Petersburg Ski Area

Petersburg Ski Area

Late 1936 to 1998

Name of Ski Area:	Petersburg Ski Area
Location:	Petersburg, south of the airport.
Type of Area:	Ski Hill, Ski Jump, Ski Trails
Dates of Operation:	1936 to 1998
Who Built It?:	Petersburg Ski Club
Base/ Vertical Drop:	Base: ~150' / Vertical: ~150'
Lifts:	Rope Tow
Facilities:	7.5 acres of land owned by the Petersburg Ski Club, ski hut (built in 1936, burned by vandals in later years), ski jump, cross country ski trails
Miscellaneous:	The Petersburg Ski Club was formed in 1936, and built a ski club cabin that year. This cabin would long be a site for ski tournaments and socials. In 1949 a ski lift was installed. In 1959 the Petersburg Ski Club was issued a deed to the 7.5 acres the ski area encompassed by the State of Alaska. Soon after, a stretch of 13 "green" winters descended on Petersburg. Interest in the ski area waned, and vandals burned down the ski cabin. In 1997 a new Petersburg Ski Club was created and in 1998 the 7.5 acres that the ski club owned was sold. For a detailed chronological history of the Petersburg Ski Club and their ski area, read Ruth Sandvik's account below.
Sources of Information:	Ruth Sandvik, Joe Viechnicki, "No Show Tonight - An historical collection of stories from Petersburg's past told by the people that lived it. (Chris Odegaard story)"

~ PHOTOS AND DOCUMENTS ~

This picture from 1949 shows skiers in front of the old Petersburg Ski Club cabin. Petersburg Mountain is across the bay.

[Photo credit: Ruth Sandvik]

Click on the pages below to read the Petersburg Ski Club history. This interesting account was compiled by Ruth Sandvik in 1998.

This article, written by Joe Viechnicki, was in the December 17, 1998 Petersburg "Pilot". The history of of the Petersburg Ski Club and sale of the club's land is accounted.

A photo of "the boys", a rugged bunch of mostly Scandinavian descendants, in front of the Petersburg Ski Club cabin that they built. The date of this picture is unknown, but according to Ruth Sandvik it is "way before 1949".

[Photo credit: Ruth Sandvik]

Chris Odegaard gives an account of living and skiing in Petersburg in the old days in a story that appeared in "No Show Tonight - An historical collection of stories from Petersburg's past told by those that lived it." Click on the pictures to the right to read the story.

Petersburg postcard photo from 1938

Clair Harris, Bob Summers, Vera Kelly and Braute

Petersburg Photos from 1939

From back of photo: "Feb 12, 1939 Cross Country [at the] Ball Park, Olaf Wikam, Nels Goodal (3), Marvin Kenwick, Earl Ohmer, Les Elkins, Olsen, Chris Oodegard and Fred Nelson, Jack Hanseth, Johnson, Miss Springer, Erling Micholsen, Elias Wickam (2), Chester Atness, Anton Westre, Jimmy Rudi"

Feb 12, 1939 Ski Tournament Committee, Dr Ed Bagger, H A Dahl, Fred Nelson, Kris Skuggiwick, Eias Wickam, Peder Lund, Frank Kelly, Dy Wychoff.

~ MAPS ~

This large scale topo shows the area around Petersburg. Petersburg is Mitkof Island in beautiful southeast Alaska, about half-way between Juneau and the southern tip of the Alaskan "Pan-handle".

(click on this map to expand it)

A zoomed in topo view shows the location of the ski site to the south of the airport on a north-facing slope that looks towards town.

(click on this map to expand it)

A zoomed in 1961 topo map apparently precedes the building of the city airport, as it is not shown. But what is shown is the site of the ski lift and the ski club's cabin.

(click on this map to expand it)

Research Correspondence

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



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