Onset Ski Area

Bennington, New Hampshire1969-1989

Order Onset Ski Area tees, long sleeve tees, hoodies and crewnecks. Richard Verro named the Bennington hill after one of his racehorses, and its signature lift was a cabin double chair with bubble-topped cabins, billed as New Hampshire's first. The logo put a red cabin inside the loop of a script O. Browse the styles below, and the full Onset history is further down. Down Home Apparel is an American small business remembering the best places and teams of yesteryear, and every shirt is printed to order in the USA.

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  • Onset Ski Area crewneck sweatshirt in royal, printed on the front with a red-orange bubble cabin chair riding inside the navy O of a white script Onset, over BENNINGTON, N.H.

    Onset Ski Area Crewneck Sweatshirt

    Onset Ski Area Crewneck Sweatshirt
    $48.99
  • Onset Ski Area hoodie in royal, printed on the front with a red-orange bubble cabin chair riding inside the navy O of a white script Onset, over BENNINGTON, N.H.

    Onset Ski Area Hoodie

    Onset Ski Area Hoodie
    $48.99
  • Onset Ski Area long sleeve t-shirt in white, printed on the front with a red-orange bubble cabin chair riding inside the navy O of a white script Onset, over BENNINGTON, N.H.

    Onset Ski Area Long Sleeve T-Shirt

    Onset Ski Area Long Sleeve T-Shirt
    $32.99
  • Onset Ski Area premium hoodie in royal blue, printed on the front with a red-orange bubble cabin chair riding inside the navy O of a white script Onset, over BENNINGTON, N.H.

    Onset Ski Area Premium Hoodie

    Onset Ski Area Premium Hoodie
    $64.99
  • Onset Ski Area heavyweight t-shirt in royal, printed on the front with a red-orange bubble cabin chair riding inside the navy O of a white script Onset, over BENNINGTON, N.H.

    Onset Ski Area T-Shirt (Heavyweight)

    Onset Ski Area T-Shirt (Heavyweight)
    $28.99
  • Onset Ski Area premium lightweight t-shirt in true royal, printed on the front with a red-orange bubble cabin chair riding inside the navy O of a white script Onset, over BENNINGTON, N.H.

    Onset Ski Area T-Shirt (Premium Lightweight)

    Onset Ski Area T-Shirt (Premium Lightweight)
    $32.99

Onset Ski Area History

Onset Ski Area in Bennington, New Hampshire, opened on December 14, 1969, on the north side of a mountain along Route 47, about 75 miles from Boston. Richard Verro, a Boston-area building maintenance businessman, bought nearly 400 acres in 1968, formed Onset Corporation in July 1969 and named the area after one of his racehorses. The first season brought a $1.4 million development with ten natural-snow trails, a cocktail lounge, a dining room and three lifts, and ads called it New Hampshire's newest ski resort.

Its signature lift was a cabin double chair, billed as New Hampshire's first, with enclosed bubble-topped cabins. The area also had a regular double chair and a T-bar. Onset's own logo put a red cabin inside the loop of a script O, and that is the patch skiers carried home. Trails ran from novice to expert, and the 1973 listing counted 13 trails, night skiing, a nursery, a ski shop and parking for 700 cars. In 1971-72 Onset became the second ski area in the East to run a specialized learn-to-ski program for handicapped skiers.

Money was tight almost from the start. Mortgages and tax liens piled up, and the area went to a foreclosure auction in the summer of 1977. New owners renamed it, and after another foreclosure in 1979 it was run together with the ski area next door, with trails connecting the two by about 1980-81. A 1989 bankruptcy filing and a failed sale led to the closing of both areas around 1990. The terrain was rebuilt and reopened in 2003, and today it is skied as part of an operating ski area, with one of the original chairlifts still in service.

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