Location: Binghamton, NY
Status: Demolished
Broome County is home to many notable parks located in several of its towns. From Dorchester Park in Triangle, to Hawkins Pond in Windsor, many of these county owned parks are well-known by those who live within the area. One of the most unique recreational areas that is also maintained by the Broome County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Youth Services is the Aqua Terra Wilderness Area. Aqua Terra (as it’s commonly referred to) has 466 acres of land that is divided into two parts for two very different experiences. The North side of the park has flat land that is mostly used as a more relaxing hiking trail. Along with that, there’s also a 6-acre pond on the property where fishermen are often spotted on a sunny day casting their line. The South side, however, is home for those who are looking for a challenging hike up the steep mountain that’s on the property. Some of these people who have taken this adventurous hike may have noticed some odd things that linger on the side of some of the trails that may not seem like they should belong there. Well, these seemingly random objects that include a broken fence, a light fixture, and more were once used long ago when this side of Aqua Terra was known as Innsbruck USA. What was Innsbruck USA? Why don’t many people in the area remember it? All these questions and more will be answered as we take a look at the brief history behind Innsbruck USA.
Innsbruck USA was a mid-sized ski resort that was built by Milton A. Rozen of Binghamton. Opening Day for the resort was December 18, 1965. For the price of admission, Rozen charged everyone 1 cent per pound of how much they weighed (ex: if someone weighed 175 lbs, they would pay $1.75 and so on), which wouldn’t be something that would fly by nowadays! Despite this odd way of paying, guests had a great time during the opening day as they skied on the multiple trails throughout the mountain, relaxed at the lodge where the cafeteria, ski shop, and field stone fireplace were located, and skated on the outdoor ice-skating rink.
Innsbruck USA Grand Opening Ad. Source: Pressconnects
The ski area featured two side by side 485' vertical T-bars (with at least one having a midstation) that brought skiers to the summit of Lucky Hill, where they could descend on such trails as the wide but steep Bregenz slope, or the easy winding Wein trail. A shorter beginner 150' vertical J-bar served a couple of open slopes near the base of the area and a cheap but useful snowmaking machine was used to help produce artificial snow into the trails. By 1972, the Innsbruck ski resort expanded to 11 trails and 3 open slopes.
Innsbruck USA Trail Map. Source: Pressconnects
Within its first season of opening, businesses was booming for Innsbruck USA as competitors such as Greek Peak and Hunter Mountain struggled to keep up. The main demographic for Innsbruck was middle class families and individuals as there were many activities to take part in including a ski school, a night club, and movies and fashion shows that took place in the lodge. Unfortunately, this success wouldn’t last long as it started quickly going downhill for the business in the following years.
It’s not sure why, but Milton A. Rozen leased the property to Keith Fawcett of Endwell in September of 1968. After having the property for less than a year, Fawcett went bankrupt and the Bethany Colony Ltd., along with ‘other owners’ took over Innsbruck USA. Throughout the multiple ownerships, the resort itself started slowly falling apart with the first instance being the Tucker sno cat used for the slopes sliding off the trail and into the woods during the 6th season. It was left there for years since it may have cost more to retrieve it and fix it since it was an older model. Cashflow problems also started to arise during the resort’s 1975-76 season since the business was spending between $70,000 and $80,000, which was more than they had at the time. One of the major problems that would eventually end Innsbruck USA was their overdued electric bills that totaled to $9,700. This conflict didn’t seem like a big deal at first as then Owner of Bethany Colony, William F. Helbling, called this a ‘side issue’ for the resort. As a result of not paying their outstanding bill balance, the power to the Innsbruck USA Ski Resort was turned off by the power company in February of 1977, signifying the end of the local resort.
Despite the business saying the upcoming 1977-78 season will be a ‘good season’, the property remained closed as not only was equipment being sold off, but the land itself was abandoned and starting to get vandalized by some locals. After the closure, Bethany Colony Ltd. And Sayre Pa Saving and Loan Association (who were one of the ‘other owners’) were suing each other since Sayre was the holder of $309,000 worth of mortgages on the Innsbruck property. The litigation was expected to last at least a year. Helbling left New York State during this time and refused to ever return, leaving behind a $3,000 debt and the mortgage on half of the property that was shared with Sayre Pa Saving and Loan Association. Even if there was interest in bringing back Innsbruck, it would cost $100,000 to repair the 350 acres of abandoned land. Nothing was done with the land for the years after the closure until 1979 when the building that once housed the lodge was set on fire by vandals.
Newspaper article describing the former Innsbruck Lodge catching fire. Source: Pressconnects
In the 1980’s, the Town of Vestal was interested in purchasing the land that was around the former Innsbruck USA. Their plan was to create a park that would be a “winter wonderland” that included a 1,000-car parking lot, 2 campgrounds, 3 picnic areas, a 20-acre lake for swimming, and large skating rinks for hockey and ice skating. The remains of the ski resort would be used for tobogganing and beginning and intermediate ski trails. While this seemed like a great spiritual successor to the resort before it, the plan was scrapped since the town wasn’t given a fair price by the First National Bank who owned the property. Vestal would later open Leland L. Jones Park as a space for winter sports. The Broome County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Youth Services would later purchase the property and name it the Aqua Terra Wilderness Area after the pond that is on the land.
As of March of 2024, much of what is left of Innsbruck USA is hidden in the mountains of Aqua Terra except for the Bregenz Trail. The sign for this trail is still visible once you make your way to the top of the mountain. In this area, there is a clearing which may have been the Lucky Hill Summit. The pond that was used as the outdoor ice-skating rink is visible from the parking lot on the left side. While Innsbruck USA didn't last as long as its competitors, some of those who had been there within its 12 years of services remember it fondly as many moments there have been shared with friends and families from around Broome County.
This has been the story behind Innsbruck USA.
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