Had Bearpen Mountain stayed open I truly believe that this ski area would have been a game changer for skiing in the Catskills. Dr. Ben Lane and his brother Ken were truly amazing to talk to. The people they met and the things they experienced during their lifetimes up to now were very interesting to listen too. And I believe that both of them have some billy goat blood in their body because they both out hiked the rest of us. The road we hiked up was pretty steep in some areas. Ben’s brother Ken is a famous opera singer and has had quite a life also.
I also found out that a lost NJ rope tow was sold to Ben Lane for Bearpen Mountain.
We were also really blessed to have Russ LaChapell on the hike with us. He truly has a love and a passion for this mountain. It is a shame what people did to this group that wanted this ski area to succeed.
This was THE snowjournal hike!
Dr. Lane, his brother, Ciscokid and I also got to stop on the way up to quickly see the lost Simpsons Ski Area. We unfortunately did not have enough time to stop to see Highmount.
I highly recommend reading the Bearpen story. It is really nice to have more perspective on the mountain and where everything was located.
It was a great group of people that showed up for this hike. And you can certainly tell that everyone loves ski history. Some people brought a few items to show the group.
