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Skiing from Top to Bottom: The History of Skiing in Canaan Valley
John Lutz

Southeastern Naturalist, Volume 14, Special Issue 7 (2015): 447–454

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Southeastern Naturalist J. Lutz 2015 Vol. 14, Special Issue 7 447 Canaan Valley & Environs 2015 Southeastern Naturalist 14(Special Issue 7):447–454 Skiing from Top to Bottom: The History of Skiing in Canaan Valley John Lutz* Abstract - I place the development of skiing in Canaan Valley in context by sketching the history of skiing around the world, across the US, and in West Virginia. After describing the state’s 13 downhill ski areas and the WV Department of Commerce’s feasibility study of four potential downhill skiing sites, I describe Canaan Valley’s five ski areas. I also describe the people of Canaan Valley’s ski industry, including their significant contributions. Several cutting-edge ski programs have been developed in Canaan Valley. Canaan Valley’s cross-county ski centers, both past and present, are described along with their impact on the local ski community. I conclude with opinions about the quality of Canaan Valley’s skiing experience, the economic benefits of skiing for Tucker County, and the future of skiing in Canaan Valley. World and National Skiing History This account of skiing in the Canaan Valley (hereafter, the Valley) is based on my memory and published stories from Auran (1966), Cohen (1985), Leich (2001), Randy (1987), and The Ski Club of Washington, DC (1987). Skis were first used in Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Russia; the first recorded use was ~4500–5000 years ago. Archeologists have dated skis found in bogs and marshes from that era, and have documented a 4000-year-old rock carving of a skier found in Norway. It is reported that during the Norwegian Civil War (~1200 AD), King Sverre sent two scouts on skis to carry the infant royal son, Haakon Haakonson, over the mountains to safety in the middle of winter. This event is still commemorated in Norway with an annual cross-coun try ski event. The first record of skiing in the US was in Wisconsin in 1841; the first downhill ski-race champion was crowned in the California Sierras in 1867. The ski pioneers raced straight downhill on 12-ft (3.7-m) skis at speeds of 90 mi (≤144 km) per hour. In the 1930s, the first rope tow was installed at Woodstock, VT, and Lake Placid, NY, hosted the Winter Olympics. Ski areas with lifts at Alta, UT; Sun Valley, ID; and Stowe, VT, also began operating in the 1930s. In the 1940s, after World War II, skiers from the 10th Mountain Division returned from Europe and helped start ski areas, like the one at Aspen, CO. The Early History of Skiing at Canaan Valley During the winter of 1949–1950, skiers from The Ski Club of Washington, DC (hereafter, the Ski Club) drove through West Virginia looking for snow. The next year they started installing a rope tow in the Valley. That ski area, variously *Department of Programs and Events, Timberline Four Seasons Resort, HC 70 Box 488, Davis, WV 26260; johnsammellutz@hotmail.com. Southeastern Naturalist J. Lutz 2015 Vol. 14, Special Issue 7 448 called Cabin Mountain, Driftland, or Little Tuckerman’s, was established during the early stages of the US’s skiing history. Two other private ski areas, both called Weiss Knob, were started in the Valley in the 1950s. Skiing pioneers created a total of 13 skiing areas in West Virginia, listed here in chronological order: in 1958, Bald Knob, Beckley; during the 1960s, Oglebay Park in Wheeling and Chestnut Ridge, Morgantown; during the 1970s, the Valley Resort, Alpine Lake in Terra Alta, and Snowshoe near Marlinton; and in the 1980s, Silver Creek near Marlinton, Winterplace near Beckley, Timberline Resort in the Valley, and Tory Mountain near Harman. Tory Mountain was partially built, but did not open. Of these, the following five are still operating: Snowshoe, Silver Creek, Canaan, Timberline, and Winterplace. In 1965, the success of the Valley’s early ski areas stimulated the WV Department of Commerce to commission a study on the feasibility of skiing in West Virginia. In its report, Checci and Company pinpointed four locations—Cabin Mountain in the Valley, Job Knob near Harman, Elk Mountain in Randolph County, and Spruce Mountain in Pocahontas County—as the best places to develop commercial ski areas. The study, however, did not lead to construction of ski developments at these sites. In the winter of 1949–50, the eastern US experienced an almost snowless winter. We know that two members of the Ski Club, Hal Leich and Gorman Young, headed to West Virginia to look for snow, but exactly what happened next is unclear. Some accounts say that airline pilots spotted snow in West Virginia and reported it to Leich. However, Art Kurle, a Ski Club member and early Canaan skier, said that Leich and Young used topographic maps and common sense to find snow. A third version claims that Leich drove through West Virginia in the 1940s, spotted the drift in Canaan, and then returned in 1951. In any case, they found snow. In February of 1951, Young and Leich knocked on Irene and Hobe Mauzy’s door at the southern end of the Valley and asked to ski the drift behind their house. The Mauzys heartily agreed and a decade-long relationship was born. After their skiing session, they stayed with Belmont and Irene Cleaver at the Worden Hotel in Davis. The Cleavers also ran a general store, which later added West Virginia’s first ski-rental shop, initially renting World War II army-surplus skis. The Cleavers’ grandsons, Ed and Tim Worden, both at Timberline Resort, are still part of the Valley’s ski industry. Ed is a ski-school supervisor and Tim is the race director. The day after their original skiing session, Leich and Young revisited the drift to ski. Local residents told them that the snow often stayed until July and that local residents hauled snow to the Platform—a popular dance hall near the current entrance to Canaan Valley State Park, later used for Park maintenance— to cool beer. Hearing these tales, the Ski Club decided to install a ski area. They signed a lease with the Mauzys and bought a used rope-tow in Oakland, MD. An old truck motor and chassis powered the tow. Fifty to 60 Ski Club members spent 800 person-hours digging holes for the lift, clearing rocks and stumps, and building a Southeastern Naturalist J. Lutz 2015 Vol. 14, Special Issue 7 449 warming hut. Several people, including Jim Myer, who was the Mayor of Davis; Mrs. Mauzy’s brother, Oscar; and other local volunteers provided roofing, tools, and a horse and wagon for hauling materials. The project cost about $800, an expense that drained the Ski Club’s treasury. Lift tickets sold for one dollar to members and slightly more to others. By the winter of 1953–54, ski racing was in full swing at Cabin Mountain and lift lines were long enough to justify installation of a second tow, which was completed for the 1954–55 season. The ski area’s lease was renegotiated at $100 per year plus 15% of the net revenue. The first Winter Carnival, held in February 1955, was the first such event ever held south of the Mason-Dixon Line. By this time, the ski area on Cabin Mountain was offering regular ski lessons—another first—and had formed a ski patrol. The Carnival attracted droves of skiers; cars were parked on the road as far as the eye could see. The weekend’s events included slalom races, costumes, a snowball dance in the Davis High School gymnasium, the crowning of the Carnival queen, and a blessing of the skis at St. Veronica’s Catholic Church. Also noteworthy was Ski Club-member Bob Barton skiing an early obstacle course. Later, he established two commercial ski areas in the Valley. In 1956, the second annual Winter Carnival attracted 2000–4000 people to Davis in time for Saturday morning’s parade, and traffic was backed up for 1 mi (1.6 km) in both directions. West Virginia’s Governor, William Marland, trekked up the slopes with the West Virginia Highlanders, a bagpipe band—complete with bagpipes and kilts—for the queen’s coronation. The weekend’s events also included ice-skating on Mallow Pond and a torchlight parade. Ski business continued to flourish the next season, and Governor Underwood signed a document proclaiming 28 January–3 February 1957 as West Virginia Ski Week. By 1958, the ski area included a rental shop and a new tow and slope. It was a great snow year, with the drift reaching 4.6 m (15 ft) high. In 1959, the entire Blackwater Falls Lodge was reserved for of f-slope Winter Carnival activities. Canaan Valley’s Recent Skiing History During the 1960 ski season, non-members outnumbered Ski Club members. The Club’s Budget and Finance Committee was forced to confront the following question: Do we continue operating as we are, do we expand, contract, or possibly even close out? The Ski Club decided to operate the ski area called the “drift land” through the 1961–1962 season, although it was hard to find volunteers to maintain it. Many other new ski areas had also opened, complete with elaborate base lodges and chair lifts, and skiers did not want to ride the Valley’s rope tows, sleep in station wagons, and use outdoor privies. Cabin Mountain’s base of skiers had seriously eroded, and when the area did not open for the 1962–63 ski season, it was the end of an era. Today the pasture and drift area are mostly overgrown, but it is still skied every year by a few dedicated local people who hike to it. As part of its 50th anniversary, several Ski Club members hiked to and skied the drift in 1985 and 1986. Southeastern Naturalist J. Lutz 2015 Vol. 14, Special Issue 7 450 As the Ski Club’s ski area was declining, Bob Barton, a Princeton graduate from a prominent Richmond, VA, family, started the Weiss Knob Ski Area. Educated as a lawyer, he instead pursued skiing. He installed a 1200-ft (366-m) rope tow on a drift along the meadows of the present-day Canaan Valley Ski Area, and was in business for the 1955 ski season before, in his words, “I knew what was happening.” The South’s first commercial ski area was off and running, but its access road was so bad that Barton sometimes had to haul skiers in on a horsedrawn cart. By 1958, Barton had two rope-tows and a T-bar lift on the meadows. Bob contacted Sepp Kober, a champion skier who had coached two Olympic ski teams, and offered him a job as ski-school director at Weiss Knob. Sepp accepted the job for the 1958–59 ski season, bringing with him the new Austrian Technique of skiing. On a night in 1959 when the temperature was -20 °F, Anita Louise Love, a Baltimore debutante and Wall Street broker, arrived in Canaan. She may have come to see Sepp, whom she had known in Stowe, VT, or just to experience the area’s skiing, but she stayed in Tucker County and married Bob Barton. Barton, Kober, and Love pumped energy into the Weiss Knob Ski Area. The Weiss Knob meadows, which faced northwest, were often scoured by brutal winds that swept most of the slope bare, and its slope was too steep for many skiers. Looking for an alternate site, Barton, Kober, and Love moved the ski area to the back of Bald Knob, where they installed three rope-tows and a snow-making system—one of first in the country. According to Bob, the lights in Davis dimmed when he turned on the compressors because they drew so much power. There is a report that the system once ran for two days, was buried under a giant snowstorm, and was not found under the 400 in (>1016 cm or 33 ft) of snow until the springtime. That winter workers from Bald Knob delivered groceries to stranded families with their small snowcat. Kober, overqualified for Weiss Knob, moved to Hot Springs, VA, where he developed the Homestead Ski Area. He returned to Canaan periodically, but remained at Homestead until he retired. After Sepp Kober left, Othmar Maier arrived at the new Weiss Knob, where he directed its ski school. He, like Kober before him, also left for the ski area at Homestead, and then opened a ski shop in Washington, DC. The ski school was taken over by Anita Barton in 1962, who named it the Louise Love Ski School. Barton also started the Alpine Festival and the Governor’s Cup Ski Races, both of which are still being held at Timberline Resort 40 years later, and she was instrumental in establishing the Tucker County Information Center. In 1963, the Ski Club held its Winter Carnival at Weiss Knob. Events included the world’s first para-ski competition in which parachutists landed on the slopes, strapped on their skis, and skied down a giant slalom course. They were timed from when they jumped out of the plane to when they crossed the ski finish line. This event continued through the Alpine Festival of 1965. Bob and Anita Barton could not afford to continue operating the Weiss Knob Ski Area. There are several conflicting reports about the cause of its demise. Bob Southeastern Naturalist J. Lutz 2015 Vol. 14, Special Issue 7 451 blamed the state of West Virginia for discouraging investors through its land condemnations and proposal for a ski area. Bob’s personal problems and the development of modern ski areas may also have contributed to the ski area’s failure. The Bartons moved first to Pennsylvania and then New York, always working in the ski industry. They moved back to the Valley in the mid 70s and opened its first independent ski shop in the early 80s, which was subsequently bought by the Ski Barn. It is still operating today. The three ski areas that operated successfully—Driftland, Weiss Knob 1, and Weiss Knob 2—demonstrated that commercial skiing was viable in the Valley. Several newspapers, including The Cumberland Times, Baltimore Sun, and Washington Post, as well as the magazines Ski Magazine and National Geographic, published articles about skiing in the Valley. By 1965, the state of West Virginia, with funds from the Economic Development Administration, was moving ahead with plans to build the Canaan Valley Resort Ski Area and State Park. Allegedly to thank West Virginia for helping him win the 1960 election, President John F. Kennedy pushed to make these funds available. A modern ski facility, as well as a summer operation with golf, swimming, and tennis, was planned to help assure a more profitable, multi-season operation. In the summer 2001 edition of The New England Ski Museum Newsletter, ski-area consultant Sel Hannah recounted his early survey for the Canaan Valley Ski Area. The field-work took place in about 1964. When Hannah arrived at the entrance of Mary Warner’s property, the sheriff and other government representatives were there. Hannah reported that Warner shot the condemnation papers out of the sheriff’s hands as he was trying to serve them. Hannah soon left for New Hampshire. When he next visited the area, Warner said she would let him survey the area and set stakes if he helped her dig potatoes and stayed away from the liquor still. Although she agreed to let Hannah perform the survey, she was still bitter about being forced off her land. To discourage Hannah from his job, she shot over his head into the trees while he was working. Further, Bob Barton recounted that Mountain Maw (Mary Warner) aimed an ancient, side-loading Craig rifle and shot at a helicopter surveying her property; she later claimed to have missed it on purpose. Hannah finished his survey. He took note of the snow scouring and winds that eventually forced Bob Barton to move his ski area away from the meadows, but the Canaan Valley Ski Area was built on the site. In 1970, Murray Dearborn, who had been operating the Tyrol ski area in New Hampshire, read an announcement from the state of West Virginia inviting bids for a ski-area concession. At first he considered it a joke—skiing in West Virginia! At about that time, snowmaking had become a necessity at Tyrol, but there was insufficient water available. Dearborn traveled to the Valley, was impressed with the facility, and followed up with a bid. Dearborn won the concession, and the ski area opened for the 1971–1972 season with a grand opening on 11–13 February. Ski demonstrations were offered by Ruedi Wyrsch, Gary Kiediasch, and West Virginia’s skiing bear (an expert skier dressed in a bear costume). Kiediasch went on to become the general manager Southeastern Naturalist J. Lutz 2015 Vol. 14, Special Issue 7 452 of the Stowe, VT ski area. Because of the lack of natural snow, Dearborn’s first two winters were tough, but eventually, his persistence and philosophy of making Canaan Valley Resort an integral part of the Tucker County community led to success. Canaan Valley Resorts Ski Area increased its skiable acreage, snowmaking capacity, and, the number of skiers. Over the years, the Valley has hosted many ski-business firsts. In 1972, John Lutz, a West Virginia native, came to Canaan by way of Stowe, VT. At Canaan Valley Resort, he, along with Ted Fries, another West Virginia native, started one of the country’s first skiing programs for the blind. Hundreds of blind people have learned to ski through this program, which is still operating at Timberline. John also started programs for amputee and deaf skiers, and, in 1979, held one of the country’s first Winter Special Olympics. His ski school was the first in the US to allow instructors on Nordic equipment to teach alpine lessons; the ski patrol was one of the first to allow patrollers on telemark equipment. The Valley also hosted pioneering ski classes for physicaleducation credit at four West Virginia colleges. Several world-class skiers have skied at the Valley, including World Cup downhiller Holly Flanders. The Valley’s skiers have gone on to become race directors at Aspen Highlands and Copper Mountain, CO, and to hold supervisory positions in other large ski areas. Over the last 30 years, the north face of Cabin Mountain—at 3400 ft (1036 m) in elevation—has received an average annual snowfall of 167 in (424 cm), which provided conditions that enabled these skiers to become expert powder skiers. In the 1970s, skiers started climbing the mountains around Canaan and skiing powder on Bald Knob and through the open woods and rights-of-way. Some of these powder skiers have gone on to become helicopter ski guides. Canaan Valley Resort has employed many innovative people over the years. In the mid-1970s, at the age of 18, Andrew Dearborn became the nation’s youngest ski-mountain manager. One of the Valley’s early ski school directors, David Faunce, became the first ski instructor from West Virginia to become fully certified by the Professional Ski Instructors of America. Faunce was also instrumental in starting the Valley’s then-famous ski carnival called the Spring Thing. Steve Drumheller arrived at Canaan Valley Resort in the 1980s, started many of the South’s most innovative marketing programs, and implemented Valley-wide employee training programs. In 1982, Murray Dearborn sold his share of the concession to his partner, Brooks Rohrbaugh. Today the concession is operated by Guest Services, Inc., headquartered in Fairfax, VA. These three entities, along with the unwavering support of the state of West Virginia, have helped Canaan Valley State Park become one of the South’s premiere ski destinations. In 1972, Allegheny Properties bought a large tract of land in the Valley for the Timberline residential subdivision. Allegheny Property’s developer, David Downs, and an employee, Fred Soltow, a former Assistant Director of the Canaan Valley Ski School, searched for skiable terrain on the side of Cabin Southeastern Naturalist J. Lutz 2015 Vol. 14, Special Issue 7 453 Mountain. One winter day in February 1980, they went to the top and Soltow became the first person to ski Timberline. Downs decided to build a ski area on Cabin Mountain, and his vision and energy are largely responsible for today’s Timberline Ski Area. In 1981, Soltow served as the development manager and Kurt Miller, a Parsons native, was mountain manager of the new Timberline Ski Area. It opened to the public for the 1982–83 season with a 1200-ft (366-m) T-bar lift, a 350-ft (107- m) vertical drop, snow-making equipment, and several trails. Timberline also offered a 1000-ft (305-m) vertical drop on trails that were reachable by climbing and snowcat. This was the state’s only snowcat-served skiing. In 1984, plans to replace snowcat skiing with a 1000-ft (305-m) vertical Doppelmayr lift were cancelled following failure to secure a loan. Timberline was then bought by Dr. Frederick Reichle, a Philadelphia surgeon, his sister Rose Marie Herz, and her son, Fred Herz. After remaining closed for a year, the ski area opened for the 1985–86 season with a 1000-ft (305-m) vertical triple-chair lift to the top. Timberline has since added a beginner chair and a 1000-ft (305-m) vertical enclosed double-chair lift. The latter lift had served as the Silver Queen lift at Crested Butte, CO. Timberline has the most consistently steep terrain of any ski slope in the South and features a large snowmaking system. Timberline’s second owners—Reichle, Herz, and Herz—have made their own unique contributions to the Valley’s skiing history. For instance, they developed a ski-area real estate sales program with the Valley’s only ski-in, ski-out housing. They have also built ski dormitories reminiscent of those historically found in New England. These facilities have made the sport affordable for more groups, like churches and scout troops. Timberline is a well-known venue for ski racing. It has hosted many races, including those for fund-raising events, high school and collegiate teams, NASTAR (National Standard Race), and USSA (United States Ski Association, which develops the US’s Olympic ski racers). The first two high school race-teams in West Virginia called Timberline their home mountain. Finally, the Women’s Pro Ski Tour, with many of the world’s best women skiers, was held at Timberline for most of the 1990s. Many world-class skiers such as the Mahr brothers, Dan Egan, and Glenn Plake have also tried Timberline’s slopes. At one time, Timberline had tremendous expansion potential, but financial constraints caused Timberline to sell some tracts of land which has seriously curtailed this opportunity. Nevertheless, it continues to offer the best ski terrain of any eastern US mountain south of New England. In the 1980s, cross-country skiing become more popular in the Valley. Of four cross-country centers, the most extensive was White Grass Ski Touring Center, which was started by Chip Chase, Winslow Ayer, and Tom Preston. Chase and Ayer had been operating a cross-country center in the Shenandoah Valley, from which they brought tours to West Virginia’s mountains. They spent so much time in the Valley that they decided to move the operation there. While skiing at Canaan Valley Resort, they joined patroller Tom Preston to ski the back-country Southeastern Naturalist J. Lutz 2015 Vol. 14, Special Issue 7 454 around Bald Knob. Skiing its north side, they came upon an old ski trail with a structure at the bottom. They found a long dormant ski-area base building, complete with old skis—they had rediscovered the old Weiss Knob II ski area. Chase, Ayer, and Preston held a quick business meeting and then sought out the landowner. They arrived at an agreement, and as of 1981, White Grass was officially relocated to the Valley. It is now the South’s most extensive cross-country operation, with lessons, rentals, sales, and repairs; a gourmet restaurant; backcountry touring and telemarking; groomed tracks and snow farming; and even Bob Barton’s old pot-bellied stove. Winslow Ayer moved back to Killington, VT, and Chip Chase now oversees the operation. Under Chase’s energetic direction, White Grass has seen its skier numbers increase by 10-fold. Also in the 1980s, a private company named Transmontaine started crosscountry operations on Canaan Heights as well as the Valley and Blackwater Falls state parks. An abundance of natural snow, varied terrain, and these centers make the Valley the best ski-touring location in the South. Conclusion The Valley has had a long and rich ski history. At this time, it offers the best skiing in the East south of New England. The skiing at the Valley and Timberline resorts, combined with abundant snowfall and the area’s natural beauty, make the Valley an excellent destination for a ski vacation. This area has also consistently attracted people who love the sport and believe in the quality of the Valley’s skiing, and who have invested much of their lives in the area’s skiing and community. These factors, along with the industry and ingenuity of the local people, have enabled skiing to be a viable industry in Tucker County. The thriving skiing centers have improved the quality of life of the Valley’s people. Many people who otherwise might have had to move away have been able to find employment and remain in the Valley. The large numbers of skier visits—almost 200,000 in 2001–2002—have spawned other businesses which have contributed to West Virginia’s tourism industry. Acknowledgment I extend special thanks to Kathy Hays of the Ski Club of Washington, DC. Literature Cited Auran, J.H. 1966. America’s Ski Book. Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, NY. 480 pp. Cohen, S. 1985. Downhill Skiing. Pictorial Historic Publishing, Missoula, MT. 264 pp. Leich, J. 2009. New Hampshire and the emergence of the American ski industry. Historical New Hampshire 63(2). Randy, J. 1987. Southern Snow: A Winter Guide to Dixie. Appalachian Mountain Club, Boston, MA. 369 pp. The Ski Club of Washington, DC. 1987. The Ski Club of Washington, DC: 1936–1986 50th Anniversary Collector’s Edition.