January 08, 2013
It's ski time! With all the beautiful snow finally here, even if you are not a skier yourself you likely know someone who is. At the historical society, we have a wide collection of ski photographs dating from the early 1900s to present day. Most of the images focus on the Club and specifically Mt. Whitney and the large, modern lodge built there in early 1960. Below is an excerpt from Barbara A. Campbell's 2008 book Inside the Club which highlights the early days of Mt. Whitney.

"At Mt. Whitney, the Club ski area, the T bar was installed in 1946. That was one of the reasons they hired Austrian Benno Ryizka. Bill Hovey was director of the Bruce Fenn Ski School at Mt. Whitney. There was the main slope and another half slope and the way to the top was very narrow. "We had too many people at the top of the lift which created a big hazard as people were getting off everywhere. Every year we did a little more work to widen the upper slope, put in another T bar and trail, the Hovey trail. The 1960 T bar was poorly located," said Bob Reynolds, manager of Mt. Whitney. Cal Lewis, greens keeper, worked for Reynolds at Whitney.

In the beginning of the Mt. Whitney ski slope, the lodge had a pot-bellied stove and a table that could probably seat 12 people. There were two outhouses, one for the men and one for the ladies. Reynolds decided it was a little tough in the winter to get out there so they installed a kerosene stove in each outhouse. The main ski lodge soon wasn't big enough so it was lengthened but that didn't suffice. A wing was then put on each end. The whole building was finally moved to the River Road skeet field in three pieces so a new ski lodge could be built in its place.

Skiers and the Mt. Whitney Lodge. Early 1960s
Skiers and the Mt. Whitney Lodge. Early 1960s

Tony Allwork was the architect for the new Ski Lodge, which was completed in 1962. Water was supplied by a spring and reservoir half way up the mountain. The grounds superintendent at that time used to drive out there in the summer to check on the progress. "One day we were driving out there and approached the lodge. The grounds superintendent said "Look at that! That's a $5 horse with a $100 saddle!" He thought the new ski lodge was quite extravagant. The interior was all butternut wood. The fireplace took a long time to building because board members would come out and make changes to the plans. Downstairs there was rental equipment and they sold mittens and hats. Eleanor Majewski sold coffee at the food counter. She'd get out to the Ski Lodge early in the morning, make the coffee and make up her own hamburgers. The beverage manager Jim Pymyer and parties also turned extravagant with wines and the best brands.

Grooming the slope at first was done by Reynolds and the ski staff skiing up and sidestepping all day long. Then they got rollers. They would go up the T bar and ski down with the rollers behind them. "Every now and then the roller would bounce right over your head. Instead of being in front, we'd be behind the roller," Reynolds said. The roller was a three-to-four foot wide drum of wooden slats. Two Thyacol Sprite snowcats with four treads replaced the drums.

For Christmas and New Years the Club had 24 or 25 instructors as most people wanted private lessons. There were ski races at Mt. Whitney on Washington's Birthday with silver bowls presented to the winters by George Carroll, then Club Manager.

Reynolds wanted to have snowmaking equipment perhaps to counteract Dewey's statement about "Never have a good winter." In the early 1970s a well was driven at Mt. Whitney that could have supplied good water for snowmaking. Unfortunately, the board did not see the wisdom of snowmaking and decided night skiing, still dependent upon rather than overcoming the weather, would be much better. The lights were put in.

Skiers at top of Mt. Whitney
Skiers at top of Mt. Whitney

The main slope was most challenging. Reynolds insists it is true he was on the slope teaching when it was 50 degrees below zero and a bright sunny day with no wind!"

For modern day skiers used to the conveniences of today's mountains (chair lifts, snowmaking, and snow cats), these early days of skiing likely sound quaint and make some want to shake their heads in disbelief. What I take from these early skiers is the desire to engage in their passion no matter what the circumstances. Hopefully you will find time to enjoy the slopes this year. Appreciate the indoor plumbing!

Skiers and the Mt. Whitney Lodge. Early 1960s
Skiers and the Mt. Whitney Lodge. Early 1960s
Skiers at top of Mt. Whitney
Skiers at top of Mt. Whitney

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