ALSAP Update Log 2009 (entries by Tim Kelley)

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December 29, 2009
Rasmus Erdal skied at Arctic Valley in 1955 & 1956 while serving with the 71st Division, 53rd Inf, 1st Bn. as a Communications Officer.  Ras noticed that we didn't have a certain Arctic Valley patch, so he sent a picture of it and it is now on the Arctic Valley web page.  Thanks a lot Ras!

December 09, 2009
Added a great picture of Northern Warfare Training Center climbers heading up Silvertip Mountain in 1959 to the Fort Greely web page.  Thanks to Mike Wolcott for sending this photo !

December 01, 2009
Martin Buser emailed to say that last year he sold the rope tow he once had to a man in Birchwood / Eagle River.  Thanks for the update Martin !

November 21, 2009
Bruce McClellan sent a great Gentry Shuster family Christmas card from the 1940's.  Gentry was the builder and operator of the Manitoba Ski Hill.  Thanks a lot Bruce !

November 02, 2009
Back in the 60's Rick Travis helped clear trees from the road that led up to the Ptarmigan Valley Ski Area that his father Gail was involved in making.  Someday we will hopefully get a period picture of this lost ski area that once operated above Chugiak.  Thanks much for contacting us Rick !

October 26, 2009
Mark Luttrell sent a link to a great Seward skijoring picture from 1912.  You can see this picture on the Mt. Marathon web page.  Good find Mark ... thanks !

October 25, 2009
Ron Kruse was stationed at the Cape Romanzof AFS from 1958 to 1959.  Ron sent in some pictures from his days there, including our first picture of anyone skiing at Cape Romanzof.  Thanks a lot Ron !

August 7, 2009
Jim Clavin offered ALSAP a set of great photos he took while stationed at Fort Richardson.  During the winter of 1971 Jim was often on duty helping run the Arctic Valley Ski Bowl.  Jim's pictures give a good insight into the ski area operation and offers ALSAP some shots we've never seen before.  These photos, and Jim's interesting email, are now on the Arctic Valley web page.  An immense thanks for sharing these photos with ALSAP Jim  !!

August 5, 2009
James Dahl sent in a comprehensive history of the Harriet Hunt Ski Area.  This is the most detailed history of this lost ski area that we have now.  Thank you very much for contacting us with this information James !!

July 28, 2009
Paul Pickard was stationed at Sparrevohn AFS in 1952-53.  Paul said there were no skis at Sparrevohn then, but when he got transferred to the AC&W site at Naknek there were lots of skis for servicemen to use.  Naknek? ... that's not on the lost ski areas list!  Yet.  Thanks for contacting us Paul !!

July 19, 2009
Tony Jaramillo sent a humorous story about taking flight in a akquio (a fiberglass military pulk) at Independence Mine while the military was undertaking ski training there in the 1970's (see the email section at the bottom of the Independence Mine web page).  Thanks for writing this up Tony!

June 16, 2009
Added three new 1928-1929 pictures related to the College Ski Slide that once existed in Fairbanks.

May 20, 2009
Chuck Lilly sent some 1963-64 pictures of skiing and the ski tow at the Murphy Dome AFS.  Thanks Chuck !!

And Guy Hehn sent a picture of him driving a bulldozer and making the Gunnysack Ski Hill at Black Rapids while he was stationed at Fort Greely in 1954.  Wow ... what a unique Alaskan skiing history picture!  Thanks a lot Guy !!

April 11, 2009
Added recent site photos to the Fort Greely, Ravenwood / Iceman Falls and Chena Hot Springs web pages.

March 26, 2009
Doris Bordine sent an email about the late 1940's when she was going to Ketchikan High School and couldn't wait until the weekend to hike the 2.5 miles up Deer Mountain to camp out and go skiing!  Thanks for sharing this story Doris !!

March 20, 2009
Pamela Gott emailed a scanned image of a Mount McKinley Army Recreation Camp patch her mother, Velma Montague Gott, had saved since the days she once worked with the Army Corps of Engineers as they built the Al-Can Highway.  The patch is in pristine shape!  Thanks a lot for sharing this Pamela !!

March 15, 2009
Bill Caroland, one of the founders of the Soldotna Ski Hill, sent an email with a scan of his (Kenai) Peninsula Sportsman's Association membership card ... from 1955!  The Peninsula Sportsman's Association was the non-profit organization that operated the ski hill.  Thanks a lot for sharing this Bill !!

March 12, 2009
Justin Matley wrote a nice article about ALSAP in the March 2009 issue of the Alaska Coast magazine.  Thanks a lot Justin !!

March 07, 2009
Ron Pyron of Maryville, TN sent ALSAP a couple of fine Attu skiing related pictures from 1945-1946.  Ron's father, Norval R. "Pony" Pyron, was stationed at Alexai Point on Attu Island from August 1945 to March 1946.  Thanks a lot for sharing these great pictures Ron !!

March 03, 2009
Gary Carter was stationed with Fort Richardson from 1961 to 1963.  Gary started up a blog to document history of the 23d Infantry in Alaska.  A link to his blog is now on the Eklutna Mountain / Glacier Training web page, and can be found here: www.23d-infantry.blogspot.com/  Thanks a lot Gary !!

February 17, 2009
Vern Brooks emailed a dozen pictures from his time spent at Wildwood Station in Kenai in 1955-56.  A couple of these pictures were great ones of the Soldotna Ski Hill.  Thanks a lot for sharing these historical pictures Vern !!

February 09, 2009
Thanks to an email from Jim Dalzell the mystery of where exactly the Hilltop Youth Rope Tow was (before it was moved to the Old Hilltop Ski Area) ... has been solved!  This old ski area existed at where is now the ball field park northeast of the junction of O'Malley Road and Lake Otis Parkway.  In 1967 this rope tow power plant (an old troop carrier engine surplused from the Arctic Valley Ski Area) was placed on wooden skis and transported via a memorable swamp buggy journey, that Jim, John Woodbury and others experienced, to the Old Hilltop Ski Area site.  Thanks for this information Jim and John ... and hopefully some pictures will one day be uncovered of "Hillside Termite" racers skiing at these old skiing sites !!

February 02, 2009
I added an old Cordava Times editorial about vandalism at the Tripod Ski Cabin.  And I started a new web page with vintage Mt. Eyak photos.  Content for this update was provided by Sharon Ermold of the Cordova Historical Society.  Thanks again Sharon !!

January 30, 2009
Some fantastic Cordova historical skiing pictures were provided for display on ALSAP by Cathy Sherman and Sharon Ermold of the Cordova Historical Society.  These pictures are now posted on the Sheridan, Golden Stairs and Tripod web pages of ALSAP.  A huge thanks to these fine ladies of the Cordova Historical Society for sharing these wonderful views of long-ago Alaskan skiing history !!

January 16, 2009

Ken Alden sent a few more great pictures of life at the Mt. McKinley Recreation Center when he worked there in 1952-1953.  Thanks again Ken !!

January 15, 2009

Leonard Fancher sent an email of his memories of skiing the outrun of the Alyeska Ski Jump in the late 80's.  Even though the jump was decommissioned ... the outrun was still ski-able.  Thanks for the email Leonard !!

January 7, 2009

Ken Alden sent more great pictures and document scans related to the Mt. McKinley Recreation Center from when he worked there in 1952-1953.  Thanks again Ken !!

January 6, 2009

Ken Alden sent some great pictures from the 1950's today: a fine picture of Ken jumping off the jump at the Mt. McKinley Recreation Center in 1953, and several pictures of Ken at Arctic Valley in 1951-52.  Ken also sent a scan of the Mt. McKinley Recreation Center information pamphlet from 1952.  Thank you very much Ken for sharing these items with ALSAP !!

January 4, 2009

Happy New Year to all folks that read  the Alaska Lost Ski Areas Project web site, and to those that have sent in old Alaskan skiing stories and pictures to ALSAP!  Here's to another great year of historical discovery and preservation.  And fun ... re-connecting to times gone by in Alaskan skiing.

Bob Janes of Juneau sent a copy of the Dan Moller Cabin Determination of Eligibility Document put together by the Juneau Ranger District of the Tongass National Forest in January 2004.  This document was created to support the drive to get the Dan Moller Cabin on the National Register of Historical Places.  The document has great pictures of the cabin in various states over time.  And included is comprehensive skiing history of this area.  A link to this document is now on the Moller web page of ALSAP.  Thanks a lot Bob for forwarding this document to ALSAP.

2008 ALSAP Log

2007 ALSAP Log

2006 ALSAP Log

2005 ALSAP Log

2004 ALSAP Log