History

• Royal Trail Works was registered by the State of Vermont, as a certified trade name on April 7, 1998. Tom Wells founded the business in the summer of 1997.
   
• The first two construction seasons consisted of building cross country trails for the equestrian world. These same trails would also be used for skiing and snow shoeing in the winter months.
   
• By 1999, with 23 consecutive ski seasons under his belt, Tom decided to take Royal Trail Works where his lifelong interests have been; the alpine ski industry. That summer brought the difficult task of constructing the lift line at Ascutney Mountain Resort that would host the new detachable quad chairlift the following summer.
   
• Royal Trail Works deep regard for the environment and vast erosion control practices have been a key factor in the on-going relationship with the Stowe Mountain Resort. Royal Trail Works has been involved in trail renovations, snowmaking installations, snowmaking repairs, drainage, erosion control measures, waterbar maintenance, sign and snow gun tower base drilling, culvert replacement, etc. for the construction seasons of 2000 through 2005 was highlighted by the honor given to Royal Trail Works to widen the steep Hayride trail to meet sanctioning specifications by the FIS for race trails.
   

• During the summer of 2002, a Royal Trail Works crew also renovated parts of the Upper Dipper race trail at Burke Mountain in East Burke, Vermont to meet F.I.S. sanctioning.
   

• In 2004 the long awaited Spruce Peak Expansion began in Stowe with Royal Trail Works leading the way for the trail improvements as well as the site work for the new Sunny Spruce Quad chairlift.
   

• The expansion kicked into high gear in early May of 2005. Royal Trail Works recontoured over 12 acres of the Main Street Trail as well as the site work for the new Big Spruce Quad Chairlift. A mid-August deadline was met in this huge construction project.
   

• The fall of 2005 brought Royal Trail Works crews to both Burke Mountain and Bolton Valley Resort. At Burke Mountain crews installed over 10,400ft. of frost free snowmaking pipe, built one new ski trail, built and installed 2 new valve houses, installed 4 new  pumps, installed 60 new HKD snow gun towers as well as the site work for the new quad Sherburne chairlift.
   

• At Bolton Valley crews built a new ski trail, installed 5,300 ft. of snowmaking pipe, installed 18 snowmaking valves, installed 36 sets of hydrant couplings for snowmaking hydrants, seeded and mulched existing ski trails after a logging company cleared for a new ski lift, completed the site work necessary for the construction of the new quad Vista chair lift by a lift construction company.
   

• The summer of 2006 brought Royal Trail Works crews to the steep race trails of the Middlebury College Snow Bowl. The FIS required the widening of both the Allen and Ross race trails for safety. This widening project consisted of drilling, blasting and moving over 11,000 cubic yards of rock in order to recontour over 8 acres on these two steep race trails.
   

• Royal Trail Works crews also installed snowmaking pipe and a valve house at Suicide Six Ski Area and constructed a half pipe of dirt at the Bear Creek Mountain Club in Plymouth, VT during the 2006 construction season.
   

• During the summer of 2007 Royal Trail Works assisted Loon Mountain Resort, constructing 4 acres of new ski terrain on the South Peak project.
   

• Royal Trail Works had the honor of building the snowmaking system at Cochran's Ski Area in 2007.
   

• Also in 2007 Royal Trail Works assisted the Dartmouth Skiway and World Cup Supply in the first A-Net installation on the east coast.
   

• More FIS sanctions on race trail safety led Royal Trail Works to the Dartmouth Skiway during the summer of 2008. The steep Worden's race trail as well as the Thomas race trail had extensive drilling, blasting and major excavation in order to widen the two trails for the safety of collegiate ski racing.
   

• Royal Trail Works crews widen the Willoughby and Bear Den trails at Burke Mountain Resort during the 2008 construction season as well.
   

• Also in 2008 Royal Trail Works constructed the middle section of the Ripsaw ski trail at South Peak of Loon Mountain Resort. This middle section of Ripsaw has an overall summer grade of 60%. The trail construction was completed by Tom Wells of Royal Trail Works without the aid of a winch. There is a picture on the Home page of this web site of the Ripsaw trail taken by helicopter. Tom is standing on the machine.