The Onondaga Ski Club's story begins with the simple allure of "white stuff" falling from the sky and accumulating on the ground - snow. This snow, when combined with skis or "boards," transformed into an opportunity for thrilling winter recreation. The club's history is rooted in the shared passion for skiing and the desire to create a community around this exhilarating activity.
The Early Days: Bellevue Jr. High and Woodlawn Reservoir
The club's origins can be traced back to a group of fellows at Bellevue Jr. High School. Their shared interest in skiing continued through high school and college, flourishing until 1944, with a pause during World War II. As early as 1934, this small group skied on Woodlawn Reservoir. Lacking established ski areas in the vicinity, except for Turin, NY, they embarked on exploratory drives, seeking suitable locations. One of these areas eventually became known as Toggenburg.
The group even claims to have "discovered" what became known as "Little Tuck" in May 1936. They investigated the area near Labrador (Lake) Pond and inquired with the State about the possibility of establishing trails. The inquiry was passed on to the Civilian Conservation Corps (C.C.C.).
The Spark: Ernie Hirschoff and the Liverpool Sports Center
Ernie Hirschoff is considered the driving force behind the formal establishment of the Onondaga Ski Club. Ernie, who owned the Liverpool Sports Center, inquired about the interest in forming a club during one of his Center's ski shows. The response was enthusiastic, with a number of hands raised. Ernie then invited this group to a meeting the following Monday night at the Center.
Approximately 15 to 20 individuals attended the meeting. Among them were Bruce Bolton, who drafted the club's first legal documents, and Bob Wall, who became the club's first president. Bob later wrote a column on skiing for the Syracuse Herald. Another original member was George Earle, a professor at Syracuse University. At his home in the LaFayette area, he had a rope tow and conducted the club’s ski school there for many a year.
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It is thought that he convinced the university to acquire some land south of the city thereby creating what became widely known as “Little Tuck”. He was the coach of the Syracuse Ski Team, and was able to open up the Trophy Room in the old Archbold Gymnasium for meetings of the Onondaga Ski Club. The first meeting took place on Monday December 7th, 1953. The original minutes of this meeting are below, giving you the actual sequence of events that led to the formation of the ONONDAGA SKI CLUB.
Little Tuck: A Labor of Love
Best of Ski The East: Stowe Above Treeline
In the early years, club members dedicated countless hours to developing and maintaining Little Tuck. Unlike modern ski areas, the members were responsible for all aspects of hill maintenance. This included removing trees, cutting brush, purchasing and installing rope tows, and ensuring their upkeep. Members even constructed a "chalet."
Syracuse University was very benevolent to the club because the “rent” for the use of the area was $10 a year, on yearly bases. OSC owned the equipment, and S.U. was happy with the arrangement.
From Archbold to Vermont: A Lodge of Their Own
Meetings were initially held at the Archbold facility, then the T. Later on, the club rented ‘lodges’ in the Whiteface Mountain area. The first discussion on the club purchasing their own lodge took place in 1965/66. In 1967, this topic was placed on the table until future president Art Zimmer grabbed the ball and ran a zigzag pattern for a touchdown in January of 1971.
As a result of Art's efforts, the Onondaga Ski Club acquired a lodge in Lower Granville, Vermont. This lodge provides members with affordable lodging and lift ticket prices near excellent skiing destinations.
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The Ski Show: A Source of Both Success and Stress
The Onondaga Ski Club also organized ski shows as a way to promote the sport and raise funds. The next year we rented all of Drumlins, which consisted of several meeting rooms, a large hallway and the stage area. The sale was in one room, the exhibits in the ballroom, in other rooms were movies and demonstrations as well as a fashion show on the stage. We packed the entire place, sold out all the exhibit space, and for the first time attracted an exhibitor from out of state (Mt.
Over the years there was a lot of discussion at the ski show committee as to whether major conflicting events would affect attendance at the ski show. Just about every other year a home S.U. One year a fairly new member came “charging in” with her stories of her marvelous PR/marketing skills and experiences. I started to get nervous when after three days and six messages on her answering machine I had not heard from the PR chairperson.
A couple of close personal friends of the PR chairperson who were on the board made a motion that I be required to pay the advertising bills out of my own pocket. After a hot debate and a lot of criticism heaped on me, the motion was narrowly defeated.
There are many more stories I could tell about my 16 years with the ski show and 35 years as an Onondaga Ski Club member, but enough for now. Retyped by Michael P.
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