The Yakima Valley Ski Club is preparing for the second winter of
operation in the White Pass region. The club has constructed a
two-story lodge, cleared the hillside, and is installing a new
rope tow. In 1952-53, two tows were operated, the main tow 1,330
feet long and a 550-foot intermediate tow located on the eastern
edge of the area. The new 550-foot rope tow will extend above
the main tow into the newly cleared area. Eventually the club
hopes to have a downhill run from the 6,700-foot summit to the
4,500-foot level of White Pass.
On March 14, 1954, a party of 28 skiers climbed to the top of the
butte above White Pass to explore the potential for a chairlift
there. The party included Yakima Valley Ski Club president Bob
Dietzen and Tieton District Ranger Harold Bowerman, along with
Jack Holt, Lex Maxwell, Russ Mims, Charley Rankin, Shirley Ward,
Ken Whitmire and others. The chairlift would be the crowning
achievement of a development that started as a ski club project.
It would have to be a private commercial enterprise since the
size of the project is beyond the ski club's scope.
Jim Sullivan, appointed general manager of the White Pass Co. in
the spring of 1957, was employed in the accounting department of
the Howe Sound Co. in Holden, WA. Sullivan and his wife were
largely responsible for the development of a small ski area at
Holden, which they operated for three years. The article
includes a good picture of Jim Sullivan.
For future
reference,
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