08/11/2026
HE DREAMED IT. HE DID IT. REMEMBERING CHANNING MURDOCK.
Channing Brown Murdock, 91, passed away peacefully on July 8, 2026, with his two sons by his side.
More than six decades ago, Channing and his wife, Jane, saw possibility where others might have simply seen an old dude ranch and a wooded mountainside. With vision, determination and an extraordinary willingness to do the work themselves, they created Butternut Basin.
When Butternut opened in December 1963, Channing and Jane were just 28 years old — the youngest ski area owners in the nation.
What followed was far more than the building of a ski area. Channing built lifts, cut trails, made snow, designed Butternut's logo, created advertisements, cooked hamburgers, welded equipment and worked alongside generations of employees. There was scarcely a part of Butternut he did not touch.
Today, his influence can still be felt across the mountain he helped create and throughout the wider ski industry he spent decades helping to advance.
We remember Channing with gratitude for the mountain he built, the people he brought together and the remarkable legacy he leaves behind.
A memorial will be held at noon on Sunday, October 18 at Ski Butternut. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to YES. You can make a gift in Channing’s memory at yeskids.org/donate
We invite you to read Channing’s full obituary, a beautifully told story of his remarkable life, adventurous spirit and the extraordinary legacy he leaves behind : https://skibutternut.com/the-mountain/mountain-info/history/the-vision-behind-butternut-remembering-channing-murdock
