ALSAP Update Log (entries by Tim Kelley)

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November 28, 2010
Jimmy D. Rogers sent an email with some great recollections of life, sledding and a try at skiing at the Tatalina AFS in 1976-1978.  Thanks Jimmy!

November 24, 2010
Andy Simasko sent an email that provided missing information about the Alyeska Air Service fly-in skiing operation on Raven Glacier, near Girdwood, Alaska.  Thanks Andy - for sharing this information and helping to fill in the blanks about this lost skiing operation!

November 15, 2010
Dan Lane sent a couple of good stories about skiing at Russian Jack and Arctic Valley in the early 70's.  Thanks a lot for sharing these memories Dan!

November 13, 2010
Recently a list of volunteers that were involved in construction of the 1969 Junior Nationals ski trail was compiled by Sally Burkholder.  If anyone knows of missing people / additions to this list ... please let us at ALSAP or Deb Essex of the Girdwood Nordic Ski Club know.  Thanks.
 

Jim Burkholder
Don Conrad
Nat Goodhue
Leo Hannon
Marv Hathhorn
Gail Bakken Johnson
Charlie and Kit MacInnes
Dick and Arlene Mize
Mike O'Leary
Tobbin Spurkland
Lou Strutz
The Bodnar Family
The Moerlein Family
The Richter Family
The Mucha Family
The Spivey Family
The Tikka Family
High School Ski Coaches and Students
Sven Johanson and US Army Biathletes
Jim Mahaffey and APU Skiers
Army National Guard Engineers

September 19, 2010
Construction is underway on the Girdwood Nordic Ski Club Multi-Use Trails in the Girdwood Valley.  These trails follow some of the long-abandoned 1969 Junior Nationals ski trails.  Recently I hiked the new trail that is currently under construction and took some pictures.
 

July 25, 2010
Sam Chapman sent a few pictures from the early 1970's of skiing at Ravenwood - Eielson AFB in North Pole, Alaska.  Thanks for sharing Sam !

July 14, 2010
Fred Trimble brought to our attention  that relatives of the Wattum / Hanks family, that once ran the Independence Mine Resort, recently gave Hap Wurlitzer of the Hatcher Pass Lodge a stash of never-used 1960's era Independence Mine Resort embroidered patches.  Hap now has them for sale at his lodge.  Thanks Fred!

June 4, 2010
Some wonderful old pictures from Ski Boot Hill arrived courtesy of Twila Wagner.  Twila and Randy Wagner once ran this great family-oriented ski hill in Fairbanks.  Thanks for sharing these great pictures Twila !!

May 1, 2010
Mike Reid used to ski above Chugiak with Ricky Beam, the son of Ray Beam who built and operated the Ptarmigan Valley Resort.  Mike sent us a couple of pictures of skiing with Rick in 1960.  Thanks a lot Mike !!

April 13, 2010
Randy Wagner sent a couple of great 1984 pictures of Ski Boot Hill when it was in operation.  The Wagner family ran Ski Boot Hill in Fairbanks for many years.  Thanks a lot Randy !!

April 12, 2010
Tracy Bank sent in a dozen of her late grandfather's pictures from 1949 at Big Delta (Fort Greely).  Her grandfather was one of the first "trained arctic" Army soldiers.  Thanks a lot Tracy for sharing these photos !!

April 6, 2010
I saw this great picture of a Marine on cross country skis at Fort Richardson, treed by a moose in 1954, on eBay.  I was the only bidder so I got this gem for only a couple of dollars.

March 02, 2010
Michael Robbins sent in some great stories from the 70's and 80's about skiing at Arctic Valley and kamikaze sledding at the old ski jump site at Russian Jacks.  Thanks a lot Michael !

February 10, 2010
An exciting day ... ALSAP now has its first pictures of skiing, in 1944, at Newton Peak north of Nome, Alaska.

February 01, 2010
Added a picture of a WWII US Army skiing patch to the Kodiak Anton Larsen Pass Ski Area web page.

January 12, 2010
Added a picture of an old ski team patch to the Alaska Methodist University web page.  Go Vikings!

January 01, 2010
Happy New Year from the Alaska Lost Ski Areas Project!

Traffic of new information to ALSAP finally started to slow down this last year.  So Dave Brann and I now consider this project "mature".  Thanks to the great help from many ALSAPPERS over the last 6 years, we think that all of the skiing venues that once were used in Alaska have been identified.  But of course, we would be very happy to be proven wrong.  If someone sent us stories or pictures from a lost ski area we don't have ... we'd be very excited and appreciative!  And other readers of ALSAP would enjoy this too.

ALSAP is still "open for business".  There is no end in sight for this project.  If you have stories or pictures about the lost ski areas on this web site that you want to contribute, we are happy to post your information and credit you, of course.  We especially appreciate pictures of the lost ski areas we have few or no old pictures of.

I hope you enjoy your visit to ALSAP !!

Best regards,

Tim Kelley

2009 ALSAP Log

2007 ALSAP Log

2005 ALSAP Log