User:Hob Knob Inn

Hob Knob Inn, Stowe Vermont's First Ski Lodge

“Hob-nob” is a term that was made popular in the United States during the 1920’s. It means to associate on very friendly terms, to drink and chat together. The term was frequently followed by the word “with”, as in “She hob-nobs with royalty”. It is believed that the name Hob Knob Inn was derived from combining this term with the fact that the Inn is built on a hill, or knob.

The Hob Knob was designed by Boston architect Royal Barry Wills, and built by Stowe resident and artist Ken Hoyt. The accommodations were spartan by today’s standards – tiny rooms with bunk beds hosted 14 guests. The large dining room and lounge were constructed with hand-hewn beams from an abandoned barn on West Hill. The massive fireplace was built with stones from local fields.

The first recorded descent of Mount Mansfield by a skier was in 1912, but it was not until 1933 that the Civilian Conservation Corps cut the first official ski trail. In 1936, the first rope tow was installed on the Toll House slope and skiers could get a “lift” for ten cents. The following year the Hob Knob was built as the first lodge in Stowe designed primarily for skiers. It opened the day after Christmas 1937 and among the guests that first week were C. Minot Dole, a founder of the National Ski Patrol and Roland Palmedo designer of some of the nation’s first chair lifts.

The tradition of hospitality that was begun at the Hob Knob in December of 1937 is still continued today.