Mount Ascutney
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Mt. Ascutney, (peak elevation, 3500ft) in Windsor County, Vermont, is the state's only monadnock, or lone mountain. Over 400 million years old, this lone volcano-cone sits between the Green Mountains of Vermont and the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Particularly noteworthy about the mountain is its granite outcrops, one of which, at its peak, serves as a launching point for hang-gliders. The mountain is very steep, and its trail, the Ascutney Mountain Trail, traverses a Vermont state forest, and composes part of the Appalachian Trail, which runs from Georgia to Maine. Mt. Ascutney is also home to a ski resort, which opened after the end of WWII. Originally consisting of one rope tow, the resort now boasts several chairlifts, including one high-speed detachable quad as well as a hotel, condominiums and a large base lodge. The resort's trails accomodate the entire family, but expert and intermediate skiers will find themselves most at home at the resort, whose trails average from medium grade to steep, and are often icy from the harsh winds a monadnock mountain is notorious for (it having now neighboring mountains for respite from the wind). The Mountain's base straddles several villages- Ascutney, Brownsville and Windsor - and it is located only several miles off of exit 8 on Interstate-91. The ski resort's primary competitors are [Killington], [Okemo], [Mt. Sunapee], and [Stratton]. The Mountain itself is visible from seventy miles away atop [Mt. Washington].
