediate areas, its glades, quiet trails, cliffs, wildlife, and for its awesome solitary ski experience. Mad River Glen is also famous because it is America's only cooperatively owned ski area, because it relies on natural snow, and because it sticks to more traditional methods of getting down the mountain ... skis and snowshoes.
The historic Single began carrying skiers in 1948 when Roland Palmedo founded the area based on the community's personal involvement, affinity and loyalty. This has never wavered and each generation strengthens its appeal. When the Co-op was formed in 1995, it focused not only on the ski experience, but also on the desire to "preserve and protect the forest and mountain ecosystem of Stark Mountain in order to provide skiing and other recreational access and to maintain the unique character of the area for present and future generations.
Even Vermonters who don't ski feel a kinship when they see the "Ski It If You Can" bumper stickers that say "Vermont" to hundreds of thousands of mountain lovers across the country. The five short words say volumes about independence and determination.
Mad River Glen is about the mountain, nature, the ski experience and community. With the Campaign for the Single, Mad River and its community are making a powerful statement: the Mountain, the Co-op, the experience, and the Single are all here to stay.
Donor Recognition
Saving the Single is a dramatic ambition and we look forward to acknowledging the many gifts that will make it possible. In keeping with the Mad River Glen tradition of egalitarian access to our mountain and ski experience, Mad River will post a Recognition Plaque at the base of the single, listing the names of all donors to the campaign. This list will be alphabetical.
We also want to recognize the high impact gifts that will help us reach the goal more quickly. These leadership gifts will guide us on a path and help us reach the summit! Each of these donors will be offered the opportunity to have a 4"x6" brass plaque with their name, or the name of an individual they would like to memorialize or honor, affixed to one of the restored lattice towers. See below for a full description of the Gift Acknowledgement Policy.
| Naming Opportunities:* | |
| $250,000 or more: | the Base Station |
| $100,000 or more: | the first, mid- and return towers |
| $50,000 or more: | Tower #10 |
| $25,000 or more: | Towers 2-9, 11-21 |
| $5,000 or more: | a chair |
| * contingent upon and in keeping with approved Single Campaign policies | |
Naturally, any donor who would like to remain anonymous may do so and confidentiality will be protected. All donors will receive an acknowledgement letter and appropriate IRS documentation as well as a letter from the Single Chair Campaign Committee. We are deeply grateful for all contributions.
Ways to Give
The Single Chair Restoration Project has great historical significance for the State of Vermont and for the world of skiing. As such, it has been enthusiastically endorsed and supported both by the Stark Mountain Foundation and the Preservation Trust of Vermont - two Vermont nonprofit partners. Through either of these tax-exempt organizations, donors are able to make tax deductible gifts of cash or highly appreciated securities. Though the Single Chair Restoration Project will be completed in 2007, pledges may be paid over a three-year period.
- to make a secure, on-line credit card donation.
- to complete a pledge card.
Or, send your check to the Stark Mountain Foundation, PO Box 1221, Waitsfield, VT, 05673 (Please indicate that your contribution is for The Single!)
Or, contact a board member for more information.
- Gift Acknowledgement Policy
The Stark Mountain Foundation is a charitable 501(c)(3) organization.
Federal EIN# 03-0369897 VT Tax-Exempt# 450-030369897F-01