The Mountaineer Influence in Northwest Skiing
by Robert H. Hayes
p. 16
During the past few years it has been the privilege even of many of the Club’s younger members to witness the extraordinary development and growth of the ski sport in our Northwest. It is a far cry from that small group of persistent Mountaineers making the first winter explorations of the Lodge country on skis, to the rapidly increasing throngs one now finds at all of the available present-day ski centers.
Snoqualmie Pass a few years ago was almost as remote and mysterious in winter as is Little America today. It was not only an event but an actual achievement for anyone outside of the initiate to visit the Summit in the winter months. Longmire afforded the more venturesome facilities for tobogganing and snowshoeing, and those hardier souls who secured skis and thereby risked their limbs were the source of curiosity and amusement to the onlookers. Paradise remained a remote outpost and beyond visits by successive Mountaineer Winter Outings and the hardiest of the snowshoe clan, there was little activity to interrupt the calm progress of King Winter’s reign.
From the small nucleus of the Club’s active skiers the idea spread enthusiastically. Many of our members, who called a halt to their mountaineering pursuits when the winter snows made the going too difficult, discovered in skis a new medium, enabling them to extend their activities through the entire twelve months. Others of the Club found joy in the sheer pleasure of this exhilarating new sport. The Lodge, formerly almost deserted in winter, became so overtaxed that it was necessary to establish new facilities to accommodate our members, and the Club, quick to respond to the situation, provided Meany Ski Hut as the answer.
The vital question of equipment was met and solved by our pioneer group. European catalogues were secured and studied intently; the various problems were discussed at length with the local outfitters, and in a short time through the pressure of these determined spirits, it was possible for the beginner to equip himself not only completely, but, more important, properly, from local sources of supply. Today it is possible for one to acquire a complete outfit in a single call at any of several of our more progressive sporting goods shops, and a large part of it, it is gratifying to state, of local manufacture.
As the movement gathered strength within the Club, intelligent instruction was provided, augmented by stimulating competition. It became apparent to the novice that the mastery of skis was no mysterious matter; that the expert was no super-being to be regarded with awe. He, too, by intelligent application might become adept. It was not long before the Club possessed a highly competent body of men and women fully capable of traversing our mountain country safely and pleasurably on skis.
p. 17
It would be foolish, indeed, to expect that for long this movement would confine itself within our Club. The Mountaineers had found the way. Others were quick to follow in their footsteps, or, should I say their ski-tracks! Probably no other sport offers to its participants the rich rewards of pleasure and companionship and health that skiing presents to its followers.
It was only natural that new organizations should spring up, bringing increased facilities for the enjoyment of the sport and providing in their turn new sources of stimulation. Skiing became a matter of public interest and the growth continued apace. Highway facilities were extended and improved and the uncertainties of mountain travel in winter entirely removed.
Today one finds Snoqualmie Pass no longer an isolated stretch of wilderness, but a veritable community of ski organizations affording the present-day skiers almost every comfort and convenience of home for his peregrinations into the snowy regions. Parking facilities for over a thousand cars are scarcely ample to accommodate the throngs drawn to this center in fine weather at the height of the season. At Longmire the snowshoer has been supplanted by swarms of novices experiencing their first thrills in the new sport on the crowded practice courses afforded by that place. A winter colony has sprung up at Paradise and each week-end finds scores of competent skiers indulging in their favorite pastime not only on the nearby slopes, but ranging all the way from Camp Muir to the rugged Tatoosh.
Recreational skiing, because of its broad appeal, has permanently established itself as a major sport in the Pacific Northwest. It has brought to many a fuller knowledge and appreciation of the inspiring mountain playgrounds that lie at our disposal. The growth of the sport to date has exceeded the expectations of even the most enthusiastic. It is not possible to venture a safe prediction as to what proportions it may yet attain. Knowledge of the part our Club has played in getting this great movement under way should be a constant source of gratification to every member of the organization.