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Why a US ski resort changed its name from 'Suicide Six'
The resort is said to be one of the oldest ski areas in the United States.
A popular ski resort in Vermont in the United States - originally known as ‘Suicide Six’ - was urged for a name change rethink last month. Why? The resort admitted that there were "growing concerns about the insensitive nature of the historical name."
Now called ‘Saskadena Six’, the resort is located in the town of South Pomfret. In a statement posted in late June, it said that it “embrace(s) the increasing awareness surrounding mental health”.
"Our resort team embraces the increasing awareness surrounding mental health and shares the growing concerns about the insensitive nature of the historical name," the resort said in a post on its website last month. “The feelings that the word 'suicide' evokes can have a significant impact on many in our community,” it said in the statement.
The new name- ‘Saskadena Six Ski Resort’ - was chosen in order to honour the “original inhabitants of the land and the mountain’s multi-generational legacy and values of community, inclusion, adventure, discovery, and fun”. It added that the name sends a “powerful message of connection both to the deeper history of the mountain with the Abenaki nation and to the present-day community at large."
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"Much time, care, and thought has been invested in the process to choose a name more representative of our values, one that celebrates its 86-year history, honors the Abenaki tradition, and will welcome future generations," president of the Woodstock Inn & Resort Courtney Lowe said in a statement. The resort owns and operates Saskadena Six Ski Resort.
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Explaining the “six” name, the statement said that it was in 1936 when "U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame honoree Wallace "Bunny" Bertram picked the hill labeled "number 6" on a local map that highlighted potential mountains that could be the location for his rope tow-served ski area."
The resort is said to be one of the oldest ski areas in the United States. Bertram had installed a primitive rope tow system on the mountain in the 1930s - one of the first ski lifts.
