Alpenglow Ski Mountaineering History Project

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Don Havlin - Personal Communication

Conversation, 28 June 2001
by Lowell Skoog

Don has for many years been historian of the Cascadians in Yakima. He welcomed me into his home and allowed me to browse old Cascadian annuals not available at the Yakima Valley Museum (YVM).

Don said the first ski hill in the Yakima area was cleared near Selah Gap in the 1920s. Later the first hill in the Morse Creek area was "Quartermile", 1/4 of a mile up Morse Creek from the Chinook Pass highway. Later improvements were made farther up Morse Creek in the Gold Hill area. Later still, the American River ski bowl was constructed at the northern foot of American Ridge. The ski bowl had warming facilities and several ski tows. The club tried to get permission for facilities at Chinook Pass, but was never successful. Club members were heavily involved in the creation and management of White Pass Ski Area. Don mentioned that the proposed Hogback expansion at White Pass remains unresolved to this day and is the subject of disagreement within the club.

Don said that the Sherpas were all members of the Cascadians who just happened to live in Ellensburg. Several were former Cascadian presidents and they all remained members of the club. He didn't think the Sherpas ever maintained separate records. Many significant Sherpa climbs are documented in the Cascadian annuals.

Don has the Cascadian photo archives, including pictures of C.E. Rusk. He looked through photos from the 1920s and didn't find any of skiing.

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