Ski bowls and sledding hills have a rich history, evolving from simple recreational areas to comprehensive winter sports destinations. This article explores the history of several notable ski bowls and the evolution of sledding hills, highlighting their unique features and contributions to winter recreation.
Sledding in the snow
Bald Hill Ski Bowl: A Long Island Memory
The town of Bald Hill, more commonly known as Farmingville, was once home to a very reputable ski hill, known as the Ski Bowl. The Bald Hill Ski Bowl got its name because the town of Farmingville was once referred to as Bald Hills. The complex was skillfully placed on one of the highest points on Long Island, taking up an area of 69 acres. This land was owned by the town and it was the idea of the Town Parks Department to develop a skiing area.
Construction for the Bald Hill Ski Bowl began in December of 1964. The Ski Bowl would include a 850-foot run as well as two other slopes, one for beginners and one for novices. It also provided an area for sledding. Operating from 1965-1980, this area had Long Island’s only overhead cable lift, a T-bar, as well as two rope tows on a vertical drop of 200. In order to provide adequate snow for the slopes, even on days where it did not snow, two snow-making machines were put in place. Opening in 1965, the Ski Bowl was instantly a hit, there were over a thousand visitors on opening day.
Visitors were able to rent equipment as well as take ski lessons. For adult residents of Brookhaven the cost to take ski lessons was just two dollars and for resident children it was only half of that. The complex was open seven days a week. During the day, it was open from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm, and from 6:30 pm to 10:30 pm during the nights. It provided the visitors with a genuine feel of a real ski area with all of its factors such as the T bar lift, and the authentic German music they played.
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The parking lot for the area was on the top, and there was minimal snowmaking. While the exact reason for closing is not known, changing weather patterns and a lack of snow certainly played a role. The Ski Bowl was turned into an amphitheater after the Brookhaven Town Board voted to cut the funding of the Ski Bowl after 15 years of operation because of the lack of snowfall. Currently, the area that was once the Ski Bowl is now the Brookhaven Amphitheatre and Cultural Center. It was turned into an amphitheater because the residents of the town of Brookhaven wanted a cultural center that would provide an area for the performing of musical and visual arts. To raise money for it, a group called the “Cultural center” began a campaign to earn $500,000. They were able to obtain the money through corporate and private donations, as well as federal and state grants.
Plumas Ski Club: A History of Firsts
The Plumas Ski Club has a long and storied history, marked by numerous milestones:
- 1800's: Miners hold ski races on 14-foot "longboards."
- 1957: Purchased a used military half-track with a rope for access.
- 1957: Installed a summer road from Johnsville to the parking lot.
- 1958: Used an old shed as a "warming hut."
- 1958: Plumas County paved the access road and parking lot.
- 1969: Built restrooms.
- 1970: Installed a fourth rope tow.
- 1973: Purchased a second snowcat.
- 1975: Installed a second poma lift.
- 1987: Cut brush on all runs.
- 1988: Purchased a used L.M.C. snowcat.
- 1993: Held a "World championship longboard revival" race.
- 1994: Received a cargo van for use as a poma bar repair shed.
- 1997: The last rope tow is abandoned.
In February 1997, the ski club was forced to close due to mechanical failures. However, through community efforts, the ski hill reopened in January 1998 with one lift operating on Saturdays only. By March 1998, it fully reopened with both lifts operating. In May 1998, the community launched an "all out" effort to raise funds to rejuvenate the ski hill, recognizing the need for capital improvements and a strong marketing strategy.
North Creek Ski Bowl: A Pioneering Ski Area
Nicknamed "Little Gore" and "Old Gore," the historic North Creek Ski Bowl in North Creek, NY, is a pioneering ski area in the United States. The Ski Bowl property opened in 1934 as a small, downhill skiing site. The idea for a winter sports destination in the Southern Adirondacks came from Vincent Schaefer, a meterologist and Schenectady native. After much planning and trail work, the first snow train from Schenectady brought 378 skiers to the future location of the North Creek Ski Bowl on March 4, 1934. The snow train was extremely popular and helped showcase North Creek as a prime ski destination.
In the winter of 1935, Carl Schaefer built NY State's first ski tow at the Ski Bowl. From the 1940s-1960s, the North Creek Ski Bowl continued to grow in popularity. In 1946, the Gore Mountain Ski Corporation purchased the Ski Bowl's assets. However, in the early 1960s, competition arose with the opening of the adjacent Gore Mountain ski area. In the early 21st century, plans for Ski Bowl Village, a ski-in/ski-out site were announced, and public skiing was brought back to the Ski Bowl. ORDA manages the Ski Bowl in winter as part of Gore Mountain's seasonal recreational activities.
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Visitors can enjoy alpine skiing and snowboarding, freestyle fun, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, and more at this hub. Not only that, but the site features snowmaking and lights, so you can experience twilight skiing/riding if you'd prefer. Over the years, ORDA has worked hard to make the Ski Bowl accessible by connecting it to Gore, and now visitors can travel between them via a combination of lifts and trails. During the warmer months, the Town of Johnsburg takes over management of the community complex.
Mt. Hood Skibowl: A Hub for Winter Activities
Mt. Hood Skibowl's origin dates back to 1928, making the resort one of the oldest remaining ski resorts in the country. The ski area began as two separate resorts Skibowl and Multorpor. The resort boasts the biggest night skiing acreage in America. It also has the best night skiing acreage in all of America. That’s because most ski areas offer a couple of groomed runs along a single lift. Not Skibowl. In addition to skiing and snowboarding, Skibowl offers a wide range of activities for non-skiers and riders of all ages, including Mt. Hood’s only conveyor assisted Snow Tube Park, the World’s Only Cosmic Tubing®, and Frosty’s snow play area.
At Mt. Hood Skibowl, you’ll find a wide range of activities, for skiers and non-skiers to make the most of your winter adventure. Stay at one of our conveniently located lodging options, where you can wake up and walk straight to the Snow Tube Park or the lifts. Take a lesson to hone your skills, without having to worry about traffic or parking. For those looking for an adrenaline rush, take a snowmobile tour through the scenic terrain offered by our sister company, Mt. Hood Outfitters. No matter what your level of experience or interests, Mt.
With 37 night lit runs, Mt. Hood Skibowl Offers The Most Night Skiing Terrain In North America” - Ski Magazine. After a long day of skiing and snowboarding at Mt. Hood Skibowl, treat yourself to some delicious food and drink. Skibowl offers a variety of dining options to suit all tastes, from quick bites at the base lodge to full-service restaurants. Come experience the superb cuisine at Mt. You’re in for an unforgettable winter experience!
Snowbird Ski Resort
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With a variety of activities to choose from, convenient lodging options, and delicious dining choices, you’ll have everything you need for an epic mountain adventure. Don’t forget to book your lessons and snowmobile tours in advance, to ensure you make the most of your time on the mountain. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a first-time visitor, Skibowl offers something for everyone.
Hyak and Snoqualmie Pass: A History of Skiing Innovation
Since the early 1900’s skiers have been coming to Hyak and Snoqualmie Pass. The ski bowl at Hyak was originally called the Snoqualmie Ski Bowl but after World War II, the Snoqualmie Ski Bowl was re-named the Milwaukee Ski Bowl; it boasted that it had the largest ski jump in North America when the Olympic Ski Trials were held there in 1947. Skiing was a growing sport and big changes were on the way. In 1941 a Class-A national ski jump was built at Hyak. That site became a pre-qualifying area for Olympic Ski Jumping competitions; it was known then as the largest ski jump in North America. That same jumping site can be viewed today from Hyak along the Cold Creek Nordic Trail.
In 1938, skiing in the Pacific Northwest was revolutionized with the opening of the Snoqualmie Ski Bowl at Hyak. The railroad-Milwaukee, Pacific, Chicago, St Paul-known as Milwaukee Road-- had built a 2.3-mile tunnel under the pass to avoid the snow that was closing its surface tracks. Hyak, a rail stop, was at the eastern end of that tunnel and was where they decided to open a new ski area; originally, it was known as the “Snoqualmie Ski Bowl”, later it became “The Milwaukee Ski Bowl”. Located 2 hours by train from Seattle and Tacoma, the Ski Bowl with its modern lodge and “J-bar” (an overhead cable ski lift) quickly became a popular destination for skiers. Getting to the ski area was almost as much fun as skiing there because the train had “reserved seating”, a food car, jukebox car with dancing and a hot-waxing-skis- car set up with hot irons.
After the war, the area re-opened. Now it had the famous “Tally-ho Skiboggan” (also known as the “Skigram”). This was the first high capacity ski lift on Snoqualmie Pass. The Skiboggan/Skigram was a huge double sled carrying as many as 32 standing skiers up the mountain. A new rope tow was also available to those who wanted to go even higher.
Canadians creating epic DIY sledding tracks
Camden Snow Bowl: A Coastal Gem
The Camden Snow Bowl is a municipal ski area located on Ragged Mountain in Camden, Maine. Opened in 1936 during the Great Depression, it is one of the oldest continuously operating ski areas in New England and the only ski area on the East Coast with ocean views. Since the town of Camden provided the land, it cleared the way for assistance from federal New Deal agencies. The marquee attraction of the Snow Bowl's early years was the "Winter Carnival," a tradition that began in 1936. The Camden Parks and Recreation Department manages and/or maintains more than 700 acres of town property and several facilities, including parks and numerous trailheads, overlooks, sections of the Riverwalk, the (former) tannery property, various boat launches, and the Camden Snow Bowl facility and grounds.
Camden Snow Bowl
After surviving multiple lean snow winters in the 1950s, plans were developed to keep pace with the skiing boom of the 1960s. By the 2020s, the Snow Bowl began expanding beyond winter skiing operations to address seasonal revenue challenges and facility underutilization during warmer months. The master plan includes proposals for an expanded lodge facility with retail space for sporting equipment sales and rentals, improved trail systems to accommodate different skill levels for mountain biking and hiking, and potential adventure recreation features.
In 2010, the double chairlift was taken down and placed in storage. Once fundraising efforts were achieved in 2014, construction started. Every lift was taken down, but a new magic carpet and triple chairlift along with LED lights, allowing for night skiing, were in place by the beginning of 2015. The Snow Bowl is the only ski area in the contiguous United States to have clear view of the ocean, which can be seen from the summit of the triple chairlift. Despite its small size, under 1,000 feet (300 m) of vertical, the Camden Snow Bowl features 3 lifts-one magic carpet, one double chairlift, and one triple chairlift.
The National Toboggan Championships
The Camden Snow Bowl hosts the U.S. National Toboggan Championships on its 400-foot wooden toboggan chute, which terminates on frozen Hosmer Pond. The toboggan chute is the country's only remaining original, gravity-operated wooden chute of its kind. Tobogganing started in Camden in 1936 during the first Winter Carnival. The chute was made of wood and covered in ice, allowing participants to slide down in their sleds.
Volunteers partake in a slow process of building up layers of ice on the wood chute every night before a race. This is done through a "Rube Goldberg" invention in which bags of water with small holes are pulled up by hand. The cool temperatures before dawn freeze the water, creating the slide. Similar to the luge, sleds fly down this icy chute at hurtling speeds, as fast as 40 miles per hour (64 km/h). Every year, the Toboggan Championships are held across from the Camden Snow Bowl.
Key Milestones in Ski Bowl History
Here's a table summarizing key milestones in the history of the ski bowls discussed:
| Ski Bowl | Key Milestones |
|---|---|
| Bald Hill Ski Bowl | Opened in 1965, operated until 1980, featured Long Island’s only overhead cable lift. |
| Plumas Ski Club | Founded in the 1800s, hosted longboard revival races, faced closures and reopenings due to mechanical issues. |
| North Creek Ski Bowl | Opened in 1934, hosted snow trains, site of NY State's first ski tow, managed by ORDA. |
| Mt. Hood Skibowl | Origins in 1928, offers night skiing, snow tubing, and various winter activities. |
| Hyak Ski Area | Evolved from Snoqualmie Ski Bowl, hosted Olympic Ski Trials, featured the "Tally-ho Skiboggan." |
| Camden Snow Bowl | Opened in 1936, only East Coast ski area with ocean views, hosts U.S. National Toboggan Championships. |