The Stone Hut is a Civilian Conservation Corps building on the summit ridge of Mount Mansfield in Stowe, Vermont, constructed in 1935 as a warming hut for skiers and outdoor workers on the mountain. It stands near the Octagon — the high-altitude visitor facilities area at the top of the ski lifts — at Long Trail mile 8.8 in Division 10, and is reached in winter via the ski lifts of Stowe Mountain Resort. The hut is not a Green Mountain Club structure and not a Long Trail shelter in the conventional sense: it is owned and managed by the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation, and a hiker could walk the entire Long Trail end to end without knowing it exists. Yet for nearly half a century the Stone Hut has been the summer home of the GMC’s Mount Mansfield summit caretakers, and its story is inseparably entwined with the Club’s ranger-naturalist program. In winter it served as the premier ski-in, ski-out lodging on the mountain, managed by Smugglers’ Notch State Park and later Vermont State Parks. On Christmas Eve morning, 2015, it burned to its granite shell — the result of an accident involving the sons of Jake Burton Carpenter, founder of Burton Snowboards, who had reserved the hut that week. The Carpenter family ultimately contributed $150,000 toward the estimated $276,000 restoration, with state insurance and public donations covering the remainder. Within a year the hut was restored and reopened. After 2023, it appears that the Stone Hut no longer served as the GMC caretaker summer home, closing a chapter that had begun in the 1970s.
Setting: The Summit Ridge of Mount Mansfield
Mount Mansfield is Vermont’s highest peak, its summit ridge tracing a profile that early observers thought resembled a human face in repose — the Forehead, Nose, Chin, and Adam’s Apple forming a nearly mile-long ridge above 4,000 feet. The Stone Hut stands near the Octagon, the cluster of summit facilities that grew up around the top of the ski lifts, close to the quad chairlift. Paul and Joanne Woodward’s Long Trail System Shelter History (1999) places it at "mile 8.8 — Division 10" of the Long Trail and notes that it "accommodates a Ranger Naturalist who manages the crowds of people visiting the mountain in the summer season." Located on state land administered by the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation, the hut occupies a position that connects Mount Mansfield’s two distinct identities: as a backcountry hiking destination with a Long Trail running across its ridge, and as the site of one of Vermont’s premier ski resorts.
The summit environment is alpine — exposed, wind-scoured, and subject to rapid weather changes. For GMC caretakers stationed there each summer, the Stone Hut offered shelter from conditions that would otherwise make extended residence on the ridge difficult or impossible. For winter visitors, the combination of mountain-top location, stone walls, and wood stove made it the most dramatic ski accommodation in the state.
Origins: The CCC on Mount Mansfield (1935)
The Stone Hut was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1935, completing its work into the winter of 1935–36. The CCC’s presence on Mount Mansfield was part of a broader deployment of CCC labor across Vermont’s mountains in the 1930s, cutting ski trails, building shelters, and improving recreational infrastructure at a moment when the state was beginning to develop its identity as a winter-sports destination. On the eastern slopes of Mansfield, at Ranch Camp in Ranch Camp Valley, CCC workers had cut the Bruce Trail — "the first trail on Mount Mansfield specifically for skiing" — as early as June 1933, helping to launch the ski era that the Stone Hut would serve.
The hut was conceived as part of "the original design for the primitive recreational use of Mount Mansfield," as the Winter 2000 Long Trail News put it, and it predates Stowe Mountain Resort as an institution. Its construction in stone — granite walls built to last — distinguished it from the wooden lodges and lean-tos that characterized most Long Trail shelters of the era, and that distinction would prove fateful when the hut burned in 2015.
A Warming Hut and a Caretaker Home (1935–1999)
From its completion in the mid-1930s through the postwar expansion of skiing on Mansfield, the Stone Hut served its original purpose as a warming shelter for skiers and outdoor workers on the mountain. The Woodward shelter history notes the Mount Mansfield Company connection in its entry heading — "Mt. Mansfield Company Stone Hut" — reflecting the hut’s position within the resort’s infrastructure at a time when the Mount Mansfield Company operated the lifts and facilities on the mountain.
The hut’s second life began in the 1970s, when the GMC launched its ranger-naturalist (later, summit caretaker) program on Mount Mansfield. From that point onward, the Stone Hut served as the summer home of GMC’s caretakers stationed on the ridge, available to them from May through October. The Spring 2016 Long Trail News noted that "about 200 caretakers have been stationed at Stone Hut" over the decades, and that "it is a rare member of GMC field staff who does not have at least one story that begins ‘We were up at Stone Hut for the evening.’" Kevin Hudnell, writing as 2015 Field Supervisor, recalled his own first day: "I entered the Stone Hut, and discovered that, rather than the rugged living I had anticipated, I would be living in a palatial abode, complete with mattresses and a wood stove."
In winter, the hut’s management passed to Smugglers’ Notch State Park, which rented it out by lottery as what the Spring 2016 Long Trail News called "the preeminent ski in-ski out accommodation in the state." The Winter 1988 Trail Talk (Montpelier) gives a glimpse of the hut’s accessibility to organized groups: the Montpelier Section of the GMC offered members an opportunity to "stay overnight in Stone Hut, top of Mt. Mansfield. X-C ski in summit area; hiking to The Chin a possibility. Marvelous views day and night with nearly full moon." The trip was organized by section members Bob and Marilyn Wilson, who invested "considerable time and effort in arranging for members to stay on top of Mt. Mansfield — a closed hut with… the night of March 18."
The 2000 Renovation
The summer of 2000 brought major renovations to the Stone Hut. The work was led by the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation, with Susan Bulmer and Frank Spaulding of the Department spearheading the project. During construction, GMC’s summit caretakers relocated to Taft Lodge and to a ski patrol building made available by Stowe Mountain Resort, which the Winter 2000 Long Trail News thanked for the use of the space. The same issue noted that while the original work at the Stone Hut was underway, volunteer Cat Eich and friends had constructed a temporary woodshed and patched the roof with roofing tar to prevent leakage from melting snow — a stopgap measure while longer-term repairs were completed.
The 2000 renovation reflected the hut’s continuing importance both as a winter rental facility and as the summer base for the GMC caretaker program. By this time the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps had taken over winter management from Smugglers’ Notch State Park, and the hut’s dual role — state-managed ski accommodation in winter, GMC caretaker home in summer — was firmly established.
T### he 2015 Fire: The Carpenter Family
The Stone Hut had long been a beloved retreat for Jake Burton Carpenter, founder of Burton Snowboards, and his family. The Carpenters had reserved it by lottery at least twice a year for five years — three times in 2015 alone — using the state’s lottery system to book multiple consecutive nights and then sharing the hut with family and friends. Donna Carpenter, Jake’s wife and the CEO of Burton, later described it as "our refuge, a sanctuary in the world to us." The Carpenters’ attachment ran deep enough that Jake had named his only signature snowboard "The Stone Hut," hand-signing all 100 copies made in Burton’s Burlington prototype shop. The hut had been a Christmas tradition for the family: "When the kids were young, we tried to spend every Christmas Day at the Stone Hut," Donna said.
The 2015 Christmas season arrived with an additional weight for the Carpenters. Jake had spent much of that year paralyzed and unable to speak in a hospital bed, battling Guillain-Barré syndrome — a harrowing ordeal documented in a December 2015 New York Times feature. He was only recently recovered when the accident at the Stone Hut occurred.
On the afternoon of December 23, 2015, Jake asked his two sons — George Carpenter, 24, and Timothy Carpenter, 19 — to go up to the Stone Hut to prepare it for a family friend expected to stay that night. The brothers and a few friends rode the lift up, built the fire up big in the wood stove, and brought in wet wood from outside to dry. According to the Vermont State Police report, some of the wet pieces were leaned at an angle against the stove, their tips touching the hot metal, making a hissing sound as the snow melted. The group left at 2:40 p.m. — the lifts stop running at 4 p.m. — expecting the friend to arrive before then.
The friend never came. By evening the brothers realized this, and they considered climbing back up on foot, but — as the police report recorded — "figured if there was a fire, it had already happened." They never called anyone to alert them about the stove. Once the wood dried against the hot metal, it caught; the fire spread to the wooden rafters, floor, and bunk beds.
A Stowe Mountain Resort lift mechanic discovered the Stone Hut fully engulfed at 7 a.m. on Christmas Eve morning. The Stowe Fire Department battled the blaze until 1:30 p.m., returned when it rekindled, and finally extinguished it at 8:30 p.m. Despite its name, much of the Stone Hut was made of wood, and nearly all of that was consumed — the rafters, floor, bunk beds, and roof. The granite walls, fireplace, and chimney remained standing. State fire investigators ruled the fire accidental, though they noted they reserved the right to change that finding if new information emerged. George waited two days to call the arson tip line and take responsibility, explaining he thought no one would be working on Christmas Day.
The loss struck the GMC caretaker community acutely. Kevin Hudnell, writing as 2015 Field Supervisor in the Spring 2016 Long Trail News, placed the fire within the long history of Long Trail shelter losses to fire — "over the last century more than thirty have burned" — and reflected on the bitter irony: "Misuse of the very wood stoves that made them so appealing destroyed many enclosed structures, including iconic Taylor Lodge." He closed: "But granite does not burn, and Stone Hut can be rebuilt, in time."
The Delayed Response and Public Fallout
For two months after the fire, the Carpenter family made no public statement. Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation Commissioner Michael Snyder told reporters in February 2016: "I’ve heard nothing from the family. Not one peep in any way, unofficially or through official channels." The Stowe Reporter made more than half a dozen attempts by email, Facebook, and telephone to reach the Carpenters, all unsuccessful. An executive at Burton cited overseas business travel and a packed schedule.
On February 18, 2016, the Stowe Reporter broke the story, naming the Carpenters publicly for the first time. The following day, VT Ski + Ride published the family’s account — the first time any of them had spoken on the record. Donna Carpenter explained that they had been traveling constantly for work and that the Stowe Reporter "has not been especially kind to us, so it is not a paper I respond to." She described the accident as an act of consideration gone wrong: "They went up there on a bad, rainy day to do something for others and made a dumb mistake." She also defended her sons: "These are not some spoiled kids who were negligent: They made a mistake, but they owned it and went to the police on their own."
The simultaneous public revelation also drew attention to a separate controversy: the Carpenters’ pattern of reserving the hut through the lottery, booking multiple consecutive nights and distributing them to family and friends. Some observers alleged this effectively gamed a system with a 15% success rate for ordinary applicants, in apparent tension with rules that treated multiple requests from the same party as attempts to bypass the lottery.
Restoration and Funding
The estimated cost of restoration was $276,000. State insurance covered a substantial portion after the $100,000 deductible. Jake and Donna Carpenter pledged $100,000 immediately and offered to match whatever additional donations the public contributed through Vermont Parks Forever, the foundation for Vermont State Parks. Total donations reached $162,000, with $150,000 coming from the Carpenter family.
Commissioner Snyder acknowledged the Carpenters’ offer while noting the hut’s public nature: "It’s owned by the people of Vermont, by statute." He welcomed any help but was careful not to allow the Burton/Carpenter brand to lead the campaign, given the breadth of community interest and the state’s management role.
The restoration process was complicated by the building’s historic status and its sensitive alpine location. An Act 250 permit was required, and work had to comply with historic preservation standards and fire safety codes that were, as the Fall 2016 Long Trail News noted, "especially stringent after the recent fire." On the plus side, as that same issue confirmed, "the fire did not seriously damage the hut’s CCC-built stonework" — the granite walls that had defined the building since 1935 remained structurally sound.
During the 2016 summer season, with restoration underway, the GMC built three temporary tent platforms at Taft Lodge to house its summit caretakers. The Summer 2016 Trail Talk (Montpelier) reported that the state hoped to begin rebuilding that summer. The Summer 2017 Long Trail News confirmed the outcome: "Historic Stone Hut on Mount Mansfield reopened for rentals during the winter of 2016, following extensive renovation in the wake of a 2015 Christmas Eve fire that left it in ruins." The wooden interior and roof were rebuilt to specifications as close as possible to the original 1935 structure, with safety improvements to the wood stove system. The temporary tent platforms at Taft Lodge were dismantled and their lumber reused to replace rotting puncheon on the Long Trail ridgeline. The GMC’s caretaker program returned to the restored hut, and the Summer 2017 Long Trail News closed the chapter: "We are pleased to again be the summer stewards of Stone Hut, and would like to thank Forests, Parks and Recreation for their continued support of the caretaker program."
Sources
Long Trail News, Winter 2000, p. 8. Green Mountain Club. ["Mansfield’s Stone Hut Renovated": "This summer, the historic Stone Hut (a cabin built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s) underwent major renovations. The Stone Hut was part of the original design for the primitive recreational use of Mount Mansfield well before Stowe Mountain Resort (SMR) existed. Today the Stone Hut is used by the GMC’s summit caretaker program from May through October. During the remainder of the year, the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps manages the hut for winter sports enthusiasts."]
Long Trail News, Spring 2016, p. 16. Green Mountain Club. [Kevin Hudnell, 2015 Field Supervisor: "Stone Hut Fire" — account of the December 24, 2015 fire; history of the hut’s role in the GMC caretaker program; built by the CCC in the 1930s as a warming hut for skiers; rented by lottery via Smugglers’ Notch State Park in winter; approximately 200 caretakers stationed there since the 1970s.]
Long Trail News, Winter 2016, p. 17. Green Mountain Club. [Dave Hardy, Director of Trail Programs: notes that the December 2015 fire "forced us to get an Act 250 permit for three temporary tent platforms near Taft Lodge to shelter our summit caretakers there."]
Long Trail News, Fall 2016, p. 17. Green Mountain Club. [Dave Hardy: Stone Hut restoration process underway; Act 250 permit obtained; "the fire did not seriously damage the hut’s CCC-built stonework"; temporary tent platforms at Taft Lodge for GMC caretakers during restoration period.]
Long Trail News, Summer 2017, p. 20. Green Mountain Club. ["Stone Hut Fully Restored": "Historic Stone Hut on Mount Mansfield reopened for rentals during the winter of 2016, following extensive renovation in the wake of a 2015 Christmas Eve fire that left it in ruins. Owned and operated by the Vermont Department of Forest, Parks and Recreation and managed by Vermont State Parks, Stone Hut was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1935 as a warming hut for workers on Mount Mansfield."]
Trail Talk (Montpelier), Winter 1988, p. 3. Montpelier Section, Green Mountain Club. [Editor’s note: "Stone Hut Overnight on Mt. Mansfield — Marilyn has invested considerable time and effort in arranging for members to stay on top of Mt. Mansfield — a closed hut with… the night of March 18."]
Trail Talk (Montpelier), Winter 1988, p. 4. Montpelier Section, Green Mountain Club. [Outing schedule: "Saturday & Sunday, 18 & 19 March — Opportunity to stay overnight in Stone Hut, top of Mt. Mansfield. X-C ski in summit area; hiking to The Chin a possibility. Marvelous views day and night with nearly full moon. Call leader by Wednesday for details on meals and transportation to Stone Hut. Leaders: Bob & Marilyn Wilson."]
Trail Talk (Montpelier), Summer 2016, p. 7. Montpelier Section, Green Mountain Club. [Section Director’s Report by Mike Wetherell: "GMC is also supportive of the State’s efforts to rebuild the stone hut on Mount Mansfield, following the devastating fire last fall. The State hopes to start rebuilding this summer; donations can be made online to support its efforts."]
Woodward, Paul & Joanne. Long Trail System Shelter History, 2nd ed. Waterbury, VT: Green Mountain Club, 1999, p. 77. ["Mount Mansfield Stone Hut / Mile 8.8 — Division 10."]
Woodward, Paul & Joanne. Long Trail System Shelter History, 2nd ed. Waterbury, VT: Green Mountain Club, 1999, p. 150. ["Mt. Mansfield Company Stone Hut / Located near the Octagon and the quad. chair 11 G, it accommodates a Ranger Naturalist who manages the crowds of people visiting the mountain in the summer season."]
Gardner, Tommy. "Christmas Eve Stone Hut fire on Mt. Mansfield traced to Carpenter family." Stowe Reporter, February 18, 2016. Republished by VTDigger, February 19, 2016. https://vtdigger.org/2016/02/19/stowe-reporter-christmas-eve-stone-hut-fire-on-mt-mansfield-traced-to-carpenter-family/ [Vermont State Police report details; timeline of December 23 events; George and Timothy Carpenter identified; Commissioner Snyder quoted: "I’ve heard nothing from the family. Not one peep"; restoration fundraising via Vermont Parks Forever; estimated $276,000 cost.]
Lynn, Lisa. "The Carpenters Pledge to Rebuild the Stone Hut." VT Ski + Ride, February 20, 2016. https://vtskiandride.com/stone-hut-carpenters-pledge/ [First published account of the Carpenter family’s perspective; Jake and Donna Carpenter quoted; $100,000 pledge plus matching offer; $150,000 total Carpenter contribution; family’s history with the Stone Hut; Jake’s signature "Stone Hut" snowboard; context of Jake’s 2015 Guillain-Barré illness; total restoration cost ~$276,000; $162,000 raised in donations.]
