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Romig Hill 1957 to 1964 |
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~ Photos ~
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This photo from the 1940's, prior to Romig Hill being built, shows what the outrun of the hill would have been like. During the time Romig Hill was in operation Westchester Lagoon had not been made by damming Chester Creek's outflow. The outrun of the ski run would have been out onto these Chester Creek tidal flats, up in the upper right corner. Note: In this picture West High (the 2nd location of the former Anchorage High School) had not yet been built. So this picture is pre-1952 for sure. |
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~ Aerial Views ~ |
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This 2002 aerial view of Anchorage shows the location of the old Romig Hill ski area (click on this view to expand it). |
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Zooming in on the Romig Hill ski site, you can see where the rope tow and ski jump (and outrun) was located (click on this view to expand it). |
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Research Correspondence | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
[Frank
Gwartney - December 2003 email excerpt]
I skied on the Romig Hill ski slope with a single rope tow in 1959 and 1960 as a 5th and 6th grader. Gary King started his ski school there. It was located due North of the existing West Anchorage High School Parking lot. I was talking to Marty Sherman not long ago, who was an adult back then, and he informed me that prior to Romig Hill the Forest Park golf course was used. The golf course was subsequently purchased by Bob Atwood for his residence. |
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[Joel
Wieman - excerpts from a note to Dave Brann]
Back in the 50s there was a Quonset hut there for warming and a rope tow that went down to the tidal zone that is now Westchester Lagoon. It was a really good hill when first developed. But someone decided to make some terrain improvements for variety and it dropped in popularity after that. It was open until 9 or 10 at night and polka music was played over the intercom for the skiers. I skied there a great deal after dinner and many times had to make the walk to the top of the hill as a result of trying to get in one more run before the lift shut down for the night. I believe the hill was run by the city, but it could have been developed and run by the Spenard Lions as they had lessons there. These were my first lessons and we were taught by Bill McGee who is a retired engineer and still living in Anchorage. |
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[Jon
Domela - excerpts from a note to Dave Brann]
The name of the Lions club was not Spenard Lions......it was Mt. Mckinley Lions Club. |
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[John
McCleary, MOA Dept. of Parks and Recreation - excerpt from 29 November
2004 email]
During my information quest on the RJS jump, found a memo dated March 7, 1963 from Council Person, Sewell Faulkner, an advocate of downhill skiing and jumping. He requested that the Parks and Recreation Department investigate the possibility of construct a 25 or 30 meter jump and constructing a separate 10 meter jump by diverting the $5,000 approved P&R budget item for a warm up hut at the Romig Hill. The author stated that the hill [Romig Hill] for the past 5 years (placing the hill starting around 1958) was a victim of weather and winds resulting in poor snow conditions. He felt that the new warm up hut would receive limited use and that jumping would bring more users and would help pay for the city operations of the hill/new jumps. A drawing was attached showing a tower near to the top of the hill and the jump about mid way on a modified slope. |
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[Tony Reetz - 11 April
2014 email]
My earliest skiing memories are from the gravel pit by Airport Heights Elementary School in Anchorage, the Forest Park hill, and a really steep hill by West High down to the north that had a rope tow. |
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[Peter Brautigam - 10 April
2018 email]
My parents skied in the 50’s using the old rope tow. The old rope tow that they use is/was directly to the north of the West High School student parking lot, and to the west of the little pull-out overlook, and to the east of Wildwood Lane. The ski hill was on the old sand hill that we used for cross country running/training in high school. I believe that there might still be some old telephone-posts in the ground going down the hill that carried the rope. |
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[Paul Crews - 26 November
2020 email]
My recollection is that Romig hill was the relocation of the city ski bowl after the slope at the hospital was abandoned. I don’t know when it opened but I skied there in the 60’s. It was pretty crappy. The bulldozed slope was full of gravel and if you were going fast you had to stop in the frozen saltwater icebergs where the lagoon is now. It was straight across the street from the West High north parking lot. |
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Do you have further information, stories or pictures that you would like to contribute about this ski area? |
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