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General Butler Ski Area - Carrollton, Kentucky

This is the place to share your stories or knowledge about ski areas that used to operate and are now lost or closed in Kentucky.
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adm1n
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Believe it or not, the great state of Kentucky once had a ski area rising up out of it’s famed blue grass. General Butler State Park was home to Ski Butler! in Carrollton, Kentucky.



With a 600 foot vertical and 25 skiable acres, Ski Butler! was accessed using 4 lifts: one triple, two doubles, and one rope tow. The area was opened in 1982 but has since closed due to unpredictable winters. The Ski Butler! was demolished sometime in the last 15 years.



UPDATE 11/16/2010: According to sources this ski area was closed in 1996 or 1997. The ski area purportedly had trails named after liquors a means of supporting liquor sales. Vandals forced the area to be demolished and returned to it's natural state.









Old Ski Lodge looking run:







If you have any information or photos about this ski area, post here or drop us an email at [email protected]. This portion of the messageboard was implemented so that those who have skied or played at any of the closed ski areas can share their experiences and discuss "old times". Understand that the content shared may not be 100% accurate.
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swamphox
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@adm1n 225962 wrote:Believe it or not, the great state of Kentucky once had a ski area rising up out of it’s famed blue grass. General Butler State Park was home to Ski Butler! in Carrollton, Kentucky.



With a 600 foot vertical and 25 skiable acres, Ski Butler! was accessed using 4 lifts: one triple, two doubles, and one rope tow. The area was opened in 1982 but has since closed due to unpredictable winters. The Ski Butler! was demolished sometime in the last 15 years.



If you have any information or photos about this ski area, post here or drop us an email at [email protected]. This portion of the messageboard was implemented so that those who have skied or played at any of the closed ski areas can share their experiences and discuss "old times". Understand that the content shared may not be 100% accurate.



supposedly perfect north has their old lifts....
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adm1n
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Thanks to David Propst for sharing:



UPDATE: According to sources this ski area was closed in 1996 or 1997.



We'll try to update the MAIN post with any information that we feel is needed.
Kelly K
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I actually still have an old brochure from them. I am not sure of the year, so it may be older, as the stats on it are different than what you have listed in this thread.



It does list 8 runs: Riva Ridge (blue), Ruffian (blue), Venetian Way (Blue), Northern Dancer (green), Bold Venture (blue), Spectacular Bid (black), Whirlaway (green), and Foolish Pleasure (green).



It says they have 23 acres with vertical of 300, and longest run of 3300. Two double and a triple chair and 3 tow ropes.
scuba skier
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In the early-mid 90's the Weather Channel showed ski reports. I remember seeing Ski Butler, KY listed.
2oldboarders
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I don't know if anyone even checks these boards but I actually skied and snowboarded at Ski Butler. I lived in Nashville TN at the time (1993) and had a co-worker that wanted to learn to ski. At the time you could buy a weekend pass from Friday at 6PM till Midnight Sunday night for $56 I think. They closed 3 times a day for an hour to groom but other than that it was 24 hours! I thought it was a pretty cool place but was really small. I taught my friend the first evening and had him linking turns in about an hour and a half. He was working his way down the Venetian Way run. At about 2 hours in, the strap on my left ski boot snapped and the ski shop had nothing to repair it with. As these were rear entry boots, I tried to use a bungee strap from the car but it wouldn't hold so I parked a ski and went to their advanced run Spectacular Bid and just decided to work on one ski (it improves outside edge control). I was standing atop the last drop before the lift station waiting for all the yahoos to get out of my way, when a ski patroller came up to me and asked me if I need help getting down. I told him, I was just waiting on the cross traffic to clear out when he noticed I only had one ski and he freaked out. I said I don't need another ski as I parked it at the lift station on purpose. He said I couldn't ski on one ski and to wait there and I said see you later and took off for the lift station. I got set for my chair and the lift operator went to stop the lift and I said don't stop the lift, I'm fine on one ski. I told him to make sure they didn't stop the lift at the top so I could get off but they stopped it anyway. I hopped off and went to make another lap as they patroller was yelling at me from the lift. I got to the bottom and the lift operator said you still don't have your other ski and I said I know my left boot is broken but I don't need it and please tell them not to stop the lift at the top. From then on I was able to make several laps until the patroller waited for me at the bottom and said I had to have 2 skis to ride the lift. I said fine and decided to go get my snowboard out of the car. They said hey you can't snowboard here and I said why not? Because we don't allow them and I said if you can catch me then I'll take it off and proceeded to blaze past them. They chased me for about an hour and I ducked in to the woods until the coast was clear and kept riding till they shut down to groom. We went inside and grabbed a hot chocolate and went back out till about 2AM. Went to the hotel we rented and crashed till mid-morning. Ate breakfast and headed back up for the day. I found a different guy in the repair shop and we were able to rivet a spare strap on my boot so I could ski with my friend. We left to eat dinner and take a quick nap and went back out Saturday evening and stayed again until 2AM. Went back to the hotel and decided to check out and hit the slopes for a few more hours before bagging it and heading home. I heard about Perfect North back then but I never got the opportunity to try it out. My friend was so stoked about learning to ski that he took a bunch of his friends out to Colorado and taught them to ski. 2 years later I was living the dream in Colorado with my new wife. I have skied a lot of places and Canada was pretty cool and Colorado is my dream come true but Austria was incredible. It is so sad to see that Ski Butler is gone. If we don't do something about global warming, there won't be any ski resorts in the not too distant future. We have been in a drought for 10 years and our snow hasn't been epic for a while now.
Wanakenatransplant
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2oldboarders wrote: Sat Sep 04, 2021 7:51 pm I don't know if anyone even checks these boards but I actually skied and snowboarded at Ski Butler. I lived in Nashville TN at the time (1993) and had a co-worker that wanted to learn to ski. At the time you could buy a weekend pass from Friday at 6PM till Midnight Sunday night for $56 I think. They closed 3 times a day for an hour to groom but other than that it was 24 hours! I thought it was a pretty cool place but was really small. I taught my friend the first evening and had him linking turns in about an hour and a half. He was working his way down the Venetian Way run. At about 2 hours in, the strap on my left ski boot snapped and the ski shop had nothing to repair it with. As these were rear entry boots, I tried to use a bungee strap from the car but it wouldn't hold so I parked a ski and went to their advanced run Spectacular Bid and just decided to work on one ski (it improves outside edge control). I was standing atop the last drop before the lift station waiting for all the yahoos to get out of my way, when a ski patroller came up to me and asked me if I need help getting down. I told him, I was just waiting on the cross traffic to clear out when he noticed I only had one ski and he freaked out. I said I don't need another ski as I parked it at the lift station on purpose. He said I couldn't ski on one ski and to wait there and I said see you later and took off for the lift station. I got set for my chair and the lift operator went to stop the lift and I said don't stop the lift, I'm fine on one ski. I told him to make sure they didn't stop the lift at the top so I could get off but they stopped it anyway. I hopped off and went to make another lap as they patroller was yelling at me from the lift. I got to the bottom and the lift operator said you still don't have your other ski and I said I know my left boot is broken but I don't need it and please tell them not to stop the lift at the top. From then on I was able to make several laps until the patroller waited for me at the bottom and said I had to have 2 skis to ride the lift. I said fine and decided to go get my snowboard out of the car. They said hey you can't snowboard here and I said why not? Because we don't allow them and I said if you can catch me then I'll take it off and proceeded to blaze past them. They chased me for about an hour and I ducked in to the woods until the coast was clear and kept riding till they shut down to groom. We went inside and grabbed a hot chocolate and went back out till about 2AM. Went to the hotel we rented and crashed till mid-morning. Ate breakfast and headed back up for the day. I found a different guy in the repair shop and we were able to rivet a spare strap on my boot so I could ski with my friend. We left to eat dinner and take a quick nap and went back out Saturday evening and stayed again until 2AM. Went back to the hotel and decided to check out and hit the slopes for a few more hours before bagging it and heading home. I heard about Perfect North back then but I never got the opportunity to try it out. My friend was so stoked about learning to ski that he took a bunch of his friends out to Colorado and taught them to ski. 2 years later I was living the dream in Colorado with my new wife. I have skied a lot of places and Canada was pretty cool and Colorado is my dream come true but Austria was incredible. It is so sad to see that Ski Butler is gone. If we don't do something about global warming, there won't be any ski resorts in the not too distant future. We have been in a drought for 10 years and our snow hasn't been epic for a while now.
Thanks for sharing. I really enjoyed reading your post. The best one in months!
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brigand
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I'm intrigued by the idea of 24 hour skiing. Would be fun to do an all-nighter at least once.
2oldboarders
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Wanakenatransplant wrote: Thu Sep 09, 2021 6:57 pm
2oldboarders wrote: Sat Sep 04, 2021 7:51 pm I don't know if anyone even checks these boards but I actually skied and snowboarded at Ski Butler. I lived in Nashville TN at the time (1993) and had a co-worker that wanted to learn to ski. At the time you could buy a weekend pass from Friday at 6PM till Midnight Sunday night for $56 I think. They closed 3 times a day for an hour to groom but other than that it was 24 hours! I thought it was a pretty cool place but was really small. I taught my friend the first evening and had him linking turns in about an hour and a half. He was working his way down the Venetian Way run. At about 2 hours in, the strap on my left ski boot snapped and the ski shop had nothing to repair it with. As these were rear entry boots, I tried to use a bungee strap from the car but it wouldn't hold so I parked a ski and went to their advanced run Spectacular Bid and just decided to work on one ski (it improves outside edge control). I was standing atop the last drop before the lift station waiting for all the yahoos to get out of my way, when a ski patroller came up to me and asked me if I need help getting down. I told him, I was just waiting on the cross traffic to clear out when he noticed I only had one ski and he freaked out. I said I don't need another ski as I parked it at the lift station on purpose. He said I couldn't ski on one ski and to wait there and I said see you later and took off for the lift station. I got set for my chair and the lift operator went to stop the lift and I said don't stop the lift, I'm fine on one ski. I told him to make sure they didn't stop the lift at the top so I could get off but they stopped it anyway. I hopped off and went to make another lap as they patroller was yelling at me from the lift. I got to the bottom and the lift operator said you still don't have your other ski and I said I know my left boot is broken but I don't need it and please tell them not to stop the lift at the top. From then on I was able to make several laps until the patroller waited for me at the bottom and said I had to have 2 skis to ride the lift. I said fine and decided to go get my snowboard out of the car. They said hey you can't snowboard here and I said why not? Because we don't allow them and I said if you can catch me then I'll take it off and proceeded to blaze past them. They chased me for about an hour and I ducked in to the woods until the coast was clear and kept riding till they shut down to groom. We went inside and grabbed a hot chocolate and went back out till about 2AM. Went to the hotel we rented and crashed till mid-morning. Ate breakfast and headed back up for the day. I found a different guy in the repair shop and we were able to rivet a spare strap on my boot so I could ski with my friend. We left to eat dinner and take a quick nap and went back out Saturday evening and stayed again until 2AM. Went back to the hotel and decided to check out and hit the slopes for a few more hours before bagging it and heading home. I heard about Perfect North back then but I never got the opportunity to try it out. My friend was so stoked about learning to ski that he took a bunch of his friends out to Colorado and taught them to ski. 2 years later I was living the dream in Colorado with my new wife. I have skied a lot of places and Canada was pretty cool and Colorado is my dream come true but Austria was incredible. It is so sad to see that Ski Butler is gone. If we don't do something about global warming, there won't be any ski resorts in the not too distant future. We have been in a drought for 10 years and our snow hasn't been epic for a while now.
Thanks for sharing. I really enjoyed reading your post. The best one in months!
Wow, Thank you for liking my post! I was in the process of putting my Snow Sports Resume' together as I was going to teach at a resort here in Colorado again but they did not value my talents as much as I value myself and the requirements were insane. I have been teaching skiing for 38 years and teaching snowboarding for 20. Haven't taught for a resort for 18 years but the friends and neighbors I have taught say that I'm pretty awesume! I used to have a travel agency with some work buddies in the late 80's- early 90's and we would take busloads from VA to WVA and taught people off of the bus with me being the "head" of the "ski school" and my partners my instructor staff. Everyone was liinking turns and loading and unloading the lifts before lunch! Never had a dissatisfied customer! I actually taught my wife to ski when we were first dating and seh was using some old rental skis that someone had left on the bus years before when I was a trip captian for a different ski company. We put our boots on in the parking lot and walked down to the snow. When I told her to buckle her boots, she said I can't get them buckled and that was when I noticed she had them on the wrong feet! I immediately thought this is going to be a looooong day but by the end of the day she was skiing parallel from the top of the intermediate run! *Half of that was my "superior instruction" but the rest was my wife's atheletic ability. She became one of my ski instructors and once we moved to Colorado, she followed me to snowboarding and we ride thru the trees on expert terrain. One day we were on a double black diamond at Beaver Creek and she said she liked her skis becasue she could do steeper terrain when I had to pull out the trail map and show her we were on a double black! I think I'll keep her. Really too bad about Ski Butler.
A bit of nostalgia. Ski Butler was nice little mountain and had I been a local, the truant officers could have picked me up there whenever they had snow!
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