Since the opening of the Vermont Ski Museum in 2002, the Museum has actively sought information on Vermont's Lost Ski Areas. Much of the initial research on Vermont's lost ski areas was done by NELSAP, the New England Lost Ski Areas Project, a web-based project ( www.nelsap.org ) documenting closed ski areas in New England, New York, and part of Canada. A "lost" ski area is defined as an area that operated with a mechanized tow. NELSAP partnered with the Vermont Ski Museum in designing a long-term and evolving exhibit for the Museum's opening in August 2002.

The Museum chose to take this documentation a step further, with the aid of local historical societies and communities, by putting together comprehensive histories of the now-defunct areas. Each year at the annual Vermont History Expo the Museum unveils five more chronologies. To date, the following areas have been highlighted: Altow/Cemetery Hill, Norwich; Burrington Hill, Whitingham; Glenn Skiff Farm, Cambridge; Dutch Hill, Heartwellville; Harwood Union High School, South Duxbury; Hogback Mountain, Marlboro; Pinnacle Park Skiland, Waterbury; Putney School, Putney; Richford Lions Club, Richford; Ski Bowl, Bellows Falls; Sterling Tow, Craftsbury; Underhill Ski Bowl, Underhill; Valley View, Barton; Waterbury Village Area, Waterbury; Chamberlin Birch, Newport; Northfield's ski areas; Foot of the Mountain, Waitsfield; Mountain Top, Chittenden; Blueberry Hill, Goshen; and 13 Ski Club, Fairbanks Mountain, Lincoln Street in St. Johnsbury. Geographically, these areas represent the entire state and diverse histories.

The Museum has been working with local historical societies by hosting Memory Night. The purpose of this "Memory Afternoon" is to collect objects and stories that describe the areas. Items such as old posters, photographs, films, jackets or hats, trail signs, patches, pins or brochures, tickets, trinkets, and other memorabilia are important pieces of the history as are stories about the area's founding, epic ski days, tremendous spills on the trail, exciting lift rides, favorite trails, memorable days on the job, and people or characters affiliated with the Resort. The documentation of the lost ski areas is truly an ongoing project. The information gathered will be put into a computer presentation and incorporated into the current exhibit.