Interviews/Thoughts from Some Schweitzer Originals

  

Note from blog editor.  I decided to launch this blog a few months ago while working on a story assignment for Schweitzer Magazine. The story highlights Schweitzer's 50th anniversary.  

As with any print journalism assignment requiring a specific word count, and especially because of the magnitude of the story, I experienced frustration throughout.  

I had 1,800 words. 

While interviewing people who had participated in Schweitzer's beginnings, my frustration level continued to increase.  

Too many great memories, not enough space to hold them all!

Too many great pioneers involved with what Schweitzer Original Bob Aavedal calls "the best thing that ever happened to Sandpoint." 

How could I ever even scratch the surface in 1,800 words? 

Schweitzer's story could fill a book.  Who knows?  Maybe it will some day! 

I eventually wrote the story, hitting the high spots and figuring that possibly a complementary online blog could provide the venue for the story to be expanded. 

Therefore, this venue offers an unlimited opportunity for the "everybody's got a story" to unfold.  

I sincerely hope that  it does and that readers with personal Schweitzer stories to share or those who can share some anecdotes about the pioneers no longer with us will submit their thoughts.  Please note the email address where you can send material, including photos. 

I'll be happy to keep adding to this collection.

In his interview,  Sandpoint's Chris Thompson mentioned something about how we tend to remember a lot of fiction, mixing with it a little bit truth. 

The way I see it 50 years of trying to remember could muddle the facts a bit, but the overall story still has merit, especially when it comes from those who experienced the early years of "the best thing that ever happened to Sandpoint."   

After all, This IS designed to be a story-telling blog, produced by a lifelong storyteller. Besides,  I'm sure enough facts will come out that we can overlook any figments of fiction. 

So, I'm hoping to see some contributions and looking forward to adding to the rich tales already included. 

Submit your contributions to me at potatohead89@hotmail.com, and I'll see that they get posted.  And, if you're just reading the blog, tell your friends and do come back to visit from time to time. 

--Marianne Love

Doug Abromeit
~1947-2013~

Two days before Doug Abromeit died suddenly in May, 2013, while mountain biking in the Sun Valley area with friends, he called me to talk about Schweitzer.  

Doug and I were Sandpoint High School and University of Idaho classmates (both English majors).  Doug also skied at Schweitzer the first year it opened.

Recently retired as director of the U.S. Forest Service National Avalanche Center in Sun Valley area, Doug was eagerly looking ahead toward moving back to his hometown of Sandpoint. 

Our telephone conversation turned to writing in general. We ended with plans to get together once he was settled in Sandpoint and maybe even pool our efforts to write a book about Schweitzer.  

Sadly, that plan was cut short with Doug's untimely death.  

http://www.powdermag.com/stories/remembering-doug-abromeit/

Doug was loved and respected by all who knew him, both professionally and as a friend. 

It seems fitting, therefore, to dedicate this blog of "Schweitzer Originals" in his honor.  

Doug was definitely one of the originals from Schweitzer who took what he learned from the mountain, ran with it and made a significant impact on winter sports and safety nationwide. 

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A Few Notes from . . . .

Looking Back on Schweitzer: 

The History of Schweitzer Mountain Resort

By Jack Fowler – 1991

As told to Ross Woodward

“They accuse me of being the ‘founder’ of Schweitzer Mountain Resort, the ski area west of Sandpoint, Idaho.  My old friend and co-conspirator Grant Groesbeck, who left us in 1987, shares that accusation.”

On Easter weekend  April, 1960, Fowler, his wife and three kids piled into the family Travelall and headed out to Big Mountain near Kalispell. 

“[I’d been skiing] since 1948, when an army buddy taught me the stem-christy turn on Pole Mountain, Wyo., skiing has been a relaxer from my dental practice.”

Fowler remembers that it was bad skiing with wet chairs, the snow was mush and the visibility was near zero. So, he headed home . . . in a bad mood.

They stopped just beyond Hope for a break.  While the family stretched, Fowler took in the scene.  By then, the weather was clear. 

“There it was, in all its shimmering white splendor.  It was cradled in a protective bowl which had preserved it into the change of season, while the pack on the adjoining ridges had melted away.

“Thus, the thought of which, so they say, a destination ski resort was born:  Why should I drive six hours to be bombed out, when I could be skiing an hour and a half from home in that gorgeous place right up there?  ‘There,’ I found out, was referred to as ‘Schweitzer Basin.’”

[It was] named for an eccentric named Mr. Schweitzer who lived in a primitive cabin at the foot of Schweitzer Mountain. 

“I was seized with the thought that right there was a great spot to develop a ski area.  I gave it a few days to simmer, assuming that like many high flown notions it would go away.  It didn’t.  It persisted,  and I felt I had to bounce it off someone else in the interest of getting a second opinion.  My sounding board was my good buddy, Grant Groesbeck.”

“I was 38 the spring of 1960.  Grant was six years younger.  He had been an architect for five or six years.  My first dental assistant later became his wife.”  

Fowler and Groesbeck discussed the idea over dinner, agreeing  that what they had to do was to come up with something akin to the hula hoop.  They had talked about big ideas, and with that discussion, Fowler brought up his discovery of Schweitzer.  They soon flew over the basin and liked what they saw.

Next, they agreed to go by ground to see the basin, Memorial Day weekend, May, 1960.  They drove to the base of the mountain, took backpacks and sleeping bags and headed out for the eight-mile hike, following a logging road for six hours.  They wore their ski boots.

“When we finally reached the basin, the blisters on our feet were the size of silver dollars!  We made camp below the Basin on a ridge we named Pea Soup Ridge.  The name referred to the dried material we reconstituted and heated over a charcoal fire that night.  The label called it pea soup.  The taste bore no resemblance.  It was terrible!”

The next morning they explored the basin, hiking to the top to the South Ridge.  The elevation of the highest part is 6,389 feet.  They reached about 6,000 feet and then descended.  They strapped on their skis and, for the first time, actually skied Schweitzer Basin.   They encountered mushy snow, but it was the end of May. 

“That was important to our dream of establishing a ski area.”

They did some planning before heading back to their car. 

“We had found our place.  Next step was to get some land. . . so, some land, an old Chevy engine (to use with the rope tow---something he’d seen back in Wyoming on Pole Mtn.) and material for a rope tow.  That was our vision Memorial Day weekend 1960.”

Jim Parsons, Jr.

Owner of Schweitzer Ski Haus

Sandpoint Realtor

I first started skiing in 1947 at Pine Street, and then we skied at Talache.  On Saturday’s, a school bus would take us to Talache.  The ski run there was built in the ‘30s by CCC’s.  Anderson and Walker, owners of Talache,  had a military jeep with chains on all four tires.  They would take us to top of the hill, and we would ski down. 

Long skis made us walk part way.  Talache Lodge owners had a ski instructor from Vermont who would teach us to ski.  After I came home from the service, I would go to Mt. Spokane and ski.  Sometimes we would go to Whitefish, Mont.  We went with Bill and Ruth Straley and helped chaperone the Ski Club.

Before Schweitzer, we were still skiing up on Pine Street.  We went around and raised enough money to buy a Sweden ski tow for Pine Street. It had a motor mounted on a toboggan.   We would tie it to a tree at the top.  It would pull two or three kids but only one adult. 

It’s amazing the number of people that went up there.   I have one picture of eight people taking a ski lesson there.  Originally, the Pine Street tow had a Ford motor in the shack up there, but that was before my time.

Before Schweitzer, people were checking out places for which the best place would be. The community was divided between the two, so we hired Nelson Bennett, who ran White Pass Ski area in Washington and designed the Squaw Valley course for the 1960 Olympics. 

We went in to Baldy one day and the next day went to Schweitzer.  Nelson would dig down in the snow to feel the crust.  Then, he wrote a report about the two areas.  I have the report.   Baldy had more of a southern exposure, which wasn’t as good as the eastern exposure of Schweitzer.  I remember taking Nelson to dinner out at Hurschel’s Litehouse at Hope. 

A number of people in town chipped in to get him to come. I think it was $250,  plus some mileage.  After his report, the Baldy idea died.  His report would have been early ‘60s. 

Drew and Kelly, some loggers, wanted the Baldy site.  They may have even put stuff up there.

I remember things that happened before Schweitzer was built because I was taking pictures.  I think we started going up there with Grant Grosbeck and Jack Fowler, probably two years before Schweitzer opened.  They were looking at the area; we always ended up on the South Ridge.  Sometimes we took Old Yeller, the snow cat owned by Bob Cox and Bud Moon. Sometimes we walked in from the city dam.  We took a lot of pictures.  One day on Memorial Day we went up and had a party. 

I still have the first brochure they put out for the opening.  My dad did it, and they used one of my pictures.  Dad had his own business in Priest River.  Dad graduated from Priest River High school in the first class.  My grandparents had the paper in Sandpoint.  My aunt got TB, so they left and went to Colorado. 

 At the time Schweitzer opened, I owned the Schweitzer Ski Haus downtown, next to what’s now Eichardts.  It was a building owned by Lee Bates. We had a shop at the lodge for the first two or three years.

I had been going up to Schweitzer with Jack, Grant and the other locals. So, I thought, “why not?”  At the time, I had my photo studio upstairs above Larsons.  Also at nights, I worked on the green chain at the Colburn Mill.  I took the second job for more money to start up the ski shop. 

  

We went to a ski show in Seattle and ordered merchandise in the spring for fall.  Sometimes, there was a real bond between Clarice and me and the people who had the ski shop in Wallace.  Bill Bacon ran the sporting goods for the Crescent Department Store in Spokane.  If I needed something, I could call either one of them and they would send it up to us.  We had a really good relationship.  It happened and it all worked.

Clarice helped with the shop downtown, while Gary Johnson, Chris Thompson and Dann Hall helped me up there. We had it open seven days a week.

I owned the Ski Haus for about three-four years.  The kids were growing up, and I needed to find a job every summer.  It was time, so for two summers I  flew for the Forest Service as an aerial observer.  We spotted Sundance (the 55,000 blaze in 1967 that burned north through the Selkirks from Schweitzer) coming that evening.

On the day Schweitzer first opened--for a lot of people--it was going to be their first time on skis.  I had kids who had never been on skis working at the shop.  I’m sure it was a little confusing.  I took a few pictures that day, like the Toomeys [purchased the first two tickets].  We bought the first family pass [$130] for the four of us. The normal price was $150 but got a $25 discount for membership in Sandpoint Ski Club. I still have the receipt.

At first, I was pretty much in the shop every day. I didn’t ski until February.  The first time up I broke my leg. I was skiing with Dr. Munson and my wife,  heard a pop like a shot and came to a complete stop.  After having it cast,  I went to work the next day.

 I didn’t ski a whole lot, just skied when I could. The terrain---I’m not an expert---but I could ski most of it, going down the ridge.  It was nice. I would ski with my kids [Jim and Linda] when they came from Midway.  I remember bringing Linda down on my shoulders.  Both kids skied and Jimmy raced Mitey Mites.  He’s a strong skier, and Linda’s a pretty skier.  Linda’s kids have been skiing all winter. 

One of my vivid memories of Schweitzer:  mufflers and muddy roads.  

I thought the overall community attitude was pretty good.  When they got the SBA, ARA loans, they had to have community participation.  So they sold stock at $10 a share with the feeling that the waitress at Connie’s or the guy pumping gas at Pinky Cochran’s Chevron station  could buy for ten dollars and   that they would push Schweitzer to people going through here headed to Whitefish. 

I think that Schweitzer was the biggest thing that ever happened to Sandpoint.  It was pretty quiet downtown, but when the ski area came, there was a lot of activity downtown.  People were staying and eating and going to the movies.  It was a boom to Sandpoint.

Fifty years later, I’m proud of my involvement from the start, going in before Schweitzer, trips in, the developing of the ideas and the pictures I took. . . . I made a lot of friends up there, especially a lot of Spokane people.   It was a great experience, and I’m very proud to have been there at the beginning. 

 A Few Thoughts from The Ski Race  --  Published 1980
by Sam Wormington
Schweitzer's First Manager

. . . . From that first year on one chairlift, one rope tow, one lodge and one Oliver Cat, Schweitzer continued to grow.  In 1964 the 24-unit condominium-type structure was built and ready for the 1964-65 season by the Schweitzer Land Co. of Jack Fowler and Grant Groesbeck.  This was the first phase of their plan for a Schweitzer Village. 

They were willing to share their plan with Schweitzer Inc. if the need arose, even to the point of allowing the day lodge to be built on their land which they agreed to sell for the same price they paid originally, even though the value had increased considerably by then. 

Several logging concerns, including Jim Brown Jr. had land in the Schweitzer area, as did the U.S. Forest Service.  A series of trades and agreements were worked out and while not complete the first years, it has been resolved, and as a result the U.S.F.S. no longer controls areas where lifts are located. 

Through various purchases through the years, Jim Brown Jr. became the controlling shareholder. Through Jim many things were accomplished at Schweitzer Basin which otherwise would not have been possible.  There was a standing joke between us that if we could only begin the expansions in April instead of September we could save a lot of work and money, mostly money. 

So, it was that Schweitzer, the Cinderella of ski areas, turned into a beautiful princess with seven chairlifts, one T-Bar, two Day Lodges, several snow packers, snow removal equipment and a very serviceable maintenance building to accommodate the equipment.  Private interest has built a ski shop, several condominiums, a restaurant and bar, an overnighter hotel, plus several single family homes.  

Not only did the community gain a revenue-creating business, but many also took advantage of the opportunity to learn to ski.  Through special programs (in some cases instruction was free), school children and house wives were introduced to the sport.

Lucille McPherson and Jean Martin, both mothers of young families, became two of our best ski instructors.  Much of what they learned came from Werner Beck and another Austrian teacher Eric Hotter. 

Werner was the first racing coach.  Recruited from Austria, he was an excellent skier and teacher.  After him came Jim Barrier who was originally from Lookout Pass, Idaho but came via Kalispell, Big Mountain, U.S. Ski Team and the U.S. Army. At the 1960 Olympics at Squaw Valley he placed highest in all U.S. men in competition. 

Eric Hotter,  who had been coaching outside of his native Austria before, was beautiful to watch because his skiing was so technically correct.  Gary Battistella was also here for a year before he moved to greener pastures.  I had known Gary since he was just a little kid who needed his nose wipes, as I hauled him and others around to ski meets in years gone by. Since that time, Gary held a berth on the Canadian Olympic Team, which gave him considerable experience.  Gary even seemed to enjoy teaching beginners, which is a quality not often found in top racers.

The Ski School had a variety of directors, the first being Ken Pabst who was a Sandpointite.  With back-up from the racing coach, Bob Aavedal took it on, then Arnold Bircher.  Both had been skiing at Schweitzer since the beginning. Betty and Al Voltz used to come skiing at Schweitzer on their days off duty at Mt. Spokane.  They were both involved in the American Ski Technique, demonstration teams and ski clinics.  Al accepted my offer and ran the Ski School for a time.  When he left, Chris Thompson, a native son, took over. Chris left for 49 Degrees North and I hired Bill Haskins from Salt Lake (Alta), Utah.  With the package came Suzy, his wife, an added asset.  

Bob Aavedal, in partnership with Terry Merwin, took over the rental shop as part of their Alpine Shop downtown.  Craig Harris, who ran the sport shop on the mountain for Bob, now has his own downtown sport shop [in 1980]. 

Another visible group of employees at any ski area is the Ski Patrol.  We decided to go for all pro patrol, no volunteers.  I brought in two experienced men, Norm Cook and Allan Byrne.  Jim Gallaher gave the first First Aid courses and the new patrolmen learned rapidly.  Later we got our instruction through the Forest Servic., the hospital personnel, and some of the patrolmen were sent out for advanced courses.

Some of them included Frank and Larry Stonebarger, John Pucci, P.K. Sayers, John Jaeger, Tom Anderson, Kevin Brown, Scott Hadley, Dave Sutliff, Dave Yondt, Tim Sulzle, Brad and Ken Littlefield and many more.  These men, for the most part, took their responsibilities seriously and demonstrated their ability in a crisis on more than one occasion. 

Shirley Hamacher arrived the second season of operation after I convinced her that she should work at the area.  She quickly became known as my "Girl Friday," and her enthusiasm and infectious laugh became her trademark.  Shirley had a young family in those days, and her husband Eddy and I became very good friends. Together, we learned how to enjoy Yukon Jack.   

Wayne Parenteau was one of the fist employees and became one of the long-term employees.  He worked to clear ski runs, operating the bulldozer.  Later, he operated and maintained all the mechanical equipment of lifts, thiokols, graders, cats, rotary plow and trucks.  If the job called for it, he could be a carpenter, an electrician or a plumber. 

Bob Aavedal was a jack-of-all trades.  Before he left us for his own business, he played an important part in surveying and in helping install Chairlifts 2,3 and 4 and also T-Bar 1, and 4. 

Rennie Poelstra, logger, cat and other heavy equipment operator and self-taught millwright, could tie into any job, no matter what the weather conditions.  He spliced many a cable on Schweitzer as well as other areas. 

Scotty Castle aka "Smiling Scotty," in charge of lift crews, was one of the early ones who could turn his hand to carpentry or whatever the job called for. 

The sixth member of this group , who really made up the nucleus of the total operation, was Delores Kelly.  By no means, do I list these six in the order of importance.  Delores, a very faithful bookkeeper, who knew the records in and out and always had the answers when needed, was a very important member and always very loyal to the ski area. 

Many more have come and gone through the years, leaving their own contributions toward the product of what Schweitzer Basin has meant to the community. 

The lift operator's job can be very monotonous, but it is one of the very important public relations positions at a ski area.  The skier who receives kind, courteous service as he boards the lift, will always come back.  Scotty Castle was just such a person.  He wasn't with Schweitzer the first year of operation, but it wasn't long before he was in charge of all lift operators, setting a good example for them all. 

The first person to greet the visiting skier is usually the ticket seller.  Lorraine Morgan, Patti Parkins, Diane Ekwortzell, Shirley Hammacher, Bobbi Brown, Betty Stengle, Marilyn Kamp and Judy Harris provided the first welcome to many skiers.  Sometimes these girls bear the brunt of the anger of an irate customer who only wants to vent his feelings on someone.  In these instances it takes a special kind of person to handle it and keep her "cool." 

Leonard Haugse of the Pastime took over the food service in the day lodge that first year.  His wife Helen and daughter Sandi were usually on hand to assist.  Bob Cox and the Travelers Motel and restauranttook over for a period of time, but when we expanded to two day lodges and a full-service restaurant, we hired Denny Rutherford from Seattle . . .  . . . . From him Doug Bopp took over and was doing an excellent job when I left in 1977.

A ski area, being a public service, the people who work there determine the success.  When the employees are out there doing their best to have the road plowed and sanded, the lifts maintained in good condition, and the snow on the runs babied and preserved, the public is more willing to put up with the sometimes adverse antics of Mother Nature. 

When I first started into ski area management, the manager was expected to carry out all the duties with the exception of the food service.  At Schweitzer, we had the lifts and machines maintained by Wayne Parenteau, Bob Melton, Jim Robertson and Mel over the years. 

The road was taken care of at various times by Peyton Schell, Bud Palmer, Russell Oliver and Werner Paulet.  In later years Roy and Lloyd Sutton and Rennie Poelstra did the job that had the road ready before the crowd arrived. The Thiokol drivers were the other early risers.  Long before sun-up they began their systematic patterns up and down the runs that needed packing for the intermediate and beginning skier, leaving the "powder" in the right places for the powder buffs.  

The two Greens, father and son Bob Sr. and Bob Jr. seemed to take special pride in their work, working well together.  John Fuller, P.K. Sayers and Larry Neu also did their share. 

. . . . . . . Then, there are people who are such avid skiers and "powder hounds" that they are right there to purchase Ticket No. 1. Mr. and Mrs. Jim Toomey purchased the first lift ticket when we opened the T-Bar at Kimberley, and they purchased No. 1 and 2 at Schweitzer also. 

Of all the senior skiers, none was better known than Dr. Merrit Stiles.  He began skiing after he passed the half century mark and was so convinced of the benefit of esercise toward healthful living that he co-authored a book "Ski at Any Age."   Dr. Merritt Stiles, who was born in Stiles, North Dakota, practiced internal medicine in Spokane for several years.  His wife Tana and sons Dyke and Ted also skied.  

I first met Dr. Stiles in Kimberley at North Star, around 1960.  He played a big part in my decision to come to Schweitzer Basin.  He had become involved in the planning stages at Schweitzer and remained a strong supporter, watching it grow from infancy to a great name in the skiing world. 

He clocked up many vertical miles of skiing because it took dismal weather to discourage hime from skiing the day out.  He took a personal interest in the crew; he knew them all by name and had a cheery word for each one.   When the crew spoke of "Doc," they had only one man in mind.  

With his tremendous drive, he not only became and excellent skier but found time ot take on responsible positions in ski organizations besides maintaining his own medical practice.  He was president, first of the Pacific Northwest Ski Association, then the United States Ski Association.  He served on teh board of the F.I.S., the U.S. Olympic committee and traveled extensively to major ski events.

He had many tributes paid him in his medical practice, but skiing's greatest tribute came to him in his lifetime when he was admitted to the U.S. Ski Hall of Fame, but I believe one of the greatest tributes to him personally was the official naming of "Stiles Run" at Schweitzer Basin. 

I can still see him with his skis on his shoulder, striding across the parking lot with more vigor than many half his age, or I see him coming down the mountain with an ease and style that belies his late start in the sport.  Dr. Stiles was a keen observer.  We had many discussions on ski-sport in general, and Schweitzer Basin in particular.  

He also talked of the need to stay physically and mentally active just as long as possible. This he did.  He remained active in his medical practice in Spokane and physically active through skiing in the winter, swimming and hiking in the summer. It was while out at their summer home at Priest Lake that he passed away. 

Visionaries, Promoters and Community Made the Schweitzer Dream Possible

More from The Ski Race by first manager Sam Wormington, published 1980.

Fortunately there were people in influential positions who were civic minded, who when they were contacted, worked long and hard to turn this expanse of snow, rocks and trees into a winter play ground.  Jack Fowler and Grant Groesbeck took every opportunity to expose as many people as possible to a ski trip into Schweitzer Basin.

Bob Cox and Bud Moon provided an over-the-snow vehicle which made the trips possible. There were some old logging roads, but you couldn't get close by wheeled vehicles.  

One of their early contacts was Jim Parsons Jr., who was president of the Sandpoint Ski Club.  Through him they met Jim Parsons Sr., who was on the committee investigating the possibilities of some new industry to revitalize the area's logging economy. 

Jim Parsons Sr. was experienced in public relations work and occupied the office next to Jim Brown Jr. of Pack River Lumber Co., so Jim Brown was also involved early.  Dick Williams, a sports correspondent for the Spokesman-Review, was a good friend and through him there was tremendous public exposure of the proposal. 

The Federal government under President Kennedy had instituted a program to provide low-interest loans for communities that qualified as economically depressed. A volunteer task force undertook to provide the documentation needed to qualify for a loan.  It would be impossible to give credit to all the people who provided both time and money to this project. 

Businessmen donated money to bring in a disinterested party as a consultant to weigh the pros and cons of two different locations. His report was published in the local paper for all to read the reasons why he felt Schweitzer Basin had the most promise of success. 

It is interesting to read the account written by one of Sandpoint's older citizens who actively involved in many scouting trips into the surrounding mountains in search of an ideal ski area.  Sometimes you can see the forest for the trees, and it took a visitor to discover the big basin above Schweitzer Creek.  Here was Cinderella just waiting for her Fairy Godmother to reveal her beauty. 

This Fairy Godmother turned out to be many, many people taking on insurmountable tasks.  Floyd Gray, the mayor of Sandpoint, was an enthusiastic supporter and also a director of the new corporation. 

Bill Ballard of Idaho First National Bank, lent his expertise.  Bud Moon, Bob Cox, Jim Parsons Sr. and Jim Jr. all gave of their time to promote the idea of a ski area for Sandpoint, using every available opportunity to escort people into the basin.

Russell Oliver, Bud Palmer and Jim Brown provided the means for the road into Schweitzer Basin by accepting stocks in payment. 

In order to qualify for the government loan, it was necessary for the community, through the corporation, to raise a percent of the total cost as equity.  The people of Sandpoint and Bonner County responded by buying shares, some large, some small, but it all helped. 

Many were just civic minded with no thought of gain; others saw it as an economic boom, and the skier looked at it as a chance to have skiing close to home for themselves and their families. 

None of it came easy.  Jack recalled the endless letter writing and documentation required by the government.  One letter in particular provided amusement.  A government employee wrote back, stating ". . . no substantial figure has been allowed for snow-making equipment which is a necessity for a ski area." 

The answer fired back was to the effect that "we have the best snow-making equipment in the world, and it is all free." 

Lori Montgomery

First Ticket Seller at Schweitzer

Currently:  Marketing Specialist

Whitewater Creek, Coeur d’Alene
Cover Photo:  Jim Parsons, Jr. 

I worked at Schweitzer from November 1963 to April 1966 after receiving a phone call in October 1963 from Sam Wormington. He said he had asked Imogene Davis, the accounting teacher at Sandpoint High School, for a referral of someone to work in the Ticket Office at Schweitzer. 

During that call, Sam asked me if I would be interested in the position. I was very interested and accepted the offer. At the time, I was working for an accounting firm in Sandpoint.

After starting at Schweitzer in November 1963, I worked at setting up the ticket office for the opening on Dec. 4, 1963.  During that time, I worked with Schweitzer Basin's bookkeeper, Delores Kelly, setting up the records to balance the daily ticket sales and cash.

Delores Kelly and I would ride up the hill to Schweitzer with Sam in his Schweitzer van. I remember the weather on opening day as beautiful. The sky was blue and the white, and the snow was sparkling. The view of the valley and lakes below was fantastic.

I loved seeing the view every day that I worked on the mountain, and I felt very lucky to be working for Schweitzer.

Opening day Dec. 4, 1963, was very exciting! We had the media and Ross Hall and a large number of skiers from Idaho, Washington and Canada.

I sold lift tickets # 1 and # 2 to Jim and Margaret Toomey from Post Falls. They were living in the Sandpoint area and still skiing in their 80s when I attended the 40-year reunion.

In 1963, the lift ticket was $5 or $6, rope tow $2,  and when the T-Bar was added in January 1964,  the ticket price was $2.75. 

I believe the half-day lift ticket sold for $3  We had a cash register on a table under the window where I would sell the tickets through the open window.

Before each sale, I would date stamp the tickets, and I kept track of the beginning and ending number in the daily records. Cash in the in the register would be balanced daily with the number of tickets sold.  

A typical day working at Schweitzer was traveling up the hill with Sam and Delores at 7 a.m. Once there, we would get the tickets and cash ready to open the window for a day of fun.

What I enjoyed most about working at Schweitzer was meeting happy skiers who enjoyed skiing and were having a good time.  The employees loved their jobs, and the skiers enjoyed the skiing.  It was family winter play-land just a few miles up the hill from Sandpoint.

When we started, the place had one chair lift, a T-Bar and a rope tow, along with the beautiful lodge and the Red Cricket Condominiums, the first condominium in Idaho.

Fifty years later, Schweitzer Basin is now known as Schweitzer Mountain Resort and has grown beyond the first future planning,  increasing the number of chair lifts, T-Bars, ski runs,  much more with the village now located on top of Schweitzer.

I have not visited Schweitzer for a few years, but I used to love to visit the mountain during the annual winter carnival.

Chris Thompson

From Schweitzer Ski Haus 

to Ski-Industry Professional

Currently I am retired, having been retired for almost 15 years.  I retired from the ski business. When I left, I was the VP/COO & GM for a company that owned four ski areas.  

In retirement, I continue to ski daily during the operating season and spend a few days at Mt. Hood in the summer,  coaching ski racing. That adds up to more than 100 days on the snow annually.  I continue to be involved with USSA as a certified official and with PSIA-NW [Professional Ski Instructors of America, Northwest Division] as their Certification Vice President, examiner and Divisional Clinic Leader [DCL].

How much has skiing played a part in your life? 

Skiing had been my career.  I have worked in the industry since 1963.  During those years, I worked in virtually all capacities the industry affords – except nobody would let me cook.  I have been and have done:  race coach, ski school director, marketing director, group sales manager, risk manager, been involved in building about 10 different chairlifts, have thousands of hours in snow removal and grooming machinery, worked with USFS on area operating plans as well as ski area master planning. The list goes on. 

How did you get hired to work at Schweitzer and what specifically was your job? 

A number of my high school friends had hired on to work in the rental shop for Jim Parsons, Jr.  Jim was looking for one additional individual, and Gary Johnson insisted that person was me.  So, Gary and I drove around Sandpoint until we found Jim at Rogers Thrift Store.   Gary introduced me to Jim, and I was hired on the spot. 

Seems to me that I was only supposed to work the Christmas Holiday, but I ended up staying on through the season.    Officially – we were all rental technicians.  [I was also working at Safeway at that time and had to adjust that work schedule to meet the mountain schedule. So, I worked Wednesday mornings and Wednesday night, stocking shelves, Friday/Saturday/Sunday evenings from 5-9 p.m.,  boxing groceries, cleaning floors/windows and stocking shelves.)

Describe the preparation for your first day on the job. 

Actually, as I recall, there was little to none.  It was mostly OJT.  Jim explained a little to us about the bindings and how to adjust them for different levels of skiers, and we faked it from there.  We also performed ski maintenance such as replacing missing edges, waxing the bases, eventually mounting bindings and much of that we picked up from other individuals and/or through reading.

Describe the scenes that you remember during that first day.

 All of us had taken the free lessons that Sam [Wormington] offered to the high school students so we knew the lay of the land so to speak.  Being on the other side of sales counter, working with the general public being very busy early in the mornings and late afternoons was a bit of an eye opener.  We were limited on inventory,  having maybe 30 pairs of wooden skis [with metal edges] and, as I recall, about five pair of HEAD Standards.  We had a short run of – as I recall the first few years – lace boots.  Virtually all of the equipment would go out each morning.

What was a typical day for you at Schweitzer during those times? 

Once we got into the groove, we would typically go by Jim’s downtown shop on Friday evening or early Saturday morning to transport supplies up to the shop.  We needed to be there by 8 a.m. to open for the day.  The shop was located on the North end of the day lodge. It was quite small but accommodated the necessary rental equipment and sundry supplies such as ski wax, goggles/replacement lenses, etc.  We worked until about an hour after the lifts close to ensure rental returns, cleaning, drying, waxing, prepping for the following day and/or weekend.

Who were some other people that you remember working with or seeing that first day?  Staff members?  Skiers? 

Naturally it all runs together but I certainly remember working closely with Gary Johnson, Paul Munson and Mike Rainey. Can’t remember if Doug Abromeit worked but I don’t think so and I don’t think that Dann did either – Gary will remember that.  I recall Sam coming into the shop, leaning on the counter and chatting – checking to make sure everything was OK.   

We all remember Scotty Castle @ the bottom of Chair #1 (although Scotty may not have been there the first season).  Wayne Parenteau was around.  The ski school made up of – to best of my recollection – Kenny Pabst and his wife; I think that Danny and Maxine Daniels were teaching at that time;  there was a ski patroller, Al Byrne, from Canada who also taught and was a heck of a skier for us to emulate.   Bob Aavedal was involved with the ski school.  

Watching Werner Beck ski the Face or make a series or turns down the last little cattrack to the lodge was absolutely amazing and something I [we] aspired to learn.

How about the remainder of the season?  How often did you work? 

It all kind of blends together.  It worked out that we all worked weekends & Holidays.  We worked kind of a half-day shift so we could work and ski.  We had the option of skiing the rental equipment in the afternoon if it didn’t rent in the morning & needless to say, most of us took advantage of that.  Almost all of us bought decent equipment by the  second year of operation.  

In the spring the first couple of years, the road would either wash out or get too muddy to drive so we commuted up at dawn when the road was still frozen and drive down late in the afternoon, early evening.  For a little while, Sam would run buses up/down and if you made the bus, you skied; if you missed the bus – bummer.

When did you learn to ski?  What do you remember about your lessons? And about skiing in general that first year? 

We all learned how to ski at Schweitzer.  As mentioned earlier,  the free ski lessons got us started.  We all went to the area probably about the first weekend it opened, rented skis for  half  day and during the first lesson, learned how to put the skis on, pole use, walking on the flats, side stepping,  kick turning, straight running – we were in a class of probably about 20 kids.  We learned enough to be dangerous. 

After the lesson we still had a little time left on the rental so a number of us bought a single ride ticket for $1 rode Chair #1 up to mid-way and fell our way down to  the bottom just in time to turn the rental equipment in for the next round of beginner skiers.  My best memory of that was first, falling down trying to get off at Midway and, secondly,  how difficult it was to ski mid-way OMG,  we straight ran and would crash to stop and that is when you were required to ‘FILL IN YOUR SITZMARK”  of course.  We didn’t know what a “sitzmark” was,  and to top it off, Colleen Wormington and Patty Raine [who were much younger] skied by us, throwing snow like there was nothing to it. What a day! I knew then that I had to learn how to make this happen!! 

Needless to say, we learned by the crash-and-burn method.  We would sneak around watching the ski instructors teach a lesson and imitate them.  I spent a fair amount of time watching the racers train and imitated them also.  Dann [Hall] took lessons, so he was way ahead of us. 

As Sigrid, my sister,  suggests – 95 percent of what you remember is fiction; the rest is fact.  In my distant memories, I recall the infamous cloud/fog layer reaching to the lodge area and the rest of the mountain in sunshine.  At that time, the face of the mountain from Midway up was extremely demanding.  There were traverse tracks coming in from the upper ridge across to the chairlift because most of us were incapable to putting enough good turns together to ski down from the small cornice that would build. 

Grooming was virtually unheard of and, as I recall, other than the little Oliver tractor that pulled a roller on the lower mountain, it was “take it as it comes.”  That made the face a mogul field difficult for us to ski but provided  plenty of jumps or airplane turns.  You had to hike to ski upper Stiles, so it was skied mostly from mid point down; the Headwall was “death defying” to us novices;  the Ridge was and still is the place to ski,  although it too seemed incredibly steep.

Tell me about your best personal memory of time spent at Schweitzer.

It is hard to nail down any one moment through all those seasons.  I recall the good and the bad – bad, when I broke my leg in front of the old day lodge and missed most of the next ski season.  Good: learning to ski powder on steep terrain, having the opportunity to work for Al Voltz, being the ski school director, helping build Chairs 2,3,4 during the summer between my sophomore and junior years of college, being the surveyor during the construction of Chairs 5 and 6 in about ‘72.  Meeting an incredible number of individuals that had a skiing passion similar to my own. 

Do you volunteer/work at Schweitzer now, or do you just go up to enjoy the mountain? 

Judy and I retired in the spring of ’98.  We spent our first year of retirement getting our new house and property in order, a little traveling, etc.  When the ski season started, we bought season passes, committed to just  enjoying skiing.  That lasted a little while as in until after the Christmas holidays wherein I knew  that I had to get involved in some capacity. 

I spent some time consulting with the then Ski School Director and teaching a few clinics for him.  I volunteered to help SARS with race production working course maintenance, being a starter, what ever was needed.  And that sealed my fate.

I have been employed by Schweitzer as a consultant to the Snowsports Center and the Schweitzer Alpine Race School [SARS].  (We won’t discuss salary or wages because they are minimal at best – much or most of it is volunteer).  If you add up all the years/seasons that I have worked at Schweitzer in some capacity,  it adds up to--including this season--24.

In your mind what did Schweitzer contribute to Sandpoint?

There is no doubt that Schweitzer has had a huge impact on Sandpoint and the surrounding communities.  Since its inception it has influenced the economic vitality of the region.  It has helped to change the culture from logging/mining to recreation.  Certainly it complements the lake in that respect.  And, not to say that logging/mining culture is negative,  but it was or has run its course. 

Anything you care to add?

Hopefully some of this makes sense.  The first few years were pretty incredible.  Working and skiing up there was a lot of fun.  We looked forward it daily and from year to year.  We had so much fun that we would take our skis home, go up to Munson’s and ski their front yard under the lights. We practiced the Spiess technique, built jumps, challenged each other.  

At that time athletics consisted of basketball and wrestling.  Many of us weren’t’ involved in either of those sports so skiing was the alternative.   Many of us are still involved in skiing mostly recreational – Gary, Doug, Dann.  It is,  after all,  a lifetime sport!!

Diane Ekwortzell Gartrell

Schweitzer Office Worker

Personal Background:  In addition to my Schweitzer experience, I worked in customer service for General Electric in upstate New York and in Seattle in my younger years.  Later, I worked for Coldwater Creek, also in customer service.  

I did volunteer work for Panhandle Animal Shelter for three years as volunteer coordinator and board member when it first opened.  I also worked with the animals and arranged adoptions.  For the most part, I have stayed home, worked in my garden, played with my dogs, and have ridden my horse.

The year Schweitzer opened, I was a sophomore at the U of I and came home for semester break.  Suffering from "sophomore slump,” I asked Sam for a job and he hired me to work in the ticket office along with Lorraine Morgan and Patty Parkins.  My parents were not happy, but I thought it would be a great adventure.

My first ski lesson was on the rope tow.  I think "teachers’ night" was begun as a free program to encourage future skiers.  I can’t remember too much about it,  other than that it was one night a week and the instructors made it fun.  

Sam wanted all of us to have the ski experience,  even if we just worked inside.  I would ski on my day off and would try to follow the instructors down the hill whenever I could, as that gave me the most confidence. 

Sam would pick us up each morning for work in what I remember was a big, plain Jane Suburban 4-wheel drive.  In those days the road was not paved and, because of the early hour we went to work, it might not have been completely plowed.  It was not unusual to slide off the road several times on the way up the hill, and on the trip down we would often pile out of the truck to help push someone out of the ditch.  

One very slippery day, Delores Kelly, the office manager who loved to talk, was mid-story when Sam hit an icy patch. We did a fast 180 and ended up slamming into a large embankment.  She never missed a beat, finishing her story as if nothing happened. 

It was hard to ruffle her feathers.  As a bookkeeper, she closely watched every penny for Schweitzer,  and Sam relied on her calm and steady nature to assist in the financial challenges those first years.  I had the privilege of working for Sam and Delores in the office the following ski season.

The spring season was worse for the drive up the hill.  Huge potholes and slippery mud made driving a challenge for everyone.  Werner Beck would sit in front and catch up on the previous night's lost sleep.  His head would bang against the side window as Sam did his best to avoid the chuckholes in the road.  The rest of us wondered how Werner managed to avoid a headache, let alone sleep. 

Some of us were Catholics, so on Sunday Sam would wait for us in front of St Joseph's.  We attended Mass in our ski clothes (which caused quite a stir for a while) and skipped out as soon as we were able.

My job the first year included selling tickets, of course.  Chair lift tickets were $4 per day and T-Bar $1.50.  I believe there was a half day ticket if you arrived after 1 p.m.  At the beginning of each year,  we sold season passes, which included taking a Polaroid picture of the individual and then making up the pass for them to pick up at the end of the day.  

That first year we also pitched in where we were needed.  It was not unusual to help out in the first aid room, locate the parents of a lost child,  give a morning ski report if Sam wasn't available, radio to summon the Ski Patrol to aid an injured skier or even help evacuate the chairlift when the power went out. 

Working at Schweitzer in those first years was a great experience. There were also new people from places other than Sandpoint and we were like a big family.  We had a good time together,  and I looked forward to going to work each day.

Alas, I no longer ski.  The last time was maybe 15 years ago.  I found that I no longer like getting cold, don't want to fall down as it is harder to get back up, and I might break my leg and not be able to garden.  However, I have those lovely memories of a different time.

Gary Johnson
Schweitzer Ski Haus Rentals
Schweitzer Volunteer
Photo Note:  Gary, right, included this photo to accompany a story he wrote for a past edition of Sandpoint Magazine about climbing Chimney Rock in the Selkirk Mountains.  

Personal Information:  I graduated in 1973 from the University of Idaho, married Diane in 1977.  We have two daughters.  I fought forest fires for 40 years, including 15 as a smokejumper in Alaska and the lower 48.  I retired in 2004 and am still employed as a marine deputy. 

I’m still skiing after 49 years.

Gary's Memories:  Skiing definitely derailed my early plans for a life-long profession.  For a passion for a sport that I do all my life.

I served as vice president of our SHS Ski Club.  Bill Straley and Don Baldwin, both SHS teachers, advised the club.

Jim Parson’s business was in town and known as the Ski Haus.  He also had the rental ski shop in the old lodge at Schweitzer.

Jim hired me as a retail clerk.  I worked in the rental and repair shop at Schweitzer. I remember being really nervous that first day of work at Schweitzer.  There was a long line of people at the door, all wanting rentals. 

We knew nothing about skis and renting equipment.  It was on-the-job training, but we managed to get through that first day.  It wasn’t rocket science in those days.

Skiers all seemed so excited with the opening of a new ski area.

A typical day at Schweitzer consisted of the shift you worked and the excitement of a couple of hours of learning to ski.  You definitely worked in order to ski free.  My first student pass was $40. 

I worked with all my best friends in high school, and that made it extra fun:  Doug Abromeit, Chris Thompson, and Dann Hall.  We all are still skiing today.

The remainder of the first season was spent learning to ski.  I worked weekends.  Schools in Sandpoint frowned on students missing school to ski.  There were no special ski days, unlike today. 

We worked all the holidays and really looked forward to them.  Everybody in the community was very supportive, and a new excitement seemed to hang in the air.

That first year was all learning, both skiing and running the operations of a ski shop.  Jim Parsons, Jr.,  the owner,  was fun to work for.  His relaxed demeanor made for lots of fun. 

Werner Beck, Schweitzer’s first ski coach, was awesome to watch, and we all wanted to ski like him.  When learning to ski, it was amazing how steep Midway Slope seemed.  I remember the first time I fell,  my bindings didn’t release, and I came out of my boots!  I didn’t break a leg but learned to tighten my boot laces after that! 

The road to Schweitzer that first year was all dirt, and being so new, became muddy and almost impassable at times.  Not many folks had 4-wheel drives either.

My best memories are the great times I spent with my friends at Schweitzer.  It was friendly competition.   When one of us learned something new, we all had to learn it.  It made us become better skiers.  After I went to college, I was so proud to bring college friends to Sandpoint; it was a real treat for them as well.

After about four years in the ski shop, I taught skiing in 1969 and 1970.   Al Voltz and Chris Thompson ran the ski school.  My wife and I volunteered to cut brush on ski runs for about four-five years and earned our season passes.

Diane and I also ran a cross country ski school for about 10 years.  The area out of bounds made for a great place to take our classes.

Schweitzer definitely changed the face of Sandpoint.  It was a slow process at first, but look at the place now!  Sandpoint, Schweitzer and Lake Pend Oreille are now a big draw and have put this area on the map.

I was skiing with Kathy Rumstead, Schweitzer’s first fatality,  when she slipped on an icy slope and hit a tree.  I was also skiing with Rick Metcalf the day an avalanche claimed his life in 1981.  Those were sad times.

On a better note, I met and courted my wife Diane on the slopes of Schweitzer.  She was from Georgia and seemed to like the way I skied.  Our two daughters both learned to ski at Schweitzer at 3 and 4 years old.  

This area holds lots of great memories over the last 50 years.  

Thank you, Schweitzer! 

Schweitzer Snippet:  A bear had a hand (paw) in construction too

From research:  True?  Maybe, maybe not.  But a good story. 

Kids will do it, but who would expect that a bear would try to get away with something like that. 

During the construction of new chair lifts at Schweitzer Basin, the crew left soft concrete one night and when they returned the next morning, there were fresh bear footprints in the concrete. 

The crew was concerned about refinishing the surface when Sam Wormington, Schweitzer’s manager, appeared on the scene.

‘Leave the prints in the concrete,’ he is supposed to have said.  Substantiating this story was the announcement that the three new double-chair lifts would  [be] “Baby Bear” and Mama Bear.  The original lift is known as “Grandpa Bear.”

Happenings like this build the traditions and romance of a good slope and make something about the ordinary out of it. 

When the bear came over the mountain, it picked a very special mountain.”

Sandi Haugse Terry

Haugse Family Concession at Schweitzer

Pastime Cafe

Currently owner of Sandpoint’s Tam-o-Shanter

We were busier than heck at Schweitzer. Our usual in the mornings was breakfast, eggs, bacon, hash browns and Dad’s (Leonard’s)  famous cinnamon rolls, baked fresh at the Pastime.

For lunch, we served hamburgers and French fries.  And, we always had the chili and always the hot chocolate.  

We kept the hard ice cream.  The Ski Patrol would come down on their last sweep, and those who didn’t head to the bar would head to the cafeteria and have hot chocolate with a scoop of hard ice cream.

Hot chocolate sold for 50 cents. 

Dad tended to charge ten percent more on mountain than downtown.  Cinnamon rolls went for $1 apiece. He would round everything off at $2.50 or $3, so we didn’t have to haul the change.

I worked the grill or the serving line.It was a madhouse.  The grill handled about 24 hamburgers at a time.  We’d slap them all down and then come back and turn them over.

I did the French fires in a double fryer.

The serving line had two sides.  One side was open all the time.  During lunch we opened the second side until about 1:30 p.m.  We would stay at Schweitzer  until everyone was gone, which was usually about 4 or 5 p.m.  Dad would shut down the grill.  We always took the chili off last.  A service table had other food.

I didn’t miss working a weekend the first four years.  I worked weekends and holidays---any time I wasn’t in school.

From 1963-----when they did their first remodel in late ‘60s, my sister  Debbie also worked there. She would have been working up there when Dad closed it down.  He had to have a bigger kitchen then---10 by 10.  When Management wouldn’t go along with that, he told them to find someone else.

We hauled everything from downtown, sometimes two or three times a day.  It was not unusual for Mom to make a run to town for more food.

Three rigs from the Haugse’s house usually went up in morning.  Dad went up early and opened the restaurant with a couple of workers. We rode all the way up in the Corvair with food on our laps.  That would be Mom and us.

Sometimes, four or five of us sat in the Corvair with boxes of cinnamon rolls on our laps.  Most of us didn’t eat the food up there.  The second Christmas we did something like 4,200 hamburgers.  It was years before I could eat a hamburger.  You serve two-three thousand hamburgers in one day and ya don’t want to look at them and definitely don’t want to smell them.   

I didn’t ski right away because we were so busy.  The second weekend I got to go out and take my first ski lesson like every other kid in high school.  Then, I didn’t make it to the slopes until after Christmas.   I retook my first lesson over again on the Bunny Hill. Then, I could see kids with whom I took my first lesson coming off from Midway. 

So, I got on the chair and said, “Here we go.”  I was dating Ronnie Bricker, my first husband.  He was on the Ski Patrol.  I would go up with one or other of the Ski Patrol and got a lot of good pointers.   I got pretty good by the end of that first year.  

Zane Lund

First Ski Patrol

Retired Sawmill Worker

Age: 80

I worked in the woods at logging to start with, but during the fall of 1963, I went to work at Schweitzer. 

Before that time, I had been in the army in Alaska, where I worked as an Army recreational specialist at the Arctic Valley Ski Bowl near Anchorage. I went there in the fall and downhill skied for seven days a week. I skied on Super Dynamic 210s, with a bearclaw bindings and long thongs.  They have a picture of my skis from 1954 at the Outback.

I worked at Schweitzer for only one winter and then moved on to the Colburn Saw Mill where I worked the green chain, ran the re-saw and tail fall. I retired from there in 1994. 

I went back up to Schweitzer in 2012, got hooked and am now a regular.  

When I first started that fall, I helped build the rope tow and then Sam sent me with a hatchet to cut brush out of the runs.  When the cable was spliced on Chair One, I put three sandbags weighing 165 pounds every other chair to test the load.  I also did odd jobs helped carpenter until they opened. 

I was on ski patrol when they opened.  I worked with Arnold Bircher, Allen Burns from Canada and Ron Cook. Sam took me aside one day four years ago and he said I was the first ski patrolmen he hired at Schweitzer. 

The first day was a funny but busy day.  A lot didn’t know how to ski.  A lot got off at Midway.  The rental shop didn’t know adjust skis and bindings, so the ski patrol was trying to adjust them with quarters for screwdrivers. 

It wasn’t a very big crowd. We took three down in the toboggan that day.  Everybody was happy and laughing about each other falling.

Maybe ten knew how to ski.   Some of them got better at adjusting the binding and then their skiing got better.

I remember that I started up there with an old GMC panel and spun out.  A guy came up with a 4-wheel drive and gave me a ride.  It was Arnold Bircher.  When we got there, he looked around and said, “Ya mean we have to ski on these little biddy hills.”  He was from Switzerland,  and it also looked like that to me after skiing the Alaskan mountains.   They [the hills in those places] made Schweitzer look pretty short.

The first run I took at Schweitzer was probably about three weeks before it opened. There was four feet at the lodge and eight feet on top, no grooming. It felt great.

The Canadian Olympic team was there for two weeks before the opening. I met Nancy Greene [from British Columbia].  She won the giant slalom Gold medal and the slalom silver medal in the Grenoble France Olympics in 1968.  She also won several world cup.  I skied with her for a few times in the fall and the following spring.  What an honor it was to ski with someone like that.  I remember her as young and friendly. 

A couple of memories:  One day a kid was running the lift shack, and guy came along and said his girl friend got hurt and could he borrow the toboggan. He took the toboggan and fell down.  It took off down the hill and ended up in the trees.  Luckily, didn’t hit anyone. 

One time a guy got lost.  Arnold, Zane and Werner and later on,  George Hicks,  a state patrolman,  came and helped.  We rode the chair in the dark with no flashlights.  Arnold and I climbed to the top of Big Timber. 

At midnight, the moon came out full, and we were standing on a cornice that goes across.  We went back and went over into the South Bowl, and he said, “It’s real steep; the uphill skis are even with my lower knee.  It was pretty steep and pretty dark too.  We went on down to the lodge again. 

Werner [Beck] couldn’t understand English.  Arnold started speaking German and then heard from Werner who had found the guy.  He called in with his two-way radio. 

We took a toboggan, but by the time we got to the lodge, the guy was back and not hurt.  He had retraced his steps back.  It was about 1:30 in the morning.   He never said thank you.

These days, I ski for four hours on the groomed runs.  When I was young and working up there, I was a powder hound.  They didn’t have any groomers at Schweitzer or in Alaska. 

When the snow’s right, I like K-Mac, to the left of where Chair One used to be in the South Bowl. I like Little Blue, in the North Bowl.  It’s got variety, steep and not so steep.  I use 168 Volance and Solomon boots.  The skis are shaped a little and so much shorter; they turn so much easier.  I ski with a young lady who’s dad is on the ski patrol.

These days, there’s a lot more area to ski than when it first opened.  There was nothing in the North Bowl then, and the high-speed chairs don’t take you so long.  I usually make 25-30 runs in four hours, then have a hot chocolate and half a sandwich at the Outback Inn.

As for Schweitzer in general, I think it’s a good thing, and I’ve had a world of fun.  I’m going to do my best to be at the anniversary party.

Bob Aavedal

Ski Instructor

Construction

Owner of Alpine Shop until 2012

Since retiring in 2012, I’ve been catching up, new things in the house, wood floors.  I’ve been up to Schweitzer a few times. It’s kind of nice to go up there without any concern.  You always think about work.

July 15, 2012, was my last official day at the Alpine Shop after 46 years.  We (Bob and Linda) hung around part time for several days.  We still stop in and visit.  Brent and Nicole Eacret are the new owners.  It’s good to see young energy and new ideas.  

The first day they opened, I was working in the parking lot.   I helped in the lot, directing traffic for two-three hours.  I had talked to Sam before the opening day.  He told us (Bob Melton) to show up.

Before Schweitzer, I had skied at a rope tow in Bonners Ferry and at Naples with some neighbors. I spent two winters in Germany with Army from 1960-62.  They had just T-bars at Garmish.  We would ride the train up mountain

My role at the resort changed over the years. We started building a rope tow, worked on lifts and as a lift operator until 1968, the year Chair 4 was built.  I worked on Chairs 2, 3, 4.  It was a good crew, including Rennie Poelstra, Larry Smith, Bob Melton, etc. The work started in September, but it was tough when you would get into the weather.

Schweitzer has been a real opportunity for us for our business and being involved with the ski shop.  We wouldn’t been skiing that much, otherwise, so it was real opportunity for the family to ski. My son John eventually switched over to snow boarding. 

It’s the best thing that ever happened to Sandpoint.

Ruthann Kiebert Nordgaarden

Cover Girl Sandpoint Magazine

Pictured purchasing ticket at the old lodge

Currently:  Dog and Cat Groomer

When Schweitzer opened, we formed a ski club in high school.  I went with the ski club group.  I knew nothing about skiing.  I got my ski coat at Christmas time and didn’t have it in the picture  [cover photo of Sandpoint Magazine at ticket window].

I took the lessons there.  My first pair of boots I got from Marilyn and Susan Dalby.  They had already been into skiing.

I think Kermit [Kiebert] helped us buy my first skis; they were old skis with the bindings that you had to hook around your legs.  Nothing was as comfortable and warm as it is now.

The hardest part about skiing [ laughs] was that very first day that we went up with our group.  We hiked up the rope tow, had skis under our arms.  Walking in those boots, it seemed like forever.

The first thing they did was teach us how to turn around with skis on: here came this guy from up the mountain and looked like he was going to wipe us up.  The snow flew,  and it was a big tall guy.  Turns out it was Sam Wormington , who welcomed us to Schweitzer.

The hardest thing was my second year when I got hurt up by Midway and rode the toboggan down.  I had stayed in town and didn’t have my skis so I  borrowed Dennis Fletcher’s skis, which were too long for me.  I hit those moguls,  and obviously I wasn’t able to get up and go.

The Ski Patrol strapped me in,  and I couldn’t move.  I looked up at the chairlift with people looking down on me.  My biggest fear was that I would be examined,  and I had men’s underwear on.  Oh my gosh!  I had just hurt my leg.  They just examined it,  and I must have come down [with no embarrassment].

I ended up on crutches for quite a long time.  It was hard to get on and off the buses.  That ended my skiing. 

The next year Glen and I got married,  and we went once. 

To me, what I loved about skiing was being outdoors and the scenery.  I’ve always been an outdoors person.   We had little skis at home in Hope,  and we’d go up on the mountain.  When Schweitzer opened---oh my goodness---that was wonderful.  I love mountaintops. 

That lodge . . . too bad they couldn’t save that lodge; it was so neat.

I remember Chair One, the rope tow and the T-bar.  The year that Glen and I were married.  Dad [Kermit Kiebert, Sr.] was working on that next chairlift.  He probably cleared the ground for it.  My son, Eric worked up there for a couple of years.

My granddaughter Osaze has done snow boarding.  Her sister Lehana really loves it.  She does lessons, and goes every weekend. Her friend introduced her to skiing,  and she loved it.  I think she’ll stay with it. This is so good for Lehana.

Jean Martin

Retired Realtor

50-year Skier
Former Schweitzer Ski Instructor

When Schweitzer opened I lived at the bottom of the hill on Woodland Drive. I now live north of Priest River, seven miles from the top of Schweitzer, as the crow flies, but a 50-mile road trip in the winter.

Day 1 when the area opened, I was there.  My then husband had friends who already knew how to ski and they helped us get started.  As they passed us on their frequent runs they would give a few pointers.  I was so totally concentrating on what I was doing I was oblivious to the weather or how many people were around me.  I was 27 years old and in great physical shape because of all my outdoor activities.

Lift tickets were $4 per day or $100 for a family season pass.  I think we bought our family pass on the second day but I don’t remember. I skied every day until the soft spring snow started.  On my third day of skiing, I went to the top of chair #1.  It took me awhile to get down with all the traversing and kick turning.  I have had a season pass and locker every year. I even like spring skiing. Somewhere on the hill there is always a sweet spot where the conditions are perfect.

My then husband Bud and I had saved enough money for me to start school at NIC that next spring and we used that money for our skis, boots and poles. I had wooden skis with metal edges that did not last very long.  In the spring I went commercial fishing with my mom and saved enough money to buy a pair of metal skis.  Jim Parsons had a ski shop in downtown Sandpoint, I bought “Heads”from him.  My “education” would have to wait until the ‘70s when I took evening classed NIC offered in Sandpoint.

One of the biggest, most notable changes in skiing between then and now is the beautiful groomed runs.  All those bumps and moguls play hell with ones knees.  A lot of my friends have new knees and hips and just go right on skiing. I’m still on my originals.

The newer equipment is so much safer, the clothes are warmer, and very few people ski without helmets now.  I remember borrowing Mike Thompson’s wind pants, which were the latest thing.  Now,  everyone has waterproof gore-tex everything. Heated gloves and boots make a big difference in comfort, too.

Betty Moon and Nikki Tifft already knew how to ski, and that impressed me.  The guys on the patrol were mostly just learning to ski along with the rest of us.  Just a few were already good at it,  and they would help the others.  And me, because I was always there, they let me go along on the “sweep” just before closing.  One guy, Dewain Mullins, tried to help me ski powder. Red Edwards worked in the ski school and was a big help also.  He and his wife, Joanne, and their two boys sometimes stayed at our house on weekends.

Sometime, one of those first years at Schweitzer, I saw Jim Martin, who became my second husband.  He was in charge of a group of Boy Scouts, and they were doing some winter camping.

He came into the brown bag lunch room in the lower part of the old lodge, and I took note of his blond crew cut and thought to myself it was a long time since I had seen him.  The last time possibly was while he was driving his pink caddy around town when my high school girlfriends and I were taking an evening walk to the beach or who knows where.

I took my associate ski instructor test during my third year on skis and my certified test the next year but did not teach after that.  I would help friends,  but that was it.  It was by far more fun to just ski and not mess with people learning to ski.

I met Jim and Margaret Toomey.  They bought the first two season passes.  They were long time skiers.  Riding the chair with Jim one day he told me about some property he had north of Priest River.  I kept trying to pinpoint the location because my mom and I hunted over there and come to find out it was the same area.  He had 485 acres, which he wanted to sell.  I was in real estate by then and thinking it would be a nice investment started rounding up partners for our Fox Creek Company.  That all led to my eventually locating myself over at Fox Creek plus the company we formed did some other investments together. 

Along with the Toomeys, we met a lot of folks who were serious skiers who were interested in having a good time, traveling, camping, dinners, parties, dancing, and meeting to ski as often as possible.  A memorable time was our group trip to Canada for sno-cat skiing at Mountain Meadows. There were two rafting trips,  covering over 100 miles of wild Idaho rivers. I was also invited to go on the Grand Canyon trip, but I thought 11 days of tent camping would be longer than I would like. Besides that, I’m afraid of water.  We liked Priest Lake for camping but also went to Boulder Creek and were hosted by the Toomeys at their Slee Lake, Montana and Martin Bay properties many times.  At every place we had hiking,  swimming, and biking. And we must not forget the eating and drinking.

I met Carol Couch in the old Schweitzer bar and because we were both kind of rowdy, we became drawn to each other.  We have skied together more than 45 years.  She is a beautiful skier, the best laugher, joke teller, story teller, considerate, kind, and caring friend.  She is always on time.  We’ve always met and gone up the hill together. 

We still ski mornings----she,  a couple days a week and me, more if I can. She does not run into me when we are skiing.  She is also smart, witty and full of useless information.  After all, we go up to the hill to have fun. She is a retired health nurse and drives 50 miles from Coeur d’Alene, which is a tad much for an old lady of 83.

My daughter Lorna adds to the fun---talks to everyone, never met a stranger, has a whole bunch of people she hugs every day.  Most of the time she is in a good mood,  and Carol and I depend on her to lead us through the fog to get to where we can see.

When we are over at the Outback for cocoa at our usual 10:30 a.m., Lorna works the room, almost like a greeter.  She is a fine skier; she started young, while I was teaching up there.  She would come along with my groups and do some demonstrations that I thought were right on.  We share rides, and we stuff all of our gear in one locker. The goings-on in the locker room every morning kind of set the stage for our day.  I feel fortunate to have such a fun person around and that she actually likes hanging out with me.

I’m trying to remember how I met Elsa [Wormington],  but I can’t recall the circumstances.  It had to have been through Sam. Somehow they started coming to visit with Bud and me most EVERY night. They lived over on Gooby Road so it was just around the corner, sort of. 

Sam would ask questions about how I felt about the Mid-way ramp, for example.  Was it steep enough or whatever or he’d ask about just little details about the general usage of the mountain. 

Elsa and I would ski together when she came up the hill and pretty soon I was making the Kimberley runs with her about once a month, sometime skiing up there. Then we went hiking together in the summer.  We liked the ridgetops or just cross country in the woods.  And I didn’t have a horse yet,  so she would furnish me with Sam’s horse, Chief, that fat Appaloosa, and she would ride Mickey.  We’d haul those horses up Lightening Creek and ride those trails.  One time they got loose from us somehow, and we finally caught them with oats.

One time after I got Fritz---that big bay with a big bulb on his knee---out of the killer pen at McGhee’s, we were just casually riding up Baldy one day.  It was noon or so when Elsa wondered if we could make it over to Schweitzer from the top of Baldy.  The Hawkins had their big ride across the ridge a year before and all those horses left a pretty good trail so we had no trouble following it. 

It was September and there were frequent piles of fresh huckleberry bear droppings. The sky was getting dark, and a storm was coming.  As we got toward the Schweitzer ridge, lightning was dancing around us. 

Elsa totally freaked out, thinking we made prime targets with our shod horses.  She took off at a good clip down the south ridge of Schweitzer Road.  Not to be left behind, my horse Fritz kept up.  I hadn’t really ridden all that much yet and was in no shape for a 45-mile ride with a lot of downhill and fast, too. 

So by then, husbands were out looking for us,  and it was getting dark. When we got down to where I lived, even Elsa would do no more so she left Mickey at my house for the night.  I was two weeks recovering.  Every bone in my body was SORE.  We had a lot of good laughs about that trip later…

For me, it has been a good run when I look back on it.  I would not trade any of it.  All I can say is I that have not led a dull life.  Schweitzer certainly played out well for me, still does.  Treasured friendships are so important and when I am “old, ” I can mull a whole lot of things over and snicker a bit.

Tom Anderson 

Background Information:  Born in Spokane in 1950.  Sporting goods manager at Ponderay’s Big R store. Avid outdoorsman and heavily involved in fish and game issues and programs.  Former owner of Sandpoint Outfitters.  

Memories:  I learned to ski in 1967 at Schweitzer and loved it so much that  I tried to become a ski instructor in the spring of 1969 with plans to work in the winter of 1969-70. 

I was turned down by the ski instructors so I went to John Jaegar, then head of the Ski Patrol.  He said, “Get your advanced first aid card, and you can come to work.” 

I did so and started working during the 1969-70 winter. 

Sam Wormington was the manager at that time.  Being a ski patrolman was not the glamorous job like a ski instructor, but we skied a lot and did avalanche control by throwing dynamite bombs.

Sam made us save money on dynamite by mixing plastic bags of ammonia nitrate (fertilizer) and diesel fuel.  We put one quarter stick of dynamite in the bag to set off the mixture.  It worked somewhat; but, boy, did we sure smell! 

During those days when the back side opened with chairs 5 and 6, we had 25 full-time patrolmen and 10 courtesy patrol people whose job was to ski around and pick up skiers who had fallen, guide them and have fun. 

Those days included the patrolmen party with the public in the old Bierstube.  They wanted us to socialize with the skiers, and they loved it.  They trusted us to take care of them if they got hurt and protect them from avalanches.

That brings me to the time I was driving a packer on the back side.  I got a call that an avalanche next to Chair 1 had happened during the midday when a 16-year-old boy skied past the “closed” sign to the left of Chair 1 and set off a slide.

I returned to Chair 1, put my skis on and got to the top of the chair where Frank Stonebarger was sending out groups of patrolmen, ski instructors and lift operators to probe for the boy.  By the time I left with my group, it was already one hour into the search.  A person’s chances in an avalanche are about 10 percent after the first hour.

I took my group and set them up in a line, shoulder to shoulder, calling out commands to probe and to move.   The long aluminum roads are 10 feet, and rescuers probe through the snow to find a body.  I was randomly probing around the edges and trees when I hit something soft about four feet under the snow.

I called for shovels, and in a matter of minutes, we found his head and had to dig 8 feet down to get him out of his ski bindings.  He had a pulse, and we revived him quite quickly. 

“Boy, you guys do good work,” he said to us. Then,  he was taken to the hospital where he recovered completely.

What a scary event with a great outcome; all our training had saved this life.” 

Eight years of patrolling for me at Schweitzer means too many stories to write.  The Jim/Larry Brown family made that place the most fun place to work.  Jim Brown demanded that we have fun,  and then our customers would have fun.  

In 1989 I went to work at the Alpine Ski Shop at Schweitzer for Bob and Linda Aavedal.  That lasted 21 years.  What a ride I’ve had and a great life as a ski bum! 

Helen Newton

Background Information:  Sandpoint High graduate, 1959.  University of Idaho.  Worked with Bud Moon at Moon Funeral home.   Former Sandpoint City Clerk,  and later,  served on City Council.    

We enjoyed about eight years of skiing at Schweitzer with our family – until the cost of the season ticket stretched beyond our reach (and I think beyond the reach of many locals).  It was ironic that the very people who had made the resort possible eventually became the people who could no longer afford the cost of enjoying it.

Helen’s Schweitzer Memory:

Bud Moon was among the “founders” who developed Schweitzer Basin.  The original fund raising concept was to have the resort “locally owned”.  Shares were sold for (if I recall correctly) $10 each. 

I ran the office at Moon Funeral Home at the time this was happening.  Bud was totally wrapped up in getting Schweitzer going.  One day he said to me, “Helen, you and Skip need to buy shares in Schweitzer.  It’s going to happen!  And you should buy one for Laurie too.” 

We had just learned that Laurie had a congenital hip and would need to be in a full body cast for about a year with intermittent stays in a Spokane hospital and frequent visits to the orthopedic surgeon. 

I was pregnant with Pam.  Health insurance?  Skip had no work in the winters then and we lived paycheck to paycheck off my earnings from the funeral home. 

I explained to Bud that we didn’t have an extra dime to spare,  and I didn’t see how we could participate. 

“Why don’t I buy the shares for you and you can pay me back by taking $5 a month out of your paycheck?” he asked.   I talked it over with Skip,  and we agreed that it would be a good thing to participate in this community effort, so that’s what we did. 

Many years later the Brown (Pack River Company) family contacted all original shareholders and requested that those shares be sold back to the family.  If I recall correctly, each shareholder was paid $15 per share, making $5 in the intervening approximately 35 years

Fast forward to 2000 when Erik Daarstad was shooting the film that would become the tribute to Sandpoint’s Centennial celebration in 2001.  Of course, Schweitzer played a significant part in that film about our city’s history.  Erik told me he wanted to include a picture of one of the original shares but hadn’t been able to find any because the Brown family had repurchased them and apparently had destroyed them. 

I told Erik he was in luck.  When the Browns made their request, I turned my share and Laurie’s in,  but Skip did not turn his in.  It resided in our safe deposit box at Bank of America.  I retrieved the document,  and it is now permanently recorded in history on the Centennial film, Sandpoint – at the North End of the Long Bridge.

PS:  And when Erik needed a radio to “shoot” when playing the clip of President Roosevelt’s “Day of Infamy” addressed to the nation, he was in luck again.  He came to our house and used the 1930’s Zenith (floor model) from which my parents heard that very speech!

David’s First Schweitzer Days – Dave Sutliff

Background:  Sandpoint High grad, 1962; Central Washington State University. Semi-Retired. 

When did I first strap on a pair of skis?

                In 1963,  when we had completed preparations for opening the area to the public Schweitzer manager Sam Wormington took us to Jim Parsons, Jr.  and his ski shop for purchase of skis, bindings, boots, and bindings. I think the total cost at that time was around $35. Most of the employees Sam hired had never skied before, but an employee was one who did what was needed to be done, shovel snow, lift operator, parking lot attendant, ski patrol and any other duties assigned.

               

What kind of skis were they?

                The first pair was made of wood.  I do not remember the brand they were,  but they were replaced by metal skis after being broken half way through the season.

                The bindings at that time did not have a release system, as one’s boot was strapped onto the ski with about five or six feet of leather strapping, which helped in support of the leather boot. This binding was called a long thong or “leg breaker.”

                 My first ski boots were an inexpensive pair made of single layer of leather, which was quickly traded in for the warmer double layer of leather. I eventually moved into the plastic insulated boot.

Who taught you to ski?

                Schweitzer manager Sam Wormington had hired two experienced ski patrolmen from Canada and one from White Pass in Washington who  helped us as best as they could with a lot of good directions, patience and much laughter. We were also helped a great deal in having the experience of skiing with the Canadian National Ski Team when they were at the area training.

What kinds of challenges did you have, or was it pretty natural for you?

                First challenge was in staying upright; second,  dry; third,  warm and last,  to get to the bottom before dark. Getting away from the “snow plow” style and moving to the parallel style was the turning point for me.  From that point,  it was staying consistent with as much time on the boards as possible. 

  

As an employee:  My time at Schweitzer Ski Area was from the summer of 1963 until the mid 1970s. My employment at Schweitzer started in the summer of 1963 as a laborer for Long Construction, Co.  who was building the Schweitzer lodge. 

Upon completion of the lodge,  I was asked by Sam Wormington to become an employee of Schweitzer. Employee, meant maintenance, snow removal, lift operator, ticket taker, parking lot attendant and all other task assigned you. We all did whatever it took to make it work.

Cast: My apologies to those that I may have forgotten to include strictly by accident and diminishment of brain cells.

Howard Bogue  1963

Sam Wormington 1963

Scotty Castle 1963

Zane Lund 1963

Geno Pucci

Patty Parkins

Arlene Evans  1963

Stephanie Brown Berghan

Peter Berghan

Jackie Brown

Shirley Hammacker  Hope, ID  Important for knowledge.

Ed Hammacker

Judy Savage Harris

Arnold Bircher 1963

Wayne Parenteau 1963

Delores Kelly 1963 Bookkeeper

Allen Arndt  1963

Tim Sulzie 

Jesse Mask

Bill Haskins

Susy Haskins

Jean Martin

Bill Currie

Debbie Cronic Jeffres

Buddy Bopp   Ambulance Driver

Jimmy Robertson   Maintenance

Norm Cook, Canadian from Kimberly

Alan Burns, Canadian from Rogers Pass

Warner Beck, Ski School Racer Programs, from  Austria

Bill Brown

Willie Overland, 1963

Pam Black

John Winter

Mary Little

Gwen  Little

Jon Hammarberg

Carmen Hammarberg

Greg Smith

John Jaeger

Dwayne  Mullens, 1963, from White Pass, WA

Sid Cunningham

Chris Thompson  Important for information.

Pobst Ski School Director 1964??

Gary Balanger

Gary Vallieres

Jim Olson

Vickie Fuller

John Fuller

Vickie Fuller

John Fuller

Judy Thompson

Keith Sheckler

Al Volts

Betty Volts

Vic Colvard

Sandy Colvard

Tom Anderson

Pat Sayers

John Pucci

Scott Hadley

Tim McCrum

Mike Rogers

Mike White

Bill Haskins

Karl Bolts

Mike Ruskey

Gary Balinger

Rennie Poelstra 1963

Adrien

Bob Avadal  1963

Bobbie Smith

Marilyn Camp

Dwight Sheffler

Doug Piatt

Don Moore

Rick ?

Craig Harris

Dwayne Sheffler

1963 – 1967

Memories:  Paid with $2 dollar bills to demonstrate how much Schweitzer was helping community.

Ski Patrol from Canada to help start

Volunteer Ski Patrol – Fairchild Air Force Crew Members

Canadian National Ski Team Training

Fred Currie First Aid Course Forest Service

Chair #1 Bull wheel bearing failure 1963

Road is out; busing skiers from Werner Paulet's parking area.

Stock sold for Ski area improvements

Jim Parsons Jr.

Bob Cox

Donnie Cox

Calgary Ski Cub Trips

Grant Grossbeck

Jack Fowler

Bud Moon

Ted Gunning

Merrit Stiles

Dr. Robert Berghan

Jim Brown Jr.

Larry Brown 

Sam Wormington

Schweitzer's First  Manager

from Schweitzer Magazine, 2012

Just weeks before he died last year, 91-year-old Sam Wormington accompanied his daughter Colleen Neu to Schweitzer Mountain Resort. The outing turned out to be the last visit for the father-daughter team who had made hundreds of trips to the ski area after it opened back in 1963. 

As Schweitzer’s first manager, Sam often took Colleen with him to work.  In those days, the pair quickly parted company for the day while her dad tended to his duties. Colleen led a charmed life for a teenager, skiing to her heart’s content.

On this visit, the tables had turned.

 “We walked arm and arm,” Colleen recalled, citing her dad’s unsteadiness, “and he asked me to slow down because ‘he wanted to feel the snow under his feet.’ So we stopped and he shuffled in place.”

The trip was difficult for Sam physically and painful for Colleen emotionally as they walked to the Mojo Café and, later, to the executive office where “Dad visited a while [with present manager Tom Chasse],  and then said we needed to go. 

“This was the first time I ever saw Dad pull up short,” she noted.  “He loved the people and loved to talk about Schweitzer. I took him back to The Bridge.  He didn’t ask to go up again. He loved the sport of skiing. It was truly his life.”

As a skier in Canada during his younger days, tall, lanky Sam competed as a giant slalom racer.  He also earned his licenses as an official and instructor for racing and ski jumping.

Even during his final months, Sam seized every opportunity to lure young people to his sport.

“‘One afternoon Gracie (5) and I were waiting for a ride,’ recalls Angie Aller (Gracie’s mom) who had befriended Sam at Sandpoint’s Bridge for Assisted Living.  ‘He asked her if she knew how to ski . . . she said no.

‘Well, I’ll teach you,” Sam said. “Just turn your knees . . . Oh, look, she’s got it. You’ve got a natural here!’”

“Gracie cried and cried the day he died,” her mom recalls. 

Sam left a lasting impression on Angie Aller, a staffer at The Bridge, who spent three months creating a tangible reminder of his incredible life achievements.  

 “Hey, do you know who I am,” he had asked Angie on their first meeting. “I built that ski hill up there on that mountain.”  Well, Sam did have a little help from area visionaries, contractors, a community of donors and his loyal staff, but with previous expertise in the ski industry, he served as Schweitzer’s head cheerleader for 14 years.

One day Angie saw a pile of clippings and photos her friend’s closet and inquired about them. Sam began telling her his stories. Soon, she started organizing the collection into two beautiful scrapbooks.

Between the covers of this leather-bound labor of love lie details and images of a man destined to leave his mark in the Canadian and U.S. ski industries, a citizen honored by the Queen of England for his contributions to a British Columbia community and a soldier forever proud of his service as a gunner with the Canadian Army in WWII. The scrapbook also showcases Sam, the historian, who published his own 600-page book of extensive stories and trivia about ski racing worldwide. As an active, driven retiree, Sam continued to serve his Bonner County community with his beloved Search and Rescue dogs.

In his younger days, Sam not only skied well, but he also dreamed big dreams.  At least two small communities, nestled near big mountains on either side of the U.S.-Canadian border, benefited from his vision. 

Nearly 50 years ago, his can-do optimism and hard work helped launch a new chapter and major turning point in Sandpoint’s history.

In 1963, Sam, then 43 years old, left Kimberley, British Columbia’s North Star Ski Area, which he had developed, to oversee the construction and promotion of Schweitzer.

He brought with him his wife Elsa, then 13-year-old daughter Colleen, five horses and one dog.  Fresh off the realization of a dream for Kimberley, he also brought along an enthusiastic vision for Sandpoint to become a destination resort for skiers across the Northwest and Canada.

Schweitzer Sam

During an interview several years ago, Schweitzer Sam, as he was fondly known by the community, voiced enthusiastic praise for the team of workers and visionaries who helped jumpstart the ski area.

Spokane’s Dr. Merritt Styles (one of the resort’s foremost cheerleaders for whom Styles Run is named) came up to North Star at Kimberley and urged him to apply for the Schweitzer manager’s job, which in 1963,  involved overseeing everything from clearing timber for runs to hiring a staff to spreading the word about the new ski area. 

Reflecting upon local lumber mogul Jim Brown, Jr., Sam expressed appreciation for the respect shown him by Brown who would become Schweitzer’s eventual owner.  Meticulous bookkeeper Delores Kelly,  jack-of-all trades Wayne Parenteau, cafeteria vendor Leonard Haugse, ticket seller Patti Parkins McGovern, road builders Wayne Ebbett, Russell Oliver and Palmer brothers, Bud and Perry; ski patrolmen Dwayne Mullins and Zane Lund, lift specialists Bob Melton and Scotty Castle all played key roles on Sam’s team of early Schweitzer employees.

One of the Schweitzer originals, who directed parking the day the hill opened, still drives to what’s become a year-round resort to manage his longtime business in the village.  Alpine Ski Shop owner Bob Aavedal earned high marks from Sam for his ability to do just about anything, including chair lift maintenance and patroling the ski runs.

Sam’s Legacy at Schweitzer

It’s been nearly 50 years since Sam and his staff fired up Chair One for the first time, sending Jim and Margaret Toomey on that maiden ride as hundreds of skiers waited their turn in lift lines just above the original three-story rustic lodge.

These days, the only tangible remnants of Schweitzer’s original infrastructure are the ski runs Sam designed and the road leading to the resort. Even the road has undergone a substantial facelift since the 1960s when Schweitzer Sam occasionally stood in water up to his hips to clean out the culverts.

Along with its first manager, many of the resort’s original visionaries have passed on. 

Still, their legacy remains alive and well, as evidenced by the national and world press Schweitzer Mountain Resort has received in the past year as a hidden gem among ski areas.

Plus, there’s an ongoing legacy or two for Sam.

Schweitzer manager Tom Chasse, who came to Schweitzer from New Hampshire in 2006, welcomed his predecessor’s visits and exchange of ideas.  In fact, he says Sam’s suggestion to pursue the Canadian market has reaped rewards in the past couple of years with significantly more visits from skiers from above the border.

Then there’s the March day in 2011 when Sam and his daughter made that last trip to Schweitzer.

They brought with them Dakota, Darby and Olen who spent the day enjoying the slopes.

Reflecting a common phenomenon among the Schweitzer faithful, these young skiers represented the fourth generation of their family to ski the mountain.   

They’re Sam’s great-grandchildren.  

The Mountain turns 40: A Tale of Two Managers

By Marianne Love

At the helm in 1963

‘Schweitzer Sam,’ the mountain’s first manager

Like many Sandpoint natives, I’ve lived the history of Schweitzer Mountain Resort. I once held stock in the place. My parents still have a. photo of us with local promoter Bob Cox when we invested $10 apiece from our savings into the new ski resort not far from our North Boyer home.

I even remember an afternoon in the early ’60s when Dr. Jack Fowler and his friend, Grant Groesbeck, stood near our driveway with drawings spread across their car hood. Both brimmed with enthusiasm while showing my dad their plans for Schweitzer.  Somewhat skeptical about building a road up in the watershed where he tended Sandpoint’s water system, he wondered if they could pull it off.

Well, they did. As snow piled up in 1963, a steady stream of cars, bound for the ski hill, began rolling past our farm, turning at the corner of the woods onto the “old Schweitzer Road” (Woodland Drive). We knew our quiet, rural existence would never be quite the same.

When Schweitzer opened – like other curious locals – our family gathered in our ’58 Ford, carefully drove the switchbacks, venturing up the mountain farther than we’d ever gone with our tractor and hay wagon years before for huckleberry picking. We couldn’t believe the views of Pend Oreille Lake. We were even more awestruck with the new, almost foreign world atop the mountain that visionaries from Spokane and Sandpoint along with carpenters, dozer operators, technicians, loggers, laborers, et al, had created so quickly for its Dec. 4, 1963, opening. (See Timeline – 1963.)   Envisioning a wintertime family playground, Schweitzer pioneers also hoped to boost Sandpoint’s seasonal economy.

The snowy scene was magical as we listened to Bavarian music and drank hot chocolate while skiers seemingly floated down the slopes from Chair One. I remember seeing “Schweitzer Sam” as the tall, lean, friendly Canadian from Kimberley, B.C., greeted visitors at the distinctive lodge designed by Groesbeck. That inaugural visit not only introduced me to Schweitzer and Sam but also signaled an awakening for our community. Since then, Sandpoint and Schweitzer no longer sleep during the winter.

We eventually got to know Sam, his wife, Elsa, and daughter, Colleen, as neighbors and fellow horse lovers. I sold season tickets in the ’60s.  In the ’70s, my husband, Bill, worked for Sam as a chairlift operator. My brother, Kevin, managed the Ski Patrol prior to John Pucci, who still holds the job today.

Forty years later, we’ve all grown older, and Schweitzer has grown beyond our wildest imaginations. General Manager Tom Fortune’s challenges of ushering the resort into its fifth decade contrast sharply with those 43-year-old Sam Wormington faced in 1963.

Wormington joined me at Schweitzer Village last August to reminisce. This World War II Canadian Army veteran may be 83, but age hasn’t slowed him down. I huffed and puffed while climbing the hill behind him to Chair One for some picture-taking.

Sam surveyed the slopes where trees have grown, erasing any sign of the first rope tow and original T-bar. He still marvels at road contractor Russell Oliver’s scheme of running a bulldozer up the snowy slope, letting the path freeze and covering it with sand, enabling cement trucks to get to the top in January 1964 during T-bar installation.

We then went to Selkirk Lodge to talk more about the past. As Sam opened his scrapbook of clippings and medals of appreciation from Sandpoint’s Rotary and the Queen of England, the past came walking by in the form of early ski patrol volunteer Dutch Miedema.

“It was all basic, starting from scratch – no grooming,” Miedema reflected. “It was a whole different mountain then, wasn’t it Sam?”

After Dutch left, we started again. Minutes later, Otto and Denny Schatz walked by, recognizing Sam. They skied Schweitzer during Otto’s Fairchild Air Force Base tour in the ’70s. Wormington and the Schatzes swapped stories, including one about the young pilot who buzzed the basin with his B-52 bomber, only to learn later in a chewing-out that his commanding officer had been sitting in the lodge during the flyover. “He’s a three-star general now,” Denny quipped.

Over lunch at the Alpenglow Deli, “Schweitzer Sam” and I traversed the high spots of his 14-year career at Schweitzer, recalling original players in the resort’s evolution, some who have since died. Spokane’s Dr. Merritt Stiles – one of the resort’s foremost, early cheerleaders – came up to North Star at Kimberley, encouraging Sam to apply for the Schweitzer job. The manager would be involved in supervising everything from clearing timber for ski runs, installing power and organizing ticket sales, to hiring staff and even marketing the new ski area.

While remembering Jim Brown Jr., Sam expressed appreciation toward the community leader and visionary businessman who later took sole control of the resort. (See Timeline – 1982-mid’80s.) He answered directly to Brown whose influence and support drove Schweitzer for the next 26 years. As founder of Pack River Lumber Co. and a vast timber empire, Brown and his wife, Jean, shared the early vision for Schweitzer as a family-oriented ski area that would provide employment in Bonner County.

“It was supposed to be a venue for good fun,” says Brown’s eldest daughter, Bobbie Huguenin. “Mom and Dad supported the operations for all the years I can remember because they wanted the people of Sandpoint, et al, to enjoy something appropriately challenging and thrilling.”

Brown was grooming Bobbie to help carry out his dream of catapulting Schweitzer into a regional destination resort when he died suddenly in 1989. (See Timeline – 1989.)

    “We made a plan and laid the foundations for the next 50 years of operations and

 development with the conviction that Schweitzer has the potential to be a top quality,

 family-oriented, year-round destination mountain resort,” she recalled. “The plan

 contemplated that Sandpoint/Bonner County would always be integral in terms of

 amenities, accommodations and employees. We saw many ancillary businesses being able

 to piggy-back our investment.”

Brown’s leadership, vision and friendship left an impact throughout the community and especially with Sam, who wrote in his 1980 book The Ski Race, “Much of the credit for the success of Schweitzer Basin goes to Jim for his foresight and faith in the development.”

Sam also touched on Schweitzer employees, including  meticulous bookkeeper Delores Kelly, ticket seller Patti Parkins McGovern, and “Girl Friday” Shirley Hamacher. Wayne Parenteau, Rennie Poelstra and Bob Aavedal functioned as jacks-of-all-trades, while Russell Oliver, Wayne Ebbett and the Palmer brothers (Bud and Perry) built the road. Ski patrolmen Dewain Mullins and Zane Lund, maintenance man Jim Robertson, lift specialists Bob Melton and Scotty Castle, as well as a host of other employees and volunteers played key roles in launching the operation.

When Sam left in 1977, Schweitzer, with its seven chair lifts and overnight 
accommodations, had become well-established as a popular Northwest ski resort, but not 
without a few glitches. Until paved in 1974, the road, with its soft base,  provided  headaches. Sam always worried about parking space. Still does. And he still grouses about Chair One’s 600-person per hour capacity.  Should have been 1,200 skier-per-hour capacity, he says.

Sam, however, has little time to dwell on the past. Besides trips to Europe for World War II monument dedications, he’s training and caring for his German shepherd sidekick, Astra, who sniffs out missing persons for Search and Rescue.

He quit the ski business in 2003 after 50-plus years, managing Kimberley, Schweitzer and Mt. Spokane resorts and installing Riblet chair lifts in the United States and Canada. No longer skiing, he prefers snow shoeing because the dogs trip over skis, and the workout keeps him in shape. Elsa died in 1992, so he house-sits or spends time at his daughter’s ranch in Montana.

When I left Sam, he was feeding Astra turkey scraps from his deli sandwich. I headed home,  appreciating my visit with an old friend who played such a significant role in shaping Schweitzer and starting Sandpoint on a whole new journey.

The ‘New Schweitzer’ with Tom Fortune: Living up to the Harbor Properties Mission

Tom Fortune was an Edmonds, WA., toddler  when Sam Wormington directed Schweitzer’s opening in 1963. He first skied through  a school program at Stevens Pass, where he later worked as a teenager. Nowadays, this father of three boys, husband to Jennifer and lifelong winter-sports junkie says he lives, works and plays on Schweitzer Mountain.

“I’ll quit the day I don’t have the passion for the sports that are up here,” says the youthful-looking Fortune. “I like the work, but I haven’t lost the passion for riding the fresh line of powder.”

After 25 years with Harbor Properties/Harbor Resorts, Fortune’s passion for his present job shines while reviewing strides Schweitzer has made since the Seattle-based company purchased it in 1998. Harbor’s financial prowess is carrying much of Jim Brown’s 1980s dream into fruition.

The company has poured millions into improving, developing and marketing the “New Schweitzer,” which emphasizes its tie to Lake Pend Oreille with its “Mountain on the Lake” slogan. A tour through the flourishing Schweitzer Village – home to Whitepine Lodge,  retail stores, and recently renovated Selkirk Lodge – reflects Harbor Properties’ commitment to see the resort emerge throughout the West as a prime, year-round recreational draw. (See Timeline – 1999-2003.)

The mountain is well on its way with two consecutive record summer seasons featuring a growing number of amenities, such as lift rides, hiking, biking, music events, disc golf, etc. With improved facilities like Stella – Idaho’s first high-speed, 6-passenger chair lift – and continued emphasis on efficient, friendly service, Schweitzer’s skier visits have exploded in the past five years from an annual average of 160,000 visits to 217,000 – that includes two winters with less-than-ideal conditions. This increase has pumped millions of dollars into the local economy. The annual payroll of $3.8 million has ensured nearly 600 workers winter employment along with another 100 during the summers.

Harbor hopes to attract more group conferences and major recreational events by increasing overnight/retail facilities similar to the Whitepine Lodge concept. That strategy began to pay off for Schweitzer and Sandpoint last July when more than 10,000 spectators showed up to watch 1,100 mountain bikers compete in the 4-day NORBA regional competition.

“They want to come back,” Fortune says. “In four years, we may host the finals.” The event provided priceless national and worldwide exposure for Schweitzer and even spawned winter reservations and local real estate deals.

Lots to celebrate – and celebrate it shall – several times during the 2003-04 winter, Fortune says. Although not finalized at press time, plans called a kickoff event on the Dec. 4 anniversary.  Winter Carnival events will focus on the milestone. For updates, check www.schweitzer.com.

“We’re going to have an employee reunion in April,” Fortune says. “That will be a big deal.”

He appreciates longtime employees like ski patrol manager John Pucci and base operations manager Deanna Harris, whose history and knowledge help perpetuate Schweitzer’s heritage as the resort expands.

“He’s very open about recognizing people, who they are and their experience in this industry,” says Pucci, a 38-year employee. “He includes me in a lot of decisions.”

A Schweitzer staffer since 1981, Harris remembers the days of fighting over one typewriter. She’s witnessed how computer technology has “changed the way we operate dramatically.

“We know how many people are on the mountain at any given time,” she says. “We can sell tickets off site in order to eliminate ticket lines. What hasn’t changed over the years are the great employees; it is a special group of people.”

Fortune recognizes that quality and admits to getting emotional about the mission statement and service philosophy that evolved from an employee retreat.

Promising  “Passionate, friendly, genuine people creating great experiences” and the service guideline “Do it right; keep it real,” he couldn’t be prouder of the direction the staff is headed.

“I believe the leaders have a responsibility to operate this place and continue to operate with a respect for the history,” he says.

Fortune also looks ahead toward celebrating Schweitzer’s half century with goals of a central bell/clock tower, replacement of Chair One into two separate lifts---upping capacity to 2,000 skiers hourly; improved mountain access, increased skier visits. 

Other plans include consistent, outstanding service; enhanced beginner terrain and programs, building and equipment renovations, and added amenities like a summer zip line, climbing wall, and bungee jumping. 

And, who knows?   Schweitzer Village could even appear on maps as an incorporated municipality by 2013.

--from Sandpoint Magazine, Winter 2004

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                 

John Pucci (left) with skiing buddies in 2013

John Pucci

Retired Ski Patrol Director

Back in the mid-1960s, hoping for a spot on Schweitzer’s Ski Patrol, John Pucci learned that his chances were so slim that a patrol member would probably have to break a leg.

Undeterred, he skied with patrol members, just in case.

“One day I was skiing with Gary Valleries.  He fell and said his leg was broken,”  Pucci recalled.

“‘Are you sure it’s broken?’ I asked him.  When he said yes, I said, ‘Great! I’ve got a job.’  We laugh about that to this day.”

Pucci served on the patrol for 46 years, with just one break, and that wasn’t a leg.

Taking a year off in 1971-‘72, he worked as a carpenter on Condo del Sol construction.

“I’d look up at the mountain and knew I had to go back,” he said, “so I got on my knees, begged Sam [Wormington] for forgiveness.  He said I could come back.” 

Pucci, 69, stayed until his retirement in 2012, chalking up a record 46 years with Schweitzer.

These days the long-time motorcycle enthusiast enjoys taking his Harley Road King on trips when not working on carpentry or concrete projects, snow removal or driving commercial vehicles.

Stories of Schweitzer flow easily for Pucci.  He started skiing with a former girlfriend during his 1963 Christmas break from North Idaho College.

“I wasn’t very good.  I floundered but pretty much taught myself, with tips from ski patrol friends,” he recalled. One day ski instructor Arnold Bircher gave him a lesson on the face.

“Point your bellybutton downhill and go for it!” Bircher told his student.

Pucci eventually headed the Ski Patrol, dealing with everything from minor injuries to fatalities to authoring a manual on avalanche control.

A four-day search for avalanche victim Rick Metcalf in 1981 left a lasting impact on Schweitzer personnel and the community.

“He [Rick] was the husband of one of my female ski patrol members,” Pucci recalled. “The intensity, community support, food and caring for people on the support team was amazing.

“After four days, we brought in avalanche rescue dogs from Colorado,” he added. “We took them to the top of the hill, made two, three trips down. They were getting pretty frazzled.  After one more trip, they found him.  It was a sadness I’ll never forget.”

In the early days when spring came, Pucci used two cars to get to Schweitzer.  He drove his new 1967 Pontiac to the mountain base, then transferred to his ’53 Plymouth clunker.

“Four or five of us would ride up,” he said.  “We didn’t care about the car because the road was so bad.”

Light-hearted fun and camaraderie among the patrol over the years made up for darker moments.  Occupied porta-potties toppling over and “trials” with “prosecuting attorney”  Dwayne “Blackie” Black, declaring guilt before learning the crime kept the patrol on its toes.   

John Pucci expressed deep gratitude toward his long association with Schweitzer.

“It’s made my life so nice because I had year round employment with Schweitzer in the winter and a summer job,” he said. “The boys, Allo, Jonah and Adam, all grew up skiing.  It’s been so family-oriented and being around the guys I’ve hired 20-30 years ago and seeing their kids become ski patrolmen.  That’s the best.”

Pucci still skis occasionally at Schweitzer and grabs a free beer from Pucci’s Pub,  named in his honor by owners, the late Fred Darnell, Jr. and Eric Solontai.

“Freddy wanted to honor John because all the lifties and employees thought so much of him,” Karla Darnell (Freddy’s mother) said. “We all love John so much.  He went the extra mile [when Fred, Jr.  died from cancer]. He deserves a tribute.” 

Jim Robertson

Longtime Lift Maintenance Man

After 45 years of building and maintaining Schweitzer chair lifts, Jim Robertson could retire.  He’s content, however, to continue working in his present role as lift maintenance assistant to Carl Knotts.

“I love the mountain,” he said. “I have always enjoyed what I do and all the friends I’ve worked with throughout the years.”

Robertson joined the Schweitzer staff in 1968 after “hounding” manager Sam Wormington for a week.

“My first day on the job was digging a tower foundation with a shovel,” Robertson recalls. “Sam dropped me off . . . to dig a very large hole in the side of the mountain.  He left for town.  Partway through the morning,  my shovel broke.  I spent the rest of the day enjoying the view, waiting for Sam to return.”

Since that day, Robertson moved from chair lift construction to lift maintenance.

“In 1990, we had our first detachable chair lift installed . . . one of the biggest challenges of my career,” Robertson said, “learning the mechanical and electrical aspects.  Through the years, we installed a few newer style lifts, and they have become more second nature.”

Nowadays, the lift maintenance crew heads out by 6 a.m. to run lifts, making sure they’re ready for the day.

“Some mornings are a challenge due to severe weather forming a layer of ice which we have to remove for the lifts to run properly,” Robertson explained.

“Not a fun job.  Some days after putting in 8-10 hours during the day, we have to continue working into the night doing repair work.”

During the off season, Robertson and his colleagues examine every lift “from top to bottom,” completing scheduled maintenance and repair work.

“Working on lift maintenance is anything but humdrum,” Robertson said. “The job involves a large variety of things to do and many challenges.”

Bill Jones

Beer distributor, Ski patrolman, Sandpoint native

Bill and Mary Jones met at Schweitzer

I’ll never forget my first day on skis at Schweitzer in 1964.  I laced up my boots and tightened my cable bindings and grabbed onto the rope tow.  At the top I skied off to the side and pointed my skis straight down the hill.  I didn’t know how to snowplow or stop and crashed hard at the bottom with major damage to my knee ligaments.  So I spent much of that winter on crutches as a 4^th grader at Sagle School.   

The next winter our family loaded up the 1957 Mercury wagon every Saturday, headed up the hill and we learned how to ski.  Sundays were reserved for watching the Green Bay Packers on TV.  In high school our basketball coaches wouldn’t allow us to be skiers; instead, I would help my Dad deliver beer to the “Stube” at Schweitzer.  In those days we sold them full barrels of Heidelberg beer that weighed 320 pounds.  They were too big for the old elevator in the lodge, so we would wrestle them into the ambulance and then roll them into the bar from the hillside.  Throughout college we would hitchhike home from the U of Idaho on weekends to ski.

  

After college in 1978 my good friend Doug Piatt was on ski patrol and talked John Pucci into hiring me part-time.  John also put me in charge of the refrigerator and the beer, of course.  I worked 22 years on Ski Patrol on most every weekend, retiring in 2000.   Seems like I got stuck on the top of Chair 4 or 5 quite a bit, but I enjoyed my job and Chair 4 is still one of my favorite spots. 

It was a stormy Sunday in 1981 that I was assigned to chair 4 for the day, and it was the day my friend, Rick Metcalf, would perish just off of Loop Hole.  He was having so much fun that day skiing the blizzard and I’ll never forget the thumbs up he gave us on one of his many rides up the chair.  We looked for him for days.  I always had a feeling he might be buried where we found him, and afterwards the clues we received from a psychic back east actually were very accurate.  All of us patrolmen lost a good friend that day,

There were some memorable good times too.  All the great powder mornings when Pucci had us ski check the face, including the now famous “powder pig” day when the snow was chest deep and light as feathers.  As the day came to a close on the top of the chair before sweep, it was not uncommon to have John walk in the lift shack with a big grin and a 6 pack of Oly.  

We had some late nights in the Bierstube regularly.  Word would come from a family or friend that a skier had not showed up at the end of the day as planned.  So John would announce to all of us, as we sat drinking beer and rubbing elbows with the customers, that we needed to stay and be ready to head back out on a possible search that night.  We had a great crew, made a lot of life-long friendships, worked hard and played hard.

I met my future wife, Mary, in the Schweitzer bar one Saturday afternoon after work, introduced by John Olson and Kathy Pelland, two legends of the hill.  I remember the great Gong shows hosted by Jim Armbruster in the Schweitzer bar.  Memories of the great Rude Boys Balls in the 80’s at the downtown Elks Lodge still linger.  

One year when the mountain was having some financial difficulty in the 90’s, the part time patrollers were given a pass, but no pay for time worked, no matter the hours.  We were supposed to receive vouchers or something, but that never materialized.   Ski patrol incidents are numerous.  From chasing speeders, out-of-control snowboarders, to tossing dynamite off the cornices, we had lengthy job descriptions. 

During another year, before Schweitzer discovered snowmobiles, I had a skier with a broken femur under old chair 6.  Jim Floyd Olson and I dragged that guy in the toboggan, all the way down to the bottom through deep powder.  We loved to ski beyond the out-of-bounds ropes in search of the untracked powder.  One morning, on my day off, Ace, Spud and I headed down the south ridge, past the ropes, into the R chutes.  The powder was great, but I set off a small avalanche and ended up at the bottom buried to my neck with torn knee ligaments.    

We were policemen, dynamite experts, almost EMTs, and, most of all, goodwill ambassadors for Schweitzer and the town of Sandpoint.

Note:  Want to contribute your memories to the Schweitzer Originals blog.  Send them to me at potatohead89@hotmail.com.  I'll be happy to post them.