Editor’s note: This story by Tommy Gardner was first published in the Stowe Reporter on Feb. 18.
The first family of snowboarding was renting the historic Stone Hut atop Mount Mansfield when it burned down Christmas Eve, but it remains to be seen if they’ll be involved in helping get the hut rebuilt.
Jake Carpenter, founder of Burton Snowboards, had the place reserved when it burned down in the early morning hours of Dec. 24, according to Vermont State Police.
Carpenter wasn’t responsible for causing the fire — police say his sons and their friends accidentally caused it — but he had the place rented for the whole week.
More than a half-dozen attempts over the past few weeks to reach the Carpenters — Jake, his wife, Donna, who’s the current CEO of Burton, and their sons — have been unsuccessful, whether by email, Facebook, or telephone, both at work and at home.
Multiple times, an executive at Burton said the Carpenters have been traveling overseas since early January, and said in an email this week, “This is our busiest time of year so their schedules are packed.”
State fire investigators have deemed the fire accidental, although the police report says investigators reserve the right to change that finding if more information surfaces.
But even as the long history of the popular warming hut on Vermont’s highest peak — it would have turned 80 this year — came to an end on Christmas Eve, there might be a second act. Donations are pouring in to get the Stone Hut rebuilt.
“We’re happy. More than happy, actually. We’re blown away,” Michael Snyder, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, said this week. “We still plan, and I say plan, to rebuild.”
Cause of the fire
According to the Vermont State Police report, George Carpenter and his brother Timothy, at their father’s request, had gone to the Stone Hut at 1:40 p.m. on Dec. 23 to leave some supplies for a family friend who was going to stay there that night.
The brothers and a few friends “built the fire up really big” in the wood stove, and brought in some wet wood from outside, which they leaned up against the stove to dry out, the report said.
“A few of the pieces were placed at an angle where the tip of the wood was against the stove and made a ‘hissing’ sound as the snow began to melt against it,” the police report reads.
The group left the hut and headed down the mountain at 2:40 p.m. About five hours later, they realized the friend they expected to spend the night at the hut didn’t show up.
The Carpenter brothers told investigators that at one point they thought about climbing up the mountain — the chairlifts stop running at 4 p.m. — but they “figured if there was a fire, it had already happened,” and it would take them about two hours to get to it.
“They stated they never called anyone to let them know about the stove,” the report reads. “In the morning, when they heard there was a fire at the Stone Hut, they went to the mountain to see if they could help, but the staff at the resort told them it would be best if they just let the firefighters handle it.”
A Stowe Mountain Resort lift mechanic discovered the fire at 7 a.m. on Dec. 24. The Stowe Fire Department battled the blaze until 1:30 p.m., but had to return a few hours later when it rekindled. They finally put out the fire at 8:30 p.m.
The state fire investigator said once the wood leaning against the stove dried out, it caught fire, and the flames spread to the rest of the wood structure.
Despite its name, much of the Stone Hut was made of wood, and much of it was consumed by flame, including the rafters, floor and bunk beds. Most of the stone, though, stayed upright.
Snyder said shortly after the fire that the state brought in a contractor to stabilize the structure and “got it buttoned up quite nicely.”
According to police, George Carpenter waited two days after the fire to call an arson tip line and take responsibility, telling investigators he waited until after the holiday because he didn’t think anyone would be working on Christmas.
Snyder said no one from the Carpenter family has reached out to him, either.
“I’ve heard nothing from the family. Not one peep in any way, unofficially or through official channels,” Snyder said.
Rebuilding effort
For a remote warming hut with few creature comforts, the Stone Hut has been a popular place to stay, despite a competitive reservation process and accommodations costing $225 a night. It is often booked for the whole winter season before the ski lifts even start running.
The Carpenters have been frequent guests. According to reservation statistics from the Department of Forests, the family reserved the place at least twice a year for the past five years. Last year, they had it booked three times.
Snyder said that, if the Carpenters “want to play a part in helping” get the hut rebuilt, they’re welcome to. But he said it wouldn’t be appropriate if the Burton/Carpenter brand were allowed to lead the charge, especially since so many different people are already offering their help, and since the place is managed by the Department of Forests.
“It’s owned by the people of Vermont, by statute,” Snyder said.
The Carpenters aren’t the only ones with strong ties to the Stone Hut. Snyder said the gamut of people wanting to help out runs from folks who “had one great experience up there and can’t imagine it being gone” to people with relatives in the Civilian Conservation Corps back in the 1930s. Those CCC volunteers built the Stone Hut, and their work is still seen on trails all over Vermont, and other works all over the country.
He’s heartened by the offers to help fund a rebuild. Vermont Parks Forever, the foundation for Vermont State Parks, is collecting donations on behalf of the state for the rebuild efforts through their website: vermontparksforever.org.
Between fundraising, insurance, and maybe some state money, Snyder is optimistic the Stone Hut could be rebuilt to historic specifications. But one thing’s certain: It can’t be done like it was in 1936. There are modern-day environmental permitting restrictions to be obeyed, delicate tundra ecosystems to be careful of, and historic preservation guidelines to heed.
“It’s a whole new world, and we have to deal with all that,” Snyder said. “But rather than bemoan that, we’re working hard toward getting it rebuilt. And we’re buoyed by the enthusiastic response.”
