Ski Bradford
Ski Bradford (also known as Bradford Ski Area) is a small ski area located in the Bradford section of Haverhill, Massachusetts.
| Ski Bradford | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Bradford, Massachusetts, US |
| Nearest major city | Haverhill |
| Top elevation | 272 feet (83 m) |
| Skiable area | 48 acres (190,000 m2) |
| Runs | 23 |
| Lift system | 8: Three triple chairs, nine T-bars, three rope tows and five Wonder Carpet. |
| Website | Ski Bradford |
Terrain
Ski Bradford contains 13 trails: 2 green circles (easiest), 4 blue squares (intermediate) and 7 black diamonds (difficult) including a terrain park.
According to USGS topographical maps, Ski Bradford is part of Dead Hill which has a summit elevation of 272 feet (83 m). Mountain's quite easy with short trails. Best for those who wish to go full send in the terrain park or are learning.
Terrain Park
Ski Bradford currently has a fairly large terrain park. The park layout differs every year but a miniature half-pipe is always part of the design. Among the layout are several rails including an A-frame rail and box, 2 or 3 down rails, and 2 small boxes for beginners. Their setup usually has one large kicker and then a few small ramps here and there.
Lift System
Ski Bradford currently contains eight operating lifts. Sources online, including their own website, currently do not provide the current, accurate lift information. As of March 2007 the lift information is as follows:
| Name | Type | Manufacturer | Installed | Horsepower | Length | Vertical Rise | Capacity | Speed | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hornet | Triple Chair | Borvig | 1983 | - | 1,100 feet (340 m) | 213 feet (65 m) | 1800(pas/hr) | 400(ft/min) | This is the most popular lift as one can reach any part of the mountain after riding it. |
| Wasp | Triple Chair | Borvig | 1988 | 60 | 1,024 feet (312 m) | 207 feet (63 m) | 1800(pas/hr) | 400(ft/min) | This lift is more popular with ski racers using the wasp trail, although it does serve many other trails. It is a good lift to go to if lines on the other lifts build up. |
| Evvy's Double Nickel | Triple Chair | Partek | 2003 | 60 | 995 feet (303 m) | 200 feet (61 m) | 1800(pas/hr) | 400(ft/min) | This lift does not appear on Ski Bradford's Website Trail Map. It serves mostly the terrain park. |
| Hornet | T-Bar | Mueller | 1971 | - | 1,200 feet (370 m) | 208 feet (63 m) | 1000(pas/hr) | - | This lift often runs if the line for the Hornet chair builds up. |
| Stinger | Rope Tow | - | - | - | 440(apr.) | 50(apr) | - | - | The main, and slightly longer rope tow serving the beginner area. |
| Queen | Rope Tow | - | - | - | 345(apr.) | 35(apr.) | - | - | One of three rope tows serving the beginner area, it runs parallel to the Drone rope. |
| Drone | Rope Tow | - | - | - | 345(apr) | 35(apr.) | - | - | One of three rope tows serving the beginner area, it runs parallel to the Queen rope. |
| Roger's | Carpet Conveyor | Sun Kid | 2006 | - | - | - | - | - | Although this lift was built in 2006, it did not appear on the trail map until the 2009-2010 season. It run perpendicular to the three rope tows. |
| Ken's | Carpet Conveyor | Sun Kid | 2009 | - | - | - | - | - | This lift was the second conveyor type lift built for Ski Bradford and appeared on the 2009-2010 trail map along with the new "Lower Honey Bee" trail |
| Wasp | T-Bar | Hall | Removed in 2005 | - | 1150(apr.) | 200(apr.) | - | - | This lift was sold and removed before the 2005-2006 ski season. The lift still appears on the website trail map even though it has been gone for years and was not operated many years prior to its removal. |
| Bumble Bee | Rope Tow | - | Defunct since 2003 | - | 650(apr.) | 125(apr.) | - | - | This lift stopped operating after the 2002-2003 season when Evvy's Double Nickel Triple Chairlift was installed to serve the same area. It was included in the lift count until the Roger carpet was built before the 2006-2007 season. The lift still remains in place but is unusable because the rope has snapped. The lift still appears on the website trail map even though it has been defunct for quite a few years and is not counted in the total lift count. |
Lesson Programs
Ski Bradford has a large teaching staff and lesson programs. Dozens of schools are involved in after school ski clubs where many of the children involved partake in an hour-long lesson every week. The capacity is there that 30 lessons can be run simultaneously per hour and even more for after school programs where hour-long lessons begin every half hour between 3 and 5 PM. Walk-in lessons are also extremely popular at the area as many guests are spontaneous customers who had not planned for a day of skiing but may have been encouraged to ski by good weather.
References
- Skilifts.org. "Lift Construction Survey - North America". Archived from the original on 2006-09-08. Retrieved 2007-02-24.
External links
- Ski Bradford - official site