In 1970 Martha Coughlin, a young ski racer, took her dream of making the United States Ski Team to coach Warren Witherell. She asked him to help her train and study throughout the winter season. Warren's new permanent coaching clinic at Burke Mountain and a farmhouse with bunkspace nearby provided the setting for the birth of Burke Mountain Academy.

When Warren founded BMA he brought a completely new approach and perspective to ski racers and the racing community. Not only did he bring ground breaking new techniques and methods to the sport, in building the nation's first ski racing academy he redefined the importance of developing the complete individual as student, athlete and a person of character. From its inception, the Burke philosophy has been about equal passion and commitment to excellence in athletics, academics and in personal contribution to one’s community.   We believe strongly that this balanced approach is the corner stone to success in any one of these single endeavor's and in life beyond high school and ski racing.

Warren went on to author a follow-up to his revolutionary book How The Racers Ski with The Athletic Skier in 1993. And finally, spanning two decades, he is currently finishing his much anticipated One School That Works, the story of Burke Mountain Academy.

Warren was inducted into the Alpine Skiing Hall of Fame in 1998, the Water Ski Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Vermont Ski Museum Hall of Fame in 2006.

Warren Witherell remained as BMA’s headmaster through the mid 80’s. He had founded the first ski academy which became the model for all others which, collectively, provides the USSA with most of its ski team members. Warren was succeeded as BMA headmaster by former Burke teacher and coach Finn Gundersen,  who remained until 1999.  Kirk Dwyer, the current BMA headmaster,  left his role as an assistant headmaster at another ski academy to take the reigns at Burke in 2000.