Historic mountaintop stone cabin gutted by fire reopens

STOWE, Vt. – A historic mountaintop stone cabin gutted by an accidental fire caused by the sons of a snowboard company founder has been rebuilt.

Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin travelled to the top of Mount Mansfield for a reopening ceremony on Tuesday and called the rebuilt stone hut “truly magical.”

“I am so proud of the Vermont Department of Forest Parks and Recreation for rebuilding this Hut in under 11 months — just in time for ski season so visitors can take advantage of one of the most unique experiences Vermont has to offer,” Shumlin said in a statement.

The family of Burton Snowboards founder Jake Burton Carpenter donated $150,000 to the reconstruction.

The state-owned stone hut is rented out in winter by lottery. It’s expected to be ready for overnight guests on Dec. 1, barring construction or weather delays.

Police say the snowboard company founder last December asked his two sons to get the cabin prepared for a friend by stoking a fire in the woodstove. The sons placed wood against the stove to dry, left the stove door open with a log against it and then left. The guest didn’t show up, and the hut caught fire.