Sparrevohn AFS

Sparrevohn AFS

1953 to early 1980s*

Name of Ski Area:	Sparrevohn AFS (Air Force Station)
Location:	In the middle of nowhere, 200 miles west of Anchorage, 20 miles south of the tiny settlement of Lime Village (a village so small it didn't get a central power generator until the late 1990's).
Type of Area:	Ski Hill (actually a mountain with access roads and a tram between the base and top camps).
Dates of Operation:	1953 to early 1980s* (* - in 1984 this site was rebuilt as a minimally attended Log Range Radar Site, which is still in operation. Only a very few people support this site, compared to the over 100 folks that were stationed here prior to 1984)
Who Built It?:	The United States Air Force made the radar installation, camps, access roads and tram on this mountain.
Base/ Vertical Drop:	Base: ~1500' / Top: ~3300' / Vertical: ~1800'
Lifts:	Truck or tracked vehicle up access road from Bottom Camp to Top Camp. Or by "Kitty", an aerial tram that would swing travelers between base and top camp. The tram was the preferred mode of transportation.
Facilities:	Two Air Force full-service remote camps: Base Camp, elevation ~1500, next to the airfield and Top Camp, elevation ~3300', up either a 2 1/2 mile "road" that "even the mountain goats hesitate before using" or 3 1/2 mile more mellow access road. The shorter and scary road was shut down in 1962 after 13 deaths on this road.
Miscellaneous:	Like most all AC&W (Aircraft Control and Warning) remote radar sites, servicemen signed up for one year hitches. That meant one year at Sparrevohn - without any leave time. And like most of these Cold War radar sites, recreational options were offered to boost moral. Apparently this site had skis for personnel to use. And there is evidence that they were used. Based on an email from Jim Harkins (see below), "crazies" sledded the mountain from top to base camps.
Sources of Information:	The Online Air-Defense Radar Museum - www.radomes.org/museum/, Jim Harkins; Dick Estep; Gary Bashline; Ron Ingram; Gerald Hill; Dennis Habbershaw; Gary L. Blackwell; Lawrence Myers

~ PHOTOS and DOCUMENTS ~

(All Courtesy of The Online Air-Defense Radar Museum, www.radomes.org/museum/)

(click on any image to expand it)

The 1955 newspaper article to the left explains the military's push to build radar sites for a defense shield in the 50's. The map gives one a relative idea where Sparrevohn is ... in the middle of nowhere!
The document on the right is from the 1962 "Guide to AAC Remote Stations". This was a "promotional brochure" in helping servicemen decide what station to apply for. Check the map of the access road. Crazy !!

Below are two interesting articles about Sparrevohn. The left two pages are an article by Paul R. Cochran that appeared in a March 2003 Air & Space Magazine. I particularly like the section about riding down the Sparrevohn access road with a driver that was out to set the descent record. And did it !! On the right is a 1968 Air Force Times article about Sparrevohn.

As the Sparrevohn Air Force Base was being built, and before the tram was constructed, winter transportation up and down the mountain was by Weasel (a tracked vehicle).

On the left is a picture of Top Camp, and the hallway that connected the barracks to the radar installation. The picture on the right shows Base Camp and the tram leading up to Top Camp.

Looks like "eats" were superb - by the looks of the quonset hut based kitchen and mess hall pictures to the right.

On the left is a shot of the Top Camp and radar dome. The low building on the right-hand side of the installation are the barracks. These structures are not there now.
Sparrevohn personnel might only see one or two women a year. Thanks to USO shows. The woman on the right looks like a skier. I wonder if she skied Sparrevohn Mountain?

On the left is a shot of the radars at Top Camp - with a beautiful snowfield that is BEGGING to be skied !!
At right is the Sparrevohn AFS patch.

Dennis Habbershaw Photos from 1966-1967 (click on any image to expand it)

~ MAPS ~

This large scale topo map shows where Indian Mountain is relative to Lime Village (a village of less then 100). Other than that, this remote radar station is not close to any town or road.

(click on this map to expand it)

A zoomed in view of this 1957 topo map shows Base Camp next to the landing strip and Top Camp. It also shows the wildly switch-backing early access road. And the new access road to the south that was built after 13 people died on the original road.

(click on this map to expand it)

Research Correspondence

[Jim Harkins - 28 December 2004 emails]

Yeah we had a couple of morons try to ski and damn near froze to death [1966]. But they were "topped" by the crazies (such as yours truly) that used to slide from top to bottom camp (we used sleds to 'belly-flop' and when the sleds broke we 'body slid' our winter clothes) --- much to the anxiety of many.

Hi Jim,
What radar site did you do the kamikaze sledding at ?
Thanks,
Tim

Sparrevohn -- naturally!

[Gary Bashline - 16 May 2006 email]

Tim I was stationed at Sparrevohn between 1971 and 1972 at the lower camp where I was a boiler plant operator. That year for New Years four of us skied from the top camp to the bottom at mid night We each had a road flare in each hand and we skied an 'S' pattern the whole way down. Everyone at the bottom camp said it was a great New Years show (By the way the weather was perfect and the moon was full or near full which made the skiing great Thanks for the pictures it sure brings back some great times.
Gary B

[Dick Estep - 7 July 2005 email]

I was stationed with the 719th during 1968 and 1969 as site electrician. It was a rough year weather-wise.
Major William (Bill) Short had to pull strings more than once to get our supplies flown in.
We used to sometimes recruit (grab) a dog to hold in our lap before we slid down the mountain from the Power Building. It made for a wilder ride.
Thanks again for the memories.
Dick Estep

[Ron Ingram - 16 January 2007 email]

Howdy – I was stationed on Sparrevohn (hilltop) from Sept 13th (Friday) 1963 to Sept 13^th 1964. 36 of us were assigned to man and maintain the radar operations center. We didn’t have skis, bowling alley or any other luxury. We did have a fair library and chow was as good as could be expected – powdered milk and eggs, no fresh vegetables (rarely).

Late winter 63-64 we received new mattresses – the empty boxes were the closest thing we had to ski boards. Several of us went outside and launched ourselves off of the west facing slope of the mountain – very steep and very high - several thousand feet. One of our maintenance lieutenants hit a pipe (also used as a dump) and cut his stomach severely. This put an end to that.

During the summer we were allowed off of the mountain to visit a one room camp site down at a creek below the runway. Fishing was good – bears (grizzly) were plentiful. We had to travel in pairs and carry a weapon. One trip I was picked to cook – so I heated up some lard from a coffee can – cleaned the fish and fried them in what we soon learned was hand soap. So it was a hungry night.

I was manning the scope when we first got word of JFK assassination – I was the first and we had to authenticate the info via top secret procedure. We then went on Operation East Wind – we got to man the perimeter of our mountain top with carbines without ammo. Long before we could have seen an enemy our radar would have seen them – or if on foot we would have seen them days before they could reach us.

I was there during the Good Friday Quake – March 27 1964 – the ground started shaking like it never had before. Terrible.

So much paranoia – us looking at them looking at us looking at them.

Most memorable moment – about every three months we were visited by a circuit chaplain – Christmas of 63, Father DeAngelo visited our site – I worked the evening shift and attended midnight mass when relieved. Father DeAngelo spoke of the dangerous times that brought us to worship under an instrument of war – in order to preserve peace. I wish I could remember the words – the moment is still with me.

When you use the word remote – remember – 1964 was a leap year – so I got to spend 366 days on a windswept frozen mountain top with 35 other men – tough – primitive and living on the edge. Rarely did we get a flight into our lower (support) base – even that didn’t ensure we could be provisioned – the tram broke and fell off in August ’63 right before I arrived so we depended on the switch back (13 deaths) or the long way via White Alice.

This has brought back memories. Thanks.

[Gerald Hill - 01 June 2007 email]

I was at Sparrevohn from 2/54-1/55. At that time, skiiing was STRICTLY prohibited!! We only had a S/Sgt medic on site so it was considered far too dangerous to allow skiing. That was about the only strictly enforced rule there at that time. We were out of uniform, grew beards, etc., but NO skiing & the CO meant it!!

[Dennis Habbershaw - 07 July 2007 email]

Hi... I was stationed at Sparrevohn AFS from Feb. 1966 to Feb. 1967. I was a heating Spec. stationed most of my hitch at top camp but the remaining 3 or 4 months at bottom camp, and enjoyed every second of it. The attached photos are some pretty bad B&W's. I also have boxes and boxes of slides that I haven't looked at in decades. I never skied before in my life but me and a couple guys tried to ski down the road, unsuccessfully, not enough snow and too many rocks.

[Gary L. Blackwell - 03 December 2007 email]

I can’t remember the exact dates that I was stationed at Sparrevohn, but it was probably around October or November 1965 to July 1966. I was the Supply Officer on the site at the time, but my tour was cut short because I was accepted into Pilot Training. My memories of Sparrevohn were good ones. In the spring and summer several of us fished down at fish camp on Thursday night and caught enough fish to feed both camps. We would come back early Friday morning and clean the fish for the cooks.

My big adventure came around Memorial Day 1966. Major Harding, the Commander agreed to let six of us go on a trip about 20 miles north of top camp to visit one of the Indian villages (we had to take radios) close by and do some lake fishing. One of the officers from top camp cut his leg open when we were cutting down pines for a lean to. Major Spaulding drove a track master out to pick him up and take him back and they had a plane come in and take him back to Anchorage. We had a great fishing trip. I remember in one three hour span that we caught 60 Northern Pikes. We gutted them and hung them over a fire. One of the best fish cookouts ever. We gave the balance of the fish to the Indians. We spent the last couple of days in tents with wood burning stoves made out of 55 gallon drums.

I found some ski’s in one of the building where supplies were stored. I did a little skiing up by the weather station above the air strip. The snow was so crusty that the ski’s wouldn’t cut into the snow. I can remember going into a drift head first and being buried clear to my ankles.

I enjoyed my time there. The NCOs always let us into their club and we had some talented country musicians. Inter-site bowling competitions were fun. We had one USO show. I remember Doreen (one of the Mickey Mouse Club gals) used my room to change for the show. The perfume lasted for days.

I am attaching a couple of shots of the air tram.

[Lawrence Myers - 28 May 2008 email]

I was attached to the 5040^th Civil Eng. Sq.(Off Base Facilities or “OBF”) from Anchorage. We would fly to the various sites throughout the state and do repairs. Generally we would spend 90 days and move on depending on the jobs. I arrived at Sparevohn in 1966 and remember seeing all the wrecked aircraft lying in the creek next to the runway. The thing that caught my eye was the large sign painted on the end of the runway, on a rock face as I recall, it simply said “DEAD END”.

After the 90 days TDY it was off to Indian Mtn. 708^th with only 2 days at the fort (Elmendorf). Most of the guys doing time at the site were not happy to see us come and go, it was quite understandable under the circumstances. After a year of radar site travels, I changed my AFSC and was the guy sending those poor fellas remote ! I only spent enough time to get my 3 level and then was off again to Vietnam (31^st CES, Tuy Hoa). I left Alaska in Nov. of ’67 about 10 degrees and landed in Vietnam just in time for tet and 114 degrees…………

Do you have further information, stories or pictures that you would like to contribute about this ski area?



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