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American Ski Annual, 1935
* Lowell Skoog has a copy of each article marked with an asterisk.p. 5a: Photo by Orville Borgersen, "Paradise Inn" *
Fine photo of skiers and snow flocked trees outside the inn.
p. 5b: McNeil, Fred H., "As it Seems to the Northwest" *
The author describes impressions gained and lessons learned from the National Championships and Winter Olympic tryouts held on Mt Rainier in April 1935. He writes that the event was "probably the greatest thing that has ever happened for the sport on this continent." The results "jerked the poor old Pacific Northwestern ski ostrich's head out of the snow and he saw plenty." He notes that the Northwest has been provincial in the past, little aware of what was going on in New England and other regions. While the Northwest has "good rough and tumble skiers, good cross-country men, fair jumpers, we are far back in that delicate beautiful skill" of slalom and downhill racing exhibited by the New England racers.
John Woodward of the University of Washington was the top western finisher, placing fifth overall in the Olympic Tryouts behind Dick Durrance of Dartmouth, Robert Livermore of Hochgebirge, and E.H. Hunter and A.L. Washburn of Dartmouth. Don Fraser was unable to compete due to a training accident, but was nonetheless selected for the Olympic team. The author observes that the top finishers all had foreign training, either actually on terrain in Europe or from European coaches. Three of the top four finishers were coached by Otto Schniebs at Dartmouth. He writes that European trained instructors will be at some Northwest ski centers next season and that Northwest skiers will do more slalom and downhill racing than ever before and will institute the British ski tests. "We hope that our future 'champions' will be as truly great skiers as those of this past year."
p. 10: Proctor, Charles N., "The National Downhill and Slalom Championship--1935" *
A technical discussion of the races, with comments on course setting, conditions, and the techniques displayed by the racers. The author notes that Hannes Schroll, from Austria, appeared on the scene unexpectedly. Racers immediately wondered how Schroll rated in European skiing circles. Investigation of his record "placed him as one of the real top-notch runners in Europe and made the boys stop and take notice." The downhill had poor visibility on the upper part of the course. The author felt that the course "was a moderate test but not really difficult enough." He would have preferred a longer race over rougher and steeper terrain. The poor visibility and rutted snow "made the race a matter entirely too much of chance." Schroll won handily, with Durrance second. Darroch Crookes was the top western skier, finishing ninth.
Weather and snow conditions for the slalom were perfect. 7000 spectators lined both sides of the course. The author found the course "rather on the easy side; little of it very steep and on the whole rather open and straight forward." Hannes Schroll was noticeable for his technique: "Others rode their skis as if they could not be made to go faster while Schroll never once let his skis merely carry him but was always urging them on." Schroll won again, with Robert Livermore placing second. Otis Lamson and Hans Grage were the top western competitors, at fourth and sixth, respectively.
The women's event drew a small field of competitors, scarcely more than a dozen. Most were from the Washington Ski Club and no Eastern racers were present. The author felt it was not a representative field for the Women's National Championships. A table at the end of the article lists results for all events, including cross-country and jumping.
Important Note: In this article, the author lists Ellis-Ayr Smith as the winner of the women's slalom in his table on p. 181. However, in the text of the article (and in newspaper reports of the time) Ethlynne Smith is listed as the slalom winner. Presumedly, the latter is correct.
p. 12a: Photo by Orville Borgersen, "15 feet of Snow--Paradise Lodge" *
p. 12b: Photo by A.N. Nickols, "Schroll in the slalom." *
Hannes Schroll makes a turn between small flags with spectators in the background (fine).
p. 12c: Photo by A.N. Nickols, "Schroll in the downhill." *
Hannes Schroll takes a slope straight with hands high above his head. It appears he just came over a dropoff, beneath the clouds.
p. 68: Thompson, Ben, "Ski-Scraping Mt Baker" *
During the spring of 1932, Darroch Crookes, Don Henry and the author were spending a three-month skiing vacation at Mt Baker Lodge. They planned a five-to-six-day ski trip across the glaciers of Mt Baker, hoping to completely encircle the mountain and return to the Lodge. They packed a lightweight silk tent for three, eider down sleeping bags, a Primus stove, concentrated and dehydrated foods, ice axes, crampons and 100 feet of climbing rope for glacier skiing. Their packs were estimated at forty-five pounds.
On the first day they skied from Baker Lodge to the junction of the Rainbow and Mazama Glaciers. Snow began falling on the second morning and they decided to camp that night in the north crater, just a few hours away. I believe the "north crater" is what today is known as the Dorr Fumaroles (cfe-scrapbook) near the head of Mazama Glacier. The storm continued on the third day, so forsaking the summit they headed directly for Bastille Ridge and crossed the Roosevelt Glacier to Kulshan cabin. They spent two days in storm at the cabin, then on their sixth day climbed to Heliotrope Ridge and descended to a camp on Thunder Glacier. The next day they circled around the west side of the mountain below the Black Buttes, then dropped into the canyon holding the Deming Glacier. They climbed back up and camped above timberline near Easton Glacier. Low on food, they hoped to traverse the south and east flanks of the mountain all the way to Mt Baker Lodge in one day. On the morning of their eighth day they started out, but by 10 a.m. a lightning storm came up, so they retreated with glowing and buzzing ice axes to the Middle Fork Nooksack River and hiked fourteen miles to civilization.
p. 72a: Photo by Ben Thompson, "High altitude skiing." *
Skier above timberline with open slopes below, perhaps near Table Mountain.
p. 72b: Photo by Ben Thompson, "Our eyes swept..." *
Climber pauses on a ridge with peaks in the background.
p. 72c: Photo by Ben Thompson, "Camp in the crater of Mt Baker." *
Two men stand outside the tent with mists and a high ridge above.
p. 72d: Photo by Ben Thompson, "Clouds were rolling up." *
Two men ski a ridge above billowing clouds.
p. 75: French, Boyd, "From Roses to Skis in Ninety Minutes" *
Skiing on Oregon's Mt Hood centers around Government Camp, located at 4000 feet on the south slopes of the mountain about fifty miles east of Portland. In the winter of 1927-28 the highway department kept the road open to Government Camp for the first time. Prior to that it was possible to reach Government Camp in winter only by driving until blocked by snow (generally five to ten miles away), and skiing or snowshoeing the rest of the way. The author describes ski terrain around Government Camp and near Cloud Cap Inn on the north side of the mountain. Cloud Cap is generally accessible only in early fall or late spring. Skiing at timberline (not yet spelled with a capital 'T') currently requires a 3-1/2 mile climb above the highway from Government Camp. Two clubs currently maintain winter lodges at timberline and it is now "practically assured" that a hotel will be constructed there with the maintaining of an open road sure to follow. The author notes several active ski clubs, including the Cascade Ski Club, Mazamas, Wy'east Climbers, and Reed College. He acknowledge the contributions of the Forest Service and CCC to skiing on Mt Hood. The Forest Service and CCC are currently clearing a ski trail from timberline to Government Camp. Regarding ski mountaineering, the author writes, "It is an almost weekly occurrence for skiing parties to reach the summit at an altitude of 11,225 feet."p. 78: Hagist, Fritz, "A New Ski Country" *
A short introduction to the Mt Baker ski area. The article includes a photo by Ben Thompson looking east from Ptarmigan Ridge past Table Mtn to Mt Sefrit. Another photo by Bert Huntoon shows the NE flank of Table Mtn, site of the 1935 downhill course. Until the winter of 1934-35 only a few skiers visited the area because it required a long trek on skis from low elevations to the hotel. In the fall of 1934, Twentieth Century Pictures decided to film Jack London's "Call of the Wild" at the lodge. As a result, the highway was kept open all winter, allowing thousands of skiers to visit the area. The highway department decided to keep the road cleared of snow the following year. The Washington Ski Club established a ski quarters there and the Mt Baker Club began building a new clubhouse. Skiers from Seattle and Vancouver leased accomodations in cabins and rooms. The U.S. Forest Service announced plans to build a large public skier's hut. In April 1935, the Northwest Ski Association slalom championships were held from Panorama Dome to Terminal Lake, won by Don Fraser. That same month, the Washington Ski Club held an international downhill race from the summit of Table Mountain down the NE face, won by John Woodward.
p. 80: Pennyfeather, Oscar, "Notes on Waxing" *
Sage advice on the art of waxing, compiled after consulting authorities on the subject such as Longfellow, Shakespeare and Lord Byron. A sampling:
"5. Choice of wax. The really well equipped skier is never without six different waxes to match the six recognized varieties of snow, viz: cream of wheat, talcum, spun sugar, bromo-seltzer, marshmallow, and Alaska baked pudding."
"7. How to remove wax. (a) from the skis: let it wear off. (b) from hands, clothing, nose, back of sofa, rug: let it wear off."
"9. Wax for conversation. This is the most important aspect of waxing, and to be employed successfully the following points should be kept in mind: (a) never admit anyone else's favorite wax is any good... (d) argue violently with your friends; they too like to think they know all about wax, and nobody but a curmudgeon would voluntarily spoil their fun with a show of indifference."
p. 124: Binns, Ken, "Northwest Step-Taking Department" *
A report of activities in the Pacific Northwest Ski Association, with input from Earl Morrison of the Spokane Ski Club, Bob Smith of Leavenworth, Fred McNeil of the Cascade Ski Club, Carl Zapffe of the Seattle Ski Club, and Dr. Otto Strizek of the Washington Ski Club. The article notes that in 1934 at Mt Rainier accomodations consisted of the Paradise Lodge, 60 cabins, the Guide House (leased by Washington Ski Club), Dormitory, and cafeteria service only. In 1935 were added the Paradise Inn, 30 to 40 more cabins, and dining room service. At Mt Baker the state highway department guaranteed that the highway would be kept open, the Washington Ski Club leased the Cyrus Gates cabin, all other cabins where opened, and the Mt Baker Development Company adopted a European plan of operation of the Lodge.
p. 139: Bright, Alexander H., "On Equipment" *
Sticking his neck out, the author offers his choices of the best equipment for the average man, aimed at anyone just past the beginner stage, for an all-purpose outfit to cover the range of downhill racing, touring and playing on the slopes an trails. He discusses skis, edges, adjustment and location of bindings, wax, the binding assembly, ski boots and ski poles. Random advice: "One other tip from the racing standpoint is that if you would be a big Kanone, take your skis to bed with you the night before the race, for that is what goes on in the big time." He concludes: "Most of the equipment will work pretty nearly perfectly if you get the right man to use it."
p. 145: Dudley, Charles M., "On Equipment Notes" *
The author comments on skis, boots, bindings and edges. He argues that ski boots have become too heavy, as much as six or seven pounds per pair. Bindings have sacrificed comfort in touring for ease of adjustment and too great a margin of strength. He argues against binding downpull for the average ski runner and suggests using, at most, a spring of the Amstutz type. For edges, he prefers the type screwed onto the side of the ski over those fastened to the bottom or installed at a forty-five degree angle.
p. 147: Goodrich, Nathaniel L., "Editorials and Notes" *
Goodrich, of the U.S. Eastern Amateur Ski Assocition, is the American Ski Annual editor. He edited the Eastern Ski Annual in 1934. In 1935 the National Ski Association adopted that annual and renamed it. The NSA had only once before published an annual, in 1924. Of the upcoming Olympics he writes, "One fervently wishes that games could escape the blighting attention of politicians, social zealots, propagandists and promoters." After a visit to Snoqualmie Pass with the Mountaineers, he wrote: "There is more timber, rather too much." Writing about the downhill, he observes: "One former distinction between downhill and slalom has, most unfortunately, nearly vanished. It used to be said that in the former the runner could pick his own line, and that the man with the best feeling for country should win. Now that is true only of small and informal races."
p. 154a: Photos by A.N. Nickols, "Two Olympic skiers in the slalom at Mt Rainier." *
Fine action photos of Dick Durrance and Bob Livermore (taken at the same spot as the photo of Hannes Schroll on p. 12).
p. 171: McNeil, Fred H., "Activities of the Pacific Northwest" *
The author writes that the winter of 1933-34 (when the first Silver Skis was held) had an abnormally low snowpack. In the fall of 1934, a PNSA delegation headed by Hans Otto Giese went to Chicago to bid for the National Downhill and Slalom tournament and the national Olympic Team tryouts, and amazingly, bagged both events. The author includes a nice description of the ski jumping scene at Leavenworth.
This annual contains many advertisements for equipment and ski areas. Some of the equipment ads have photos or drawings of the gear.
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