Alpenglow Ski Mountaineering History Project Previous | Next | Home
Cascadian Annual, 1940-49
Cascadian Annual, 1940
p. 4, Zimmer, Dick, "The Ski Tournament"
The PNSA Northwest Combined Ski Championship was staged on February 10-11, 1940, by the Yakima Ski Club. The downhill race, held at Quartermile on Saturday, was won by Bill Redlin (men) and Gretchen Fraser (women). The slalom and jumping were held at the American Ridge Bowl on Sunday. Bill Redlin of Seattle won the slalom and one of the Ulland brothers won the jumping.p. 6, Anonymous, "Etching" (a poem)
Mid darkling pine,[At the memorial service for Marion Hessey on October 20, 2007, Pat Noonan said this poem was written by Chuck Hessey after watching Marion and several others ski a slope between Gold Hill and Crystal Mountain.]
A crystal hill
An eerie whine
Of wind. The thrill
Of biting air
And pungent tree,
The sudden flare of ecstasy
As skiers race
Down lacquered slopes
With all the grace
Of antelopes.
Their life-blood sings,
Their hearts are free,
Their feet wear wings
Of hickory!p. 8, Hassell, Bill, "Ski Trails For the Year"
Cascadian skiers enjoyed spring skiing at Tipsoo Lake and Yakima Park. "The tow surely saved a lot of work... The Park Service would not permit us to use it at Yakima Park, so we went back to walking up the hills." This indicates that the club moved their portable rope tow between Gold Hill and Tipsoo Lake.During the summer of 1939 the club picked out a new area, "and through the cooperation of the Forest Service, Charles Rankin, and willing hands, we moved the Circus Wagon back up to Quartermile... This time it is on our land and to the east of Quartermile." The new site wasn't used during the winter of 1939-40 due to light snowfalls. Instead the rope tow was taken into Clarence Truitt's cabin at Gold Hill and used there. At the annual Cascadian Day at Gold Hill, Charles Hessey is referred to as the "President of the Gold Hill Chamber of Commerce."
Cascadian Annual, 1941
p. 6, "Nuts in Winter"
This summary of the Cascadian ski season reveals the typical pattern. "It all started in November when Mother Nature was kind and dropped about two feet of beautiful snow for us at Tipsoo." Club members skied at Tipsoo Lake through Thanksgiving, then moved to Gold Hill after the highway to Chinook Pass closed. From the cabin at Gold Hill they skied Crystal Bowl, Pickhandle Peak and other slopes. Several members made a mid-winter pilgrimage to Sun Valley, then returned to ski Gold Hill until the road reopened to Tipsoo Lake. "The Cascadians' tow is 'put-putting away as usual [at Tipsoo] through the courtesy of Major Tomlinson and the Park Service."p. 12, "Cascadian Activities"
"Our Club owns a portable ski-tow, which is in constant use almost every Sunday, and for which use the Club charges only $1 a season to those members participating."
Previous Return to the Alpenglow Ski Mountaineering History Project home page Next