Randolph area skiers were thrilled nevertheless. Drysdale, who now favors Jay Peak when he takes to the slopes, describes Pinnacle’s terrain as “quite comparable to Suicide Six. The vertical [550 feet] was a little less, and it didn’t have anything to compare to ‘the Face’ at Suicide Six, but it just had terrific variety. It was certainly much better than Sonneneberg” [another small, central Vermont ski hill located in Barnard].

As for specifics, Drysdale related “although they eventually named the trails, for all of us who grew up skiing there they were always known by their original numbers. Number 1 was a super intermediate trail off to the south. Trail number 2 didn’t exist for some reason. Number 3 was tough, right down beside the lift-line, very steep. Number 4 was narrow with moguls, and eventually they added trail number 5, the first real novice trail down from the top.”

Quirks and character are the hallmark of such operations, and Pinnacle was no exception. “The small Poma, on the Harold Farr slope, always worked fine, “Drysdale remembers, “but the other Poma was always breaking down. Whenever we finally got a weekend of good snow, it would choose then to break down.” The Sno-Cat was another frequent casualty, according to Drysdale, but the hill regularly convinced the local vocational school to repair it for free.

An examination of the financial chart indicates that Pinnacle enjoyed a surprisingly steady series of years on the income side of the ledger during the late sixties and early seventies. Although the hill never actually turned a profit, it had developed a reliable base of support and often seemed to be just on the verge of making money.

Prospects began to dim for Pinnacle as the 1970s progressed, although the local racing program celebrated its first success with Seth Bayer’s victory in a mid-Vermont GS race at Pico on January 11, 1973.

Here's an undated trail map (likely sometime 1966-1968), courtesy of the Vermont Ski Museum, showing the trails and slopes. The year is unknown. As you can see, the main lift was listed, 2250' long, the baby lift 550', and the vertical drop 550', but the vertical was really 600'.

Note that a chairlift was proposed but never was installed. Also know that there were 3 trails, a wide slope, and a couple of glades.

Interior portion of a 1968 brochure, courtesy William Pughe. Click on the brochure for the larger version.

The town of Randolph had been giving the hill a big tax break, listing the operation at a $ 15,700 value in the books although it had been appraised in 1970 at $ 117,000. This agreement provided Pinnacle with a mere $ 500 annual property tax assessment. Apparently, the deal was viewed a temporary by the town, and by 1973 its patience ran out. Debate began over how much higher an appropriate tax rate would be for Pinnacle.

Bill Dupras, president of the ski hill in the summer of 1973, told the stockholders that multiple challenges were in the cards for the upcoming season. “The lifts and facilities need extensive repairs, which we have never had enough money to make and have only patched up,” he reported. “We are now in the unhappy position of being unable to borrow more funds…it is therefore the decision of the directors, if possible, to give the area to the town of Randolph, or sell it, whatever is most feasible.”

None of the above proved to be the eventual scenario. Pinnacle somehow staggered through three more years of skiing, albeit on an ad hoc basis for 1976. Drysdale, a member of the Pinnacle Board of Directors by that time, recalls “the bank called in the mortgage. The year before we’d had a decent enough year, compared to some, but the bank just decided that ‘enough was enough.’”

Closed for the first time in a decade on New Year’s Day, 1976, Pinnacle had one last hurrah that winter. The former Pinnacle Ski Club reorganized as “The Valley Ski Club,” and arranged to lease the area from the Randolph National Bank for $ 1 for the rest of the winter. Operating exclusively on weekends and holidays with volunteer labor, the Ski Club only permitted members to use the slopes. However, the $ 5 yearly membership fee hardly discouraged many potential skiers, nor did the additional daily lift ticket fee of $ 2 for adults and $ 1.50 for children.

Later that January, Nancy Hall of the Ski Club told the Herald that “it was a super response; it worked beautifully.” Indeed, 270 individuals anted up for club membership, and 137 youngsters were enrolled in lessons held on Farr’s Slope.

Exterior of 1968 brochure, courtesy William Pughe. Click on it for a closer image.

Jeremy's note - the Pomalifts installed here may have been brand new, as according to skilifts.org the following two lifts were installed in 1965:

Summit Lift - 600' vertical, 2300' long, 1000 skiers/hour, 900 feet/minute.
Beginner Lift - 100' vertical, 500' long, 800 skiers/hour, 425 feet/minute.

In the 1975-1976 season, only the shorter Poma was inspected by the state - likely due to the area's last gasp that year.

An aerial view of the area in 1995 showed the trails still visible. Later Google Earth Images indicate that Pinnacle has nearly returned to forest, except for the beginner slope at the bottom.