Wisp Ski Resort

Wisp Ski Resort opened in the winter of 1955-1956, when Mr. Heise formed Recreational Industries, Inc. and first offered skiing on Marsh Mountain. A local farmer’s cow pasture became a makeshift ski area, with a one-room hut heated by a pot-bellied stove serving as the first lodge, the bed of a pick-up truck serving as the first ski rental shop, and a single slope, The Face, serviced by a rope tow. In the winter of 1956-1957, Recreational Industries made its first attempt at snowmaking with equipment resembling lawn sprinklers that emitted frozen pellets of water. In 1965, the first double chairlift, Chair #1, was installed, allowing skiers for the first time to ski from the top of Marsh Mountain. In the winter of 1966-1967, snowmaking was active on the mountain, and from 1971 to 1979 the resort added 16 slopes, more lights, more snow makers, and a hotel at the base of the slopes. Over the years, it grew from a former cow pasture into one of the premier destinations in the Mid-Atlantic.

Maryland · United States