Co-Founder Of Massachusetts Ski Area Passes Away
Great Barrington, Massachusetts — One of the most important figures in Massachusetts ski history has passed away.
This week, Ski Butternut announced that Channing Brown Murdock passed away in early July. He was 91 years old.
He and his wife, Jane Murdock, bought a dilapidated dude ranch and converted it into one of the state’s premier ski areas. This is an impressive feat, considering that they were the youngest ski resort owners in the country at the time. He built the ski area by securing a loan from an initially reluctant bank and going door to door in town to find support. Butternut opened in December 1963 with a base lodge, a chairlift, and five rope tows. Over the years, Murdock built up the ski area, including the buildings, brand, and operations.
To say he was a ski industry legend would be an understatement. For one, helped shape safety standards in Massachusetts. He was one of the key individuals who helped get the Massachusetts Recreational Tramway Board created in 1968. In 1978, they held Butternut’s first Lift Maintenance Seminar, a tradition that would continue for three decades. This brought in lift maintenance workers from across the region. Some of his other accolades include founding the Massachusetts Ski Areas Association, co-founding the New England Ski Areas Council, serving as President of the Eastern Ski Operators Association, and serving as Chairman of the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) in the 1980s. He received the NSAA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002.
Channing’s life was forever altered following a biking accident in 1994, which left him with permanent impairments. This resulted in Jane taking care of him over the next two decades before he suffered further health complications. The Murdock family continues to own the ski area to this day and has also helped operate other ski areas, including Satan’s Ridge (now Ski Sundown) in Connecticut and Ski Blandford in Massachusetts.
In honor of Channing, the family is asking people to make donations to Y.E.S. You can read Channing’s obituary here.
About Ski Butternut
Opened in 1963, Ski Butternut has played a big part in Massachusetts ski culture. The ski area features 22 trails, 10 lifts, and a vertical drop of 1,000 feet. It’s bolstered by 100% snowmaking coverage, which helps out during freeze-thaw cycles. The ski area is also home to snow tubing. During the 2025-26 season, Ski Butternut opened a new fixed-grip quad chairlift. Jane’s Quad was named after co-founder Jane Murdock, who passed away in 2023.
Image Credits: Ski Butternut
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