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| Goldthorpe and Berndt - The Mount Pilchuck Ski Area Story |
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John Goldthorpe was Mt Pilchuck Ski Patrol Director from 1976-78. Timothy
Berndt was Patrol Director from 1978-80. The Mt Pilchuck ski area was born in
1951, when the state parks commission gave a permit to the Mt Pilchuck Ski Club
to develop a ski area. |
| It's not clear what, if any, facilities
the club installed at the time, but the authors write that "in 1953 a
lack of snow caused the closing of the ski area." Following this
attempt, the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission (WSPRC) obtained a special use permit from the U.S.
Forest Service (USFS) to develop and maintain a ski area at Cedar Flats. |
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The Mt Pilchuck Ski Area, under this new agreement, was launched by John Colter and his
mother in 1956. The area began with one rope tow. The Mt Pilchuck Ski Patrol was
started that year. |
| In 1958 the day lodge was constructed. Also in 1958 the entire area legally
became the Mt Pilchuck State Park. Creation of the park involved a land exchange
agreement between USFS and WSPRC, but the exchange never took place. This led to
problems later. By 1963, Pilchuck had three rope tows. |
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The main chairlift was built for the
1963-64 ski season and the lower chairlift was added in 1967, giving Mt Pilchuck
Ski Area one of the largest vertical rises in the Northwest. |
| The authors describe a pattern of snowfall
extremes, with lean snow years and years with too much snow to operate.
Ownership of the mountain concession rights changed hands several times,
the final owners being Steve Richter and Heather Recreation, Inc. |
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The winters of 1977 and 1978 were poor snow years. In 1976-77, the area was open
2-1/2 months and in 1977-78 just three weeks. 1977-78 was the last winter of
operation of Mt Pilchuck Ski Area.
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| The following year, in 1978-79, the ski
area was passed back and forth between USPRC and USFS, with each agency blaming the
other for lack of movement on a concession-lease agreement.
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Finally, due to uncertainty over their
ability to renew the lease, Heather Recreation, Inc. decided not to
continue operation. The authors write that it was the inability of
government entities to get together and make a decision that really
killed the area, not poor snow conditions or financial problems of the
ski area operators. The authors also blame Governor Dixy Lee Ray for working to kill the
state's only winter recreation park. Information at
Alpenglow Ski Mountaineering History Project
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