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Salmonberry
Ski Hill
1984 to 1986 / 2012 to Present
(This
site is NOT a lost ski area) |
| Name of Ski
Area: |
Salmonberry
Ski Hill |
| Location: |
Valdez,
at Mile 5.2 of the Richardson Highway. |
| Type of Area: |
Ski
Hill |
| Dates of
Operation: |
1984
to 1986 (possibly
to 1991) / 2012 to Present |
| Who Built It?: |
The
City of Valdez |
| Base/Vertical Drop: |
Base:
~100' / Vertical: ~225'. 2011 reopening: 320' vertical |
| Lifts: |
Original lift: Harusch
Model 1000 surface lift. Current lift: 1,100' Multi-Lift
Wire Rope Tow, 12.5 hp Bottom Drive |
| Facilities: |
Small
shack for the lift operator at the top of the ski area, Piston
Bully groomer |
|
History: |
As of December 2011, and the
pending reopening of this ski hill, this site is NOT considered a lost
ski area. This area was once closed due to a
lawsuit involving an injured skier. The lift for this ski
hill was originally at a site near Thompson Pass just north of
the ADOT&PF Maintenance Station, at mile 27.5 Richardson
Highway. The original lift was moved in 1983 from Thompson
Pass to Salmonberry Ridge east of Valdez.
The
Valdez Snow Authority,
a community based skiing and snowboarding advocacy group,
reopened this ski hill for the 2011/2012 season. A 1,100
foot surface tow was installed by the VSA. |
| Sources of
Information: |
Chris
Mishmash; Pete Bellezza; Donna Schantz; Chris Moulton; Sarah
Carter |
| Photos: |
Does
anyone have pictures of skiing at the Salmonberry Ski Hill (or current pictures of the vicinity) that they
would like to
contribute to ALSAP ?
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~
PHOTOS ~
| Valdez
Vanguard article - January 22, 1986 |
 |
| To see
the full PDF document of the article, click
here. |
|
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|
Sarah Carter Pictures -
Spring 2012, Salmonberry Hill Back In Operation |
 |
 |
 |
|
These pictures show the new
Salmonberry Hill ski slope in operation the first season upon
re-opening. |
~
MAPS ~ |
|
This large
scale topo map shows the location of the Salmonberry Ski Hill relative
to the City of Valdez.
(click
on this map to expand it) |
|
|
This zoomed
in topo map shows location of the Salmonberry Ski Hill at Mile 5.2 of
the Richardson Highway.
(click
on this map to expand it) |
|
| Research
Correspondence |
|
[Chris
Mishmash - excerpt from 09 March 2004 email to Dave Brann]
Salmonberry Ski Hill was built and
operated by the City of Valdez. It was open from 1984 to
1991. The only facilities at the site were the Harusch Model
1000 surface lift and a small shack for the operator at the top.
It had a vertical drop of approximately 225 feet and was groomed
regularly with a Pisten Bully snowcat groomer. The area was
closed due to a lawsuit involving an injured skier.
In
1995 the lift was sold at auction to Tom Moe Sr. (father of Tommy Moe,
Olympic gold medalist) DBA Alaska Extreme. A bid of $50 was
accepted with the stipulation that the lift be put back into service
privately in Valdez within two years to promote winter
recreation. This stipulation was not met and the bidder was
forced, under a sales agreement, to pay $3.300, which was the amount a
second bidder offered.
The lift was
allegedly sold to a local Valdez resident in 1996 but its whereabouts
is unknown.
|
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[Pete
Bellezza - 07 October 2005 email]
I grew up in Valdez, and graduated from
Valdez High School in 1984. As I recall, the rope tow at Salmonberry
Ski Hill was the one originally installed at Thompson Pass, just
north of the ADOT&PF Maintenance Station, at mile 27.5 Richardson
Highway.
I do not know when the Thompson Pass rope tow was installed, but I
skied there in 1982. My dad believes that Owen Johnson, a local
Valdez contractor (now passed away), may have been involved in
originally constructing the rope tow.
Once the rope tow was relocated to Salmonberry Ski Hill, which I
believe was in 1983, I skied there a couple of times, and I do
remember that the ski area was closed due to a lawsuit involving an
injured skier, as previously mentioned by Chris Mishmash.
|
|
[Donna Schantz - 07 March 2011 email]
Greetings! I was searching the internet for
photos of the old Salmonberry Ridge Ski Hill in Valdez and I ran
across your site. I thought you might be interested in this old
newspaper clipping of photos of when that site first opened up.
Note that the article claims the site opened in 1986 – not the 1984
date that you have listed on your site. I am working with some
folks in Valdez to try to get to get this site re-opened but we are
in the initial stages of putting together a proposal and so who
knows where it will go.
I hope that you find the attached useful! I
really enjoyed looking through the old photos on your site!!!
|
|
[Chris Moulton - 07 December 2011 email]
Thought I would drop a line about Salmonberry. I had
seen this site in the past and am pleased to see Donna had already
gotten in touch concerning the reopening of the hill.
Where to begin. It feels like a lifetime ago we got together at
Donna's house to discuss the project. So, I'll keep it short.
About the time the Donna emailed you, we were in the planning stages
of forming a grassroots team to find a way to open the hill again.
We, as a loose group of winter-minded Valdez residents, proposed our
plan to reopen the area and called ourselves the Valdez Snow
Authority. We put together a plan for the City of Valdez for help to
purchase a surface lift from Sam Geise and secure land for us to
operate. The Parks and Recreation Dept decided to run with the
project and become the operator. As an organization, the VSA held
multiple work days, logistical planning to assist the City in the
area's reconstruction.
There have been many bumps along the way: drainage and earth issues,
funding problems, delayed construction, extreme winds, and lost
equipment. Despite these problems, we're very close to opening for
the 2011-2012 season.
I will provide another update and some pics when we get the public
moving up the hill!
New Stats:
Length of Surface Tow: 1,100 ft (2,200 total ft of cable)
Vertical Drop: 320ft
Lift Type: Multi-Lift Wire Rope Tow, 12.5hp Bottom Drive
Besides the Rope Tow, our goal is to promote and grow Winter
Activities in Valdez, AK. This is a great place to start as it is
building new skiers/snowboarders!
facebook.com/valdezsnowauthority
valdezsnowauthority@gmail.com
Cheers,
Chris Moulton
Volunteer Coordinator, VSA
[Sarah Carter - 29 March 2012 email excerpt]
We are very excited about our Salmon Berry Ski Hill!
Young and old alike, Valdez is loving the opportunity to make some
turns without needing to hike for it.
Here are a couple of recent photos.
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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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