Winter at Suicide Six

Mountain Info

Suicide Six is a place where generosity of spirit extends to all, and where curiosity comes to play.

3 Lifts. 24 Trails. 60% snowmaking. 83 years of history to call your own.

Our History

1934 - First Rope Tow in America
In January, America’s first rope tow was installed on Clinton Gilbert’s pasture in Woodstock and it launches a new era in winter sports. That same year, Laurance S. Rockefeller marries local girl Mary Billings, granddaughter of Frederick Billings.
1936 - Suicide Six Ski Area Opens
Suicide Six first opened to the public in 1936 with its first rope tow on Hill No. 6. Installed by Wallace “Bunny” Bertram, a former Dartmouth College ski instructor, he often joked that skiing down the steep pitch of Hill No. 6 would be suicide, and in jest, the name stuck.
1937 - Annual Fisk Trophy Race
Just one year after its opening, Suicide Six held its first Fisk Trophy Race. Now known as the longest running ski race in North America, this race is lovingly thought of as a right of passage for serious Eastern ski racers. Notable past winners include Chip Knight, Jimmy Cochran, and many other Olympians, US Ski Team members and NCAA champions. This historical race is still held annually.
1954 - Ski Lift Technology Arrives
As industrial machinery improved, so did recreational technology. “Bunny” Bertram purchased a Poma lift for $40,000 in 1954. This surface lift increased the ski area’s capacity exponentially, making it possible to lift 950 in just one hour. This innovation placed Suicide Six in an entirely different league for skiers.
1961 - Laurance Rockefeller Acquires Suicide Six
“Bunny” Bertram sold Suicide Six to Laurance Rockefeller who saw the vast potential for the small mountain. In the decades to follow, Mr. Rockefeller began expanding the ski area to include chairlifts and J-bar, similar to how we know it today. At that time lift tickets were a mere $5.50!
1978 - New Baselodge
In the summer of 1978, the new $400,000 baselodge was built that helped the ski hill gain resort status. It boasted gorgeous high-beamed ceilings and towering windows facing the slopes. It was a fantastic upgrade from the old warming hut that previously stood as a ramshackle, pieced together shelter. That summer also saw the 1,200-foot Poma lift replaced by a new 1,650-foot double chairlift and increased snowmaking operations that covered two-thirds of the mountain.
1982 - National Snow Snurfing Championship at Suicide Six
Suicide Six was one of the first ski areas to embrace a new form of snow sliding called “snurfing.” In 1982 the National Snow Snurfing Championship was held at the resort. Roughly 150 snurfers competed in the downhill and giant slalom events, helping shape the sport we now know as snowboarding.
2016 - New Quad Chair
The next era in the evolution of Suicide Six began with the installation of a next-generation Leitner-Poma quad chairlift. This new lift further increased the capacity of the mountain, shorter lift ride times, ability to hold more skiers and riders. The lift supports foot passengers and bikes in the summer, expanding the mountain from ski area to a four-season premier resort.
2018 - New Biking & Snowmaking
2018 marked the first summer of Suicide Six’s lift-serviced mountain bike park. Over 6 miles of bike trails were added alongside the ski trails. With each year, this program continues to grow. The winter of 2018 brought new snow opportunities to Suicide Six. The addition of 10 innovative snow producers and a $400,000 investment further increased the amount of snow and the quality, while decreasing the mountain's environmental footprint.
Family at Suicide Six

Our Manifesto

The story of Suicide Six is the story of a mountain where people experience connection. 

A connection to nature, to others, and even to those parts of themselves they didn't know existed, or had long since lost touch with. It is the story of a young child learning wedge turns under the watchful eye of her grandfather, and that of the child’s parent, skiing alongside, knowing already that the memory of this moment will forever open a floodgate of emotion and gratitude. It is the story of a woman discovering mountain biking in midlife, and her surprised delight not merely at how much fun it is, but at how strong and capable it makes her feel, and how much she wants to share this experience with others.  It is the story of guests who return time and again, in part for the thrills and the challenge, yes, but in greater part because at Suicide 6, they experience something that transcends the physical: A sense of belonging, and with it, a deeper understanding of who they are and of their place in this complicated and occasionally confusing world.

Ski Suicide Six Quad Chair

Contact

Lifts operate daily in the winter season from 9am to 4pm

Toll free: 888.338.2745
Local: 802.457.6661
Suicide Six Recreational Area: S6Info@woodstockinn.com
Address: 247 Stage Rd, South Pomfret, Vermont, 05067

Suicide Six is located near the town of Woodstock, Vermont. Centrally located near I-89 and I-91 and within easy driving distance from Boston, New York, and Montreal.